The U.S. Supreme Court blocks the Biden White House mandate ordering COVID shots for employees of private companies. Kevin Gallagher gets some reaction…:
Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”
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Governor Edwards warns of a dangerous trend to intentional contract COVID. Brooke Thorington has more
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A new report shows the number of smokers in Louisiana at an all-time low. More on that from Kevin Gallagher…:
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President Biden announced the administration is purchasing another 500-million home COVID tests in addition to the 500-million already ordered to assist with COVID testing. Louisiana Senator and physician, Bill Cassidy says while he agrees with testing, the effort comes too late amid the Omicron surge.
Cut 4 (08) “…didn’t prioritize it.”
The White House also plans to distribute high-quality masks at no cost and next week a website will be launched so Americans can order the free home COVID tests. It’s not clear when those free tests will be available, but Cassidy says home tests should be readily available now.
Cassidy shared with reporters that his own wife told him she’s also unable to locate a home test.
To locate the nearest testing site call 2-1-1.
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Upon hearing of a trend to intentionally catch COVID so individuals can put the virus behind them, Governor Edwards alerted the public not to and says for some the Omicron variant has severe consequences.
Edwards says the danger of exposing yourself on purpose to COVID increases the chances of overwhelming the healthcare delivery system. He says even the cases that are referred to as mild will make you feel sick.
Because the Omicron variant is the most highly transmissible form of COVID to date Edwards says if individuals deliberately infect themselves the outcome affects more than just that one person.
Cut 9 (12) “…if that happens.”
As for a statewide mask mandate, Edwards says that would be dictated by COVID hospitalizations.
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New data shows the number of Louisianans who smoke cigarettes is at an all-time low. A report from the Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living says the percentage of adults who smoke is down to just over 18-percent; down from about 22-percent in 2019. TFL director Dr. Earl Benjamin Robinson says the crunching of data continues, but the numbers are welcome news…:
Cut 10 (07) “…contextualize that drop.”
The numbers come from TFL’s 2020 Behavioral Risk study. Demographically, the biggest group to quit smoking were adults without a high school diploma; a drop of over 6-percent. People in lower income households also quit at a high rate; indicating that additional tobacco taxes are having a chilling effect on the unhealthy habit. Dr. Robinson says the report is an indicator that TFLs efforts are paying off…:
Cut 11 (12) “…second-hand smoke can do.”
Robinson says Shreveport recently became the 30th municipality in the state to enact a citywide smoking ban in all public buildings, bars, and casinos. He says the report is encouraging and inspires optimism…:
Cut 12 (11) “…individuals are protected.”
Robinson hopes to see an even lower number in the next study. For help kicking the tobacco habit, visit “QuitWithUsLA.org”.
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The U.S. Supreme Court has blocked the White House COVID vaccine mandate for private businesses. The Biden Administration sought to use the federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) to enforce shots for all companies with 100 or more workers. Six conservative justices voted for the block, while 3 liberal justices voted against. Loyola University law professor Dan Ciolino says he doesn’t see it as a purely partisan decision…:
Cut 13 (13) “…a democratic president.”
One person happy to hear the Supreme Court decision is businessman Brandon Trosclair, who owns supermarkets in Louisiana & Mississippi; employing about 500 people. He was among the first business owners to legally challenge the Biden/OSHA mandate. He says the High Court got this one right…:
Cut 14 (09) “…just super-relieved.”
Trosclair says he is not against the idea of getting the vaccine but doesn’t need the government to intrude between him and his staff. Trosclair says whether his workers get the shot or not is their business, not his or anyone else’s…:
Cut 15 (06) “…the vaccine itself.”
But the court ruled to uphold another mandate – the one demanding the shots for employees of health care providers who accept Medicare or Medicaid – by a 5-4 vote. Professor Ciolino feels the justices got this one right as well…:
Cut 16 (15) “…surely does have that.”
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Former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow makes his NFL playoff debut on Saturday when the Bengals host the Raiders to kick off the NFL’s Wildcard weekend. Burrow led Cincinnati to its first AFC North Championship since 2015 and is getting a lot of credit for Cincy’s turnaround. But Burrow says he’s playing with the best group of receivers in the NFL…
Former LSU wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase set an NFL record with most receiving yards for a rookie. Chase said after he was drafted that he would break records and says he meant it…
Cut 18 (11) “ ..playoff records”
1991 was the last time the Bengals won a playoff game, but Burrow is not bothered by it…