NATIONAL

“Most Americans’ incomes continued to fall last year, but the richest 20 percent saw theirs rise, a new Labor Department report showed Thursday.” – Yahoo! News

“The sputtering U.S. economy created just 126,000 jobs in March as bad weather, weak consumer spending and flailing corporate profits resulted in the worst report since December 2013.” – CNBC

“The number of Americans 16 years and older who did not participate in the labor force–meaning they neither had a job nor actively sought one in the last four weeks–rose from 92,898,000 in February to 93,175,000 in March, according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is the first time the number of Americans out of the labor force has exceeded 93 million.” – CNS News

“Easton Elliott didn’t think much more about Larry until, several weeks later, he saw a newspaper story about Larry Reid, Harry Reid’s brother, being arrested for DUI and assaulting a highway patrolman. The story was accompanied by a photograph, and Elliott immediately recognized Larry Reid as the “Larry” who had attended the AA meeting on New Year’s Eve. Putting that fact together with news stories about Harry Reid being admitted to a hospital on New Year’s Day, and with Larry’s references to the Secret Service, he concluded that the family member with whom Larry fought was Harry Reid. He also knew that Harry Reid’s home is within a short distance of the location of the AA meeting.” – Power Line

“But McCarthyism isn’t limited to one party or ideology. And if liberals have any sense of self-awareness they will recognize the tactic has returned and is growing in their back yard.” – John Fund/National Review

“The old model of the Outrage Brigades was to pick a target, call in the mob and hound the target out of polite company. Think of Justine Sacco. Well, a new model may develop from the Memories Pizza fiasco….the left still tries to destroy an innocent person who has the temerity to express an unapproved thought but instead of being destroyed by the lynch mob, the target is supported and literally enriched by the experience. This isn’t the way it’s supposed to go and now the hatemongers are upset. Naturally they aren’t reexamining their tactics or beliefs, they are doing what insane people always do…delve into deeper and deeper into comforting fantasies about how their victims are really powerful oppressors engaged in a complex conspiracy.” – DrewM./Ace of Spades

“Everything about the so-called deal with Iran, including the reputations of the men who negotiated it, is a lie. It’s likely to be a deadly lie for millions of people who will die on account of it. The world should mark well everyone responsible for it.” – Wesley Pruden/Washington Times

“U.S. negotiators reportedly lowered the bar for their own goals during talks over Iran’s nuclear program in response to resistance from the Tehran team. And, on the heels of a framework deal being announced in Switzerland, France’s top diplomat on Friday admitted his country had initially held out for firmer terms.” – Fox News

“We now have a definitive answer to the oft-asked but hardly challenging question of whether President Obama wanted a deal with Iran so badly he would accept a truly awful bargain. The answer: Of course he did.” – National Review

“British historian Lord Acton’s view that ‘All power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely,’ first uttered in 1887, was vindicated on April 1, 2015, when a jury found that 11 Atlanta educators were guilty of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) arising out of the cheating scandal which engulfed the Atlanta Public Schools (APS) in 2010. The question now is whether or not Atlanta, as well as the entire country, learns the correct solution from the cheating scandal.” – American Spectator

LOUISIANA

“Several gunshots were fired during a Tuesday night brawl caught on video at Southern University, and authorities suspect the incident involved a handful of students. Southern University police still are investigating the causes of the brawl, which featured at least a few different scuffles.” – Baton Rouge Advocate

“State Treasurer John Kennedy is blasting the Jindal administration for steps it is taking to sell the remaining portion of the state’s tobacco settlement.” – WRNO

“Jeff Johnson, who said he served active duty in the military — he declined to name the branch — before serving in the reserves, stood during the question-and-answer portion of the meeting at Lafayette City Hall and denounced the second-term senator because he was among 47 U.S. senators who signed a March 9 open letter to Iranian leaders suggesting that any deal between President Barack Obama and Iran that lacks Senate approval was merely a personal agreement. ‘By signing the letter to the ayatollah, you are a traitor,’ said Johnson, 49.” – Alexandria Town Talk

“The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board on Thursday unanimously selected as its next superintendent former Zachary Superintendent Warren Drake, the only person they seriously considered for the job.” – Baton Rouge Advocate

“Gov. Bobby Jindal compared a Louisiana religious protection law passed in 2010 favorably to two pieces of legislation that have caused tremendous controversy in Indiana and Arkansas in recent days. Speaking on a few conservative talk radio programs today, Jindal said he is proud that Louisiana has its own Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a law he characterized as being similar to the initial proposals that drew opposition in Indiana and Arkansas.” – NOLA.com

“Administrators with Baton Rouge General’s burn unit said two workers are in fair condition after they were burned in a plant fire at a Geismar chemical facility last night.” – WBRZ

“An inmate who escaped from state custody this week in New Orleans, breaking through the back window of a prison van, was captured Thursday after a tipster spotted him at a laundromat in Marrero, ending a three-day manhunt.” – Baton Rouge Advocate

“Iran is a great threat and cannot be allowed a pathway to obtain or create a nuclear weapon. Congress needs to review and approve the deal to ensure it is in the best interest of Americans,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La. “Until Congress can confirm these negotiations meet our standards, and those of our allies, I will reserve judgment.” – NOLA.com

“John Alario is not the answer,” Moon exclaimed. “He can’t fix the problem, he is the problem! He’s the leader of all the hell hole in Baton Rouge and all that we’re going through!” – KPEL

“Last year was another record-breaking year for the tourism industry in Louisiana, Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne announced Thursday. Louisiana registered 28.7 million visitors in 2014 — a 5 percent increase over 2013 — resulting in $11.2 billion in total visitor spending and $836 million in state tax revenue generated, said Dardenne, who oversees state tourism efforts.” – Baton Rouge Advocate