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.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

The Defection Track  —  Everybody has questions and anxieties about our policy in Libya.  My own position is this: I oppose the policy the Obama administration has described in various public statements.  I support the policy the administration is actually executing.

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 …

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.

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.

Trump's shadow  —  First Read crystallizes the problem:  —  Donald Trump is going to be an amazing distraction.... On the one hand, if you're Mitt Romney, you probably like this.  Trump — at least from now until June — takes oxygen away from Tim Pawlenty and Haley Barbour.

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.

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.

Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1%  —  Americans have been watching protests against oppressive regimes that concentrate massive wealth in the hands of an elite few.  Yet in our own democracy, 1 percent of the people take nearly a quarter of the nation's income—an inequality even the wealthy will come to regret.

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 …

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.

Many Low-Wage Jobs Seen as Failing to Meet Basic Needs  —  Hard as it can be to land a job these days, getting one may not be nearly enough for basic economic security.  —  The Labor Department will release its monthly snapshot of the job market on Friday, and economists expect it to show …

The Secret to Brazil's Energy Success  —  Over the past 20 years the country increased domestic oil production by a whopping 876%.  —  The Obama administration's energy policy is in the midst of transition from being stubbornly ideological to being wholly incoherent.