Governor Jeff Landry (R-LA) declared a state of emergency in Louisiana on Friday over a shortage of law enforcement officers in the state. Landry made the declaration in an executive order that comes just days before the legislature will meet for a special session on crime‚ which the governor said will focus on strengthening the criminal justice system and repealing soft-on-crime policies. According to the Louisiana Sheriffs Association‚ there is a shortage of 1‚800 deputies as of July 2023. “As a former police officer and sheriff’s deputy‚ I understand the vital role our law enforcement officers play in our communities. Currently‚ our state is facing a shortage of officers‚ resulting in increased crime and less public safety. Today’s executive order‚ and the upcoming crime special session‚ will ensure our law enforcement officers are supported and we can begin to bring law and order back to our state‚” Landry said. Landry’s order comes as cities around the country have struggled to retain police officers and recruit amid increasing crime and a push by some activists to “Defund the Police.” Some entities are even considering letting non-citizens join the ranks of the police. The executive order says that the “national police officer shortage has affected Louisiana with departments experiencing record-low employment and an increase in police officer response times resulting in an increased threat to the lives‚ property‚ and safety of persons within the state of Louisiana.” The Louisiana Sheriff’s Association praised the executive order‚ saying that it highlighted “the importance of the law enforcement profession and our state’s desperate need to fill valuable front line deputy positions.” During the special session‚ Landry wants the legislature to look at restricting parole eligibility‚ expanding the criteria to revoke parole and probation‚ increasing penalties for carjackings‚ upgrading illegal use of weapons to the violent crime category‚ granting immunity under certain conditions to peace officers‚ and creating a criminal offense for the marketing of fentanyl to minors. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “This special session begins to fulfill the campaign promises we made to the people of Louisiana to make our State Safe Again. No one‚ regardless of their neighborhood or zip code‚ should feel unsafe. We all want safer communities‚” Landry said. “We will defend and uplift our law enforcement officials and deliver true justice to crime victims who have been overlooked for far too long.” New Orleans‚ whose police force Landry previously said was in “shambles‚” consistently ranks as one of the most violent cities in America. Landry took office in January after his election in October flipped control of the governor’s mansion in after promising to crack down on crime in the state.

A young cellist and medical student will no longer perform his music in New York City Subway stations after being assaulted for the second time in less than a year. The victim — Iain Forrest‚ an MD-PhD student studying genetics — was playing his electric cello in the 34th Street–Herald Square station when a female bystander stepped forward‚ grabbed his metal water bottle‚ and struck him once on the back of the head before fleeing. Forrest explained in a viral X thread that this was the second assault he’s endured in under a year‚ a pattern that he says has prompted him to stop such public performances. “This marks the second attack I’ve endured in less than a year while performing for New Yorkers in subway stations‚” said Forrest. “I don’t think I can do this anymore. I’m suspending subway performances indefinitely.” Yesterday‚ I was attacked in the NYC subway. At 5:50 pm on February 14th‚ while performing at 34th St Herald Square station‚ a woman wearing a mustard jacket‚ red scarf‚ and gloves assaulted me by smashing the back of my head with my metal water bottle. pic.twitter.com/UpSl43yk3x — Iain S. Forrest‚ PhD (@IainSForrest) February 14‚ 2024 Forrest reported that his assailant fled into a nearby store following the attack‚ successfully evading pursuers and police by shedding her outer garments. New York Police Department (NYPD) Crime Stoppers posted another angle of Forrest’s assailant in which her scarf doesn’t cover her face. NYPD offered a reward of up to $3‚500 for tips leading to her arrest and indictment. 🚨WANTED🚨for an ASSAULT in the mezzanine inside of the 34th Street/ Herald Square station #heraldsquare #manhattan On 2/13/24 @ 7:47 PM Reward up to $3500 Seen her? Know who she is? Call 1-800-577-TIPS or DM us! Calls are CONFIDENTIAL! #yourcityyourcall pic.twitter.com/gExo1F5JwV — NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) February 14‚ 2024 According to NYPD crime data‚ transit crimes citywide have increased by nearly 23 percent year to date. Since January‚ NYPD has reported 138 incidents of grand larceny‚ 64 felony assaults‚ 60 robberies‚ three burglaries‚ and one murder. In the same time period last year‚ there were 99 reported incidents of grand larceny‚ 58 felony assaults‚ 57 robberies‚ one burglary‚ one murder‚ and one rape. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA)‚ which runs the New York City Subway‚ reported a total of over 4‚900 complaints last year: nearly 2‚300 of those were classified as assaults. There were less than 900 arrests reported for assault last year. Last year’s totals were an increase from 2022‚ in which NYCTA reported over 4‚700 complaints‚ with just over 2‚000 of those classified as assaults. There were fewer than 700 arrests reported for assault in 2022. Data from Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA)‚ NYCTA’s affiliate‚ covering felonies across all of its transportation modes — busing and commuter rail‚ in addition to the subway — revealed that felony assaults increased to 642 last year‚ up from totals in the prior four years: 586 in 2022‚ 498 in 2021‚ 368 in 2020‚ and 395 in 2019. Murders declined slightly to seven last year from 10 in 2022‚ though up from six in 2021‚ five in 2020‚ and three in 2019. Burglaries remained high at 39 reported incidents last year‚ up from 22 in 2022 and the same as the totals for 2021 and 2020‚ all up from the 18 incidents reported in 2019. Other MTA data specific to the subway revealed that assaults on subway workers totaled 80 last year‚ nearly double the totals for 2022‚ 2021‚ and 2020: for all three years‚ assaults totaled 45. Other crimes have increased as well. MTA has reported a marked increase in subway vandalism incidents from 2021 (484) to 2022 (755) and 2023 (650). Subway fires remained fairly consistent‚ totaling over 1‚000 over the last three years‚ an uptick from the 900 reported incidents in 2020.

Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro spoke on “The Ben Shapiro Show” on Friday regarding the death of the leading critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin‚ Alexei Navalny‚ 47‚ who was reported dead in prison. Navalny had been sentenced on a bunch of trumped-up charges to a penal colony‚ Shapiro noted.  Navalny had flown to Germany to seek treatment after falling ill on a flight inside Russia. Doctors concluded that he had been poisoned with a nerve agent called Novichok. When Navalny returned to Russia in 2021‚ he was immediately arrested by Vladimir Putin’s team‚ sentenced‚ and moved to a remote Arctic prison but no one knew where he was. “For literally weeks they shuttled him around so that nobody could find out where he was‚” Shapiro noted. “And then finally he released a message saying that he was in a place that was extremely cold‚ far in the north‚ where all he could see were some dogs and some snow.” Shapiro showed footage of Navalny from Thursday in a court appearance. “As you can see‚ he looks alive and well‚” he commented. “He looks skinny‚ obviously‚ but this does not look like somebody who is on the verge of death.” According to The Wall Street Journal: Navalny’s death eliminates the last real political opposition that still remained inside Russia following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine‚ his crackdown on freedom of speech and the passage of increasingly draconian laws aimed at stamping out any dissent. … Navalny’s time in jail reflected the worst excesses of a judicial and prison system that has increasingly been used to punish Putin’s political opponents. … Navalny had suffered continuously‚ at times from sleep deprivation when he was woken up every hour at night by guards. He was sent into solitary confinement 27 times‚ rights groups said‚ at times for minor infractions such as a missed button on his prison uniform. “Everyone suspects Putin because —  as people get ‘suicided’ regularly and ‘death by natural causes’ seems to happen regularly if they are opponents of Vladimir Putin — that the Putin regime had finally had enough of Alexei Navalny and they felt the threat from the outside or from Navalny or from maybe the inside of Russia and so it was just a convenient time to get rid of Alexei Navalny‚” Shapiro said. In 2020‚ Navalny did an interview on 60 Minutes talking about his poisoning on a flight from Moscow to Siberia‚ where he’d been campaigning against Putin’s party in a local election when he collapsed with no pain but knowing he was dying. Shapiro posited that Putin might want to poison Alexei Navalny because‚ among other things‚ Navalny had obtained incriminating internal financial documents related to high-level Russian officials and posted them on a blog. Navalny said on 60 Minutes‚ “And it’s something very special about Mr. Putin that he’s crazy about money‚ personal money‚ about his family being rich‚ his friends‚ like all his people who served with him‚ with them in the KGB‚ all of them‚ they are billionaires. That’s why fighting corruption means for him that he’s fighting me.” “And now he has fought him to the point where Navalny is dead‚” Shapiro noted. “The reality is that Vladimir Putin is a vicious dictator who kills his political opponents. The list is as long as your arm of people that Vladimir Putin has killed‚ ranging from journalists to fellow oligarchs to dissidents who have challenged him in any sort of way at home and abroad; he has had people killed well outside the borders of Russia.”

The Catholic prayer app Hallow became the No. 1 app on the App Store Charts on Ash Wednesday‚ which marks the start of 40 days of Lent‚ commemorating the 40 days Jesus Christ spent in the desert before he began his public ministry. The prayer and meditation app shared in a post on X‚ “#1 in the App Store!! Glory Be – He is #1.” It also scored bragging rights as the first religious app to make it to the top. “We are overjoyed with how powerful Day 1 of Lent Pray40 was‚” the post read. “Not only did over 1 million people join the challenge and start a transformational prayer journey yesterday‚ Hallow also became the first religious app to ever reach the top of the App Store Charts!” In the screenshot shared by Hallow‚ it showed the prayer app surpassed shopping app Temu followed by the social media app Threads. In a second post‚ the company noted while it has 85 employees “plus Jesus‚” their victory beat out other companies like Temu with 10‚000 employees and Threads with 67‚000 workers. #1 in the App Store!! Glory Be – He is #1 We are overjoyed with how powerful Day 1 of Lent Pray40 was. Not only did over 1 million people join the challenge and start a transformational prayer journey yesterday‚ Hallow also became the first religious app to ever reach the top of… pic.twitter.com/6c9wxSZ2mO — Hallow (@HallowApp) February 15‚ 2024 “We’re blown away‚” Alex Jones‚ CEO and co-founder of Hallow‚ said in a press release. “When we started Hallow‚ it would’ve been crazy for us to imagine a thousand people praying together on it‚ much less 1 million.” “God is doing incredible things‚” Jones added. “All glory and credit and praise belongs to him. Never in a million years would I have imagined we’d be at the top of the App Store. The other folks in the top 100 apps are just such incredible and popular apps with tens of thousands of employees — Netflix‚ Spotify‚ Amazon‚ Google‚ Instagram. What a crazy world.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP The app’s popularity to the top of the chart on Wednesday was aided by Catholic stars such as “The Chosen’s” Jonathan Roumie and Hollywood superstar Mark Wahlberg‚ who encouraged people to join them on the app in an ad that aired during Super Bowl LVIII. The company said it saw the largest download it has ever had after that commercial aired calling on people to take a moment to “give thanks to God” and join in the prayer challenge during Lent. Speaking to “Fox and Friends” on Wednesday‚ Wahlberg and Roumie talked about their partnership with Hallow. “We just want to be able to do more‚ and I think‚ what better than to have Ash Wednesday fall on Valentine’s Day?” Wahlberg said. “Because where do you get more love than with the Lord and … in a time where there’s such a disconnect? We need things to bring people together and the power of prayer is doing that.” Roumie added‚ “And I think as Mark’s saying … starting the day with gratitude and knowing that … we’ve been given so much in this life‚ to be grateful for to God.”

Marlene Engelhorn has plans for her $27 million inheritance‚ but not for things she wants to buy. This 31-year-old Austrian wants to rethink the concept of inherited wealth‚ and part of that involves redistributing her own fortune. However‚ she doesn’t believe that she has the right to choose where her money goes. So‚ she’s selecting 50 representatives of the Austrian population to help her decide the most beneficial way to use her inheritance. She calls the proposed group Guter Rat‚ or Good Council. “Why should I alone be entitled to decide how wealth is redistributed to society — wealth‚ that has been created by said society?” Engelhorn writes in her mission statement on the Guter Rat website. “What happens to a large fortune should also be decided collectively by a large group. Not one person alone.” Wikimedia Commons How will she select these 50 council members? CBS tells us that Marlene Engelhorn has invited 10‚000 Austrians to fill out a survey. While the participants have been chosen randomly‚ the final group will be a purposefully diverse sampling of the nation’s population. Once the council is finalized‚ Guter Rat will meet in person this spring over the course of six weekends‚ all expenses paid. Marlene Engelhorn has good reasons for wanting to redistribute her fortune. Although a majority of Austrians would like to see wealth taxed‚ it currently isn’t. Neither is inheritance. Even in countries like the United States‚ where estate taxes do exist‚ CBS informs us that many heirs don’t end up having to actually pay them. Marlene Engelhorn has had the problems posed by inherited wealth on her mind for some time. In 2022‚ she shared a video explaining some of these issues. #Marlene_Engelhorn pic.twitter.com/YfDAXj0P2G— Marlene Engelhorn (@MarleneEnglhorn) November 3‚ 2022 “I was born in to a rich family‚ and will one day inherit a fortune‚ for which I never had to work‚” she said. “Millionaires should not get to decide whether or not they contribute in a just way to the societies they live in‚ and without which they would never have become millionaires.” While the heiress is giving Guten Rat the power to use her inheritance as they see fit‚ there are some limitations. Yahoo! tells us that Marlene Engelhorn will not allow the group to fund profit corporations or anything inhumane. When it comes to the redistribution of wealth‚ this young Austrian is literally putting her money where her mouth is! It’s incredible to see someone taking responsibility for their resources in such a positive way. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Austrian Heiress Wants Strangers To Help Her Give Away Her Entire $27M Fortune. appeared first on InspireMore.

If there’s one thing about Dolly Parton it’s that you never know what she’ll do next! Next Wednesday‚ February 21 you can catch her hosting what’s being called Dolly Parton’s Pet Gala. The idea stems from the fact that this country-music icon absolutely adores animals of all kinds‚ including dogs. The two-hour variety show will include appearances from some of Parton’s famous friends. These guests include Drew Barrymore‚ Kristen Bell‚ Kristin Chenoweth‚ Neil Patrick Harris‚ Lainey Wilson‚ and more. You can also expect to see Parton perform some of her most beloved songs‚ including 9 to 5‚ I Will Always Love You‚ and Jolene. Then there are the biggest stars of the show: the adorable dogs! Dolly Parton Hosts 2-Hour Pet Gala Full of Stars and Cute Pups Save the Date! I’m excited to announce my upcoming Pet Gala special with @DoggyParton It’s going to be filled with performances from some of my favorite artists and lots of dogs. Tune-in Wednesday‚ February 21 on @CBS and streaming on @paramountplus the day after! It’s going… pic.twitter.com/CeSHmU7kBG— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) January 25‚ 2024 “I have hosted or co-hosted many shows throughout my career‚ but I have never been more excited about co-hosting a show than I am about being part of this pet gala!” Parton shares. “I love animals. I’ve got all kinds‚ and of course‚ I’ve always had little dogs around‚ and big ones!” Parton loves pets so much‚ she even has her own pet line. It’s fittingly called Doggy Parton. On the store’s website you’ll find apparel‚ collars‚ leashes‚ bedding‚ and more — naturally‚ each one is designed to match Parton’s fabulously flashy style. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Doggy Parton (@doggyparton) The gala will feature a runway for Parton’s four-legged friends to show off their style. Here‚ you can expect to find some of them rocking her most iconic looks. Some will even include pieces from her Doggy Parton line! “We’re going to have [dogs] of all kinds and colors on the show‚ and there is nothing more fun to me than when little animals do what they do best‚ and I’m looking forward to it!” Parton continues. “There is so much fun stuff‚ and I know all the animal lovers out there are going to love this show.” You can find the source of this story’s featured image here! The post Dolly Parton Announces First-Ever Pet Gala‚ Featuring Drew Barrymore‚ Kristen Bell‚ Lainey Wilson &; Adorable Dogs! appeared first on InspireMore.

Judge Rules Trump Must Pay Over $350 Million In Civil Fraud Case

'U back with moms'

'I'm not stepping foot in that state'

'He is lying'