Free Republic

A manhunt has been launched after eight inmates — three of whom are facing murder charges — escaped Friday morning from a northeast Louisiana jail. Louisiana State Police confirmed the men, all considered “violent offenders,” were reported missing from the Riverbend Detention Center at 1:20 a.m. (Snip) The three inmates who were captured after the escape were identified as Hugo Molino, 27; Trenton Taplin, 29; and Savon Wheeler, 31. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said she has been in contact with East Carroll Parish Sheriff Wydette Williams and Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association President Kevin Cobb. “[I] have offered the full assistance...

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy has spent years selling Louisiana voters one version of himself while consistently governing as something else entirely. Cassidy’s record shows a pattern that should alarm every America First voter: siding with Democrats when it matters most, undermining President Trump, and then attempting to rewrite history once political winds shift. In 2021, Cassidy was one of only seven Republican senators who voted to convict President Donald Trump during the Democrats’ second impeachment spectacle—an unprecedented, constitutionally dubious move aimed solely at destroying the MAGA movement and blocking Trump from ever returning to office. At the time, Cassidy openly...

Most in the GOP are silent or backing the Trump administration, but a conspicuous few are speaking out. A small but growing number of Republicans are raising public concerns about the killing Saturday of a 37-year-old Minnesota man by federal agents.Hours after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti on a Minneapolis street, one House GOP chair called for the top ICE leader and other Trump administration officials to publicly answer lawmakers’ questions. GOP Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina called for independent probes into the shooting, with Cassidy arguing the integrity...

Energy Louisiana Trial Lawyers Steered Thousands to Judge Overseeing Their Case Against Oil Companies—Then Won a $744 Million Judgment 'The whole thing is set up as a kangaroo court,' former AG Bill Barr tells Free Beacon L: Offshore oil and gas platform (Mario Tama/Getty Images) R: Chevron logo Thomas Catenacci January 12, 2026 The Louisiana attorneys who helped secure a landmark verdict requiring U.S. oil company Chevron to pay $744 million in environmental damages gave nearly $15,000 to the state judge who presided over the case, ethics filings reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon show. The Baton Rouge-based law firm...

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed extradition paperwork Tuesday to seek the prosecution of a California abortionist accused of illegally shipping abortion pills into the state. Landry is vowing to hold accountable those who undermine Louisiana’s pro-life laws and endanger women and unborn children. “I am signing the extradition paperwork to bring this California doctor to justice,” Landry posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Louisiana has a zero tolerance policy for those who subvert our laws, seek to hurt women, and promote abortion.” The Republican governor added: “I know Gavin Newsom supports abortion in all its forms, but that doesn’t...

In a troubling trend, police in Minnesota, Ohio, Florida, Arizona, and Louisiana have arrested a number of church leaders in separate cases for failing to report alleged child abuse. The wave of cases, which have arisen in the last month, raises questions about church and ministry accountability and their legal and moral obligations to protect children in their care, specifically by alerting civil authorities when leaders suspect abuse. This basic duty has been a fixture of American law for well over half a century. Since 1967, every state has enacted some form of mandatory child-abuse reporting law. But in nearly...

Yesterday, the Secretary of War authorized the activation of up to 350 Louisiana National Guard members on Title 32 status through February 28, 2026. These National Guard troops will support federal law enforcement partners, including the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, as they enforce federal law and counter high rates of violent crime in New Orleans and other metropolitan areas in Louisiana. Operating under Governor Landry's command and control, this mission will directly enhance the safety of Louisiana's residents and the enforcement of federal laws – reaffirming the Department of War's commitment to supporting our interagency...

A new report claims that two of five people arrested in connection with what the FBI said was a plot to unleash a wave of terrorist bombings in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve are transgender. The FBI said that the people arrested were a splinter group of the Turtle Island Liberation Front, which federal officials said has a pro-Palestinian, anti-law-enforcement, and anti-government ideology, according to USA Today. The suspects were part of a Signal group chat calling itself “Order of the Black Lotus.”

"Construction bro raising a family spills the tea on what impact illegals REALLY have on his worksites."

Donald Trump is backing a GOP proposal depositing $1,500 checks into the health care accounts of millions of Americans. The legislation, which is being led by Republican Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy and Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, gives qualifying Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollees a $1,000 deposit for those aged 18 to 49, as well as recipients aged 50 to 64 for $1,500. While speaking to reporters on board Air Force One on Tuesday, the president

During a meeting in Washington between Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, a first-of-its-kind global parliamentary initiative was launched: an international effort to recommend former and current U.S. President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise also participated in the meeting. At its conclusion, Ohana and Johnson signed an official letter to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee calling for Trump to be selected as the 2026 laureate. The initiative follows a plan announced by Ohana during Trump’s recent visit to Israel and a speech Johnson delivered in Congress the...

After successfully holding strong in the face of a Democrat-led government shutdown over Obamacare, a cabal of House Republicans is now waiving the white flag on the issue.On Thursday, nearly three dozen Democrats and Republicans introduced a proposal to extend taxpayer-funded Obamacare subsidies. As Federalist Senior Contributor Christopher Jacobs has regularly reported in these pages, these Biden-era subsidies — which are set to expire at the end of this year — have been a complete and total disaster. Spearheaded by Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Jen Kiggins, R-Va., the measure “would extend and reduce the tax credits in a two-step...

Abortion, religion, and race were the three intractable constitutional law conundrums of the second half of the 20th century. Back in the 1960s and ’70s, the justices of the Warren and Burger Supreme Courts felt compelled to step in and resolve them, though their constitutional warrant so to do was anything but clear. As readers of this magazine are well aware, for decades American society has been roiled by what we are slowly coming to see as the Supreme Court’s unwarranted judicial audacity—if not impudence, arrogance, and illegitimacy. Since Richard Nixon’s campaign in 1968, Republicans have been seeking to...

Outgoing New York City New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed two executive orders Wednesday aimed at countering antisemitism and preventing city funds from supporting the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The New York Post reported that Adams barred city business or pension investment decisions that discriminate against Israel, a move that could be viewed as a challenge to Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who supports the BDS movement. While speaking at a conference in New Orleans sponsored by the North American Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism, Adams said his administration “recognizes the benefit of maintaining a strong relationship between the...

A Louisiana cheer mom who had sex with her daughter’s 14-year-old classmate has been sentenced to 26 years in prison — after her own child begged for her to get the harshest penalty possible. Leann Yammarino, 45, pleaded no contest to having sex with a 14-year-old who went to her daughter’s school in Ascension — while also sexting at least five other teenagers, according to WBRZ 2. Her young daughter addressed the court on Tuesday — begging for her mom to get the maximum penalty for ruining her family’s life, the outlet said. Five other students, ages 14 to 16,...

The Supreme Court is considering a Louisiana redistricting case that could have a greater impact on U.S House of Representatives seats than the Texas and California "gerrymandering" maneuvers combined. The New York Times wrote, "Democrats would be in danger of losing around a dozen majority-minority districts across the South if the court struck down part of the Voting Rights Act." White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller tweeted, "How many people just realized that Dems had as many as 20 extra seats based on years of unconstitutional race-based gerrymandering?" For the purpose of "racial justice" under the Voting Rights...

Down on the bayou, they’ve got a sayin'. C’est tout! It’s pronounced SAY-too and it’s Cajun French for, “That’s all.” And that is all. For Brian Kelly. Sunday was a busy day in Baton Rouge. Meetings. Phone calls. Zooms. Even a drafted resolution for a multi-million-dollar buyout for the school’s 64-year-old, fourth-year head coach. Shall I put it in south Louisiana terms? With the arrival of gumbo weather, things got quite spicy on the bayou (I’ll see myself out).

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today attempted to pass three bills via unanimous consent that would have blocked pay to Members of Congress and restored pay to federal workers during the government shutdown on its 37th day. Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) objected and blocked the bills from passing unanimously. After Paul objected to Kennedy’s first bill, the No Shutdown Paychecks to Politicians Act, Kennedy also attempted to pass his Withhold Member Pay During Shutdowns Act. Paul objected, arguing that all federal employees who have worked through the shutdown should get paid.

Rapper 50 Cent declared that 'New York is over' after Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor and urged locals to flee to the Louisiana city he poured millions into reviving. After Tuesday's election, in which Mamdani assumed his victory over Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, Jackson reiterated his discontent with the far-left politician. He shared an image of a tombstone that read, 'RIP NYC,' with the city's death date as 2025. The pro-Trump artist, 50, has been flooding his social media with posts denouncing the Democratic-socialist mayoral elect while prompting like-minded New Yorkers to leave the Big Apple...

Thursday on CNN’s “The Situation Room,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) comments about the ongoing government shutdown were “going to get someone killed.” A day earlier on CNN, Johnson said, “No, we’re not going to allow Chuck Schumer to play selfish political games and hold the American people hostage. We will not negotiate with legislative terrorists.” Jeffries said, “That type of language is reckless, it’s irresponsible, and it’s going to get someone killed. What do these folks not understand as it relates to the language that they continue to use? We should be...