LOUISIANA

“The 13 bills that the House is scheduled to vote on would raise taxes on consumers and cigarette smokers; pare tax breaks for movie producers and solar energy installations; and trim nine other tax breaks enjoyed by an array of businesses and high-income people.” – Baton Rouge Advocate

“The 12 pieces of legislation were selected from over 42 bills moved by the Louisiana Ways and Means Committee over the past two weeks. They cover a wide range of topics — everything from personal income tax exemptions to motion picture tax credits — and will affect both businesses and individuals if passed.” – NOLA.com

“A state lawmaker says the legislative auditor will open an investigation into a public retirement board, following our findings of inappropriate spending there.” – Fox 8 Live

“Louisiana’s littering fines will double, if the Senate agrees to a proposal that has received House passage.” – WWL-AM

“Landrieu writes that Jindal, ‘who is running for president,’ has prioritized the proposed religious freedom law over the state’s budget deficit. He says the state’s Preservation of Religious Freedom Act, passed in 2010, already prevents government intrusion into free exercise of religion.” – NOLA.com

“An emotional LSU coach Les Miles says former lineman La’el Collins should be placed in the supplemental draft.” – Baton Rouge Advocate

“Police say a paternity test has confirmed former LSU offense tackle La’el Collins is not the father of a slain Baton Rouge woman’s son.” – Fox News

“Offensive tackle La’el Collins will be making his first free-agent visit to the Cowboys, according to a league source.” – CBS Sports

“The Louisiana Senate on Thursday endorsed a series of bills revamping the state’s film tax credit program. ‘All of these bills are an effort to clean-up the credits program, not expand it and weed out fraud,’ state Sen. J.P. Morrell, D-New Orleans.” – Baton Rouge Advocate

“The Louisiana Senate decided the governor’s ability to keep documents in his office hidden should be much more limited.” – Lake Charles American Press

NATIONAL

“It isn’t every day that judges on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals declare themselves ‘shocked.’ But that happened on Monday when an animated three-judge panel eviscerated the IRS and Justice Department during oral argument in a case alleging the agency delayed the tax-exempt application of a pro-Israel group due to its policy views.” – WSJ

“A federal appeals court in New York on Thursday ruled that the once-secret National Security Agency program that is systematically collecting Americans’ phone records in bulk is illegal. The decision comes as a fight in Congress is intensifying over whether to end and replace the program, or to extend it without changes.” – NY Times

“In a column about intellectual integrity, Krugman asserts that ‘mass cancellation of existing policies’ never happened as a result of a healthcare law sold to the public on the premise that “if you like your plan, you can keep your plan.” He can only justify this by shrugging off millions of cancelled policies (and more to come) in the relatively small market for individual insurance plans.” – Washington Free Beacon

“Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby’s ‘quick’ and ‘decisive’ action in charging six Baltimore police officers a mere two weeks after the death of Freddie Gray reflects either incompetence or an unethical recklessness.” – Baltimore Sun

“What Marilyn Mosby didn’t say, nor did any media report, was that Freddie Gray ran south past the point of arrest, into a building, then exited the building doubling back on this path, before running into officers Miller and Nero.” – Conservative Treehouse

“Interestingly, the imam at the Islamic Community Center of Phoenix (ICCP) is Sheikh Mahmoud Abdul-Aziz Ahmad Sulaiman, one of the so-called ‘flying imams,’ who filed suit in March 2007 against US Airways officials for allegedly showing discrimination in removing them from a flight after the imams’ suspicious behavior raised alarm among crew and passengers. That behavior included loud praying at the gate area prior to boarding, refusal to sit in assigned seats, requests for seat belt extensions that were unnecessary and unused, and travel on one-way tickets with no checked baggage.” – Center For Security Policy

“The last time Bill and Hillary Clinton occupied the White House, it wasn’t easy to identify a guiding principle of U.S. foreign policy. But if Americans allow them to move back in, the former first couple will bring along a standard that is clear and consistent. Based on the evidence marshalled by Peter Schweizer, the new Clinton Doctrine seems to hold that wherever freedom and the rule of law are threatened, wherever corruption reigns and individual liberties are denied—there is money to be made. In such places, big windfalls can accrue to Clinton friends, who are nothing if not grateful and shower donations upon the Clinton Foundation and speaking fees upon the Clintons themselves.” – WSJ

“But economic inequality — the fact that people will experience radically different economic outcomes, not always for reasons that strike us as fair — is never going away. Indeed, as societies grow wealthier and more integrated into the global economy, economic inequality tends to increase, a fact of life in such different countries as the United States, Sweden, Singapore, and India.” – Kevin Williamson/National Review

“British voters were choosing lawmakers Thursday in an election deemed too close to call – circumstances that are widely predicted to produce an ambiguous result and lead to frantic political horse-trading.” – AP

“Geller appeared on Hannity, along with Anjem Choudary. The debate was over whether Geller should be murdered. Now, Anjem doesn’t quite say she should be murdered, but remember, that’s because he’s a coward; he limits what he says precisely per what he can say without England deporting him, or jailing him.” – Ace of Spades