Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is detained by officers on Friday, April 19. After a car chase and shootout with police, one suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, was shot and killed by police early Friday, and his brother and second suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was taken into custody Friday night. The two men are suspects in the bombings at the Boston Marathon on April 15, that killed three people and wounded at least 170. See all photography related to the Boston bombings.
Editor's note: Margaret Hoover is the author of "American Individualism: How a New Generation of Conservatives Can Save the Republican Party."
(CNN) -- In this installment of "The Big Three," John Avlon, Dean Obeidallah and I discuss the top news in a crowded news week.
First, of course, is the Boston Marathon bombing, which shocked and captivated the country. Second, we look at the failure of universal background checks to pass the U.S. Senate despite the support of nearly 90% of Americans. And third -- on a lighter note -- we note Justin Beiber's self-absorbed understanding of Anne Frank's legacy.
I was in Boston on Monday when the blasts erupted at the marathon finish line. I arrived at Logan Airport and was scheduled to participate in a panel discussion at Harvard University's Institute of Politics. As I pulled up to the Kennedy School of Public Policy, the building was being evacuated for bomb threats, and reports -- which later turned out to be false -- of another explosion at the JFK Presidential Library. Boston was, understandably, in a panic.
Monday brought back memories of 9/11 for all Americans. In our podcast, we talked about the public reaction to this attack. We cite examples such as liberal radio host Dave Sirota and Rep. Steve King's polarized projections on the attack and its perpetrators, and look at how and why we've changed over the past 12 years.
Four months after the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, a bipartisan compromise amendment to secure universal background checks failed in Senate. John and Dean expressed a combination of fury and frustration that the Senate failed to pass a single gun control measure. While I understand their frustration and favor background checks, I'm wary of passing laws that make us feel safer but do little to actually prevent the next Newtown.
On a much lighter note, we decided to take on Justin Beiber's visit to the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam, inspired by an excellent column Dean wrote for CNN.com. Beiber visited the historic home and Holocaust memorial and wrote in the guest book, "Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a Belieber."
This inane bit of Hollywood self-reference reflects the dumbing down of America, courtesy of our obsession with celebrity gossip instead of civics and history. One possible silver lining: This was a teaching moment for thousands of Beliebers who had never heard of Anne Frank. Get a real hero, folks.
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The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Margaret Hoover.
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Special imaging techniques employed by Massachusetts State Police reveal Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev hiding in a boat in a backyard in Watertown on April 19.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev gets out of the boat he was hiding in outside of a home in Watertown, as seen in a surveillance video still.
An ambulance carries Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, from the scene after he was apprehended in Watertown, Massachusetts, on April 19.
Police SWAT teams leave the area after apprehending the suspect in a yard where he was hiding in a dry-docked boat on April 19.
Residents flee from an area where a suspect was hiding on Franklin Street on April 19.
SWAT team members run toward a police assault on a house as gunfire erupts on April 19.
People react while watching police respond to reported gunfire on April 19.
SWAT team members move down residential streets as they perform door-to-door searches in Watertown, Massachusetts, on April 19.
A U.S. military helicopter lands behind Watertown Mall as law enforcement agencies continue to search for the 19-year-old bombing suspect on Friday.
SWAT teams prepare to enter a home as they continue the door-to-door search.
U.S. President Barack Obama meets with members of his national security team in the Situation Room of the White House on April 19 to discuss developments in the Boston bombings investigation.
SWAT team members line a residential street in Watertown, Massachusetts, as the manhunt continues on Friday.
A man watches from the window of a home as a SWAT team member keeps watch on Friday, in Watertown, Massachusetts.
Police to continue to the door-to-door search on Francis Street in Watertown, Massachusetts, on Friday.
Law enforcement officers place themselves in an overhead position on Arsenal Street as the search continues on April 19.
Law enforcement officers react to what was initially thought to be a threatening suspect on Arsenal Street on April 19.
A police SWAT team searches houses on April 19 for the second suspect.
SWAT teams searches homes along Winsor Avenue in Watertown on April 19.
A Massachusetts state trooper watches other troopers line up at Watertown Mall as the manhunt for the second suspect continues in Watertown on Friday.
Police continue the ongoing manhunt for the second suspect on Williow Avenue in Watertown on Friday.
A Watertown police vehicle with bullet holes in its body and a shattered windshield is towed out of the search area on April 19 in Watertown, Massachusetts.
A Massachusetts State Police officer checks the bag of a cyclist amid heightened security on Friday in Watertown.
Katia Costa looks out her window as police continue the manhunt on Nichols Avenue in Watertown on Friday.
Ruslan Tsarni, uncle of the Boston terror suspects, told 
A woman is questioned by Cambridge police and other law enforcement agencies Friday near the home of the second suspect in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus police officer was shot and killed late Thursday night at the school's campus in Cambridge. A short time later, police reported exchanging gunfire with alleged carjackers in nearby Watertown.
SWAT teams move into position at the intersection of Nichols and Melendy avenues in Watertown, Massachusetts, on Friday.
SWAT teams gather at the intersection of Nichols and Melendy avenues in Watertown while searching for the remaining suspect on Friday.
Onlookers take pictures while SWAT team members look around on Friday.
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, left, speaks to the media at a shopping mall on the perimeter of a locked-down area during the search on Friday.
Metro SWAT members hang off the back of a truck during the search on Friday.
SWAT officers check a door with guns ready on Friday.
Officers patrol Watertown on Friday.
The aftermath of the shootout that police said involved the two suspects in Watertown early Friday.
Police with guns drawn search for a suspect on Friday in Watertown, Massachusetts.
A police officer runs with his gun drawn on Friday.
Boston Police gather in the parking lot in front of a Best Buy store near the Watertown Mall on Friday.
Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis speaks during a media briefing in the parking lot of the Watertown Mall on Friday.
Boston police gather in front of a Best Buy on Friday.
Police stop cars at School and Walnut streets on Friday.
A Massachusetts state trooper checks a building along Mount Auburn Street as police search neighborhoods in Watertown.
Police search neighborhoods yard by yard on Friday.
Police convene on School and Walnut streets on Friday.
A police officer talks to a driver at a checkpoint in Watertown, Massachusetts.
Police officers keep a man on the ground in Watertown on Friday. 
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