A wild scoop for your Friday: The friend of a prominent Congolese opposition leader’s son tells The Associated Press he turned down a six-figure offer to travel there from the U.S. as part of the family’s security detail in what turned out to be a failed coup attempt.
apnews.com/article/b4f479…

Lucy Letby, a British neonatal nurse convicted of killing 7 babies, loses her bid to appeal apnews.com/article/uk-neo…

As a journalist who has conducted hundreds of interviews and read tons of articles about George Floyd, leading up to an award-winning book about his life and legacy, I've been bothered by the misinformation about him. Here are the answers to some myths about #GeorgeFloyd :

In my latest for Texas Monthly , I tell the story of how the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles buckled under political pressure to recommend a pardon for Daniel Perry. texasmonthly.com/news-politics/…

Some sex offenders in Louisiana could soon face surgical castration or more jail time nola.com/news/politics/…

Feds arrest Denham Springs man for alleged role in Jan. 6 riot at Capitol theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/ne…

OPINION from Kimberly Mata-Rubio : In the wake of the shooting, people wanted to be close to the destruction. Now, nearly two years later, people want to be as far from the grief as possible so they can say, “It’s time to move on.”

uvaldeleadernews.com/articles/divis…

BREAKING: Louisiana governor signs bill making abortion drugs controlled dangerous substances apnews.com/article/aborti…

Nearing the end of the 5th session since I started on this beat last year, the Louisiana Legislature has felt nonstop. Respect to colleagues like those in the Texas press corps and in #lalege who covered the early JBE days — don't know how y'all did it #lagov

NEWS: Governor Jeff Landry has signed into law Thomas Pressly's Senate Bill 276, which classifies two abortion-inducing medications as dangerous controlled substances, his office says. The bill takes effect Oct. 1, 2024. #lalege #lagov
nola.com/news/politics/…

As they worked on the budget bill to spend excess cash available in the current budget year (HB782), House lawmakers added $50M to favored earmarks for pet projects back home. Senators appear to have added another $51M in earmarks for their districts in Senate Finance. #lalege

No dice. Thomas Pressly drops his effort to lift ban on casino campaign contributions in Louisiana. Without public notice or debate, Pressly had slipped an amendment onto legislation to remove the ban #lalege #lagov nola.com/news/politics/… via @nolanews

In documents obtained by The Texas Tribune and in public testimony before senators, leaders from all of Texas’ seven university systems said they have closed multicultural offices, fired or reassigned DEI staff and stopped requiring diversity statements. bit.ly/4bCr4OE

After the Uvalde school shooting, which happened two years ago today, Mariachi bands arrived to serenade the town with songs of comfort and sorrow — music that traced 'the arc of life.' From Rick Rojas
nytimes.com/2022/06/04/us/…

Worth noting as Governor Jeff Landry says he wants students to be taught 'how to think, not what to think' — He's expected to sign a bill requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom. Bill's author said she wants kids to see 'what God’s law is.”

Louisiana passed a 'Don't Say Gay' bill that forbids school staff from discussing sexual orientation/gender identity with students. It's unusually broad, covering grades K-12 & extending to extracurriculars. Amendment to exempt history, lit lessons failed. nola.com/news/education…

A few months ago, I reported on Theta Xi getting kicked off LSU's campus. I filed a public records request to get the backstory on what happened. There was a big brawl between Theta Xi and Kappa Alpha in Tigerland last year that triggered an investigation:
theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/ne…

Please remember Uvalde today. 💔

Louisiana lawmakers pass 'Don't Say Gay' bill banning classroom talk about sexuality, gender nola.com/news/education…

Afghan mine-clearer killed by Taliban after it sees him in Emmy-winning film yahoo.com/news/afghan-mi…