NATIONAL

“Most voters oppose President Obama’s reported plan to unilaterally grant amnesty to several million illegal immigrants and think Congress should challenge him in court if he goes ahead with it.” – Rasmussen Reports

“‘It’s time for leadership,’ said a steely-eyed Carly Fiorina to a standing ovation from over 3,000 conservative activists in a packed ballroom at Dallas’s Omni Hotel last Saturday. But for Fiorina and the attendees at Americans For Prosperity’s Defending The American Dream Summit, as for far too many Americans, that leadership is nowhere to be found in Washington.” – American Spectator

“The nominal corporate-income-tax rate in the United States is 35 percent, the highest in the developed world. That’s the on-paper rate. The effective corporate-income-tax rate — i.e., the actual rate — is . . . a matter of some dispute, but Martin A. Sullivan, a highly regarded economist specializing in taxation, puts it around 28 percent. Others have estimated the rate to be much lower: A Government Accountability (ha!) Office study put the figure at about 13 percent. Let’s put it at 0.00 percent.” – Kevin Williamson/National Review

“Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife were convicted Thursday of using his office to promote a dietary supplement in exchange for gifts in a public corruption case that derailed the career of a onetime rising Republican star.” – AP

“Democratic National Committee chairwoman Congressman Debbie Wasserman Schultz launched an attack on Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker in Milwaukee today. Wasserman Schultz used a scurrilous analogy to attack Governor Walker’s stances on women’s issues.” – IJ Review

“Attorney Gen. Eric Holder on Thursday launched a broad civil rights investigation into police practices in Ferguson, Mo., following last month’s fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager.” – The Hill

“Secretary of State John Kerry said it was the United States’ biblical ‘duty’ to confront climate change at home and abroad in ‘Muslim-majority’ nations during a speech Wednesday.” – Washington Free Beacon

“It takes nothing away from Sotloff’s admirable qualities to observe that they in no way support Obama’s assertion that ISIS’ motives are not religious–a claim that seems preposterous on its face and, as we have noted, rests on nothing but circular logic.” – James Taranto/WSJ

“Payrolls processing firm ADP said private-sector payrolls increased by 204,000 last month after rising by 212,000 in July, with gains spread across a range of industries.” – Reuters

“Yesterday in Talinn, Estonia (the president) gave a speech that he should have given months, if not years, ago. Addressing the people of Estonia – the NATO member most directly threatened by Russian expansionism — and, indirectly Vladimir Putin, Obama drew yet another of his infamous red lines:”

LOUISIANA

“GOP Rep. John Fleming (R-LA) is pushing back against Speaker John Boehner’s remarks this week that a bipartisan immigration accord could come together next year, warning that President Obama is not going to suddenly transform into a trustworthy legislative partner.” – Breitbart

“According to the 2013 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report of the Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana (TRSL), the TRSL has unfunded actuarial accrued liability (UAAL) of $11.3 billion, with the funded ratio being only 56.4%. Louisiana had a population of about 4,625,470 people in 2013. This means each Louisiana citizen is responsible for approximately $2,450 of TRSL’s funding gap, not to speak of all the other pension benefits that may be underfunded because of rosy investment scenarios and other normal costs. The TRSL is not unique among Louisiana or other pension plans around the nation with massive unfunded liabilities. Estimates that use a realistic discount rate in calculating pension liabilities show the total state level pension debt in the United States at $4.1 trillion.” – Pelican Post

“Republican Dr. Ralph Abraham of Alto has overtaken incumbent Republican Congressman Vance McAllister of Swartz in the first noncandidate poll taken since the full field was set, according to The Glascock Group.” – Monroe News-Star

“A Baton Rouge Police Officer is under fire for a string of text messages he is accused of sending to another person containing racial slurs.” – WBRZ

“BP bears the majority of responsibility among the companies involved in the nation’s worst offshore oil spill, a federal judge ruled Thursday, citing the energy giant’s reckless conduct in a ruling that exposes the company to billions of dollars in penalties.” – Baton Rouge Advocate

“A federal grand jury in New Orleans requested House records of reimbursements since 2009 to Rep. Joe Harrison, R-Napoleonville, according to a subpoena signed July 15 and obtained by NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune and WVUE Fox 8 News.” – NOLA.com

“Nine years after Hurricane Katrina’s surge caused the 17th Street Canal floodwall to collapse, a WWL-TV investigation has uncovered documents that strongly suggest a dredging project compromised levee stability and authorities missed the clear signs.” – WWL-TV

“A couple of developments Wednesday in the crowded race for Louisiana’s 6^th Congressional District: Democratic candidate and former Gov. Edwin Edwards is making Baton Rouge’s traffic problems a major talking point for his campaign, while Republican candidate and state Rep. Lenar Whitney received the endorsement of the Tea Party of Louisiana.” – NOLA.com

“Nearly one-third of Louisiana adults were obese in 2013, ranking the state No. 6 in terms of obesity, according to a new report from the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. On the plus side, the percentage dropped from 34.7 percent in 2012, when Louisiana ranked No. 1 in obesity, to 33.1 percent in 2013.” – Baton Rouge Advocate

“LSU announced additional parking spots and changes to traffic for home football games to avoid congestion that plagued fans last year.” – WBRZ