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W e d n e s d ay, F e b r u a ry 25, 2026
‘WE’RE WINNING SO MUCH’ Trump uses State of the Union speech
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STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
to calm economic jitters ahead of midterms
Ramesh Kolluru has served as the interim president of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette since November.
UL search panel picks Kolluru for president Full board to interview sole finalist, name leader Friday
BY MEGAN WYATT Staff writer
A search committee in charge of recommending candidates for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s next president on Tuesday named Ramesh Kolluru as the only finalist for the position, a decision that came three months after public pushback against initial plans to install Kolluru as president without a search. Kolluru has served as UL’s interim president since November and is the former vice president of research, innovation and economic development of the university. Two other semifinalists, Hitesh Kathuria, a tenured professor and former provost and executive
ä See KOLLURU, page 4A
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KENNy HOLSTON
President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. BY WILL WEISSERT and MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump declared during Tuesday’s State of the Union that “we’re winning so much,” saying he’d sparked a jobs and manufacturing boom at home while imposing a new world order abroad — hoping that offering a long list of his accomplishments can counter approval ratings that have been falling. His main objective was convincing increasingly wary Americans that the economy is stronger than many believe, and that they should vote for
more of the same by backing Republicans during November’s midterm elections. Trump tried early on to appeal to bipartisan patriotic sentiments, dramatically inviting the Olympic goldmedal-winning U.S. men’s hockey team into the House chamber to applause. The team came to the Capitol after an afternoon visit to the White House. “Our country is winning again. In fact, we’re winning so much that we really don’t know what to do about it. People are asking me, ‘Please, please, please, Mister President, we’re winning too much. We can’t take it anymore,’ ” Trump said be-
fore introducing the team. “‘We’re not used to winning in our country until you came along.’” The hockey players, wearing their medals and sweaters that said “USA” in large letters, drew a bipartisan standing ovation. Trump pointed to the Democratic side of the chamber and quipped, “That’s the first time I ever — I’ve ever seen them get up.” In another made-for-TV moment, Trump announced he would be awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor, to the hockey team’s goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck.
ä See WINNING, page 4A
Murrill: Mailing abortion pills violates law Attorney general asks federal judge to pause FDA decision
BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murill and Solicitor General Ben Aguiñaga appeared in Lafayette’s federal district court Tuesday to argue a U.S. Food and Drug Administration decision to allow abortion pills to be sent via mail broke federal and state laws. The state’s top attorney asked the court to pause a 2023 decision by the FDA under then-President Joe Biden that allowed mifepristone, an abortion
ä See MURRILL, page 3A
Letlow’s late disclosure of 210 stock trades draws scrutiny to the stock trading report Ad targets issue amid cording — known as the Periodic TransacReport — that she filed on Jan. race for Senate seat tion 13, 2026.
BY TYLER BRIDGES
Staff writer
U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, who President Donald Trump has endorsed to be Louisiana’s next senator, did not follow a federal law that required her to report 210 individual stock trades over the past two years, according to a document she filed with Congress last month. In 100 of those trades, Letlow, RBaton Rouge, reported the transactions more than a year late, ac-
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In all, the trades involved stocks worth anywhere from $225,000 to $3,185,000. Members of Congress provide a range of the value for each trade. A super PAC supporting U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, is broadcasting TV and radio ads attacking Letlow’s failure to report the trades on time. Under a 2012 law passed by Congress known as the STOCK Act, Letlow and all members of Congress have to report individual
ELECTION 2026 U.S. SENATE
stock trades within 45 days of the transaction. But the report she filed last month shows that she violated federal law by failing to do so in those 210 transactions. That was a significant number, said Kedric Payne, the senior director of ethics at the Campaign Legal Center, a nonprofit in Washington, D.C. “The public has to have confidence that the decisions of their elected officials are based on pro-
tecting the public interest and not their financial interest,” Payne said. “The only way to do that is have accurate reporting of the members’ financial interests.” Matt Smith, a spokesperson for Letlow, did not dispute the stock trading violations. But he said Merrill Lynch, her broker, handled the transactions without her input and that she self-reported her failure to report them on time. “Congresswoman Letlow did not direct, approve, or have prior knowledge of any trades,” Smith said. “They were executed
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-Baton Rouge, speaks on Feb. 13 after ä See LETLOW, page 3A qualifying to run for the U.S. Senate.
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