WBRZ - Baton Rouge

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• House backs $25 billion budget compromise

  May 10, 2013 4:11 PM

  BATON ROUGE - After days of closed-door negotiations, the Louisiana House has backed a nearly $25 billion budget that deeply diverges from spending plans recommended by Gov. Bobby Jindal. Lawmakers objected to Jindal's proposal to use $500 million in uncertain financing from property sales, legal settlements, fund sweeps and other... more »

• Reworked budget compromise taking shape in House

  May 9, 2013 10:38 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana House is considering substantial tweaks to an alternative proposal to Gov. Bobby Jindal's budget for next year. A bipartisan group of lawmakers is working to strip out $500 million in uncertain funding proposed by Jindal. In its place, lawmakers are proposing changes to tax break... more »

• Republicans clash over House budget compromise

  May 7, 2013 10:22 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Gov. Bobby Jindal is making a strong bid to kill a bipartisan budget compromise that contains $329 million in cuts to tax break programs that largely benefit businesses. Jindal assembled a group of industry lobbyists Tuesday to criticize the budget proposal, which was devised by conservative House... more »

• Budget compromise taking shape, without Jindal

  May 6, 2013 12:41 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Gov. Bobby Jindal blasted bipartisan House budget negotiations today as a secretive, back-door attempt to raise taxes on Louisiana businesses and residents. The governor's criticism Monday came as lawmakers in the House moved ahead with the building blocks of a budget compromise that Jindal opposes because it... more »

• Hackers compromise AP Twitter account

  April 23, 2013 12:42 PM

  LONDON - Hackers have compromised the main Twitter account of The Associated Press, sending out an erroneous tweet about an attack at the White House. The tweet, which said that there had been two explosions at the White House and President Barack Obama was injured, came after hackers made repeated... more »

• Boehner on averting fiscal cliff: 'God only knows'

  December 21, 2012 9:33 AM

  WASHINGTON - House Speaker John Boehner says he's still open to talks with President Barack Obama on avoiding the double economic hit of automatic tax hikes and spending cuts but he needs Obama to compromise more. Boehner spoke to reporters Friday morning, hours after his rank-and-file Republicans handed him... more »

• Lieberman urges compromise in final Senate speech

  December 12, 2012 1:34 PM

  WASHINGTON - Retiring Sen. Joe Lieberman in his final Senate floor speech is urging Congress to put partisan rancor aside and reach across party lines to break Washington's gridlock. The Democrat-turned-independent from Connecticut said Wednesday that strong bipartisan leadership is needed to solve the nation's most pressing problems such as... more »

• Obama 'won't compromise,' but holds back on GOP criticism

  December 10, 2012 3:26 PM

  REDFORD, Mich. - President Barack Obama says he "won't compromise" on his demands that the wealthiest Americans pay more in taxes. However, Obama held back from directly criticizing Republicans for opposing his tax plans, perhaps signaling that private negotiations over the "fiscal cliff" are showing progress. Obama and Boehner met... more »

• Buffett urges Congress to raise taxes on wealthy

  November 26, 2012 10:33 AM

  OMAHA, Neb. - Billionaire Warren Buffett is again calling for higher taxes on the "ultra-rich" and he's urging Congress to compromise on spending cuts and tax increases. Buffett expressed his views on fiscal policy in an opinion article Monday in The New York Times. In the article, Buffett mocked the... more »

• Obama: Wealthy must see higher taxes under plan

  November 9, 2012 12:33 PM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says raising taxes on wealthiest Americans must be part of deficit reduction plan but says he is "open to compromise" and "new ideas." Obama says he will refuse to accept any approach that "isn't balanced." Obama says in his first public comments since the election... more »

• Obama must work with status-quo Congress to avert financial crisis

  November 7, 2012 11:24 AM

  WASHINGTON - With a second term ahead of him, President Barack Obama faces the urgent task of working with Congress to address an impending financial crisis that economists say could send the country back into recession. Automatic tax increases and across-the-board spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff" are set... more »

• Paul adds delegates in Louisiana compromise

  August 21, 2012 5:55 PM

  WASHINGTON - Rep. Ron Paul is picking up more delegates to the Republican National Convention after his supporters reached a compromise over disputed delegates from Louisiana. Charlie Davis, who served as Paul's campaign chairman in Louisiana, said the Texas congressman will get 17 of the state's 46 delegates in the... more »

• House begins debate on debt limit compromise

  August 1, 2011 4:48 PM

  WASHINGTON - Congress has started debating the debt limit compromise negotiated by President Barack Obama and Republican leaders. The GOP-run House began considering the bill less than a day after the White House and top lawmakers reached agreement on a dispute that had locked them in deadlock for months.... more »

• Mayor Holden: Tax plan moving forward

  July 28, 2011 6:29 PM

  BATON ROUGE - One day after the East Baton Rouge Metro Council killed his nearly $800 million bond proposal, Mayor-President Kip Holden said the plan is moving forward but wouldn't elaborate how. Nine of the 12 Council members voted to kill the proposal before it was to be discussed... more »

• House GOP tries to work out budget compromise

  May 26, 2011 12:14 PM

  BATON ROUGE - House leaders are trying to hammer out a compromise on next year's $25 billion budget, to lift a deadlock that has stalled all work on the spending plans. Republicans, who hold a majority of seats in the House, were working Thursday to settle on $81 million... more »

• SUNO, UNO merger pulled from consideration

  May 18, 2011 6:07 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The controversial merger of Southern University of New Orleans and the University of New Orleans is no longer being considered by the state Legislature, according to lawmakers. The Legislative Black Caucus put out a release Wednesday afternoon saying the Speaker of the state House, Rep. Jim... more »

• La. lawmakers working on congressional compromise

  April 13, 2011 1:42 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Senate has sent a compromise congressional district map to the House, hoping to break through a stalemate with only hours to go before the redistricting special session must end. The House is expected to vote Wednesday afternoon on the map to shrink the state's... more »

• Obama defends tax deal, says best for the nation

  December 7, 2010 1:43 PM

  WASHINGTON - Facing a Democratic rebellion, President Barack Obama on Tuesday staunchly defended his decision to compromise with Republicans and temporarily extend about-to-expire tax cuts for all Americans. "There are some who would have preferred a protracted political fight," the president said at a White House news conference a day... more »

• Obama optimistic about bipartisan deal on taxes

  December 2, 2010 12:55 PM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says he is optimistic that Democrats and Republicans will come to agreements on several issues in the coming weeks. Obama says the most important issue lawmakers must resolve is making sure taxes don't increase for middle-class families when Bush-era tax cuts expire at the end... more »

• Attorneys compromise over Gosserand blood sample

  November 29, 2010 12:12 PM

  NEW ROADS - Attorneys in the Victoria Gosserand vehicular homicide case have reached a compromise over the accused's blood sample. Prosecutors say that sample shows Gosserand's blood was nearly four times the legal limit the night she crashed her vehicle into another car, killing 23-year-old Terri Parker and badly... more »