Politicians Have Been Lying to You, and Not Just About Voter Fraud

U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise voted against increasing the $600 coronavirus relief checks. Photo by Stefani Reynolds / The Associated Press Like most Americans, I was saddened watching the attempted coup unfold in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. Unfortunately, I was not surprised,...

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We’re Losing the War Against Climate Change. It Got Worse in 2020.

Delacroix in 2010. Photo by Ted Jackson/The Times-Picayune So how does 2020 grade in Louisiana’s struggle to prevent the environmental, economic and social disaster caused by its sinking, crumbling, drowning bottom third? I’ll give it a “D.” It avoided a solid “F”...

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A Sustainable Future Ought to Be the GOP’s Policy, Too.

I have a question for Louisiana Republicans who chose Donald Trump and a GOP congressman in the recent election. Would you have voted for someone who promised to put more poison in your children’s air and water? Or decided their...

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The Election Result May Help Save Louisiana’s Coast, If Our Senators Have the Courage.

After further review (a historically complete and exhaustive review), the call from the American people has been confirmed: Donald Trump has been fired and Joe Biden has been hired as president. But there was another call at the polls that...

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Louisiana Will Still be an Energy State even Without Oil. Here’s Why.

In the postelection chaos that gripped the nation, many readers may have missed last week’s historic announcement by Gov. Jon Bel Edwards: Louisiana is going to join the energy industry! The path to this new economy will be a state-directed...

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Abortion Is an Important Issue. But So Is Coastal Land Loss.

For as long as I’ve been covering and opining on coastal and other environmental concerns I’ve heard this refrain from friends and readers: “I hate the environmental policies of that candidate and party (usually Republican), but I can’t vote...

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Why Amy Coney Barrett Will Be a Death Blow to Laws Protecting Louisiana Coast.

When Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, most headlines focused on the message that sent for the future of abortion rights. But I was focused on its other message: Now the only hope for saving some of Louisiana’s drowning bottom...

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John Bel Edwards Wants to Reduce Emissions. This Agency Didn’t Get the Word.

When Gov. John Bel Edwards last month announced his step-by-step plan to put Louisiana on a path to “net zero” global warming emissions by 2050, a lot of hyperbolic boos and cheers followed. Those who make their livings mining...

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Warm Waters Are the Crystal Meth of Hurricanes. It’s Getting Worse.

History is full of disasters that befell nations, states and cities when warnings were ignored. Some of the most infamous have happened in the past few decades. Remember when President George W. Bush disregarded reports “Bin Laden Determined to Strike...

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The Key to Fighting Coastal Land Loss Is in Antarctica. And the Voting Booth.

The future of Louisiana’s fight for coastal life depends on three sources: the ice sheets on Greenland and Antarctica, the policies coming from Washington D.C. — and the person you see in a mirror. Given those markers, I sought an...

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