Free Republic

We didn’t go there, did we? I mean seriously? Did Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), the third ranking member of the House Democratic Caucus, pretty much insinuate that the accusations against Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) shouldn’t be believed because the accusers are white? Conyers is under fire for sexual misconduct. In 2015, he settled a sexual harassment claim to the tune of $27,000 in taxpayer money. Melanie Sloan, a Washington lawyer, claimed to be the subject of verbal abuse by Conyers, even walking into his office to have the Michigan Democrat half-dressed. She has not alleged any sexual harassment, but Deanna...

The racial dynamics of the sexual harassment allegations against Congress' longest-serving member are causing division within the Democratic Party. [Snip] Some have noted that the response to Conyers, who many consider a civil rights icon, seem harsher than how party leaders have responded to other Democrats facing allegations. The congressman's attorney told CNN that Pelosi has to "explain what the discernible difference between Congressman Conyers and Sen. Al Franken is." Conyers's district is predominantly black and includes large portions of Detroit. Franken, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by at least five women, represents constituents in Minnesota who are...

WASHINGTON — Louisiana U.S. Sen. John Kennedy lambasted several of the Trump administration's picks for the federal judiciary, calling one nominee "embarrassing" and questioning the competency of the White House office charged with vetting potential judges. Kennedy became the first GOP senator to vote against a Trump administration nominee for a federal judgeship Tuesday night, turning down his thumb at Gregory Katsas' nomination for the powerful D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. The senator said Katsas, an attorney who currently serves as deputy counsel to President Donald Trump, would have an inherent conflict of interest on the appeals court because of...

In the annals of governmental incompetence and venality, this case is hard to top. Back in October, 2015, Mr. and Mrs. David Garrett bought some property from New Orleans. The city had owned the property since 1998, when it had acquired the land and building from its tax-delinquent owner, Charles Jett. During the following 17 years, the city let the building (a townhouse) deteriorate. The Garretts purchased the property for just $7,000, intending to refurbish it. Over the years, New Orleans officials had initiated several code violations against Jett for the bad condition of the townhouse, failing to recognize that...

One week after Hurricane Katrina made landfall in August 2005, President George W. Bush consulted with his team of crisis advisers and inundated the Gulf Coast with cheap, illegal alien labor. Bush’s August decision to lift the Davis-Bacon wage law made it very easy for contractors to hire cheap labor. Mike Chertoff, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), quickly suspended sanctions on the employers who did hire illegal aliens. The result was another flood – this time not of water, but of illegal aliens, 30,000 of which came to the Gulf Coast to take cleanup and blue-collar...

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A staff member in Democratic Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards' office is denying any wrongdoing after being accused of sexual harassment. Johnny Anderson told The Associated Press that he resigned as deputy chief of staff for programs and planning to avoid becoming a "distraction" to the governor.

A key member of Gov. John Bel Edwards' staff has resigned due to allegations of sexual harassment, WBRZ reported. LaPolitics.com first reported that Deputy Chief of Staff Johnny Anderson resigned Wednesday after multiple sexual harassment allegations were made against him. Deputy Chief of Staff Richard Carbo said in a statement to WBRZ Wednesday evening that the governor's office was made aware of the allegations Tuesday and that the office holds a "zero tolerance" policy for sexual harassment. "We take these allegations very seriously," the statement read. "Upon commencement of the investigative process, Johnny Anderson resigned from the Governor's Office."

Commuters who take the Interstate 10 high-rise bridge over the Industrial Canal should be ready for continued delays, with two eastbound lanes shut down out of concern for the span's structural integrity, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development said Friday. Following a large tire fire Wednesday under the bridge on the east side of the canal, crews have shut down two of the three eastbound lanes on the bridge, and the work could continue into early next week. The westbound lanes are open. An overhead traffic camera operated by WWL-TV on Friday showed heavy traffic on the eastbound approach...

Former state Rep. John Schroder, R-Covington, will be Louisiana's next state treasurer, as he was headed for a lopsided victory over Derrick Edwards with votes being counted Saturday (Nov. 18). A House member for nine years, Schroder spent most of his legislative career focused on fiscal policy and was a member of the House Appropriations Committee, which writes the state budget. While in the statehouse, Schroder was a vocal critic of the budget practices of both Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, and former Gov. Bobby Jindal, a Republican, for not forcing the state to "live within its means" when...

What to do with the rundown, dangerous and divisive Evangeline Thruway is a critical open question facing state transportation officials planning an elevated interstate connection through the heart of Lafayette. The Department of Transportation and Development is considering two options: keep the basic structure in place as a frontage road, or reinvent a portion of the roadway as a pedestrian-friendly “Grand Boulevard.” The thruway cordoned neighborhoods to the east when it was built in 1963, and the boulevard idea aims to reconnect those neighborhoods to downtown commerce. State officials and their consultants said a decision will come within a year....

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - Roughly 1,900 Louisiana prisoners are being released as part of new laws designed to reduce the state's high jail population. Governor Edwards released the following statement on Wednesday, Nov. 1. "Louisiana’s label as having the highest incarceration rate in the nation may be part of our past, but it will not be a part of our future. For more than a year, stakeholders from every walk of life in Louisiana publicly met to thoroughly review our criminal justice system. Following a model set forth by other Southern, conservative states, their goal was to make Louisiana...

American nabbed while trying to enter N. Korea 2017/11/13 15:36 UIJEONGBU, South Korea, Nov. 13 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. citizen was arrested by South Korean police Monday for crossing the Civilian Control Line (CCL) near the inter-Korean border without a permit in an alleged attempt to enter North Korea, authorities concerned said. The CCL was drawn just below the Demilitarized Zone bisecting the two Koreas from the west to the east in 1954 to strictly protect the security of military facilities and operations there. The 58-year-old American, only identified as "A," was seized at 9:55 a.m. as he trespassed on...

WASHINGTON — Roy Moore could do more damage to the GOP brand than an Alabama Senate seat is worth. NBC News has not confirmed that (sic) allegations; the woman didn't file a police report or bring a civil suit. Moore, now 70, called the charges "completely false" in a statement released by his campaign Thursday. It's a "no-win situation through and through" for the GOP, said Doug Heye, a former Senate and House Republican aide. "He's not worth it," Heye said. The question of how to handle Moore has both political and moral components, said Republicans who spoke to NBC...

NEW ORLEANS -- The so called "Old City" isn't the only part of New Orleans with drainage problems. The spotlight has been on the Lakeview, Mid-City and Broadmoor neighborhoods, but there are also broken pumps in Lower Coast Algiers on the west bank and New Orleans East.

A disabled Navy veteran said he declined to accept an award at a New Orleans Saints game due to the controversy over players protesting during the national anthem. The Saints organization was going to honor retired Cmdr. John Wells, the executive director of Military Veterans Advocacy, with the Peoples Health Champion award during last week’s game in New Orleans, according to The Advocate. On Wednesday he told the organization he was unable to accept the award at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome because of the anthem protests. Saints players have been seen kneeling before the anthem and some continue to do so...

The New Orleans Saints released a statement Thursday saying it is "unfortunate and disappointing" that a retired Navy commander who declined an honor at Sunday's game has been telling media outlets he no longer supports NFL football because of player protests throughout the league before and during the national anthem. "We will not allow Mr. [John] Wells' decision and subsequent media appearances to distract our players and organization from continuing to honor and support our military and veterans," the Saints said in their statement, which stressed the organization's "unwavering 50-plus year commitment to honor, support and recognize our servicemen and...

When a friend says, “I’ll hit you up later dog,” he is stating that he will call again sometime. He is not calling the person a “later dog.” But that’s not how the courts in Louisiana see it. And when a suspect in an interrogation told detectives to “just give me a lawyer dog,” the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled that the suspect was, in fact, asking for a “lawyer dog,” and not invoking his constitutional right to counsel. It’s not clear how many lawyer dogs there are in Louisiana, and whether any would have been available to represent the human...

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards lost his latest legal battle Wednesday over his executive order aimed at protecting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in state government. A three-judge panel of Louisiana's 1st Circuit Court of Appeal upheld a lower court's December decision that the Democratic governor's executive order was an unconstitutional attempt to expand state law. The unanimous appellate ruling was a victory for the Republican state attorney general, Jeff Landry, who had issued an opinion saying the order violated the state constitution. Landry had refused to approve various state agency...

New Confederate statues and plaques are appearing across the country, and authorities are powerless to act because many are being built on private land. But those who honor the Confederacy have been quietly working to preserve, and even increase, the number of Confederate monuments. In the small town of Orange, on the Texas-Louisiana border, the privately funded Confederate Memorial of the Wind is nearing completion. Stretching across a half-acre, the monument’s 13 pillars, each representing a Confederate state, rise from a circular base. It will eventually be surrounded by poles flying Confederate battle flags. In Chickamauga, Georgia, last year, a...

Shot: Louisiana State University builds $85 million recreation complex including a giant “lazy river” concrete swimming pool meets aqua maze.Chaser: The best of times, the worst of times: Inside LSU’s Middleton Library and the Cox Center. Extensive photos illustrate how the library is crumbling with extensive flooding damage while the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes is gleaming, spotless, and modern.