Free Republic

**SNIP** Around February, speculation began circulating about the candidacy of Daniels, amid a “Draft Stormy” movement launched by a few overzealous political science students looking for an adult entertainer to run against Vitter. Their strategy was that Daniels’ mere presence in the race would draw more attention to the Senator’s extramarital activities. Daniels flattered by the attention, began speaking publicly to reporters, while the Louisiana Democratic Party began publicly distancing themselves from the efforts. Daniels for her part, maintained that she wanted Hustler publisher Larry Flynt to manage her campaign. **SNIP** Daniels told reporters that her campaign slogan was, “Stormy...

SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) - Family members confirmed to KSLA News 12 the identity of the young boy killed in a shooting Thursday night. Twyla Smith says she is the grandmother of 4-year-old Messiah Murphy who was shot to death around 11 p.m. Police say they got a call from a woman saying she was in front of the police station with a young child in her car who had been shot. Investigators believe the shooting took place in the 100 block of North Pierre Avenue near the intersection of Buena Vista Street, according to SPD Corporal Angie Willhite. They also...

Vanity lead in about this: In 1978-1979, then California Governor Jerry Brown 'punished' the taxpayers for passing Proposition 13 (making property taxes affordable for those who had lived in California all their lives). Governor Brown cut police and fire services to 'punish' the taxpayers of California for passing Prop 13 (or Proposition 13). Then in 1981, then California Governor Jerry Brown hired 'Hanoi Jane Fonda' to head an Arts Committee with a $1 million budget. This infuriated California voters even more. One of the articles below attributes the actions of then California Jerry Brown to getting Ronald Reagan president. Articles...

The Louisiana House voted 59-36 Wednesday (May 2) to allow visitors to carry guns at K-12 schools and on university campuses if they have concealed weapons permits. The legislation would allow people to have guns at schools and universities, regardless of whether the institutions are public or private. House Bill 602, sponsored by state Rep. Blake Miguez, R-Erath, now moves to the Senate for consideration. Under current law, most people are not allowed to carry a gun into a school or university building unless they are in law enforcement or use a weapon for class. This proposal would allow visitors...

Kanye West revealed in a TMZ interview on Tuesday that he wanted to apologize to George W. Bush for saying in 2005 that the president did not care about black people in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Kanye West said he was always told not to apologize to Bush, but that he recently saw the former president pushing his father’s wheelchair at Barbara Bush’s funeral in March, and he felt sympathy for him. “Do you know how bad I would want to go to George Bush and say I’m sorry for hurting you. I was an artist I was hurting...

On a rugged bluff overlooking the Ohio River, known locally as "Devil's Backbone," centuries of overgrowth obscures a secret of history... In 1799, early settlers found six skeletons clad in breastplates bearing a Welsh coat of arms. Indian legends told of "yellow-haired giants" who settled in Kentucky, southern Indiana, southern Ohio and Tennessee -- a region they called "the Dark and Forbidden Land." Archeologists debunk the legend. They say that evidence indicates that the natives of the region once conducted a vigorous trading network nearby and buried their dead on the bluff... Upstream about 14 miles from Louisville, Ky., the...

Louisiana's lawmakers Wednesday (April 25) advanced a bill that would require public schools to provide 30 minutes of recess daily to students in kindergarten through eighth grade, excluding charter schools. The House Education Committee voted 8-5 to advance House Bill 842, sponsored by Rep. Beryl Amedee, R-Houma., to the full House floor. It would still have to move through the Senate before the governor could sign it into law.Debra Schum, Louisiana Association of Principals executive director, said the state would have to either have the Board and Elementary and Secondary Education determine that recess can be counted as instructional time,...

Since we've been writing about defensive gun uses within the context of the broader debate over gun restrictions lately, this story caught my attention. It also seems particularly relevant in light of the horrible shooting at a Tennessee Waffle House a few days ago, which was interrupted by the heroics of an unarmed man (for whom strangers have now raised more than $170,000). Some on the anti-gun Left decided that it would be a useful argument to highlight the incredible case of James Shaw, Jr. as a means of rebutting the 'good guy with a gun' argument from supporters of...

A lawyer who led the fight against Obamacare’s contraceptive mandate, eventually winning the Hobby Lobby case before the Supreme Court, won confirmation by the Senate Tuesday to a federal appeals court. Senators voted 50-47 to confirm Stuart Kyle Duncan to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Only one Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, broke with his party to support Mr. Duncan. Other Democrats voiced opposition to Mr. Duncan as an “unfit ideologue” who fought women’s access to reproductive healthcare. They also said his defense of state laws requiring photo-ID to vote,...

by Mark Finkelstein February 11, 2006 When's the last time you recall a famous elected official being called a drunk on live national TV? It happened this morning on the Today show. Today was surely looking for a light touch on New Orleans when co-host Campbell Brown interviewed New Orleans magician, comic and eccentric extraordinaire Harry Anderson in a pre-Mardi Gras piece on "Life after Katrina." But the NBC show surely got a bit more than it was bargaining for. When Anderson took some shots at FEMA and the federal response to Katrina, Brown, in an apparent bid for balance,...

Trump judicial nominee Wendy Vitter’s personal pro-life views were under intense scrutiny from several Democratic senators at her confirmation hearing Wednesday. Vitter was repeatedly asked about her pro-life beliefs and whether they would interfere with her role as a judge. She was also grilled about statements made in past, pro-life speaking engagements. The main questions from Democratic senators centered around two appearances she made, that were recently cited by the abortion giant Planned Parenthood in an op-ed targeting Vitter prior to the hearing. One appearance was as the moderator of a 2013 Louisiana Right to Life panel where views...

The National Rifle Association and other gun rights advocates opposed the bill. The groups said the legislation violated the rights of young people who can use an assault weapon as a member of the military, but would not be able to own one themselves. Efforts to restrict gun ownership and access in Louisiana have historically faced an uphill battle in the Capitol, so it came as a surprise that Carter's bill got out of committee last week. Over the past few days, gun rights advocates have targeted Sen. Fred Mills, R-Breaux Bridge, who voted with Democrats to get the legislation...

MONROE -- A Louisiana roofer faces misdemeanor charges after repossessing a roof because he hadn't been paid. Authorities arrested 66-year-old Andrew Jackson Higdon III, of West Monroe, Tuesday on charges of simple criminal damage to property and criminal trespass. The News-Star reports Higdon was freed after posting $4,500 bond.-snip-She said when she came home on Dec. 22, 2016, the roof and roofing paper were gone.She couldn't get someone to cover the roof with tarps before it rained, so she said her ceiling and furniture were damaged.

A Louisiana House committee voted favorably on four anti-abortion bills Wednesday (April 4). Three of the bills (House bills 287, 273 and 338) are amended versions of three similar proposals that have been tied up in a federal court battle since they were first approved during the 2016 legislative session. House Bill 449, which proposes the Louisiana Department of Health offer information about adoption as an alternative to abortion on their website, was the only new legislation. Proponents of the bills speaking during Wednesday’s house committee on health and welfare meeting said they hoped the clarified language would make it...

The Louisiana House of Representatives voted 75-7 to potentially expand the use of state inmate labor by the government Monday (April 2). The legislation generated no debate from lawmakers on the House floor, but all seven lawmakers who voted against the bill are African American Democrats. House Bill 84 would allow the governor to authorize prisoners to do work other than custodial duties at the Department of Corrections headquarters in Baton Rouge. Officials are currently using prisoners to build a fence around the building, among other things, and it's "unclear" if inmates can be used for those jobs. Gov. John...

A young black transgender woman was shot dead in a Louisiana motel this week, becoming at least the seventh transgender woman known to have been killed in the United States this year, rights advocates said. The woman, Amia Tyrae, 28, was killed Monday at about 1:15 a.m. at a motel on Airline Highway, according to the Baton Rouge Police Department. Dr. William Clark, the East Baton Rouge Parish coroner, ruled Ms. Tyrae’s death a homicide, caused by a gunshot wound to the chest. The Police Department said Friday night that Dedrick Butler, 22, of Denham Springs, La., had been arrested...

A backbench Republican sparked the latest round of speculation Monday about Speaker Paul D. Ryan’s future by suggesting other GOP lawmakers were bracing for the Wisconsin Republican to resign from office this spring. The suggestion, offered as “rumor mill” by Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.), drew an immediate dismissal from Ryan’s office. “The speaker is not resigning,” AshLee Strong, Ryan’s spokeswoman, said in a statement.

Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.) told a local news station that there is a “rumor” that Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) will resign soon, stepping up speculation about the Speaker’s political future. “The rumor mill is that Paul Ryan is getting ready to resign in the next 30 to 60 days and that Steve Scalise will be the new Speaker,”

“The rumor mill is that Paul Ryan is getting ready to resign in the next 30 to 60 days and that Steve Scalise will be the new Speaker,” Amodei told Nevada Newsmakers, referring to the Majority Whip.

Autoplay: On | Off Rep. Mark Amodei Mark Eugene Amodei Student suspended for telling lawmakers to 'get off their f---ing asses' and pass gun laws Depending on China and Russia for key minerals could lead to a national security crisis Interior agency delayed tribal casino approval after competitor’s lobbying: report MORE (R-Nev.) told a local news station that there is a “rumor” that Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) will resign soon, stepping up speculation about the Speaker’s political future. “The rumor mill is that Paul Ryan is getting ready to resign in the next 30 to 60 days and that Steve...