Govt + Politics
Ochsner, LCMC Health hospitals to lock up life-saving medication outside labor and delivery rooms
NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana hospitals have scrambled to update their guidelines for misoprostol, a common pregnancy care medication that a new state law will reclassify as a controlled dangerous substance starting Oct. 1. Misoprostol is used for a variety of medical reasons, including postpartum hemorrhages. LCMC Health and Ochsner Health System, which own and operate […]
Crowd size forces Louisiana DEQ to postpone hearing on proposed St. Charles ammonia plant
ST. ROSE — After a crush of about 200 St. Charles Parish residents showed up to protest a massive proposed ammonia plant Thursday night, a state agency was forced to shut down the meeting because the room could only hold 60. “I am grateful to our residents here in St. Rose that they care enough […]
New Orleans Muslims, Arabs express outrage over Sen. John Kennedy’s comments at hate crime hearing
NEW ORLEANS — Muslim and Arab constituents of U.S. Sen. John Kennedy are criticizing his comments toward Arab American civil rights leader Maya Berry at a Senate hearing on hate crime and hate speech last week. Some of Kennedy’s New Orleans constituents also said they think the Republican senator does not see them as full […]
Zelenskyy in Washington meets with U.S. leaders to beef up support for Ukraine
WASHINGTON — Standing alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris admonished any suggestion that Ukraine should end its war by relinquishing territory to Russia. Zelenskyy and Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, met for the seventh time during Harris’ tenure as vice president as the Ukrainian leader visited the White House and U.S. […]
U.S. House panel on Trump assassination attempt points to multiple failures by Secret Service
Members of the U.S. House task force investigating the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump blamed the U.S. Secret Service for poor planning and breakdowns in communication and coordination with local law enforcement. Republicans and Democrats on the House Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump at their first public hearing […]
Postal chief insists to Congress that mail-in ballots will get delivered in time
WASHINGTON — United States Postal Service Postmaster General Louis DeJoy testified before Congress on Thursday that voters can “absolutely” trust their mail-in ballots will be secure and prioritized, though he emphasized they must be mailed at least a week ahead of the various state deadlines to be delivered on time. DeJoy’s testimony to House lawmakers […]
Harris pitches an ‘opportunity economy’ in debut one-on-one TV interview
The Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, laid out more of her economic vision Wednesday during her first one-on-one cable TV interview. Harris and former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, are laying out dueling economic agendas this week as the two vie for the Oval Office in an extremely close race. “I […]
Louisiana leaders discuss getting a second live tiger to bring to LSU football games
Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham has put forward a solution to address LSU’s reluctance to bring its live tiger mascot to football games: Get a second tiger. Reviving the tradition of bringing LSU’s live mascot, Mike the Tiger, has been a pet project of Gov. Jeff Landry and Abraham, who have led ongoing negotiations with […]
Fact-check: Anti-vax proponents dominate legislative hearing on COVID response
A state legislative hearing Wednesday that lawmakers said was to review Louisiana’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic turned into a forum for anti-vaccine advocates and proponents for alternative cures. The Louisiana House Select Committee on Homeland Security convened Wednesday for the first of two meetings meant to evaluate how the state responded to the coronavirus. […]
‘Bare bones’: Disability rights advocates say New Orleans’ disaster plans fall short
NEW ORLEANS — When forecasters projected Hurricane Ida was going to hit New Orleans in August of 2021, Ashley Volion was not sure what she would do. Volion, who works as a policy analyst at Disability Rights Louisiana, has cerebral palsy and can’t walk. She uses a battery-powered wheelchair to get around and requires the […]
Taxes: Where do Trump and Harris stand?
This is one in a series of States Newsroom reports on the major policy issues in the presidential race. WASHINGTON — With the clock ticking on former President Donald Trump’s signature 2017 tax law, and high housing, food and child care costs darkening Americans’ mood, tax cuts have become the star of the 2024 presidential […]
Louisiana may have reached trigger for a personal income tax cut in 2026
Louisiana might have met revenue and tax collection thresholds that would trigger an across-the-board personal income state cut at the beginning of 2026, but would worsen the state’s budget crisis over several years.