Oklahoma's attorney general has told a federal appeals court the Environmental Protection Agency exceeded its authority in creating regional haze guidelines for the state.

Attorney General Scott Pruitt was in Denver Wednesday to argue the state's case before the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Showers and thunderstorms are expected Saturday as a storm system moves in from the Southern Rockies.

The U.S. Geological Survey reports a 3.4 magnitude  earthquake has been recorded near Prague in central Oklahoma. The Lincoln County Office of Emergency Management says there were no injuries  or damage reported.

The USGS says the quake was recorded at 12:24 p.m. yesterday about 6 miles  northwest of Prague. That's about 40 miles east of Oklahoma City.

Update at 12:45 p.m. ET. One Measure Approved So Far:

"The Senate Judiciary Committee approved legislation Thursday making gun trafficking a federal crime as lawmakers cast the first vote in Congress to curb firearms since December's horrific shootings at a Connecticut elementary school," The Associated Press writes.

 A legislative plan to pave the way for a horse slaughtering facility in Oklahoma is drawing fierce opposition from animal  rights groups.

Several animal protection groups plan to rally at the state Capitol Thursday for "Humane Lobby Day" and urge legislators to oppose the bill to allow horse  slaughtering in the state.

As we await Friday's much-anticipated report about the February unemployment rate and how many jobs were added to employers' payrolls last month, there are these new bits of economic data to chew over:

-- The Employment and Training Administration says there were 340,000 first-time claims for unemployment insurance last week. That's down from 7,000 the previous week. Claims continue at a pace that's the lowest since first-quarter 2008.

After nearly 13 hours during which he had only a few short breaks while sympathetic senators took over the talking, Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky ended his filibuster of John Brennan's CIA nomination early Thursday.

Heidi is a 15 pound continental giant rabbit in Britain that suffers from arthritis. Twice a week, she's strapped into a little orange life vest and paddles in a heated pool.

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Good morning, I'm Steve Inskeep.

If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. And if life gives you broken glass, make money. A vandal threw a brick through the window of a Pittsburgh printing shop. The owner, undismayed, offered the brick for auction to raise money to fix the window. Sympathetic friends threw in prizes to go with the brick, like tickets to a hockey game. The winning bid was $1,150, enough to fix the window and make a donation to charity.

It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Norman steals the spotlight on this week’s OneSix8 with numerous performances and family-friendly activities.