Power outages bring frustration to New Orleans residents post-Francine
Residents of the Carrollton neighborhood in New Orleans are among the thousands of utility customers in the city who remain without power after Hurricane Francine passed through.
Thousands in the dark as Hurricane Francine strikes Louisiana, raising flood fears
Hurricane Francine has slammed into Louisiana as a dangerous Category 2 storm, knocking out power to more than a quarter million customers and threatening a large stretch of the Gulf Coast with flooding and destructive winds.
Louisiana residents brace as Tropical Storm Francine is expected to hit their coast as a hurricane
Tropical Storm Francine has strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico and is forecast to make landfall as a hurricane at mid-week in Louisiana.
Surgical castration, 'Don't Say Gay' and absentee regulations. New laws go into effect in Louisiana
A slew of legislation passed by Louisianaโs GOP-dominated legislature earlier this year went into effect Thursday.
Ten Commandments. Multiple variations. Why the Louisiana law raises preferential treatment concerns
Christians and Jews believe in the Ten Commandments โ just not necessarily the version that will hang in every public school and state-funded college classroom in Louisiana.
Lawsuit challenges new Louisiana law requiring classrooms to display the Ten Commandments
Civil liberties groups have filed a lawsuit challenging Louisianaโs new law mandating that the Ten Commandments must be displayed in every public school classroom.
Long a Republican state, Louisiana is redder than ever under new governor
Just months into office, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has gained national attention for his push for groundbreaking conservative policies.
New Louisiana law requiring classrooms to display Ten Commandments churns old political conflicts
A bill signed into law this week makes Louisiana the only state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every classroom in public schools and colleges.
New law requires all Louisiana public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments
Louisiana has become the first state to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom.
Louisiana lawmakers approve surgical castration option for those guilty of sex crimes against kids
Louisiana lawmakers gave final approval to a bill that would allow judges the option to order someone to undergo surgical castration when the person is convicted of a sex crime against a child younger than 13.
Louisiana law that could limit filming of police hampers key tool for racial justice, attorneys say
Civil rights attorneys say a new Louisiana law that makes it a crime to approach within 25 feet of a police officer under certain circumstances is an affront to the movement for racial justice and violates the First Amendment.
Louisiana chemical plant threatens to shut down if EPA emissions deadline isn't relaxed
Denka Performance Elastomer in Louisiana threatened to shut down if the Biden administration doesn't give it more time to reduce its emissions.
Louisiana governor signs bill making two abortion drugs controlled dangerous substances
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has signed a first-of-its-kind bill to classify two abortion-inducing drugs as controlled and dangerous substances.
Louisiana Legislature approves bill classifying abortion pills as controlled dangerous substances
Louisiana lawmakers have approved a first-of-its-kind bill that would classify two abortion-inducing drugs as a controlled and dangerous substances.
Mick Jagger wades into politics, taking verbal jab at Louisiana state governor at performance
Rolling Stones' frontman Mick Jagger waded into Louisiana politics during the band's performance at The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
Louisiana won't immediately get a new majority-Black House district after judges reject it
A new Louisiana congressional map giving the state a second majority-Black House district has been rejected by a panel of federal judges.
Transgender Louisianans lost their ally in the governor's seat. Now they're girding for a fight
Unlike recent years when there was an LGBTQ+ ally in the Louisiana governor's office, nothing stands in the way this year of legislation hostile to transgender people.
AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Louisiana's presidential primaries
Louisiana politics have been dominated this year by new Republican Gov. Jeff Landryโs special legislative sessions to address crime and adopt new congressional maps.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry calls for special session, focused on tough-on-crime policies
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry officially called for a highly anticipated crime-focused special legislative session on Thursday that could overhaul the stateโs current criminal justice system, reversing hard-fought and historic reforms that happened under Landryโs Democratic predecessor.
Louisiana lawmakers pass new congressional map with second majority-Black district
The Louisiana Legislature passed a congressional map with a second majority-Black district on Friday, marking a win for Democrats after a legal battle and political tug-of-war that spanned nearly two years.
Louisiana's special session kicks off Monday. Here's a look at what may be discussed
Louisianaโs newly inaugurated lawmakers are set to convene for a special session during which they will discuss items that could impact how the state conducts elections.
Louisiana granted extra time to draw new congressional map that complies with Voting Rights Act
Louisiana lawmakers now have until the end of January to draw and pass new congressional boundaries to replace the current map that a federal judge says dilutes the power of the stateโs Black voters.
GOP secures all elected statewide offices in Louisiana, after Republican victories Saturday
Republicans in Louisiana have swept three runoff races for powerful statewide offices: attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer.
Louisiana was open to Cancer Alley concessions. Then EPA dropped its investigation
The Environmental Protection Agency spent more than a year investigating whether Louisiana's oversight of industrial air emissions discriminated against Black residents.
AP Election Brief | What to expect in Louisiana's statewide primaries
The race to replace Democratic Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards tops the list of contests voters will decide Saturday in one of only three gubernatorial elections scheduled this year.
Louisiana Republicans are in court to fight efforts to establish new Black congressional district
Voting rights advocates are locked in a court fight with Louisiana's top Republicans over whether the state must follow Alabamaโs court-ordered path in drawing a new, Black-majority congressional district.
Louisiana lawmakers overturn governor's veto on gender-affirming care ban for transgender minors
Louisianaโs Republican-dominated Legislature overturned Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwardsโ recent veto of a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors on Tuesday.
Louisiana Senate passes bill banning gender-affirming care for transgender youths
A controversial bill โ that at one point had been presumed dead โ banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender youths in Louisiana was passed by the Senate on Monday and is likely to reach the governorโs desk.
Bill to restrict youth access to 'sexually explicit' public library books advances in Louisiana
Activists in Louisiana are voicing concerns over a bill advancing in the GOP-controlled House to restrict children and teens from accessing public library books deemed โsexually explicit.โ.
Louisiana power project stuck in abortion debate gets funded
The Louisiana Bond Commission has approved a $39 million future line of credit for a critical New Orleans area power plant project that had become an unlikely pawn in the ongoing political tug-of-war over enforcing Louisianaโs near-total abortion ban.
Louisiana abortion providers file appeal, hope to block ban
Access to abortion in Louisiana has been back-and-forth for weeks โ with the stateโs three clinics relying on rulings and temporary restraining orders to continue operations.
Louisiana abortion ban reinstated, clinics halt procedures
For weeks, access to abortion in Louisiana has been flickering โ with the stateโs three clinics relying on rulings and temporary restraining orders that allowed them to continue operations.
Arizona, Louisiana among states grappling over abortion bans
Arizonaโs Republican attorney general says a total abortion ban that has been on the books since before statehood can be enforced, putting him at odds with that state's Republican governor.
Nursing home owner whose residents suffered in Ida arrested
The owner of seven Louisiana nursing homes whose residents suffered in squalid conditions after being evacuated to a warehouse for Hurricane Ida has been arrested.
Biden 'cost of carbon' policy survives another legal hurdle
An effort by President Joe Biden's administration to account for potential damage from greenhouse gas emissions when creating rules for pollution-generating industries has survived another court challenge.
GOP wants to end Russian oil imports to US, boost production
Republican elected officials across the U.S. are criticizing President Joe Biden over his energy policies and want to ramp up domestic production as a way to help wean the nation and its allies off oil from Russia.
US judge strikes down Biden climate damage cost estimate
A federal judge on Friday blocked the Biden administrationโs attempt to put greater emphasis on the potential damage from greenhouse gas emissions in the federal rulemaking process.
Court ruling gives Biden chance for reset on climate policy
President Joe Biden has an opportunity for a reset on climate policy after a federal judge rejected an administration plan to lease millions of acres in the Gulf of Mexico for offshore oil drilling.
Government: Vaccine rule should remain while cases play out
The Biden administration is framing its vaccine mandate for private employers in life-and-death terms in a legal filing that sought to get the requirement back on track after it was halted by a federal court.
Federal appeals court stays Biden administration's vaccine mandate on larger businesses
A federal appeals court has temporarily halted the Biden administrationโs vaccine requirement for businesses with 100 or more workers.
Parents get coached on how to escape mask and vaccine rules
Across the U.S., some public officials and other community leaders are trying to help people come up with ways to get exempted from having to wear masks or get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Senators press Interior Secretary Haaland on oil lease pause
Both Republican and Democratic senators are pressing Interior Secretary Deb Haaland for answers after a federal court blocked the Biden administrationโs suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters.
Republicans trod well-worn path to court to sue Biden
These are busy days for Republican state attorneys general, filing repeated lawsuits that claim President Joe Biden and his administration are overstepping their authority on immigration, climate change, the environment and taxes.
In shift, oil industry group backs federal price on carbon
The White House said climate adviser Gina McCarthy โmade clear that the administration is not fighting the oil and gas sector." AdThe meeting came after weeks of friction over moves the administration made to halt new oil leasing on federal lands and to review Trump administration deregulation efforts aimed at helping U.S. oil and gas producers. Despite the moratorium on new leases, the Biden administration has continued to issue permits for existing leases, including more than 200 in March, records show. Companies could claim they have the right to extract oil and gas after spending years and millions of dollars to secure leases. Thirteen states sued the Biden administration Wednesday to end the leasing suspension.
Trump agreements seek to tie Biden's hands on immigration
The agreements say Arizona, Indiana, Louisiana and Texas are entitled to a 180-day consultation period before executive branch policy changes take effect. The Biden administration rejects that argument on grounds that immigration is solely the federal government's responsibility under the Constitution. The Trump administration, usually eager to trumpet immigration enforcement, stayed publicly quiet on the agreements, which were first reported by BuzzFeed News. It is our hope that the SAFE agreement will foster timely communications about any significant forthcoming policy changes. โFor our entire history, immigration policy has been understood to be the exclusive responsibility of the federal government,โ Legomsky said.
Louisiana Congressman-elect Luke Letlow dies from COVID-19
Luke Letlow, who was only 41 and had no known underlying health conditions, died Tuesday night at Ochsner-LSU Health Shreveport โ days before he was scheduled to be sworn into office, according to his spokesman Andrew Bautsch. Ghali, of LSU Health Shreveport, told The Advocate that Letlow didn't have any underlying health conditions that would have placed him at greater risk of developing complications from COVID-19. "There was no one like Luke Letlow, and there was no one who loved this state and its people more. Luke was a part of our family, and we are so incredibly proud of the man he was.โBefore working for Abraham, Letlow had worked for former Gov. Letlow is one of more than 7,000 people in Louisiana who have died from COVID-19 since March, according to data from the state health department.
The Latest: Hawaii imposes new COVID-19 travel restrictions
There were 1,225 new confirmed COVID-19 cases increasing the state total to 60,873. ___WASHINGTON -- Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech will seek emergency government approval for their coronavirus vaccine, as the U.S. aims to begin administering doses by the end of the year. ___LOUISVILLE, Kentucky โ Kentucky reported a new daily record of 3,649 coronavirus cases Thursday amid warnings by Gov. He and public health experts are warily watching the number of patients hospitalized with the COVID-19 disease caused by the coronavirus. ___WASHINGTON โ Infection disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci says he โwants to settleโ concerns about a coronavirus vaccine as he returns to the White House podium for the first time in months.
Mark Zuckerberg donates $100M more to help election offices
DENVER โ Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, on Tuesday donated an additional $100 million to helping local election offices prepare for November even as some conservatives are stepping up their efforts to stop the funds from being used. The contribution brings the total funding for the election from Zuckerberg and Chan to $400 million โ the same amount that Congress allocated in March to help fund election offices as they dealt with the difficulties of adapting to new voting behavior during the coronavirus pandemic. Zuckerberg and Chan stepped into the gap initially in September, with a $300 million donation. These funds will serve communities throughout the country -- urban, rural and suburban โ and are being allocated by non-partisan organizations.โZuckerberg added that most election offices that applied have fewer than 25,000 registered voters in their jurisdictions. Some conservatives have criticized CTCL for donating to election offices in large Democratic-leaning cities in swing states.
State and local officials tussle over virus restrictions
Across the U.S., state and local officials are trying to balance the competing priorities of protecting their citizens from the coronavirus while keeping the economy running. President Donald Trump also visited Atlanta on Wednesday, arriving at the airport without a face mask. Edwards' initially had resisted a statewide mask order, but changed his mind as case numbers began rising rapidly in Louisiana. Yale University law professor David Schleicher says in cases like Georgias, where it is the state versus local government, the state almost always wins. Thats not to say it is absolute.Schleicher pointed to Wisconsin where the state Supreme Court voted in May to strike down Democratic Gov.