5 things you need to know Friday
1. 70th anniversary of V-E Day marked
Seventy years ago in Reims, France, a German general signed the unconditional surrender of his country to Allied Forces. The news spread the next day (May 8, 1945): World War II in Europe was over. Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day) will be marked across the globe Friday with ceremonies and parades. Ordinary Americans who did extraordinary things are remembered. In Washington, D.C., dozens of WWII planes will fly over the National Mall in formation — a sight the heavily-restricted airspace hasn't seen in decades, and definitely not since 9/11. Everyone celebrated that day, said Marie-Jeanne Delannoy. "The next day, we got back to work."
2. South Dakota visit means Obama has hit all 50 states
"I can't let my South Dakota friends feel neglected," President Obama said in April. When he gives the commencement address at Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown, S.D., on Friday, he will become the fourth chief executive to visit all 50 states while in office. But don't expect all South Dakotans to be giddy over the check-the-box visit. Other recent presidents visited as many as three and four times. For the record, Obama is joining the ranks of Richard Nixon, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton with his 50-for-50 tour. George W. Bush was close, but he never made it to Vermont.
3. Officers, loved ones pay respects to NYPD officer shot in the head
More than 30,000 police officers from across the United States are expected to pay their respects to Brian Moore, the NYPD officer who died Monday after being shot in the head while on duty over the weekend. Moore's funeral is Friday in Seaford, N.Y. The 25-year-old and his partner had stopped a man suspected of carrying a handgun when the man opened fire on them. Officers arrived in packs for a wake Thursday, remembering Moore as a good guy eager to join the police force.
4. Forecasters predict more heavy storms for the Plains
Storms that could produce more powerful tornadoes could rake the Plains on Friday and Saturday, said meteorologist John Hart of the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla. "The conditions are right; it's the right time of year," Hart said. "There are just a lot of things that make you think over the next three days, there will probably be big tornadoes across the southern Plains." An area covering southern Kansas, western Oklahoma and parts of North Texas would likely bear the brunt of the storms Friday and Saturday.
5. Economy adds 223,00 jobs in April
Milder weather helped the labor market shake off a winter chill in April as employers added 223,000 jobs. The unemployment rate fell from 5.5% to 5.4%, lowest since May 2008. Economists surveyed by Action Economics expected payroll gains of 225,000, according to their median forecast.
And, the essentials:
Weather: Yet another day of strong to severe storms will wallop the Plains on Friday. Wind and rain are likely in the Southeast coast from a developing tropical system.
Stocks: U.S. market futures are all on the rise the morning after the British general election.
TV Tonight: Wondering what to watch this weekend? TV critic Robert Bianco looks at I Remember Mama and Good Wife.
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