War Supplemental -- Appropriators Seek Mark-Ups: On both the House and Senate side, senior Appropriations Committee members have asked, or demanded, that mark-ups be held of the president's "emergency" supplemental war funding requests, as is the usual practice. Rep. Jerry Lewis (CA), the ranking House Appropriations Republican: "Never in my 30 years in Congress has there been such an abuse of the processes and rules of the House. We... demand that this polluted, back-door scheme be brought to a halt, and that we return to a proper, fair and transparent appropriations process." Story.

Economy -- Jobless Rate Drops from 5.1 to 5.0 Percent: The economy lost only 20,000 jobs, far fewer than in recent months, and the unemployment rate fell from 5.1 to 5.0 percent in April. Roughly 250,000 jobs were lost in the first quarter of the year. Construction companies slashed 61,000 positions in April. Manufacturers cut 46,000 and retailers got rid of 27,000. Those losses were eclipsed by job gains in education and health care, professional and business services, the government and elsewhere. Bloomberg.

Economy -- Real GDP Holds Steady at 0.6%: The BEA reports today that the economy grew at an annual rate of 0.6 percent in the first quarter of 2008. The fourth quarter of 2007 also saw a 0.6 percent growth rate. Growth in personal consumption, exports, and government spending were offset by declines in residential housing and personal expenditures on durable goods.