Seven months to the day after casting the vote that for all intents and purposes sealed his confirmation as health secretary, Senator Bill Cassidy takes Robert F. Kennedy to task over his vaccine policies during a Senate Finance Committee hearing. Andrew Greenstein reports.
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The quiet hurricane season could pose problems if a storm threatens Louisiana. Jeff Palermo has the story…
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DOTD, along with Destination Zero Deaths, are looking for a commitment to safe driving and they’ve launched “Buckle Up, Phone Down” High School Video and Pledge Contest. Louisiana high school students are invited to submit videos highlighting the importance of seat belt use and avoiding phone distractions. DOTD spokesman Rodney Mallett says a panel of judges will choose the top three videos and winners will receive cash prizes…
Triple-A is providing the cash prizes. Mallett says videos should highlight seatbelt use and the importance of avoiding phone use distractions. Submissions will be accepted now through October 31st, and they can be between 30 seconds and 2 minutes long.
Last year, distracted driving contributed to a quarter of crash fatalities in Louisiana, and Mallet says the “Buckle Up, Phone Down” contest includes a pledge they are asking all Louisianans to sign – agreeing to avoid phone use, wear a seatbelt, and speak up when they feel unsafe in cars with others.
The pledge and contest rules can be found on DOTD’s website.
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After casting what was, for all intents and purposes, the deciding vote that sealed his confirmation as health secretary, Senator Bill Cassidy sparred with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his health policies during a Senate Finance Committee hearing this morning. After Kennedy said he agreed with Cassidy’s assertion that President Trump deserves a Nobel Prize for his role in Operation Warp Speed – expeditiously developing COVID-19 vaccines – Cassidy took him to task for something he told Colorado Senator Michael Bennet.
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Cassidy then expressed concern that many people Kennedy has nominated for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices have received money for serving as expert witnesses for plaintiffs’ attorneys suing vaccine makers.
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Cassidy told Kennedy that his policies are causing great confusion as to who can get COVID-19 vaccines and who can’t get them.
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There continues to be very little tropical activity in the Gulf; but because it’s been so quiet, sea surface water temperatures are two degrees hotter than normal. LSU Public Health Climatologist Barry Keim says that could spell trouble if a storm threatens Louisiana…
Keim says hot sea surface temperatures can produce rapid intensification…
Keim says the average sea surface temperature in the Gulf is 85 degrees, but because of little activity, the Gulf has been able to warm up to 87 degrees…