The Obama administration, four short months into its second term, finds itself beset by three political storms.

Republicans in Congress, some Democrats and the press are pelting the White House with questions about the raid on an American post in Libya, the conduct of the Internal Revenue Service and the seizure of phone records from The Associated Press.

Taken together, the three have consumed the week in Washington. Here’s a quick guide.

BENGHAZI

The basics: Four Americans, including the ambassador to Libya, were killed in a raid on a diplomatic post in the city of Benghazi on Sept. 11, 2012. The State Department ultimately determined that the raid was a series of terrorist attacks.

Republicans have made an array of accusations, including that the administration failed to send the military to help, waited too long to consistently describe the raid as a terror attack, and extensively edited talking points for media appearances.

The White House response: President Barack Obama, exasperated, dismissed the Republican furor over the talking points earlier this week as a politically motivated “sideshow.”

The administration has also said that sending the military was logistically impossible and would have left other American interests undefended. Obama said within hours of the raid that “acts of terror” would not be tolerated. On Thursday, he pledged increased security for diplomatic posts.

Accused of changing its public stance on the raid because of political reasons — the presidential election was less than two weeks away — the administration released 100 pages of emails and other documents Wednesday shedding light on how the talking points were changed.

The stakes: The political stakes are increasingly focused on Hillary Clinton’s potential run for the presidency in 2016. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. and himself a possible candidate, accused Clinton of “dereliction of duty” at a speech in Iowa over the weekend.

American Crossroads, Karl Rove’s political action committee, released an ad draping Clinton in dark shadows and grainy black-and-white photos and accusing her of a cover-up. The ad ends with an invitation to donate to American Crossroads.

What’s next: More questions from Republicans, despite the administration’s insistence that there is little if anything left to explain.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who has accused the administration of lying and believing itself to be above the law, wants to interview former Ambassador Thomas Pickering, one of the leaders of the review board.

THE IRS

The basics: Employees of the Internal Revenue Service singled out Tea Party groups and other conservative organizations for special scrutiny in reviewing applications for tax exemption.

Republicans want to know whether anyone in the administration knew about it — to date there is no evidence that they did — and have suggested the government was punishing political enemies.

The White House stance: Obama on Wednesday ousted the acting head of the IRS, Steven Miller, and said: “Americans have a right to be angry about it, and I’m angry about it.”

The president acted after a Treasury Department investigation faulted the IRS for using “inappropriate criteria” in picking which organizations to scrutinize. The report also said that “ineffective management” allowed the criteria to stay in place.

Asked Thursday whether he supported the appointment of a special prosecutor, Obama said he believed working with Congress to investigate would be sufficient.

The stakes: Republicans and Democrats alike have expressed. Republicans appear to be coalescing around an insistence that it shows a pattern of intimidation by the administration.

“The unifying themes of this town are an arrogance and view of the machinery of government to be a tool of partisanship,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas and a Tea Party favorite, said Thursday.

Besides demanding hearings, they are likely to use that argument in the 2014 midterm elections. In addition, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said that the IRS ordeal could hurt the push for immigration reform in Congress.

“We’ve already faced tremendous suspicion about the federal government’s ability or willingness to enforce the law,” Rubio said.

What’s next: Attorney General Eric Holder has pledged a nationwide investigation. Federal prosecutors are looking at potential violations of law, including civil rights statutes and a federal law that restricts political activities by federal employees.

There are at least three congressional hearings scheduled, beginning with the House Ways and Means Committee on Friday.

AP PHONE RECORDS

The basics: The Justice Department secretly seized two months of records from more than 20 telephone lines used by reporters and editors for The Associated Press last year.

The seizure was apparently connected to a federal investigation into who leaked classified information about a foiled terror plot in Yemen that the AP reported on in May 2012. The AP has angrily objected and demanded further explanation.

The White House stance: The deputy attorney general who is overseeing the investigation insisted in a letter to the AP that the seizure was limited in scope and that the content of calls was not monitored.

Holder, who has recused himself from the investigation, said Tuesday that the leak “put the American people at risk” and was among the most serious he has seen in 37 years as a prosecutor.

The stakes: Media organizations have said that the seizure will intimidate whistle-blowers. As in the IRS furor, Republicans are seeking to portray an administration bent on overreaching. Democrats have joined the criticism, too.

Sen. Jon Tester of Montana said Wednesday that the Justice Department’s steps were “a blatant violation of privacy, and directly interfere with the constitutionally protected rights of the press to do its job free from government intrusion or direction.”

What’s next: Under fire, the Obama administration is pushing to revive legislation that would enhance protections for journalists when they refuse to name confidential sources.

A White House official called Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to ask him to reintroduce the legislation, known as a media shield law. Schumer said that the bill at least would have ensured a fairer process in the AP leak.

But Obama stressed Thursday that he makes no apology for being concerned about leaks that jeopardize American missions.

This story was originally published on Thu May 16, 2013 1:35 PM EDT

New Orleans police said Thursday that they had arrested a second suspect in a shooting rampage that left 19 people injured at a Mother’s Day parade.

Police identified the suspect as Shawn Scott, 24. His brother, Akein, was arrested late Wednesday and ordered held Thursday on $10 million bond. Each faces 20 counts of attempted murder, police said.

Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office via AFP - Getty Images

Akein Scott, the first suspect arrested by New Orleans police in a shooting at a parade Sunday.

Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas said four other people were arrested and charged with harboring the brothers. Those four suspects were identified as Justin Alexander, Bionca Hickerson, Nekia Youngblood and Brandy George.

The wounded at the parade included two 10-year-old children, a boy and a girl. Surveillance footage captured a man stepping into the street, opening fire on the crowd and running away.

On Monday, Serpas named Akein Scott as a suspect, flashed a photo of him and warned: “We know more about you than you think.” He said Scott had previous arrests on gun and drug charges and was free on $15,000 bail.

The victims were marching in what is known as a second line parade, common in New Orleans: A brass band plays while marching in the streets, while a “second line” of people follows the band, celebrating.

The parade was two blocks long and included about 400 people. The crime scene was a mile and a half from the heart of the French Quarter and near the Treme neighborhood, the centerpiece for the HBO series of the same name.

This story was originally published on Thu May 16, 2013 11:58 AM EDT

A group of self-styled Robin Hoods who scamper around the streets of a New Hampshire city and feed expired parking meters for strangers has been hit with a harassment lawsuit.

The city of Keene says its three parking inspectors have been taunted, insulted and followed by the group — to the point that one of them says he has suffered heart palpitations and is thinking about quitting his job.

In its lawsuit, the city is asking a court to order the group not to come within 50 feet of the parking inspectors.

The suit names six defendants, most of them bloggers for Free Keene, which describes itself on its Facebook page as “your connection to the liberty activism movement in New Hampshire.”

One of the six, Ian Freeman, told NBC News that “The Robin Hooders have always been courteous in my experience” and pointed out that the city has not charged them criminally with harassment.

“The city is upset because they are losing revenue and are coming up with anything they can to try to stop it,” he said.

He also noted that the city’s job description for parking inspectors, included as part of the lawsuit, requires that inspectors “endure verbal and mental abuse when confronted with the hostile views and opinions of the public.”

The city attorney in Keene did not immediately respond to a call for comment from NBC News.

After they feed a meter, members of the group place a card on the windshield of the car that says: “We saved you from the king’s tariffs. Robin Hood and his Merry Men. Please consider paying it forward.” The card features the Disney depiction of Robin Hood as a fox.

The group has fans in Keene, a city of about 23,000 near the Massachusetts state line.

“My husband had it a few weeks ago,” Pam Stetzer told NBC affiliate WHDH in Boston. “He was just running a little late in one of the stores … and when he came back he had the little card there saying they had put a little extra money in for him. It definitely saved him.”

Another member of the group, James Cleaveland, told The New Hampshire Union Leader newspaper that the group has stopped the inspectors from writing about 4,000 tickets.

The three parking inspectors, in affidavits filed with the lawsuits, say that the taunts from the group have ranged from accusations of racism to basic trash-talk.

One of the inspectors, Linda Desruisseaux, said that one of the six liked to taunt her by saying, “Linda, guess what you’re not going to do today — write tickets.”

Toby Talbot / AP

The Senate bill sits on the speaker's podium on Monday in Montpelier, Vt.

Vermont is poised to become the fourth state to allow doctors to help terminally ill patients die.

A bill approved Monday night by the state House would allow doctors to prescribe lethal doses of medication. The Senate has already approved the bill. It goes to Gov. Peter Shumlin, a strong supporter.

Vermont would join Oregon, Washington and Montana. Oregon and Washington passed similar laws by popular vote, and a court order Montana made it legal there. Vermont would be the first to pass such a law through its legislature.

“It’s huge,” Michael Sirotkin, a lobbyist involved with the issue in Vermont for a decade, told the Burlington Free Press newspaper. “I think it’s going to have a major effect on other states’ willingness to vote on this.”

For the first three years, Vermont would follow the Oregon law, which requires that patients state their wish to die three times, including once in writing, and requires a concurring opinion from a second doctor.

After July 1, 2016, Vermont would require less monitoring and reporting by doctors. Lawmakers could still eliminate those changes and permanently follow the Oregon model.

The law would take effect immediately upon the governor’s signature. Supporters told NBC affiliate WPTZ in Burlington that they expect about 20 people to ask for the lethal dose each year, and roughly six to decide to take it.

Debate in the Vermont Legislature was charged. Supports of the legislation sometimes call it “death with dignity,” and opponents sometimes call it “physician-assisted suicide.”

“I believe this bill is very dangerous bill,” state Rep. Tom Koch told the newspaper. “We have facilitated euthanasia.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story was originally published on Tue May 14, 2013 8:57 AM EDT

Alex Wong / Getty Images

President Barack Obama speaks during a joint news conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron at White House on Monday.

Outrage intensified in Washington on Monday over the disclosure that the Internal Revenue Service targeted conservative groups for special scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status.

President Barack Obama, at a White House appearance with the British prime minister, said that he wanted all the facts but used strong terms to condemn the reported conduct.

“I’ve got no patience with it. I will not tolerate it,” he said. “And we will make sure that we find out exactly what happened on this.”

The Treasury Department’s inspector general for tax administration will release an audit report later this week. In the meantime, here are five big unanswered questions looming over the IRS.

How did this start and why?

In January 2010, a Supreme Court decision known as Citizens United touched off a flood of political spending, much of it classified under a section of tax law known as 501(c)4 that entitles certain “social welfare” groups to tax exemption.

Two months later, a special unit of the IRS in Cincinnati assigned to screen applications for 501(c)4 status began searching for groups with descriptions that included “Tea Party” and “Patriots,” according to a partial draft of the inspector general’s report obtained by NBC News.

Lois Lerner, head of the IRS division on tax-exempt organizations, said Friday that the targeting of conservative groups was “inappropriate” but “absolutely not” influenced by the White House. She also said that none of the targeted groups was denied tax-exempt status.

What has not been spelled out is who in the Cincinnati office decided to search for conservative groups and why.

At least one Tea Party group called on the administration Monday to appoint a special prosecutor to look into the matter, which it called “un-American and Nixonesque.” One of the articles of impeachment against President Richard Nixon accused him of targeting political opponents for tax audits.

Both Republicans and Democrats in Congress are determined to investigate.

“I just don’t buy that this was a couple of rogue IRS employees,” Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Sunday on the CNN program “State of the Union.”

Who knew what, and when, higher in the IRS?

Lerner learned in June 2011 that agents had targeted groups with names including “Tea Party” and “Patriots,” according to the draft obtained by NBC News.

She “instructed that the criteria immediately be revised,” according to the draft. Ten months later, in March 2012, the IRS commissioner at the time, Douglas Shulman, testified to Congress that the IRS was not targeting tax-exempt groups based on their politics.

The IRS said over the weekend that senior executives were not aware of the targeting, but it remains unclear who knew what and when. Shulman, who left the agency last fall, has not spoken publicly about the scandal and did not answer a request for comment Monday from NBC News.

Members of Congress had sent letters to Shulman as early as June 2011 asking specifically about targeting of conservative groups, according to a House Ways and Means Committee summary obtained by NBC News.

The IRS responded at least six times but made no mention of targeting conservatives, according to the committee’s summary.

Will anyone be fired?

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., on Monday demanded the resignation of the head of the IRS. That is Steven Miller, who is serving as acting commissioner until Obama nominates a replacement.

The last commissioner was Shulman, who was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2008, left the agency in November and has taken a position as a guest scholar at the Brookings Institution.

Newt Gingrich, the Republican former House speaker, told MSNBC on Monday that Obama should say “he’s going to fire everybody he can legally fire who’s been involved with this.”

How will the White House contain the political damage?

The IRS scandal presents a daunting political challenge for the White House, which is already being forced to defend its handling of the deadly attack on a U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, last September.

The furor over the IRS has come from both parties. Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said Monday the agency had committed an “outrageous abuse of power” and pledged a grilling.

“The IRS will now be the ones put under additional scrutiny,” he said.

Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia called it inexcusable, and Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said the president “must immediately condemn this attack on our values and find those individuals in his administration who are responsible and fire them.”

How can this be prevented in the future?

Rubio, in his letter calling for the resignation of the IRS chief, called the behavior “seemingly unconstitutional and potentially criminal.”

But under existing law, the worst that can happen to an IRS agent who discriminates against taxpayers is getting fired, said Rep. Mike Turner, an Ohio Republican who sits on the House Oversight Committee.

Turner introduced a bill Monday to increase the toughest penalty to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

“This is about protecting the rights of all Americans and their ability to freely express their political thoughts,” he said.

Kelly O’Donnell of NBC News contributed to this report. Reuters and The Associated Press also contributed.

This story was originally published on Mon May 13, 2013 5:18 PM EDT

The brothers of Ariel Castro, the Cleveland man accused of imprisoning three women for a decade, say that they hope he rots in jail and consider him a “monster,” not a brother.

The brothers, Pedro and Onil Castro, were arrested last week along with Ariel Castro, but authorities later said that they had no evidence against the brothers and released them.

“I hope he rots in that jail,” Onil Castro told CNN. “I want him to suffer in that jail to the last extent. I don’t care if they even feed him.”

Pedro Castro said that he would have reported Ariel Casto to authorities if he had suspected anything, “brother or no brother.” He said that he would have grabbed him by the neck and asked, “What’s up with this, man?”

Both brothers said that Ariel Castro gave them a fist bump when they last saw him, in jail last week. Onil Castro said that he was in a separate cell when Ariel walked by and said, “You’re never going to see me again. I love you, bro.”

The three women — Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight — were freed May 6 after Berry broke part of a door and screamed for help. All three have been released from the hospital and are asking for privacy.

Ariel Castro is being held on $8 million bond. He is charged with three counts of rape and four counts of kidnapping, one for each of the women and one for a daughter, now 6, whom Berry bore in captivity.

Investigators have said that Ariel Castro sometimes took the girl out in public. Pedro Castro told CNN that he once saw them together at a McDonald’s and asked who the girl was. He said Ariel Castro claimed the girl belonged to a girlfriend.

The brothers told CNN that Ariel Castro kept parts of the house blocked off with curtains, explaining them as a way to save on the gas bill. They said he always had background noise going and never let them past the kitchen.

Slideshow: Missing women found alive in Cleveland

Emmanuel Dunand / AFP - Getty Images

A daring escape and a dramatic 911 call led to the rescue of three women who allegedly had been held captive for years inside a home in Cleveland.

Launch slideshow

“There would be times when we wouldn’t see him for a month, two weeks,” Onil Castro said. “Mama used to say, ‘Check your brother, check on your brother. He lives alone in that house. He’s a loner.’

“So I would text him and he would text me back: ‘What are you doing?’ ‘I’m fine.’”

The brothers appeared in court with Castro on Thursday, but on misdemeanor charges unrelated to the kidnappings.

Pedro Castro pleaded no contest to a 2011 charge related to an open container of alcohol, and a judge dismissed an open-container charge and a drug charge against Onil Castro, a court-appointed lawyer said.

Both men, living in an undisclosed location for now, said that they had been damaged by initially appearing as suspects in the kidnapping. They said that they had received death threats.

“I feel trapped for what somebody else did, and it’s a family member,” Pedro Castro said. “You already got your monster. Please give us our freedom. I want the world to know this.”

This story was originally published on Mon May 13, 2013 10:14 AM EDT

Pool via Reuters, file

Accused Aurora theater shooting suspect James Holmes listens at his arraignment in Centennial, Colo., in March.

Lawyers for James Holmes, the man accused of shooting 12 people to death during a screening of a Batman movie in Colorado last summer, requested Monday to change their client’s plea to not guilty by reason of insanity.

Judge Carlos Samour said that Holmes’ defense team demonstrated “good cause” for the change, but added that he would not rule on making the adjustment official until a later date.

A Colorado circuit court judge had previously entered a standard not guilty plea on Holmes’ behalf after the defense said they were not prepared to make a decision. Holmes’ lawyers said in a court filing last week that they intended to mount an insanity defense.

Holmes appeared in court Monday with a thick, brown beard. He sat wordlessly and stared straight ahead as his attorney, Daniel King, told the judge that the defense has a mental illness diagnosis for the 25-year-old former medical student at University of Colorado-Denver.

“We now have an opinion from professionals,” King said, but he did not provide details.

Prosecutors said last month that they would seek the death penalty. District Attorney George Brauchler wrote that Holmes and his defense team both knew he was guilty and "both of them know that he was not criminally insane."

"It's my determination and my intention that in this case, for James Eagan Holmes, justice is death," Brauchler said at a hearing last month.

Besides the 12 gunned down, 58 people were wounded on July 20, 2012, at a midnight showing of the movie “The Dark Knight Rises” in the Denver suburb of Aurora. Holmes has been charged with 166 counts of murder, attempted murder, and other offenses in connection with the massacre.

Slideshow: Shooting at Batman screening in Aurora, Colo.

Karl Gehring / The Denver Post

Twelve people were killed and 58 injured when a gunman opened fire during the premiere of a Batman movie.

Launch slideshow

Legal experts told The Denver Post that they expect Samour to allow the change, partly because denying it would raise the prospect of a lengthy appeal in the middle of the trial, which is scheduled to begin Feb. 3, 2014.

Another judge ruled in March that Holmes must agree to be drugged for a psychiatric exam at the Colorado State Mental Hospital if he wished to plead insanity.

Holmes would also be required to give up his right to remain silent and turn over the names, addresses and medical reports of any doctor or psychologist who has ever treated him for a psychiatric condition.

Judge Samour is expected to ask Holmes if he understands the conditions associated with his insanity plea at a hearing in late May.

Related: 

Colorado shooting suspect wants to use insanity defense 

This story was originally published on Mon May 13, 2013 8:47 AM EDT

WKYC

Michelle Knight, pictured before she disappeared in 2002, left the hospital today.

The last of the three Cleveland women kidnapped and held captive for a decade left the hospital Friday.

The woman, Michelle Knight, had been getting mental health treatment after she was freed Monday, her mother said earlier this week. It was not clear where she was going after leaving the hospital.

Knight, Gina DeJesus and Amanda Berry, along with a 6-year-old daughter whom Berry bore in captivity, were freed Monday night after what authorities said was a decade of imprisonment.

Of the three, Knight was reported missing first, in August 2002. Berry disappeared in 2003 and DeJesus in 2004. Ariel Castro has been charged with kidnapping all three women and is being held on $8 million bond.

Knight, now 32, told investigators that Castro impregnated her at least five times, and starved her and punched her in the stomach until she miscarried, according to a Cleveland police report.

Knight also said that Castro had forced her to deliver Berry’s baby, and threatened to kill her if the baby died, according to the report.

Earlier Friday, the hospital said Knight was in good spirits and grateful for an outpouring of flowers and gifts but needed privacy.

Berry and DeJesus went home Wednesday.

This story was originally published on Fri May 10, 2013 2:21 PM EDT

DNA tests have confirmed that Ariel Castro, the suspect in the kidnapping and decade-long imprisonment of three women in Cleveland, is the father of a 6-year-old girl born to one of the women in captivity, the Ohio attorney general said Friday.

Attorney General Mike DeWine also said that Castro’s DNA did not match other unsolved Ohio cases. He said that the FBI is still checking Castro’s DNA against unsolved cases elsewhere in the country.

Castro, 52, is charged with four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape in the abductions of the three women and is being held on $8 million bond. They were freed Monday night when one of them, Amanda Berry, broke through a door and screamed for help.

Berry is the mother of the 6-year-old, who was also rescued from the house, authorities have said.

The baby was delivered in a kiddie pool by another captive, Michelle Knight, according to a Cleveland police report. Knight told investigators that Castro threatened to kill her if the baby died, the report said.

Knight also told investigators that Castro impregnated her at least five times, and starved her and pummeled her in the stomach to force her to miscarry, the police report said.

A DNA match to Castro would confirm what Berry told police, according to the police account. It also said that Castro would take the child out with him, and made sure the girl did not know Knight’s or DeJesus’ real name in case she said them in public.

An Ohio prosecutor pledged Thursday to pursue charges of aggravated murder against Castro for any pregnancies that he terminated.

Knight remains in a Cleveland hospital. The hospital said Friday that she is in good spirits, is grateful for an outpouring of flowers and gifts and is asking for privacy.

Berry and another captive, Gina DeJesus, returned home to their families earlier this week.

This story was originally published on Fri May 10, 2013 10:57 AM EDT

The mother of the Cleveland kidnapping suspect says her son is sick.

Lilian Rodriguez, the mother of Ariel Castro, said outside her home in Cleveland on Thursday that she is suffering and had nothing to do with the abductions.

“I ask for forgiveness from those mothers, that the girls will forgive me,” she told Telemundo in Spanish.

Castro, 52, is accused of holding the three women captive for a decade, before one of them broke free Monday night and called for help. A judge ordered him held Thursday on $8 million bond.

Investigators told NBC News after searching Castro’s home that they had found a suicide note that Castro wrote in 2004. In the note, he said that he had been abused as a child.

A Cleveland police report described a horrific captivity for the three women, including beatings and rape.

The mother spoke only briefly on Thursday and asked to be left alone.

“I have a son who is sick who has committed something serious,” she said.

Slideshow: Missing women found alive in Cleveland

Emmanuel Dunand / AFP - Getty Images

A daring escape and a dramatic 911 call led to the rescue of three women who allegedly had been held captive for years inside a home in Cleveland, Ohio.

Launch slideshow

This story was originally published on Thu May 9, 2013 2:47 PM EDT

The little sister of the 8-year-old boy killed at the Boston Marathon has had surgery 11 times, and doctors only this week closed the wound created when one of the bombs blew off part of her left leg, her family said Thursday.

The girl, Jane Richard, could not communicate for the first two weeks after the attack, and she woke up “with difficult questions that needed to be answered,” the family said in a note posted on its Tumblr page.

Courtesy the Richard family

Bill and Denise Richard with their children, Henry, Jane and Martin. Martin was killed in the Boston Marathon bombing, Jane lost part of a leg, and Denise suffered a serious eye injury. Bill took shrapnel from the bomb in the legs and has some hearing loss.

Jane’s big brother was Martin Richard. He is the boy pictured, gap-toothed and smiling, in old photos wearing a Boston Bruins jersey and, in an image that shot around the Internet after his death, holding a poster that said, “No More Hurting People.”

“There are not words to describe how hard sharing this heartbreaking news was on all of us,” the note said.

The note — plainspoken, 800 words long and remarkable for its optimism — expresses thanks to first responders and the people of Boston. In aching succession, it lays out how each member of the family was touched by the attack.

The mother, Denise Richard, a school librarian, was blinded in one eye by the explosion, although the family said that doctors are pleased with how she is healing from surgeries.

The father, Bill Richard, who works for an environmental company, suffered shrapnel wounds and burns to his legs and loss of hearing. The family said that it was hopeful the hearing would improve over time.

Their third child, Henry, 11, has returned to fifth grade, “which gives him a needed sense of routine and normalcy,” the family said. A family spokesman, Larry Marchese, said that Henry, “through what could be a miracle,” suffered not a scratch.

One of the marathon bombs went off feet from where the whole family was standing, the family has said. Three people were killed and more than 260 injured in the two explosions April 15.

The 11th surgery for Jane Richard was performed Wednesday at Boston Children’s Hospital, and it was partly to prepare her leg for an eventual prosthesis, the family said. The little girl has warded off infections and other complications.

The note spoke of the need for additional surgeries for Jane and a “long and difficult road ahead for her.”

“Our focus as a family remains on healing from our injuries, both physical and emotional,” the family said.

The hospital did not immediately return a call for comment.

In an outpouring of gratitude, the family spoke of people at the marathon finish line who saved Jane’s life by getting to her quickly and tending to her injuries, and of police who “stood guard over Martin’s body so he was not alone.”

“Those officers will never know how comforting that was in our very darkest hour,” the family said.

Jane takes singing lessons with Boston City Singers, and when the lessons started again, the week after the attack, one little boy had a question about his missing classmate. The conductor told him, “That was just an accident. Janie got hurt. She is going to be OK.”

Family photo via AP

Martin Richard

Martin Richard was a sports fan, and in citing tributes and vigils for the marathon victims around the world, the family made specific mention of remembrances offered by Boston teams and their rivals alike.

The weekend after the attack, the Boston Red Sox draped an enormous American flag over the famed wall known as the Green Monster at Fenway Park, and the crowd at a Bruins game roared through the last bars of the national anthem.

The note said: “Martin was ‘Boston Strong,’ and now we must all be for him and for all of the victims of this senseless attack as well as their loved ones who are going through a hell we wish we never had to know.”

It closed by addressing people who want to help.

“We know how difficult it is to stand idle when something terrible happens, so we thank you for respecting our privacy and giving us space to not only recuperate and rest, but also to ensure the one thing the attack does not break is our bond as a family,” it said.

This story was originally published on Thu May 9, 2013 1:41 PM EDT