U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy says he will continue to seek re-election despite President Trump endorsing Congresswoman Julia Letlow in the U-S Senate race. Joe Gallinaro has the story…
Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Joe Gallinaro.”
____________________________________________
There is the possibility a winter storm will hit Louisiana this weekend. Bill Jacquemin has the story…
Cut 2 (27) “…I’m Bill Jacquemin.”
____________________________________________
You can start filing your state income tax returns one week from today. Byron Henderson with the Louisiana Department of Revenue says the very easiest way to do so is electronically, for free, through the department’s online portal known as LaTAP.
Cut 3 (12) “…your account history.”
Henderson says if for some reason you cannot use LaTAP, you have other options to file your state tax return.
Cut 4 (12) “…download and print.”
Henderson says filing electronically will also ensure that you get your refund as quickly as possible, should you be owed one.
Cut 5 (07) “…about four weeks.”
If you submit a paper return and are expecting a refund, that will take about eight weeks. May 15th is the deadline to file state income taxes.
____________________________________________
U-S Senator Bill Cassidy has no plans of ending his re-election bid, even though President Donald Trump is encouraging Congresswoman Julia Letlow to run for the Senate and said he will support her candidacy. Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat says a Trump endorsement does not guarantee a win for that candidate. He says the President endorsed Republican Eddie Rispone in the 2019 governor’s race…
Cut 6 (09) “…governor’s race.”
Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards beat Rispone in the 2019 governor’s race, despite President Trump making multiple visits to Louisiana in support of Rispone. Pinsonat says Trump’s endorsement for Letlow is a blow to Cassidy’s re-election campaign, but it is a hurdle he can overcome…
Cut 7 (08) “…all is not lost.”
Trump announced his endorsement of Letlow on Saturday night. Cassidy responded with his own statement. The Baton Rouge Republican said he is confident he will win if Congresswoman Letlow decides to run. Pinsonat says Cassidy is not backing down, despite the President’s potential influence over the U-S Senate race…
Cut 8 (12) “..this race.”
Cassidy is also well funded as his campaign has 11 million dollars in cash and had a major fundraising event last week in Baton Rouge that raised 650-thousand dollars.
____________________________________________
Senator John Kennedy’s quest to end payments to dead people heads to President Trump’s desk for his signature. It’s a bill that he sponsored that aims to end welfare payments to people who have passed away. Kennedy says up until a few years ago, the problem was very widespread.
Cut 9 (07) “…to dead people.”
Kennedy says the catalyst behind this is the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File, which gets updated anytime someone dies.
Cut 10 (12) “…branch of government (2x).”
Kennedy says the Social Security Administration told him that it was not at liberty to share that information with other government departments without congressional approval, so he passed a bill in 2023 that created a pilot program that allowed it to do just that. Kennedy says it’s been very effective.
Cut 11 (10) “…in improper payments.”
So Kennedy filed a follow-up bill to give the Social Security Administration permanent permission to share that information with other government agencies, and both houses of Congress have passed it.