The Hill’s 12:30 Report

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The Hill’s 12:30 Report: April Fools’ pranks not to fall for (because you can trust me) | Trump sued for rally violence | Wisconsin ripple effect for Cruz? | MLB 2016 season begins Sunday

RELEASED THIS MORNING — MARCH JOBZ JOBZ JOBZ: Via The Hill’s Vicki Needham, employers added a robust 215,000 jobs in March, slightly above expectations as the labor market remains resilient after a sluggish start to the year. The unemployment rate ticked up to 5 percent from 4.9, holding around the lowest level in eight years. http://bit.ly/1Uxs2kA

It’s Friday, but April Fools’ Day. Trust no one. Shut down the Internet. Believe nothing. Except the 12:30 Report, of course. 😉 I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of what you missed this morning — and what’s on tap for the rest of the day. Send comments, story ideas and bad April Fools’ pranks to cmartel@digital-stage.thehill.com, @CateMartel and on Facebook.

{mosads}WISCONSIN COULD HAVE A MAJOR RIPPLE EFFECT: Via The Hill’s Jonathan Easley, Ted Cruz is in good shape to win Wisconsin, a victory that would be huge for his campaign. It also comes at a rocky time for Donald Trump amid his controversial abortion comments and battery charge against his campaign manager. http://bit.ly/1ZQprSl 

The Hill’s Jonathan Swan explains the ripple effect a Wisconsin win could have convincing conservative donors who dislike Trump that Cruz has a shot. http://bit.ly/1q9fWlb

BUT, BUT THAT’S ALWAYS TRUMP’S LINE!?: Three people claiming they were attacked or faced racial slurs at a Donald Trump rally are suing him and his presidential campaign for encouraging an atmosphere of violence.http://bit.ly/1q9gYxu 

POPULAR ON SOCIAL MEDIA – FOR ONCE, LET’S BE HAPPY WE CAN CELEBRATE APRIL FOOLS’ DAY: Via The Washington Post’s Simon Denyer, a Chinese news agency wrote a post about April Fools’ Day and how it doesn’t fit “with [China’s] cultural tradition, or socialist core values.” This is part of a long-running effort to criminalize the spreading of rumors. Best part of Denyer’s article:

“That China’s propaganda apparatus has a problem with satire has long been evident. In 2012, The People’s Daily fell for a satirical report in The Onion voting North Korea leader Kim Jong-un the sexiest man alive. The Communist Party newspaper ran a 55-page photo spread in tribute to Kim, quoting the Onion as celebrating his devastatingly handsome looks, round face, boyish charm and strong, sturdy frame — not realizing it was satire.”

THE TRUMP EFFECT IN THE HOUSE: Via CNN’s Deirdre Walsh and Manu Raju, “Former Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia, a two-time chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, thinks the GOP is at risk of losing 20 seats, but says the way districts were drawn gives Republicans the upper hand in avoiding a wave that could sweep them out of the majority. But he added that Trump’s candidacy could further roil the landscape.” http://cnn.it/1SEW0zE

MERRICK GARLAND FANGIRLS FOR T-SWIFT: At a Politico breakfast this morning, White House senior adviser Brian Deese, who is working to confirm Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court, admitted that “Judge Garland is reasonably into Taylor Swift.“ But when asked if he sings out loud, Deese responded, “Well, that’s what the hearings are for!” Politics aside, guys, we need a Garland hearing immediately for this reason. http://bit.ly/1ZQFYpe

BREAKING — SANDERS ANNOUNCES PIZZA POLICY: Via Joe Toohey of Fox5, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has taken a stand on the issue that divides New Yorkers: pizza. “This is a tough gotcha question you’re asking me — I myself prefer it without the fork. I have to admit it — I know we’re probably going to lose millions of votes here,” Sanders said. “But nonetheless I’m for picking it up and eating it.” http://bit.ly/25AJiZX

WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS PICKING ON ME?: Via The Hill’s Harper Neidig, Hillary Clinton accused Bernie Sanders‘s campaign of lying about her in a heated exchange with an environmental activist. “I am so sick of the Sanders campaign lying about me. I’m sick of it,” the visibly angry Democratic presidential hopeful said. http://bit.ly/21WAvNi

 

APRIL FOOLS’ ON THE INTERNET:

National Geographic Photography (The photos are hilarious)
BREAKING: National Geographic will immediately stop publishing nude animal pictures. http://bit.ly/1q9wMQX

The U.S. Army
#BREAKING: U.S. Army Natick Soldier System Center scientists successfully ‘teleport’ Soldiers http://bit.ly/1UHrQ2F

Yesterday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) tweeted  (hardy har har, Rand)
I have a major endorsement announcement to make tomorrow. Stay tuned…

Today he tweeted: Yes Twitter, I am just celebrating April Fools’ #EndorsingEntropy.

TaxProf Blog’s Paul Caron
President Obama To Teach … Law Class At Penn Law School In Spring 2017 [titled “Confirming Supreme Court Nominees: A Case Study.”] http://bit.ly/1MH1FWz

TRUST NO ONE: Here’s a list of the best April Fools’ pranks on the Internet today: http://bzfd.it/1RC99qR

 

NOTABLE TWEETS:

Washington Free Beacon’s Andrew Stiles 
Dream headline: 
PARTY OF LINCOLN
Chafee Crowned in Cleveland on 17th ballot http://bit.ly/1RBYzAa

 

ON TAP:

12:45 p.m. EDT: Bernie Sanders holds a roundtable on criminal justice in the New York City borough of Harlem.

1 p.m. EDT: John Kasich speaks at the 2016 Pennsylvania Leadership Conference in Camp Hill, Pa. Full agenda: http://bit.ly/1VXSmDQ 

2 p.m. EDT: Hillary Clinton holds a campaign event in Syracuse, N.Y. This follows a manufacturing roundtable she held this morning, also in Syracuse. Note via Bloomberg’s Jennifer Epstein: In Syracuse and upstate New York, she’ll discuss the economic work she did as senator. http://bit.ly/21WlPgZ

4 p.m. EDT: Ted Cruz speaks at the 2016 Pennsylvania Leadership Conference in Camp Hill, Pa. 

4:30 p.m. EDT: Bernie Sanders holds a rally in Sheboygan, Wis.

5:45 p.m. EDT: President Obama holds a press conference at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C. And to be festive for the summit, North Korea launched a missile today and tried to jam GPS signals in the South. Just a little nudge, “Don’t forget we’re still here!” http://nyti.ms/1RPzWit

7:30–10:30 p.m. EDT: Ted Cruz, John Kasich and Donald Trump’s surrogate Sarah Palin speak at the Republican Party of Milwaukee’s “Wisconsin Decides 2016.” Deetz: http://bit.ly/1SrXgUj 

8 p.m. EDT: Bernie Sanders speaks at a rally in Green Bay, Wis.

11 a.m. EDT Saturday: John Kasich holds a town hall in Racine County, Wis.

1 p.m. EDT Saturday: Donald Trump holds a rally in Racine, Wis.

3:30 p.m. EDT Saturday: John Kasich holds a town hall in Janesville, Wis.

4 p.m. EDT Saturday: Donald Trump holds a rally in Rothschild, Wis. 

6:30 p.m. EDT Saturday: The Final Four of the men’s NCAA March Madness tournament begin playing.

8 p.m. EDT Saturday: Donald Trump holds a rally in Eau Claire, Wis. 

1 p.m. EDT Sunday: Bernie Sanders holds a rally in Eau Claire, Wis.

2:30 p.m. EDT Sunday: Ted Cruz holds a rally in Green Bay, Wis. 

8 p.m. EDT Sunday: Bernie Sanders holds a rally in Madison, Wis.

8:30 p.m. EDT Sunday: Ted Cruz holds a rally in Eau Claire, Wis.

 

WHAT TO WATCH:

Sunday morning: Donald Trump and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus both join “Fox News Sunday.”

Sunday morning: Donald Trump joins CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

8 p.m. EDT Sunday: Donald Trump joins Fox News’s Greta Van Susteren for a town hall event.

 

WEEKEND PLANS:

10 a.m.–4 p.m. EDT Saturday: The annual Cherry Blossom Kite Flying Festival is celebrating its 50th year on the National Mall. 

12 p.m. EDT Saturday: The World Peeps Eating Championship will be happening Saturday at National Harbor. If anyone needs me, you’ll probably find me there — watching? Wholeheartedly participating? Eh, don’t worry about it… http://bit.ly/1RANDme

11 a.m. EDT Sunday: Three sumo-wrestling champs will have a competition in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The best part: Attendees are welcome to jump into the ring to try to take down one of the champs. That. Is. Awesome. Immediately cancels all conflicting plans http://bit.ly/1MFmHVy

 

NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF…

Today is National Sourdough Bread Day! And to kick off April, here are a few holidays for the entire month — April is National Soft Pretzel Month, National Grilled Cheese Month and National BLT Sandwich Month.

FACIAL EXPRESSION FACTOID: Via New Hampshire Public Radio’s Winona Dimeo-Ediger, body language can be a dead giveaway of where you’re from (i.e. by the way you smile, how you count fingers, etc.). But when it comes to negative facial expressions, they’re universal. http://bit.ly/1SrUX3w

‘TIS THE SEASON…: The MLB has its 2016 Opening Day(s) split between Sunday and Monday! ESPN and ESPN2 will televise the games. http://atmlb.com/1RQ1UuE

…TO BE JOLLY: Today kicks off the majestic Chesapeake Bay blue crab season! Here’s how the weather can make or break the season, via The Washington Post’s John Hopewell. http://wapo.st/1qmqqxr 

And with that, here are my weekend goals: http://bit.ly/1qmg6FE

 

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