Blue chips posted solid gains in the Thursday session - the Dow Industrials rising 110 points - but the other indexes lagged. Oil futures notched very modest gains today, thanks in part to news that U.S. oil inventories fell by 1.4 million barrels last week -- the first decline in four weeks. May crude edged up 24 cents to settle at an even $64 a barrel. A couple new pieces of encouraging U.S. economic data today. The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits last week fell to a new 50-year low. And, retail sales surged 1.6% in March, the biggest jump in a year and a half. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he wants congress to raise the minimum age for tobacco products, including vaping devices, to 21 from 18 nationwide. The Republican from Kentucky, where tobacco is a major crop, expects bipartisan support for his proposal.