AM Newscall January 30

President Donald Trump delivers his first State of the Union speech tonight. Kelley Ray finds out from a local political analyst on what we might hear…

Cut 1 (31) “I’m Kelley Ray.”

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The man who founded the Cajun Navy will be in attendance for tonight’s State of the Union. Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 2 (31) “I’m Matt Doyle”

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The recent cold weather has put stress on tropical plants that normally flourish all year long in Louisiana.  Jeff Palermo spoke with LSU horticulturalist Dan Gill…

Cut 3 (31) “I’m Jeff Palermo.”

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President Trump’s first official State of the Union address is tonight.  It is believed the President will stress bi-partisanship with Mr. Trump himself calling it an “important speech.”  Senior Administration officials have been quoted saying it will be an “optimistic speech.”  LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan believes we will not see Mr. Trump fly off the handle as he does in some situations…

Cut 4  (10) “that way.” 

It’s been the custom of Presidents to talk about the strengths of their Administration and Hogan expects no less of Mr. Trump tonight…

Cut 5  (08)  “economic vitality.”

The speech is also important for the Republican led Congress.  Hogan says how they respond to the President’s agenda tonight could factor in their hopes to remain in office with this year’s mid-term election…

Cut 6 (11)  “his proposals.”

Many believe Mr. Trump will stress immigration issues since revealing his plans last week.  However, Hogan says don’t expect to hear anything on the Russian investigation involving possible meddling in the 2016 election.

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Governor John Bel Edwards’ “Doomsday Budget” proposal has state agencies scrambling to shore up state funding, with LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Center looking at a potential 600,000 dollar cut. John Kirwan, who was named executive director last month, says it’s a pressing issue for the world renowned research center.

Cut 7 (11)  “and recruit”

Kirwan says the budget issues threaten to drive off talented researchers…

Cut 8 (10) “this or that”

Kirwan says Pennington is the world’s largest nutritional research center, responsible for over 400 Louisiana jobs. He says even with uncertainty surrounding the budget, he hopes the center can draw in the best and brightest.

Cut 9 (10)  “moving forward”

Kirwan says the budget cuts threaten Pennington’s groundbreaking research on diabetes and pre-diabetes, which he says effects nearly 50 percent of the state’s population.

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President Donald Trump invited a very special guest to his first State of the Union address tonight. Cajun Navy founder Jon Bridgers will be in attendance along with a section of 15 other special guests. Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves says Bridgers’ volunteer group has been credited with rescuing thousands of people during Hurricane Harvey and the 2016 floods.

Cut 10 (10) “great story”

Graves says praising the Cajun Navy’s heroics is one of the few things everyone can agree on.

Cut 11 (07) “amazing work”

The State of the Union is expected to cover a wide range of issues from the economy to national security, but Graves says immigration will be the hot ticket item for the night.

Cut 12 (09) “1.8 million.”

The Dream Act, or DACA, which provides legal status to undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children, is set to expire in March.

The address will begin at 8PM.

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This winter’s extremely cold weather in Louisiana has stunted or even killed many of the tropical plants that normally flourish in Louisiana.  Horticulture expert Dan Gill with the LSU Ag Center says it’s a good idea to not be in a hurry to give up on a plant this soon after the extreme cold snap.  He says they aren’t used to the chilly weather, but could rebound…

Cut 13 (08)  “out again.”

Within days many plants looked dead or dying, giving plants an ugly look that they normally don’t take on.  Gill says the urge might be to clean up the plants right away, but you may be getting rid of vegetation that might come back to life later in the spring…

Cut 14 (10) “what’s dead.”

Gill says you can check wood based plants and trees easily to see if they’re still alive.  It’s called the scratch test…

Cut 15 (09) “still alive.”

He says some plants won’t begin rebounding until March or April and in some cases like trees, it could be summer before you can properly assess if they are still alive.

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LSU men’s basketball coach Will Wade announces reserve Mayan Kiir and Galen Alexander of Breaux Bridge are on a leave of absence from the program and Alexander has indicated he will not return next season. Wade has also suspended Wayde Sims and Brandon Rachal for Wednesday night’s game against 18th ranked Tennessee…

Cut 16 (12) “those guys.”   

Wade says there’s a chance that the six-foot-nine Kiir can return to the team next season…

Cut 17 (19) “our team”

The loss of Kirr and Sims for at least the Tennessee game, leave the Tigers very short-handed in the post. Wade says he won’t use that as an excuse…

Cut 18 (08) “figure that out”