Louisiana State Police Troop D will have additional troopers on patrol this Labor Day holiday.  

U.S. Senator David Vitter today called on Charlie Melancon to apologize to the large number of tea party members and voters in Louisiana for comparing them to the fringe, far-left activist group MoveOn.org.

An oil platform exploded and burned off the Louisiana coast Thursday, the second such disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in less than five months.

(Washington, DC)  --  A nearly 300-page report culminating a nine-month investigation by a Senate subcommittee accuses the Federal Emergency Management Agency of relying mainly on trailers for use as temporary housing for those left homeless by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana told reporters Thursday that FEMA rejected HUD's involvement in providing alternative housing options and, in fact, ordered the continuing purchase of trailers until such time that it said to stop.  To make matters worse, FEMA is now storing empty trailers at some 15 sites around the country at a cost of 100-million-dollars a year.  Landrieu called the report and its recommendation a "blueprint for reform" of FEMA that she says was "defanged" by George W. Bush shortly after he became president. 

(Washington, DC)  --  Republicans sent one of their rising stars out to respond to President Obama's address to Congress Tuesday evening.  Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal wasted no time chiding the top politician in the nation for looking at the national glass as half empty noting the president has said our nation is facing a crisis we may not be able to reverse.  Jindal said while our troubles are real, "don't let anyone tell you that we cannot recover -- or that America's best days are behind her."  Jindal fought a failing audio system as he told Americans the Republican party had lost their trust but promised a rebuilt party that would restore national optimism.  Governor Jindal is a critic of the presidents 787-billion-dollar economic stimulus package citing numerous examples where millions of dollars would be borrowed from our children to pay for pork barrel projects today.  Jindal is widely seen as a possible presidential candidate for the Republican party in 2012.

(Washington, DC)  --  Louisiana's Republican governor is being coy about whether he plans to run for President in 2012.  On NBC's "Meet the Press," Bobby Jindal said his plans are to run for reelection in 2011.  He said we just finished the longest presidential election the country has ever seen and noted he has no plans beyond running for governor again.  Jindal's name has been circulating as a possible candidate for the GOP nomination, and he has held fundraisers in states such as Iowa.  On the party's national standing, Jindal said the time is right for Republicans to offer "conservative based solutions" to what's wrong with the economy rather than just simply being the opposition to President Obama.  He said Republican governors can lead the way with that goal if they offer authentic, honest solutions.  Jindal said his party has lost the past two Congressional elections because it stopped offering relevant fixes, saying they were, quote, "fired with cause."

A bench-clearing brawl in Miami made news as the Marlins outslugged the Nationals 16-10 Wednesday night. 

The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against Arizona's controversial Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Israelis and Palestinians have now planned to meet for peace talks every two weeks.