“Several of our members distracted the issue from what was a very important regional engagement for our president, so we let the boss down, ’cause nobody’s talking about what went on in Colombia other than this incident.”

 

The service members served as support for the Secret Service in preparation for the Cartagena gathering. Eleven agents have been prolonged leave after reports of misconduct at a hotel the day before the president’s trip.

 

The General Services Administration is in the hot seat this afternoon for what critics are calling a culture of lavish spending at the taxpayers’ expense. On Capitol Hill today, a House panel is asking GSA officials about the more than 800,000 dollars the agency spent for one conference in Las Vegas two years ago. The lawmakers say they are also looking at other cases of wasteful spending at the GSA during several hearings taking place this week.

 

Another long-serving member of Congress is bowing out of what was expected to be a tough reelection campaign. Anna Sale of member station WNYC reports Brooklyn Congressman Ed Towns is retiring.

 

Democratic Congressman Ed Towns was first elected to represent Brooklyn in 1982, and he said he was going for it again, but his campaign announced today that he changed his mind - would not seek reelection. Towns faced a three-way race in New York’s June Democratic primary, and the latest campaign finance filings show he lost the money advantage. One of his challengers, Democratic state Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, had more cash on hand at the end of the first quarter than the Towns’ campaign. Towns is a former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, and he founded the Social Work Caucus in the House. For NPR News, I’m Anna Sale in New York.

 

The Commerce Department says retail sales in the US rose last month. NPR’s Dave Mattingly reports a stronger job market is among the factors being cited.

 

Economists say consumers spend more when they are not worried about their jobs. Retail sales rose 0.8% in March as the nation’s unemployment rate edged lower. Chief economist Brian Wesbury at First Trust says this follows sales gains in January and a 1% jump in February.

 

“This is a huge number really in the last three months. Retail sales have increased at a 10% annual rate.”

 

Consumers spend more on gasoline, electronics, furniture and clothing. Dave Mattingly, NPR News, Washington.

 

At last check on Wall Street, the Dow was up 95 points; NASDAQ off 20. 

 

This is NPR News.

 

Oklahoma emergency authorities are now putting the death toll from this weekend’s tornado at six. The twister was part of a storm system that generated more than 120 tornados in multiple states.

 

The two men accused of gunning down five people in Tulsa, Oklahoma have been arraigned. John Durkee of member station KWGS in Tulsa reports the suspects never left the jail.

 

A not guilty plea is entered by the judge for Tulsa, Oklahoma Good Friday shooting suspects Alvin Watts and Jacob England. Both men took part in a closed circuit video arraignment this morning from the Tulsa County jail, and there was no change in their bond amounts of nine million dollars each. Both are accused of taking part in a shooting spree that left three people dead and two more injured. The victims were African-American. The suspects are white. A preliminary hearing is set for May 30th. Prosecutor Doug Drummond says there’s been no decision as to whether the district attorney’s office will seek the death penalty. For NPR News, John Durkee, Tulsa.

 

Virginia Tech and its alumni are observing the fifth anniversary of the mass shooting on the Blacksburg campus. Thirty-two people were killed in the attack. Unlike previous anniversaries, classes are not suspended in memory of the victims. The school says memorial events are still being held on the campus and across the country.

 

Jury selection has begun in former pitching great Roger Clemens’ retrial. He’s accused of lying to Congress about using performance-enhancing drugs. The Justice Department is adding more prosecutors to the case this time around, determined to avoid making another legal mistake that led to last year’s mistrial.

 

I’m Lakshmi Singh, NPR News, Washington.