Congressman Clay Higgins made a video commentary while at the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, but officials with the memorial aren’t happy. Emelie Gunn has more…
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Minden Representative Gene Reynolds has decided not to step down from his position as the leader of the House Democratic Caucus. Michelle Southern reports…:
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”
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Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins is receiving some backlash from the Auschwitz Memorial after he filmed and narrated a video in a gas chamber of the former Nazi concentration camp in Poland. Officials with the memorial say this is a place for mournful silence, not to be used as a stage. In the video, Higgins said it was a message for Americans to explain why our military must be invincible.
Before entering the gas chamber, a plaque explains the memorial is to be a silent place to respect the victims’ memory. Higgins said in the video that nobody should ever forget that this happened, and America should never let its guard down..:
Higgins’ office says the Congressman is not ready to respond to the tweet from the museum at this time. In the video, Higgins says the United States is now more vulnerable to terror like the Nazi regime.
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Louisiana is now the 6th state to allow students to bring and use sunscreen at public school, after Governor John Bel Edwards signed the measure into law. Kristin Hellquist with the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Association says skin cancer can be preventable and it’s important to start protection at a young age.
Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Utah and Washington are the other states with similar laws regarding sunscreen in public schools. Hellquist hopes this law brings awareness to the dangers of skin cancer, along with the choice to bring sunscreen to school.
Hellquist says this is a step in the right direction to being proactive in the efforts to limit the risks associated with sun exposure. She says it’s a great victory to see how successful the legislation became with the hard work from many dermatologists and surgeons.
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The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments today in the case of a Rastafarian inmate with dreadlocks who doesn’t want to cut his hair as prison rules state because it goes against his religious beliefs. ACLU of Louisiana Executive Director Marjorie Esman says they filed the suit against the Department of Corrections on behalf of Christopher Ware…:
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Esman says Ware’s right would be violated by the DOC’s grooming policy which prohibits dreadlocks. She says the DOC argues it’s a safety issue, but they don’t require women to cut their hair that short…:
Cut 10 (13) “minority religion”
Esman says religious discrimination against prisoners is prohibited. She says it’s fitting that oral arguments were heard on the day after the 4th of July…:
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Minden Representative Gene Reynolds has decided not to step down from his position as the leader of the House Democratic Caucus, saying he will finish out his term as chairman. He says many people from both parties reached out and asked him to stay on and make sure the person who moves into the position knows what all goes on behind the scenes…:
Cut 12 (09) “pull the party together”
Lawmakers need to address a $1.2 billion dollar shortfall in an expected special session, and Reynolds feels his experience is needed in these turbulent times. He also says that there needs to be a dialogue with this emerging middle of the road group of lawmakers…:
Reynolds has served as chairman since the election of Governor John Bel Edwards. He says lawmakers from both sides of the aisle need to roll up their sleeves and take care of business…:
Cut 14 (08) “70 votes that we need”