It now appears that Louisiana will not be impacted by Hurricane Rafael at all. Andrew Greenstein reports.
Cut 1 (29) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”
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Today U-S markets rose as Donald Trump’s win will return him to the presidency, marking a major rebound from his 2020 loss. Sean Richardson has more.
Cut 2 (30) “…I’m Sean Richardson.”
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A two and a half weeklong special session on tax reform gets underway this afternoon as Governor Jeff Landry is asking legislators to make sweeping changes to the state’s tax code. La-Politics-dot-com Jeremy Alford says tax reform has been a buzz word at the capitol for decades, so it’s monumental to a session devoted to it
Cut 3 (09) “…pretty big push.”
He wants to lower the state income tax for most Louisiana residents, but also expand the sales tax base and eliminate dozens of sales tax exemptions. Alford says the Louisiana Senate could push back on the some of the governor’s proposals…
Cut 4 (08) “…this entire process.”
Not only does Governor Landry want to create a flat income tax rate, he’s also asking legislators to raise the standard deduction to $12,500 and eliminate the corporate franchise tax. But he’s also looking to renew a temporary .45 percent sales tax, extending the sales tax to 40 activities that are untaxed and eliminating the film tax credit program. Alford says it will be interesting to see if Landry gets what he wants…
Cut 5 (05) “…Jeff Landry.”
The special session must end by 5 PM on November 25th.
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It looks like Louisiana may be spared the brunt of Hurricane Rafael’s wrath. The National Hurricane Center now says Rafael will head towards the Texas-Mexico coast after striking Cuba. LSU Public Health Climatologist Barry Keim says Rafael will enter the gulf sometime tonight likely as a Category Two hurricane.
Cut 6 (10) “…very slow decline.”
The original forecast track had Rafael turning north and heading straight towards Louisiana. But Keim says that has now changed.
Cut 7 (15) “…a northwesterly track.”
And that will keep the storm considerably south of Louisiana, possibly eliminating any potential impacts. Keim says as such, it likely will not impact Saturday’s LSU game.
Cut 8 (13) “…of anybody’s guess”
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U-S financial markets surged today with Donald Trump’s win in the Presidential race. Dent Wealth Advisors Founder Fred Dent expects this to be brief bump….
Cut 9 (13) “…euphoria will dissipate.”
Trump’s win kept sectors tied to his policies, with financials, energy, and industrial stocks seeing strong gains. Market volatility dropped to its lowest since September, reflecting relief over a clear election outcome. Tesla’s stock jumped as CEO Elon Musk expressed support for Trump. Dent says Bitcoin and the dollar both look solid.
Cut 10 (05) “…dollar is very strong.”
Dent says the focus now shifts to Trump inheriting a robust economy that is robust, and inflation is back to around the 2-percent range, and what tariffs he will enforce…
Cut 11 (12) “…consumer pricing.”
Meanwhile, renewable energy stocks declined amid uncertainty over continued federal support.
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The first college football playoff rankings of the season are out and LSU is ranked 15th. With 12 teams set to make the playoffs this year, the Fighting Tigers have more work to do in order to be in the new 12-team C-F-P playoff. Coach Brian Kelly says there’s a month left in the regular season and a lot can change…
Cut 12 (12) “…the gates.”
LSU can show it deserves to be in the College Football Playoff by beating Alabama on Saturday night and then winning its final three games on the schedule. Kelly says it’s good to be in contention
Cut 13 (12) “…of the season.”
LSU hosts Alabama on Saturday in Tiger Stadium. The Crimson Tide are ranked 11th in the CFP. College football analysts are calling it a playoff elimination game. Kelly says the teams at the top of the SEC standings understand what’s at stake…
Cut 14 (10) “…matter.”
Kick-off is at 6:30 on Saturday.
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Cleo Fields is headed back to Washington. He won the District 6 seat outright last night with more than 50-percent of the vote. During his watch party, the Democrat said he’s ready to get to work for the people of the district, who he says have some very important needs.
Cut 15 (15) “…so many people.”
Fields will take his seat as the Supreme Court gets ready to hear a legal challenge to the district’s lines, which were drawn in a way that created a second majority Black district in the state. Fields says he’s not concerned, saying he’s confident that the district as currently drawn will stand as is.
Cut 16 (12) “….based on politics.”
Fields will take over for Republican Garret Graves, who declined to seek re-election after the district was redrawn. Whether the flipping of the seat will result in Democrats gaining control of the House remains to be seen.