Govt + Politics
Trump reportedly ready to tap Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court
President Donald Trump plans to nominate federal appeals court Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, according to several media reports. Barrett, 48, is a judge for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, Ill. She was appointed to the position by Trump […]
New Orleans allows go-cups amid Phase 2 restrictions
In the latest easing of Phase 2 coronavirus restrictions, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced Friday that restaurants may resume serving alcoholic drinks via drive-through, takeout and curbside pickup options between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. The new guideline took effect at 5 p.m. on Friday and applied to all restaurants within Orleans Parish, according […]
Louisiana Republicans vie to take over state’s COVID-19 response
Dr. Deborah Birx, the response coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, has recently traveled to multiple college campuses in the South and praised the leadership of campus or state officials who she says have been helping keep the public safe. On Monday, Birx visited Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and on Tuesday she […]
Louisiana’s census response rate is next-to-last with one week left
With less than a week to go before this year’s scheduled Sept. 30 end of counting for the 2020 Census, about 91.8 percent have been counted. Even so, in the ranking of state response rates, Louisiana’s has fallen from third lowest more than a week ago to second lowest now. Louisiana’s overall response rate to […]
White House coronavirus advisor said Louisiana’s COVID-19 restrictions ‘saved people’s lives’
Days before the Louisiana Legislature convenes a special session where Republican lawmakers plan to discuss taking away the emergency powers that Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards has used to fight the spread of the new coronavirus, Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said that Louisiana’s COVID-19 restrictions “saved people’s lives.” “It is […]
Louisiana police reform task force looks to NOPD for training model
Members of the legislative Police Training and De-escalation Task Force met with two New Orleans Police officers on Tuesday to discuss a training program that requires officers to intervene when witnessing a colleague’s misconduct. The program recently received backing from Georgetown University’s law school and is being considered for statewide adoption. NOPD Deputy Chief Paul […]
Shutdown averted: U.S. House passes deal on stopgap funding
House and Senate leaders reached a bipartisan agreement Tuesday night to pass a three-month funding stopgap, averting a government shutdown in the midst of a pandemic and a short time before the November elections. In a 359-57 vote, the House passed H.R. 8337, which extends federal government funding until Dec. 11, when lawmakers would have […]
Congress launches inquiry into claims about gynecological procedures at Georgia immigrant facility
Top U.S. House Democrats are investigating a whistleblower’s allegations that immigrant women in a Georgia detention center endured gynecological procedures without their consent or full understanding of the treatment that was being performed. Dawn Wooten, a nurse who worked at the Irwin County Detention Center, said women at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility “were […]
Lafayette used cybersurveillance on activists and nonprofits amid strange warning of ‘terrorism’
In the days leading up to Lafayette’s largest protests against the fatal shooting of Trayford Pellerin by police, authorities used a cybersurveillance agency to keep tabs on community activists and nonprofit groups that had public-awareness or political-related events scheduled that weekend, according to documents obtained by the Louisiana Illuminator. On Aug. 28, email messages sent […]
Republican senators gathering the votes to proceed with U.S. Supreme Court nomination
WASHINGTON — Two key Republican senators indicated Monday they won’t stand in the way of a furious effort by the Senate GOP to confirm a nominee to fill a Supreme Court vacancy before Inauguration Day. Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley ended the suspense with a statement Monday night saying there’s no “ambiguity” about what direction for […]
Louisiana Legislature Calls Special Session Over COVID Restrictions, Unemployment
The Louisiana Legislature has called itself into a special session to address Hurricane Laura recovery, COVID-19 policies and the rapidly-dwindling state unemployment trust fund, according to a press release sent out by its Republican leadership. Lawmakers will convene Monday, Sept. 28, and adjourn about a month later, on Oct. 27. More than half of the […]
President Trump promises a Supreme Court nominee this week
President Donald Trump said Monday that he would announce a replacement for the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg by either Friday or Saturday. During a morning interview on “Fox and Friends,” the president said the administration wanted to pay its respects to Ginsburg, who died Friday night from complications with cancer, before […]