As inflation surges to a 40-year high, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy lays the blame for that squarely on President Biden. Kevin Gallagher has more…:
Cut 1 (32) “…I’m Kevin Gallagher.”
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Former Louisiana broadcaster, journalist and state lawmaker Ron Gomez has passed away. Kevin Gallagher has more on that…:
Cut 2 (34) “….I’m Kevin Gallagher.”
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Inflation has surged to a 40-year high of 9.1-percent over this time last year, and U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy lays the blame squarely on President Biden and Democrats in Congress. He says the run-up on prices began with the president signing executive orders to greatly slow domestic energy production; forcing energy prices up sharply…:
Cut 3 (09) “…across our country.”
Prices for groceries were up 12-percent over the year, with eggs up 33-percent, butter up 21-percent, milk up 16-percent, chicken up 18-percent and so on… Cassidy says the White House and Democrats in Congress are drafting another trillion-dollar spending plan they say will stimulate the economy, but feels that is a poorly conceived plan to push forward their progressive agenda for the country…:
Cut 4 (13) “…could do both.”
Cassidy says now is not the time to pass another tax & spend plan that will result in Americans paying higher taxes. He says it’s a bad idea…:
Cut 5 (09) “…economic policies.”
Cassidy says allowing domestic energy to ramp-up again would help to alleviate the rising cost of motor fuels, and eventually everything else.
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Many Louisianans are mourning the death of former state lawmaker and former Natural Resources Secretary Ron Gomez, who passed away this week. Gomez served in the state legislature from 1980 through 1989, and headed up DNR under Governor Buddy Roemer. New Orleans political analyst Ron Faucheux (pronounce: FO-shay) served with Gomez at the State Capitol. He says Gomez was an excellent legislator…:
Cut 6 (11) “…a lot of admiration.”
A 2019 Louisiana Political Hall of Fame inductee, Gomez led the way in repealing Louisiana’s old and outdated “blue laws”. Faucheux says Gomez also steered legislation that led to the building of the Cajundome on the UL-Lafayette campus…:
Cut 7 (09) “….legislative career.”
Born in Baton Rouge in 1934, Gomez was a U.S. Air Force veteran, a journalist and a radio station co-owner and broadcaster for many years. Later in life he authored the book, “My Name is Ron and I’m a Recovering Legislator” about his time at the Capitol and working with Governor Edwin Edwards. Faucheux says Gomez had tremendous “people skills”…:
Cut 8 (08) “…public issues.”
Ron Gomez was 87 years old. Funeral arrangements are pending.
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According to the Louisiana Department of Health, the number of patients in the hospital with COVID has increased by 139 over the last week to 678. L-D-H reported 35-hundred more new cases yesterday and State Health Officer Doctor Joe Kanter says there are many more that are going unreported because of positive cases confirmed through at-home tests
Cut 9 (08) “…being spread right now”
Kanter says this is Louisiana’s sixth COVID surge as the BA.4 and BA.5 variants are now the dominant strains. He says, on average, symptoms from these variants are mild but that’s not absolute for people who are considered higher risk…
Cut 10 (12) “…extra precautions.”
The L-D-H COVID dashboard shows 64-percent of the individuals in the hospital are not fully vaccinated. Kanter says the vaccine remains one of the best tools in preventing serious illness from the virus…
Cut 11 (12) “..so choose”
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Qualifying for the fall U.S. House & Senate mid-term elections starts next week at the Secretary of State’s office in Baton Rouge, and U.S. Senator John Kennedy will surely be in that number. But will he be back a year from now to qualify to run for Governor? That’s the question posed to political analyst Bernie Pinsonat, who says do not expect Kennedy to offer any clues, one way or the other…:
Cut 12 (06) “…the Governor’s race.”
Kennedy leads in fundraising for the 2022 election by a huge margin, and is considered to be a “shoe-in” for another 6-year term. But Pinsonat says he is one of many Louisiana politicians who may want to succeed John Bel Edwards as Governor…:
Cut 13 (11) “…Lt. Governor.”
Pinsonat says Kennedy is wisely keeping mum about any plans he may have for the 2023 gubernatorial race, but his immense popularity among a majority of Louisianans means he cannot be counted out of the Governor’s race, until he says he is out…:
Cut 14 (10) “…decides to run.”
Pinsonat says Kennedy deciding against running for Governor 7 years ago – leaving David Vitter as the GOP main candidate – is part of what led to Governor Edwards winning the 2015 election.
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