GOP gains

By Greg LaRose | Editor-in-Chief

Today’s newsletter includes the latest installment in our national series “The 50 vs. The One” that examines how the Trump era threatens states’ power.

By Greg LaRose

Louisiana has been a Republican stronghold for more than a decade, but it wasn’t until July 1 that GOP voters officially outnumbered Democrats for the first time in state history. Republican Party leaders say the data finally reflect the state’s decided conservative lean, but a top Democratic official says his party’s declining numbers are evidence of a campaign to remove their members from voter rolls.

By Piper Hutchinson

Louisiana’s colleges and universities are bringing home hundreds of millions for construction projects and other key priorities in the state budget. Baseline funding for the state’s four higher education systems remained largely the same as in the previous years, but each got at least a little one-time money in the three spending bills. 

By Jonathan Shorman and Kevin Hardy

The United States’ foundations are undergoing a significant stress test, experts say, raising questions about whether a radical reconception of the nation lies ahead. The federalism that has helped bind the states — and therefore, the nation — together is fraying, pulled apart by a president who demonstrates little regard for many of the nation’s core principles.

By Wes Muller

The announcement follows President Donald Trump’s issuance of a major disaster declaration for four Louisiana parishes. The agency is offering physical damage loans and economic injury disaster loans in those parishes, along with limited loan assistance in 18 other parishes and two Mississippi counties, according to an SBA news release.  

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