LOUISIANA

“The Louisiana Senate is expected to vote on a resolution some time on Wednesday that would allow members to use secret balloting for the election of its next president.” — LaPolitics.com

“The state House and Senate remained at a standoff Tuesday over next year’s $24 billion state budget, with all signs pointing to a final showdown Thursday, when the legislative session ends at 6 p.m. The House on Tuesday rejected changes that the Senate made to seven tax bills previously approved by the House. Those measures would raise about $600 million beginning July 1 to prevent deep cuts to Louisiana’s public health care system and public colleges and universities.” — The Advocate

“Dozens of residents frustrated with the seemingly omnipresent and unending construction disrupting traffic and lives in Uptown New Orleans peppered city, federal and utility company representatives with questions about the projects Tuesday evening.” — The New Orleans Advocate

“In an exclusive interview with The News-Star, Angelle said the state budget battle doesn’t end this week when the legislative session ends. ‘We’ve got to focus on fixing our fiscal policy,” he said. “We have an antiquated system of budgeting and taxation that has not served us well. We have mitigated that system over the years by doling out tax credits and tax exemptions in a nilly-willy fashion. Now the game is up.'” — The Monroe News Star

“After a four-day break, Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson’s mental competency trial resumed Wednesday morning. Benson’s lawyers were slated to continue making their case that the 87-year-old billionaire is in good enough shape to keep running a business empire he started building in the 1960s, despite claims to the contrary by his estranged relatives.” — The New Orleans Advocate

“Louisiana’s public colleges and universities could lose as much as $282 million if Gov. Bobby Jindal vetoes tax bills that don’t comply with his “no tax” pledge — and the Legislature declines to overturn those decisions.” — NOLA.com

“For $15 a night, you can sleep under the stars on a one-acre lot in New Orleans’ 9th Ward. On Dec. 28, 2010,eight people died in a fire — one of the most deadly in three decades — on that same lot.” — The Gambit

“New figures show Louisiana’s economy grew by 1.9 percent in 2014, lagging nationwide growth of 2.2 percent. Gross domestic product numbers released Wednesday by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis try to measure all of the economic output of each state.” — Associated Press

“State police are investigating the discovery of a body on Interstate 10 near the Veteran Boulevard exit in Metarie. Trooper Melissa Matey said there was no information available about the victim’s identity or what caused the death.” — WWL.com

“Former St. Tammany Parish Rep. Pete Schneider III has announced he will seek the Louisiana Senate’s 1st District seat this fall. The sprawling 1st District includes portions of St. Tammany, Orleans, St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes.” — NOLA.com

NATIONAL

“Discovered inside the huge tranche of secretive Obamatrade documents released by Wikileaks are key details on how technically any Republican voting for Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) that would fast-track trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal would technically also be voting to massively expand President Obama’s executive authority when it comes to immigration matters.” — Breitbart News Network

“By the standards of the peanut gallery and their ringleaders in the media, that’s all you need to know. The girl was black, the cop was white. Racism. Period. End of discussion. Time to protest. But, being that I’m dumb enough to care about the full truth, I can’t help but wonder if our judgments should be based on more than an isolated, momentary glimpse of an out-of-context scene.” — The Blaze

“Hi Mr. Seinfeld, So, we heard your comments about political correctness being so extreme on college campuses that you wouldn’t even perform on one, and honestly . . . you’re being ridiculous. College campuses can be wonderful places to perform — as long as you follow a few basic guidelines.” — National Review

“All this attention being paid to Rubio’s money by the New York Times caught the eye of noted hot head and MSNBC host Joe Scarborough. “Oh my God! It’s a 240-foot yacht! Oh, wait a second, it’s a 24-foot fishing boat,” Joe Scarborough said.” — The Daily Surge

“We have a legal system because interpretations of morality vary from person to person and from community to community. Stealing is not highly regarded in most of them. To default on a loan that you simply cannot repay may be the result of bad luck, bad judgment, or the pursuit of an MFA. To default on a loan because you do not wish to pay it back is theft, in this case theft from all of us, since the federal government is on the hook for the loans in question.” — National Review

“The White House announced Wednesday that President Obama has approved sending up to 450 additional U.S. troops to Iraq, in a bid to boost local forces fighting the Islamic State’s advances. The troops will be sent to help train, advise and assist Iraqi security forces, at a base in eastern Anbar province.” — Fox News

“Incoming freshmen at Duke University are expected to read a graphic novel with cartoon drawings of a woman masturbating and multiple females engaging in oral sex—as well as participate in group discussions during orientation. The book, Fun Home, addresses feminism, suicide, and sexuality—specifically same-sex attraction and experimentation with graphic cartoon images and text.” — Campus Reform

“GOP chairman Reince Priebus offered up on ‘The Laura Ingraham Show’ Wednesday the most severe consequence for the Republican Party if it can’t win back the White House in 2016: survival. The chairman remarked that a third straight presidential loss would result in the party ceasing to exist ‘as a national party.'” — The Daily Caller

“The Obama administration proposed Wednesday to regulate aircraft emissions in much the same way as power plants, saying they are a threat to human health because they contain pollutants that help cause global warming. Using its authority under The Clean Air Act, the Environmental Protection Agency finding of endangerment to human health clears the way for possible U.S. adoption of international emissions standards.” — Fox News

“A Houston police officer was shot in the back following a “routine traffic stop” near the Midtown area. The officer did not sustain a life-threatening injury, and is expected to make a complete recovery.” — Breitbart News Network