Woman charged with email threats  —  By Bill Glauber of the Journal Sentinel  —  Madison - A 26-year-old woman was charged Thursday with two felony counts and two misdemeanor counts for allegedly making email threats against Wisconsin lawmakers during the height of the battle over Gov. Scott Walker's budget-repair bill.

Scott Brown blasts ‘irresponsible’ cuts  —  While some Senate Republicans are tacking right on the budget, Sen. Scott Brown is attacking proposed cuts coming from members of his own party as “irresponsible” and urging both sides of the aisle to come together on a bipartisan deal.

Unemployment rate falls to 2-year low of 8.8 pct.; employers add 216K jobs in March  —  WASHINGTON — The unemployment rate fell to a two-year low of 8.8 percent in March, capping the strongest two months of hiring since before the recession began.  —  The economy added 216,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department said Friday.

A Word About Digital Subscriptions to The Huffington Post  —  Today marks a significant transition for The Huffington Post Media Group, as we introduce digital subscriptions for employees of The New York Times.  It's an important step that we hope you will see as an investment in The Huffington Post …

Democrats: We have the signatures in Kapanke recall effort  —  La Crosse area Democrats say they will file petitions today with enough signatures to trigger a recall election of Sen. Dan Kapanke, one of eight Senate Republicans targeted over votes to curtail collective bargaining rights for public workers.

Tea Party Sen. Pat Toomey Won't Support Moderate Republican Olympia Snowe  —  Conservative Known for Taking Out Moderate Republicans Will Stay Neutral in Key Maine Senate Race  —  Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, is a ripe target for a Tea Party challenge as she runs for re-election next year.

The Tea Party Comes to D.C., in Small Numbers, On Message  —  Tea Party Patriots and a small constellation of movement organizations held a rally near the Capitol just now, an attempt to back up the House and Senate GOP in the fight over the continuing resolution.  —  It was a small rally.

The Mellon Doctrine  —  “Liquidate labor, liquidate stocks, liquidate the farmers, liquidate real estate.”  That, according to Herbert Hoover, was the advice he received from Andrew Mellon, the Treasury secretary, as America plunged into depression.  To be fair, there's some question …

GOP launches mock ‘Obama 2012’ ad  —  The mock ad, which features Obama riding a unicorn over a rainbow, declares: “Four more years: America needs more changing.”  —  Republicans are taking aim at President Obama's impending reelection effort with a mock campaign ad outlining his first two years in office.

More Americans Back Unions Than Governors in State Disputes  —  Nearly 8 in 10 adults in union households are following the issue closely  —  PRINCETON, NJ — With political battles over state budgets and collective bargaining still playing out to varying degrees in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana …

Pentagon Art: $600,000 Gurgling Toad Sculpture  —  A $600,000 frog sculpture that lights up, gurgles “sounds of nature” and carries a 10-foot fairy girl on its back could soon be greeting Defense Department employees who plan to start working at the $700 million Mark Center in Alexandria, Va. this fall.

We've Become a Nation of Takers, Not Makers  —  More Americans work for the government than in manufacturing, farming, fishing, forestry, mining and utilities combined.  —  If you want to understand better why so many states—from New York to Wisconsin to California—are teetering on the brink …

Libya-Owned Bank Got 73 Loans From Fed Discount Window After Lehman Fell  —  Arab Banking Corp., the lender part- owned by the Central Bank of Libya, used a New York branch to get 73 loans from the U.S. Federal Reserve in the 18 months after Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. collapsed.

Amnesty blasts Tories' rights record, citing pro-Israel stance, funding cuts  —  The report raises many frequent criticisms of Tory foreign policy, including a tilt toward Israel in the Middle East and the defunding of non-governmental agencies.  —  OTTAWA—The Harper government …

Unions deploy money and muscle in Battle of Wisconsin  —  Chief Political Correspondent Follow Him @ByronYork  —  If you own a business in southern Wisconsin, you might have received a letter from the Wisconsin State Employees Union, Council 24 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees.

BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL  —  Uncovered: New $2 billion bailout in Obamacare  — TAGS: - center for consumer information and insurance oversight - early retiree reinsurance program - obamacare  —  Chief Political Correspondent Follow Him @ByronYork  —  Investigators for the House Energy …

Radioactivity surges again at Japan nuclear plant  —  Work on containing the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi complex is hampered because the level of radioactive iodine found in water inside exceeds 10,000 times the safety standard, officials say.  —  An aerial photo taken by a small drone shows damage …

Don't forget your hijab, soldier!  American servicewomen encouraged to wear headscarves in Afghanistan  —  In an effort to get closer to the local population, American female soldiers stationed in Afghanistan are being encouraged to wear a Muslim headscarf when interacting with civilians.

Cartels threaten to kill Texas Rangers, ICE agents  —  BROWNSVILLE — A new law enforcement bulletin warns that members of drug cartels have been overheard plotting to kill federal agents and Texas Rangers who guard the border, officials in Washington reported Thursday.

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Exclusive: WANTED: U.S. workers for crippled Japan nuke plant  —  (Reuters) - As foreign assignments go this must be just about the most dangerous going.  —  A U.S. recruiter is hiring nuclear power workers in the United States to help Japan gain control of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi plant, which has been spewing radiation.

Florida GOP backs down in standoff over 2012 primary date  —  The head of the Florida GOP encouraged state lawmakers late Thursday to accede to the Republican National Committee's demand for a later 2012 presidential primary date.  —  It came after GOP leaders in both Iowa and South Carolina threatened …

Democrat chastized for saying ‘uterus’ on House floor  —  During last week's discussion about a bill that would prohibit governments from deducting union dues from a worker's paycheck, state Rep. Scott Randolph, D-Orlando, used his time during floor debate to argue that Republicans are against regulations …