In the two years since the death of Alton Sterling, legislation has been passed to try to address the gap in trust between some Louisiana communities and law enforcement. Matt Doyle has more.
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A Forbes report shows Louisiana is the state most at risk of being economically crippled by the escalating trade wars initiated by the Trump Administration. Matt Doyle has the story.
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Next time you get carded, you could have the option of pulling out your smartphone instead of your billfold. Kevin Barnhart has more.
Cut 3 (33) “I’m Kevin Barnhart”
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Today marks the 2years since the shooting death of Alton Sterling by Officer Blane Salamoni. Since then legislation has been passed to try to address the gap in trust between some Louisiana communities and law enforcement. Baton Rouge Representative Ted James says they’ve had some initial success with programs aimed at increasing training for cops on how to interact with communities they serve.
But James says there’s still a long way to go to repair that bridge. He documented several recent cases that he says are troubling examples of officer misconduct that are going unaddressed by authorities, cases that are challenging the relationship between Baton Rouge citizens and police.
James singled out the need to reevaluate the role of police unions in protecting officers who may have committed offenses. He says while the new, diverse group of cadets entering the force is showing great promise, he’s concerned by the attitudes of veteran officers who’ve resisted the changes.
James says he plans on pushing changes to job protections for officers who’ve committed offenses while in uniform.
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A House representative is now preparing to run for another elected position. Republican District 66 Representative Rick Edmonds, has announced his candidacy for Secretary of State in the fall election. Edmonds says security of state elections is one of his top priorities.
Cut 7 (12) “…reliable and accessible.”
Edmonds says he views the handling of new voting machines as a vital piece of the job once in office.
Cut 8 (10) “..going to occur.”
Edmonds says he anticipates it’ll be a lot of work, but will be working toward making sure that elections have a better voter turn out.
Cut 9 (09) “…we possibly can.”
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A Forbes report shows Louisiana is the state most at risk of being economically crippled by the escalating trade wars initiated by the Trump Administration. The study shows nearly 21 percent of the state’s GDP comes from exports, with five percent coming from Mexico and China specifically. Louisiana US Congressman Garret Graves says he’s watching the negotiations closely.
Graves acknowledged the risk factor that comes with playing hardball on trade with other nations, specifically for a state so reliant on international economic trade, but he says the risk may be worth the reward of better trade prices.
Graves says a message needs to be sent to countries that discriminate against American goods.
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Next time you get carded, you could have the option of pulling out your smartphone instead of your billfold. Commissioner at the Office of Motor Vehicles, Karen St. Germain, says with the new LA Wallet app, users can display photo ID from a mobile device and it’s quite easy to get on your phone.
St. Germain says the safety of the app has been tested with top of the line security measures and that the app is available now.
Cut 14 (07) “…just last weekend.”
St. Germain says the emerging technology is beginning to spread across the nation.
Cut 15 (06) “…is kind of nice.”
The app is free to download, but the ability to use it as an ID will set you back six bucks and the digital license is good until the expiration of the physical ID card.