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.

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 …

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.

The Spending Fight  —  Republicans should realize they are winning the debate.  —  House Republican leaders and the White House are nearing a deal to finally close the books on the 2011 budget—six months into the fiscal year.  The White House says it will accept spending cuts of $33 billion …

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.

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.

8 UN workers among 12 killed in Afghanistan  —  Deaths occur when demonstrations turn violent over a reported Quran burning in the US, official says  —  Below:  —  Smoke rises from the UN's office following a demonstration to condemn the burning of a copy of the Muslim holy book by a U.S. Florida pastor …

The art of getting the hell out of an airport  —  The best thing about Hong Kong's huge new terminal: Rail transport to the city.  American airports don't come close  —  Suvarnabhumi Airport, in Bangkok  —  TAIPEI, Taiwan — Gotta love these big Asian airports.  —  Let's start with Hong Kong.

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 …

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.

Former Obama aides likely to start independent fundraising group  —  Obama had shunned such outside political groups in 2008, but the success of Republican-allied organizations in the midterm election changed the picture.  —  President Obama's campaign effectively shut down most independent …

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.

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.

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 …

Exclusive: Rand Paul makes Iowa move  —  As both he and his father weigh presidential runs, Rand Paul is meeting with top Iowa Republican officials this weekend, POLITICO has learned.  —  Paul will sit down with Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and GOP Chairman Matt Strawn ahead of a speech Saturday night …

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.