Speaking at the White House, Obama said investigators do not know if the attack was carried out by an international or domestic organization, or perhaps by a “malevolent individual.” Three people were killed, including an 8 year-old boy, and more than 170 were wounded.

In his second public statement in less than 24 hours since the explosions, the president said, “Clearly we are at the beginning of our investigation.” He urged anyone with information relating to the events to contact authorities.

Individuals briefed on the probe said the two bombs were made up of pressure cookers, one packed with ball bearings and the other with shards of metal, presumably to inflict maximum injuries. The bombs were placed inside black duffel bags on the ground near the finish line of the annual race, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation remains active and they were not authorized to be quoted by name.

Obama said investigators “don’t have a sense of motivation yet” as they begin to evaluate the attack.

Despite the loss of life and limb, Obama declared, “The American people refuse to be terrorized.”

As he had on Monday, he said those responsible for the attacks would be brought to justice.

The president had avoided labeling the incident a terrorist attack when he stood at the same White House lectern shortly after the explosions. Members of Congress quickly concluded on Monday afternoon that’s what it was, and White House officials said the FBI was investigating the attack as a terror incident.

But its governing board said it’s not possible for the financially ailing agency to meet cost-cutting goals without altering its delivery schedule. Delaying “responsible changes,” the board said, only makes it more likely that the Postal Service “may become a burden” to taxpayers.

The Postal Service said in February that it planned to switch to five-day-a-week deliveries beginning in August for everything except packages as a way to hold down losses.

But that announcement was a gamble. The agency essentially was asking Congress to drop from spending legislation the longtime ban on five-day-only delivery. Congress did not do that when it passed a spending measure last month.

“By including restrictive language … Congress has prohibited implementation of a new national delivery schedule for mail and package,” the postal Board of Governors said in a statement Wednesday.

In our best Huggy Lowdown voice… WHO KNEW!

Meet “Hotter Than a MoFo” Man

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“I have never seen his portrayal of ‘Madea’ as a man cross-dressing. I saw his wonderful portrayal of Madea as bringing to the forefront the strongest person in the history of our sojourn in America, and that is Madea. That strong, Black woman who was the cornerstone of her family. She always was that figure that guidance [of] correction, reprimand, discipline, and Tyler Perry brought her to the screen in funny ways, but what I was seeing was the greatness of the strong, Black woman who saw us through, from yesterday until today.”

Minister Farrakhan goes on to compare Perry to Imam W. Deen Muhammad, the son of The Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the revered spiritual leader who helmed the Nation of Islam after his father’s death. Imam Muhammad, in addition to his transcendent spiritual leadership, used a fusion of psychology and art to heal the Black community. And Minister Farrakhan views Perry as traveling that same path.

“When you look at Tyler Perry’s movies, you see the brilliance of T.D. Jakes, a spiritual giant. You see the majesty of human problems acted out. So you could sit in the theater and see yourself in your madness, in your gladness, in your goodness, in your evil, then come out of that experience, for a $15 ticket and some popcorn, and say, ‘Wow, I feel better.’

“So this New Year is a shout-out to the giant called Tyler Perry. A spiritual giant, a magnificent human being, and I pray that this year his art, his greatness, will shine even more in healing our people through mass projection of drama through films and plays.”

Farrakhan’s assessment of Perry is counter to the intense criticism that Perry has been subjected to throughout his career from scholars and community leaders who feel that his portrayal of Black men is emasculating. Film-maker Spike Lee has been Perry’s chief detractor.

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Dr. Dee McLeod’s deep loss is black women’s gain.

The cancer specialist with The Sacred Heart Cancer Center in Pensacola, Florida, lost her mother to breast cancer while McLeod was in medical training at Meharry Medical College.

McLeod’s personal loss drove her to promote education and awareness in the local community and she is involved in and an advocate for national clinical breast cancer trials.

She has got her work cut out for her.

Black women are less likely than white women to get breast cancer, but when they do they are more likely to die, especially women under 50 years of age.

Black women under the age of 50 have a 77 percent higher mortality rate from breast cancer than other women of the same age.

A study by scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill schools of Public Health and Medicine, and the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, found that younger, pre-menopausal black women are more prone to an especially aggressive type of cancer with a shorter survival rate.

Researchers are looking at a wide array of possible causes, from biology, to genetics ties, to environment in an effort to come up with successful drugs and treatment plans.