Governor Bobby Jindal is scheduled to have two closed door meetings with conservative religious leaders in Iowa today. ULM Political Science Professor Joshua Stockley calls this part of the process the “invisible primary”, where candidates try to win endorsements and backing before the actual contests. He says this will have an important impact on Jindal’s decision to run, or not to run, for president…

cut 6 (11) “invisible primary”

According to the Des Moines Register, the meetings will take place in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines.

Doctor Bill Cassidy will be sworn in as a US Senator today. U-L Lafayette Political Science Professor Pearson Cross anticipates since Cassidy has a medical background, he’ll find some issues that he can be an expert on…

cut 12 (12) “quite heavily”

He says Louisiana will now have a unified voice on issues that the Senate debates with Cassidy and Senior Senator David Vitter.

Angola warden Burl Cain says he has not taken any steps to install a cooling system on death row despite a federal judge’s ruling to reduce the heat levels. Michelle Southern reports…

cut 3 (28) “reporting”

A federal judge has sentenced a Bastrop tax preparer to more than three years in prison for filing fraudulent tax returns. 41-year-old Claudia Mays received a 39 month sentence in prison for filing 15 tax returns using stolen identities and false information. Mays was also ordered to pay more than $94,000 in restitution. 53-year-old Carla Inzina of Bastrop, who assisted Mays, was sentenced to three years probation.