Pausing pipelines: In Louisiana, COVID-19 has achieved what protesters against big oil companies could not do: halt work to expand oil and gas pipelines across the stage, according to a new in-depth feature in New York Times Magazine. The trouble started March 8, three days before Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a public health emergency. Read the full story here.
3:33 p.m. A SpaceX rocket is ready to boost two NASA astronauts into orbit Wednesday, the first launch of Americans from the U.S. in nearly a decade. Liftoff is set for 3:33 p.m. Central time from the same spot at Kennedy Space Center where men flew to the moon and the last space shuttle blasted off in 2011. “This is a big moment in time,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said on the eve of the launch. “It’s been nine years since we’ve had this opportunity.” Read the full story.
ICYMI: The Louisiana House yesterday backed a $30 billion-plus spending plan for next year that uses federal coronavirus aid to keep programs and services on an even keel despite the pandemic. The package of budget bills—approved in a quick afternoon of House votes rather than the daylong debate of years past—heads to the Senate for debate with one week remaining in the regular legislative session. Senators don’t expect to complete their work before that deadline. Instead, the Legislature is expected to finish the budget in a special session that starts immediately after the regular session ends Monday. Read the full story
