LOUISIANA

“Five Louisiana congressional members signed up as co-sponsors of legislation the authors say will protect people opposed to same-sex marriage from being penalized by the federal government.” – NOLA.com

“Louisiana Economic Development, which spends our tax dollars by the tens of millions on corporate incentives and marketing firms that attempt to promote the state to a national audience, refuses to discuss either the Albemarle or Amedisys situation. The Baton Rouge Area Chamber also declines to talk.” – Baton Rouge Business Report

“The typical sizzling Louisiana summer has arrived. The National Weather Service said in its hazardous weather outlook Monday that ‘heat stress may approach dangerous levels each afternoon through the week.'” – Baton Rouge Advocate

“Requiring certain city vendors to pay workers at least $10.55 an hour would drive up prices on 30 contracts now worth a combined $60 million, according to a recently released report by New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s administration. But it remains unclear how much the ‘living wage’ proposal would cost the city or how many workers would benefit from it.” – NOLA.com

“A study by the LSU AgCenter finds feral hogs have caused at least $30 million in damage to crops on Louisiana farms in 2013.” – Washington Times

“The 2015 Miss USA pageant drew 37,874 viewers at its peak during Sunday’s live stream on the beauty contest’s official YouTube channel, according to a report by The Wrap, a digital news organization covering the business of entertainment and media.” – Baton Rouge Advocate

“Citing the state’s $1.6 billion budget deficit closed during the spring legislative session, Gov. Bobby Jindal ordered executive branch agencies to freeze non-essential spending and hiring. The order comes as the state starts a new fiscal year and officials begin eyeing whether revenue estimates will meet expectations and allow the state to avoid having to make mid-year budget adjustments. The hiring and spending freeze could help make up any revenue shortfalls because it personnel salaries make up a huge portion of the state’s spending.” – NOLA.com

“Reintroducing fresh water from the Atchafalaya River using the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway has long been discussed as a partial solution to help push back salt water moving farther north into the fresh marshes of Terrebonne Parish. That solution is getting closer to becoming a reality with a project in the works to push more water eastward through a diversion channel near Avoca Island.” – Baton Rouge Advocate 

“He was elected to Congress and twice as governor of Louisiana. He’s now a Republican candidate for president; none has more impressive credentials. Yet today he’s the most unpopular politician in Louisiana, trailing even President Obama. Mr. Jindal barely registers in any presidential polls. What happened to this incredibly promising politician would make for a good book.” – NY Times

“Presidential candidate Jeb Bush attended a private fundraiser at a home in Squire Creek Country Club in Choudrant Saturday afternoon.” – KNOE

NATIONAL

“Trump clearly was not talking about legal immigrants, but about the kind of foreign ‘gang bangers’ (a term Obama used) who terrorize everyone with impunity. The statistics on illegal-immigrant crime are staggering. According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, over 36,000 illegal-alien criminals were released from custody in 2013 while awaiting deportation. Eighty-two percent of the 133,551 removals from the interior of the United States involved illegal immigrants with criminal records.” – National Review

“Mexico’s billion dollar drugs lord known as ‘El Chapo’ has gloated on Twitter about his escape from a maximum security jail by taunting authorities and threatening US-presidential hopeful Donald Trump.” – UK Daily Mail

“Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker announced on social media Monday morning that he’s running for president, tweeting ‘I’m in.’ Walker, a Republican who built a national profile largely due to his clashes with labor unions, also released a campaign video at the same time declaring his entry in the race.” – AP

“On Monday, as he becomes the 15th Republican to enter the race for the party’s 2016 presidential nomination, his backers are hoping he can convince voters not only that he is the most authentic candidate, but one who can rise to meet the most complex economic and foreign policy challenges facing the country.” – Financial Times

“Here’s the thing. The Scott Walker we all thought we knew from the union fights really hasn’t been the Scott Walker who has spent 6 months running for President.” – Ace of Spades

“Shortly before Scott Walker was re-elected Wisconsin’s Governor for the third time in four years, I made the case that if Walker prevailed Republicans should nominate him as their presidential candidate right then and there. Since January, Walker has been at or near the top of most public opinion polls of preferred standard bearers for the GOP in 2016, and today he officially launches his White House bid, making him the 15th Republican to join the field. While this field is quite crowded, I believe it will soon become apparent that Scott Walker stands out head and shoulders above the rest. Here are the six reasons why I believe Walker will not only win the GOP nomination, but be elected President in November 2016.” – Aaron Goldstein/American Spectator

“Disputes over attempts to probe Tehran’s alleged work on nuclear weapons unexpectedly persisted at Iran nuclear talks on Monday, diplomats said, threatening plans to wrap up a deal by midnight — the latest in a series of deadlines for the negotiations.” – AP

“In fact, the document makes it patently clear that the judgement was imposed as a result of the refusal, with Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries communications director Charlie Burr telling TheBlaze in a statement over the weekend that the denial of service was, indeed, what led to the $135,000 sum.” – The Blaze

“You know the RINO — Republican In Name Only — but you may be less familiar with the WHINO. The WHINO is a captive of the populist Right’s master narrative, which is the tragic tale of the holy, holy base, the victory of which would be entirely assured if not for the machinations of the perfidious Establishment. Never mind the Democrats, economic realities, Putin, ISIS, the geographical facts of the U.S.-Mexico border — all would be well and all manner of things would be well if not for the behind-the-scenes plotting of Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, and their enablers, who apparently can be bribed with small numbers of cocktail weenies. The WHINO is a Republican conspiracy theorist, in whose fervid imaginings all the players — victims, villains — are Republicans.” – Kevin Williamson/National Review

“Trump is surging for the same reason that Newt Gingrich enjoyed a brief bubble in the 2012 primary: he is taking on the media. Or, more accurately, he is being victimized by it.” – Joel Pollak/Breitbart