On the bench: State Rep. Franklin Foil, of Baton Rouge, has been selected to serve as an appellate judge at the Navy and Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals in Washington, D.C., according to multiple news releases. Foil currently serves as a judge in the U.S. Navy Reserve, where he also is a captain. He has been a trial judge in the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps since 2013 and a naval officer for 26 years. As an appellate military judge, he will be responsible for reviewing all Navy and Marine Corps cases that are appealed world-wide.
Up in the air: Louisiana Congressman Ralph Abraham spoke out today against privatization of the nation’s air traffic control system. In a statement, Abraham’s office says the Republican congressman from Alto denounced efforts in the House to introduce privatization language into the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill. Privatization would be a threat to national security, Abraham, a doctor and licensed pilot, said, and Congress would have no oversight over a private board. Earlier, he joined Reps. Steve Russell and Tom Cole of Oklahoma, Ron Estes of Kansas, and Walter Jones of North Carolina in sending a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan and Majority Leader explaining why ATC privatization “is bad for the skies.” View Abraham’s full speech.
Head to head: Shares of Blue Apron tumbled 35% to a low of $6.51 today upon news that Amazon filed a trademark application for similar prepared food kits, Bloomberg reports. Blue Apron delivers boxes of pre-portioned ingredients and instructions to cook meals at home. Today’s decline in the company’s stock price is the latest sign investors are concerned about newly public Blue Apron’s prospects. Amazon Technologies Inc., an Amazon subsidiary, filed an application on July 6 for a “prepared food kits composed of meat, poultry, fish, seafood, fruit and/or vegetables . . . ready for cooking and assembly as a meal.” The move indicates it may directly compete with Blue Apron in the future. Read more.
