Was it a Good Friday...or a GREAT Friday?
- California's economy continues to recover:
SACRAMENTO, Calif.—California's jobless rate dipped to 9.6 percent last month, the lowest rate since December 2008 when the nation was gripped by the financial crisis, state officials announced Friday.
The state's Employment Development Department reported California added 293,800 jobs in the past 12 months for a 2.1 percent gain. That outpaces the national job growth of 1.5 percent, keeping the state ahead for 2013 despite its slowly declining unemployment rate.
The statewide unemployment rate fell from 9.8 percent in January after dropping below double digits this past winter.
"After a long recession and housing crisis in which the state lagged the nation in job growth, California is once again one of the nation's job growth leaders," wrote Stephen Levy, director and senior economist at the Palo Alto-based Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy, in his assessment of the latest employment figures.
Texas conservatives everywhere just had their heads explode.
- North Korea's full statement of war against the United States and South Korea. Not that this is really different from any other day.
- Who knew? Obamacare will actually cost fast food companies much less than anticipated:
Fast food chains have been some of Obamacare’s biggest critics, issuing warnings of new surcharges, higher costs, and laid-off workers because of the health reform law. Many of them have now changed their thinking. By the new estimates from several chains — including Wendy’s, Popeye’s, Jack in the Box, and Chipotle — Obamacare will actually cost about 80 percent less than they originally warned.
Those include companies whose franchises have already taken preemptive action to avoid providing their employees with health coverage, including one Nebraska Wendy’s chain.
- No, vaccines are NOT giving kids autism.
- This is straight out of the weird files. A Nevada State Legislator who was voted out of the body for making threats against his colleagues finished the day by leading police on a high-speed chase.
- Steve King: Still an asshole.
- I don't even know where to get started with this:
A Tarrant County Republican activist has a new idea for a club at Tarrant County Colleges: a student union to celebrate and promote white interests.
Richard Railey, a 56-year-old seeking an Associate of Applied Science in IT, calls himself "Mstr Rick" and is currently seeking a school charter for the White Student Union of Tarrant County Colleges. On its website, Railey deems the group "a confederacy of like minds united in pursuit of common political, cultural, educational, and social interests relative to our unique White Heritage". In the past, the Tarrant County GOP has appointed Railey as an election judge and elected him as a precinct chairman.
Point one: hey, no, the Republican Party isn't racist at all! Point two: I'm sure the use of the word "confederacy" to describe his group was entirely coincidental.
- Jim Carrey vs. Fox News and the NRA. I think Jim Carrey wins this round.
- The general election in the race of Mayor of Los Angeles will take place on May 21, with former City Council President Eric Garcetti and City Controller Wendy Greuel vying to succeed termed-out mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Garcetti won the primary by four points, and a new poll shows him with a significant lead heading into the general election.