WASHINGTON — A lunch meeting between President Donald Trump and Republican senators on Capitol Hill turned into a shouting match after Sen. Bill Cassidy pressed the president about the Iran war.

Cassidy said Trump asked the group why some Republicans joined Democrats to push back against his military authority in the conflict. Cassidy said he stood up and told the president the war's objectives were not achieved and that he wanted answers directly from Trump.

That exchange escalated quickly. According to Cassidy, Trump called him a "lunatic" during the confrontation.

"The president didn't want to hear my question, interrupted me, I didn't care to be interrupted," Cassidy said. "I felt like I was trying to get answers for the American people and I'm not gonna be bullied when I'm trying to get answers for the American people," Cassidy said.

Cassidy told reporters he makes no apologies for standing up to the president. Trump, speaking afterward, called it "a really great meeting" but said he didn't like "a few people."

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KILLIAN — Officials in Livingston Parish held a presentation at Killian First Baptist Church Wednesday to warn people about the dangers of drugs, with a focus on fentanyl.

The event was part of their "One Pill Can Kill" initiative. Officials used the presentation to educate attendees on the effects of fentanyl, offer resources and answer questions.

A spokesperson for the group told WBRZ that spreading awareness is their top priority.

"Well the hope is they won't do opioid to begin with and if they're struggling with opioids, if they're struggling with any kind of situation through family dynamics or through themselves, we're hoping that they'll take some the stuff that we tell them and some of the things that we offer them," Opioid Instructor Tim Henderson said.

Officials said they plan to host these events more often.

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ALEXANDRIA — A WBRZ investigation has found that Alexandria International Airport has become the top hub for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation flights in the country.

With the help of the group ICE Flight Monitor, WBRZ Investigative Unit reporter Stephen Stock closely tracked 3,956 ICE flights — both domestic and international — that came in and flew out of Alexandria International Airport between October 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026.

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BATON ROUGE - The Brusly Panthers found their upcoming quarterback in an unconventional way, just a couple of high schoolers throwing the ball around on Christmas break.

Isaiah Dailey is a Brusly baseball player who's testing his skills on the football field this fall.

Coach Hoff Schooler got a video from some of his current players showcasing Dailey's delivery and promptly told them to make sure the coach got in contact with him to gauge his interest in playing for the Panthers.

The Panthers are coming off a 10-2 season and have a healthy amount of returning players to help them make another deep playoff push.

Experience in the trenches on both sides of the ball should be an advantage for the Panthers.  Nathan Hodges, Johnovan Banks, Melikhi Wilson and Jaylon Battise will man the defensive front for the Panthers and will be pivotal as Brusly breaks in a new linebacker corp.

Running back Robdrick Covington and Reggie Riley at the tight end position will help Dailey as he learns the ropes of the Panther offensive attack.

Brusly will open their season at home against rival Port Allen in the Sugar Cane Classic.

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WOODVILLE, Miss. — A loose bull reported in Wilkinson County on Friday has been found and returned to his owners, according to the Wilkinson County Sheriff's Office. 

Deputies sent their gratitude to everyone who helped find the bull and return him to his rightful owners in a social media post on Tuesday. 

WBRZ reached out to the bull for comment on his adventures, but he has not responded.

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NAPOLEONVILLE - When people think of sports that kids play growing up in Louisiana, they might think of football, baseball, basketball, maybe even fishing. But 11-year-old Cooper Phelps fell in love with something else.

"I just always grew up watching bull riding tapes and rodeos, and I just thought I wanted to be just like them," said Cooper.

Cooper's unconventional choice came when he was six. The future bull rider saw some sheep and told his mother, Sadie Phelps, that he wanted to ride one. Mrs. Phelps was skeptical at first.

"We were like sure, ride a sheep," recalled Sadie. "He'll fall off, he won't want to do this anymore."

Sadie was wrong. After he was done with the sheep, Cooper worked his way up to calves and steers, and in May of this year, he was named the Louisiana High School Rodeo Association's Rookie of the Year and earned a spot at the National Junior High Rodeo in Guthrie, Oklahoma.

Ever since Cooper made the decision to pursue this life of rodeo, he and his family got to work. At the Phelps family home, Cooper practices on his own rodeo practice barrels, which simulate bull riding and horseback riding. The Phelps family also constructed a ring where Cooper rides on his family's own bulls.

All of this comes to help Cooper succeed, no matter the cost.

"It is tough," said Sadie. "But if you saw how hard he works, and you just listen to him, he eats, lives, sleeps, breathes this. I'm going to push any of my kids,  whatever they're into. If they're going to put in the time and the effort, I'm definitely going to be 100% behind them. We've sacrificed, and that's ok, because that's what you do for your kids."

With how much time Cooper spends in the rodeo world, it's almost like he has a third parent.

"If you're around good people, you become good people," said Corey Phelps, Cooper's dad. "Rodeo people, cowboy people, livestock people are really good people. They all know how to work hard, and their word is good. Keeping him around those types of people really means a lot to us."

Cooper might've hit the parent jackpot, and he knows it.

"If I didn't have them, I wouldn't be here," said Cooper. "I'm so thankful that god gave me them and I'm just blessed."

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NEW ORLEANS — A 23-year-old New Orleans man has become the first person in Louisiana to be functionally cured of sickle cell disease through gene therapy.

Daniel Cressy underwent the treatment, which relies on a patient's own stem cells.

Cressy says he wants to start a nonprofit to help other people navigate the journey of sickle cell treatment.

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While isolated storms remain possible on Thursday, they'll become more sparse into the weekend. Rain won’t threaten many outdoor plans, but be prepared to break a sweat.

Tonight & Tomorrow: Any afternoon thunderstorms that managed to pop up will gradually fade away during the evening. Though a rogue overnight shower, mainly north and east of Baton Rouge, isn’t totally off the table, most will stay completely dry. Expect a partly cloudy start to the day with morning lows in the mid-70s. Extra sunshine on Thursday means afternoon temperatures will climb even higher. Baton Rouge will top out around 93°, but unrelenting humidity will make it feel about 10° hotter at peak warming. An isolated shower or thunderstorm cannot be ruled out in the heat of the day. Any storm could produce gusty winds and/or a quick downpour.

Up Next: Moving toward and into the weekend, a ridge of high pressure in the upper atmosphere will intensify over the central Gulf Coast. Comprised of warm, sinking air, ridges tend to fight against thunderstorm development while boosting air temperatures. Afternoon highs will soar into the mid-90s by the weekend, combining with summer humidity to create heat index values in the 105-110° range. Should the heat index top 108°, that would trigger a Heat Advisory. In any event, exercise common sense to beat the heat by hydrating more and taking breaks from time to time.

Know the signs of heat exhaustion and heatstroke as well. If you start noticing signs of heat exhaustion, move inside to an air-conditioned room immediately. Heatstroke, on the other hand, is a medical emergency that requires calling 911 right away.

By Tuesday or Wednesday of next week, that ridge will shift north, opening the door for an atmospheric disturbance to arrive out of the east. This will allow for the return of rain-cooling showers, which may help take the sting out of the afternoon heat.

Get the latest 7-day forecast and real-time weather updates HERE.

Watch live news HERE.

The Tropics: For the North Atlantic, Gulf, and Caribbean, all is quiet. No development is expected over the next seven days. In fact, the first major Saharan dust plume will track across the Atlantic over the next week, helping to limit the chances of tropical development. Some of that dust could reach the Capital Area early next week, creating hazy daytime skies before scattering the light rays to produce more vivid, fiery-orange sunrises and sunsets.

— Meteorologist Malcolm Byron

The Storm Station is here for you, on every platform. Your weather updates can be found on News 2, wbrz.com, and the WBRZ WX App on your Apple or Android device. Follow WBRZ Weather on Facebook and X for even more weather updates while you are on the go.

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BATON ROUGE — Former LSU football head coach Brian Kelly will call college football games for CBS in the 2026-2027 season, according to a report by On3. 

Kelly, now a CBS college football analyst, will be on the broadcast for Mountain West Conference games, the report says. 

LSU hired Kelly in 2021 as the successor to Ed Orgeron. He was fired in October last year after the Tigers were blown out in Death Valley by Texas A&M, his team's third loss of the season. 

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BATON ROUGE — District Attorney Hillar Moore told WBRZ that, as required by a court order, several local city governments will be added as parties to its lawsuit that seeks more funding for the East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney's Office.

In April, the DA's Office filed suit against the city-parish government over what Moore called inadequate funding for his office.

"We believe that to be fully operational, our office budget should be at $22 million, and we're at $8 million. We don't have the ability to hire any new attorneys at this point. We will run out of money before the end of the year," Moore told WBRZ.

In a Wednesday hearing, a judge ruled that local municipalities in East Baton Rouge Parish, including Baton Rouge, Zachary, Central and St. George, must be added to the lawsuit.

"The court indicated that due to fundamental fairness, he felt that the other cities should be made an indispensable party," Moore said.

Moore told WBRZ he thought the motion should've been denied.

"It is important to be clear: this was a ruling of the Court. Our Office did not initially name the municipalities, and we have not sought to make this a dispute with our local mayors or city governments," Moore said in a statement. "In our opinion, the law is clear that we're not allowed to, that we're only allowed to go after, for our fair share, the parish," he added.

The DA said he personally contacted each municipality's mayor about the court's ruling and to make clear that his office remains committed to working together with each of them.

"Whether a case comes from Baton Rouge, Baker, Zachary, Central, St. George, or an unincorporated area, our responsibility is the same. Public safety does not stop at municipal boundaries, and neither does our commitment to the people we serve," Moore said.

Last year, voters rejected a tax proposal that would have raised about $22 million annually for his office. Moore said that failure left him with no choice but to seek funding through the courts, arguing that the money is required by law.

City-parish leaders said they have already increased funding, but must balance multiple priorities across the criminal justice system.

Central Mayor Wade Evans believes that the judge is wrong in their assessment.

"We're not going to agree to this; we're going to fight it, and we believe it's unconstitutional. We believe it's not our responsibility to take care of a parish-wide problem," Evans told WBRZ.

Evans feels that this situation never should’ve had to come about.

Meanwhile, East Baton Rouge Metro Councilwoman Jen Racca praised the court's order.

"I'm ready to see how all the municipalities work together to figure out how the funding mechanisms will be in the future," Racca told WBRZ after Wednesday afternoon's council meeting.

Evans was critical of the EBR Metro Council, saying that this situation never should have come about.

"Unfortunately, the parish government and the parish council have failed to do their job, and it's forced Hillar (Moore) to do what he has to do," Evans said.

Racca pushed back against Evans' comments, saying, "Every single year, we have budget hearings. The Mayor presents his or her budget. The Council looks at the budget and attempts to make any necessary changes to that budget. This parish council has funded the DA's office and all the other constitutional offices to the best of our ability."

According to Moore, no date has been set for when the next hearing in the case will be. EBR Mayor-President Sid Edwards' office told WBRZ that it has no comment because it's an ongoing litigation. 

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BATON ROUGE — The runway at the Baton Rouge airport was shut down after an airplane with landing gear issues came in.

Officials describe the plane as a small, general aviation aircraft.  

No injuries were reported, and efforts are focused on assessing the situation.

The runway was closed from 1:45 p.m. until 3:45 p.m., with no planes taking off or landing at this time.

According to the airport's website, so far one incoming flight from Atlanta has been diverted, and another flight from Atlanta and Houston have been delayed.

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BATON ROUGE — A former LSU and NFL running back plans to turn himself in on vehicular homicide charges stemming from a Baton Rouge crash that killed two people and sent two others to the hospital in critical condition, sources told the WBRZ Investigative Unit.

Sources said Wednesday that a warrant was being written for the arrest of Richard Murphy.

He was allegedly involved in a June 14 wreck along Main Street that killed Robert Tarver, 94, and Carla Tarver, 69. Murphy was allegedly driving a Ford F-250 and crashed into the Tarvers' Ford F-150. Witnesses said the F-250 was driving erratically at a high rate of speed before running a red light and striking the passenger side of the F-150.

Sources told WBRZ that Murphy was allegedly intoxicated at the time of the crash. 

Murphy will face two counts of vehicular homicide and will turn himself in by the end of June, according to sources. 

In 2010, his senior year at LSU, Murphy played in 11 games and started in two of them. The Jacksonville Jaguars signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2011 but released him before the 2012 season. They signed him back onto the practice squad in October of that year before releasing him for the final time in May 2013. 

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BATON ROUGE - Three LSU Tigers have earned top-10 positional rankings in EA Sports College Football 27, highlighting the star power expected to lead the Tigers into the 2026 season.

Tight end Trey'Dez Green received the highest ranking among LSU players, checking in as the No. 1 tight end in the game. The former Zachary standout is coming off a breakout 2025 campaign in which he established himself as one of the SEC's most dangerous red-zone threats and a rising NFL prospect. 

LSU transfer Jordan Seaton was rated as the fourth-best left tackle in College Football 27. The former five-star recruit arrived in Baton Rouge after two standout seasons at Colorado, where he earned Freshman All-American honors and later Second-Team All-Big 12 recognition.

Quarterback Sam Leavitt landed eighth among all quarterbacks in the game. Leavitt transferred to LSU after emerging as one of college football's top signal-callers and was regarded as the nation's top quarterback available in the transfer portal by On3. 

Tigers in the top-10 for their position in this year’s college football game ?? pic.twitter.com/zHpbxLKLtT

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) June 24, 2026

EA Sports College Football 27 releases worldwide on July 9, with early access beginning July 6 for players who purchase the Deluxe Edition.

The annual franchise returned in 2024 after an 11-year hiatus and quickly became one of the best-selling sports video games in the country. 

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BATON ROUGE — Gov. Landry's plan to provide a one-time pay stipend to teachers by taking money from the state's Minimum Foundation Program passed a vote in both houses of the Louisiana Legislature on Wednesday, despite ongoing legal action against it. 

As previously reported by WBRZ, the proposal would take $168 million from the MFP, and the money would be used to fund a $2,000 stipend for 51,000 public school teachers and $1,000 for the 40,000 support staff across Louisiana. 

After the pay raises failed in a statewide vote, Landry announced the creation of a government task force with the goal of streamlining the state's education spending and freeing up funding for a teacher pay raise. 

A week later, the governor issued an executive order directing state education agencies to work to reallocate non-instructional funding into teacher pay raises, an order he said goes hand-in-hand with the creation of the task force. 

However, despite the lawmakers' approval, the raises and reallocation of funding remain in limbo.

On June 18, 19th JDC Judge Richard "Chip" Moore issued a temporary restraining order against the state in a lawsuit that alleges Landry's executive order was unconstitutional.   A hearing for that lawsuit is set for June 29. 

See the results of Wednesday's vote below.

House:

Senate:

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NAPOLEONVILLE – Assumption Parish deputies have arrested a New Orleans man on felony terrorizing and cyberstalking charges.

Deputies began investigating 34-year-old Bruce Anthony Charles on June 16 after receiving a complaint from a woman who said Charles had threatened her. 

Charles and the victim had previously been in a relationship together, deputies noted, and Charles' threats were to the woman, her child and her fiancé. 

Deputies added that Charles has a history of violence. 

Deputies arrested Charles on Tuesday and booked him into the Assumption Parish Detention Center on two counts of terrorizing, as well as one count each of cyberstalking and harassment via telephone communications. 

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COVINGTON — St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith says he is retiring on Wednesday after pleading guilty to battery charges connected to a drunken altercation at a Madisonville steakhouse in May.

Smith, who took office in July 2016, was arrested on June 4 after he was accused of choking, punching, and kicking Robert Couvillon at Keith Young's Steakhouse on May 29. The victim sustained a concussion and dental injuries as a result of the fight.

Gregory Saurage was also arrested as a participant in the alleged attack.

Now, on Wednesday, Smith pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree battery and two counts of disturbing the peace. The sheriff said he would retire at 1 p.m. 

"After much thought and consideration, I believe retiring at this time is in the best interest of the agency, my family, and the citizens of St. Tammany Parish. Effective immediately, Deputy Chief Bret Ibert is promoted to Chief Criminal Deputy, Chief Civil Deputy and Second in Command," Smith said in a statement. "In accordance with state law and agency protocol, Chief Deputy Ibert will serve as Interim Sheriff until a new Sheriff is elected."

St. Tammany Parish District Attorney Collin Sims said the sheriff received a two-year suspended prison sentence and was placed on probation.

Smith must complete a 15- to 18-month program as part of his plea. Until he completes this program, the sheriff is a convicted felon. If he completes the program and meets all conditions of his probation, the felony conviction could be reduced to a misdemeanor, Sims said.

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CENTRAL - Pastor Tony Spell addressed the media Wednesday, saying threats from his neighbor compelled him to run across a four-lane highway and attack the man. 

Spell, the main pastor of Life Tabernacle Church on Hooper Road, was arrested by deputies after the altercation. He said he was working on a church bus when he heard the neighbor's son yelling from outside their home across the road. 

"He said, 'Tony, I'm gonna rape your wife, I'm gonna rape all of your grandchildren,' and he said, 'The next time you go out of town, I'm gonna kill them, and what the F are you going to do about it?" Spell said. 

The pastor said that as the "natural protector" of his family and church, it was his job to take action. 

"I have a duty and obligation to do what I did," Spell said. 

WBRZ spoke with the neighbors, the Sherwins, who said that Spell's claims are not true and connected to the recent end of a legal battle that started after Spell was arrested for disregarding Coronavirus mandates and holding church services while stay-at-home orders were in effect. 

"This pastor is a bully who gets mad when he does not get his way," the Sherwins said. 

Spell was alongside his attorney, Jeff Wittenbrink, and backed by church members who stood behind him during Wednesday's press conference. He claims that parishioners are also victims and have been shouted at by the church's neighbors.

"As a shepherd, I have not allowed the sheep to attack the wolves for what was said to them," Spell said. 

The Sherwins' cameras captured Tuesday's altercation. WBRZ obtained a clearer and closer view of the fight. During the video, Spell can be heard screaming what sounds like, “I’m going to break your neck!"

The pastor can also be seen on top of the 20-year-old alleged victim and turning his head aggressively. 

Wittenbrink said that members of the church have made many complaints about the Sherwins to the Central Police Department, calling the situation a "law enforcement failure." He claimed Central officers were working in conjunction with the neighboring family against Spell and the church. 

"The Central city police are friends with these folks across the street," he said. "When Pastor Spell was being surveilled 24/7, it was with the help of the man across the street." 

Central Police Chief Roger Corcoran issued a statement Wednesday evening, saying the sheriff's office serves the area and his department only has one complaint from the church about the Sherwins that has been filed over the last four years. 

"Allegations that the Central Police Department has failed to investigate complaints lodged by Pastor or Mrs. Spell are untrue. Our records reflect only 5 incidents involving Pastor or Mrs. Spell in the past 4 years, and only one of those involved a complaint against their neighbors. All calls to our department are recorded, and all persons who visit our department to make in-person complaints are captured on video. If dates and times complaints were allegedly made are provided to me, I will order an audit of our systems to investigate any claim of a failure to investigate," Corcoran said in a statement.

Spell was issued six misdemeanor summonses by Central Police officers in 2020, when he held church services as COVID cases across the state rose.

Spell sued former Governor John Bel Edwards, East Baton Rouge Sheriff Sid Gautreaux and Corcoran, adding the Sherwins to the lawsuit in 2023 when their home security system caught footage of Spell allegedly trying to hit a protester outside Life Tabernacle Church with a church bus. He was arrested for aggravated assault but was never formally charged in the case.

Spell bonded out of East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on Tuesday evening. 

Watch the full news conference here: 

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BATON ROUGE — A juvenile court judge found a 17-year-old guilty of attempted murder after a shooting on LSU's campus during the university's homecoming game left two people injured. 

Kyiveon Keller, who was 16 at the time of the October 2025 shooting, on Tuesday was found guilty of two counts of attempted second-degree murder, as well as one count each of illegal carrying of a firearm on school property and illegal possession of a firearm by a juvenile.

"This was a difficult case with many evidentiary issues," a spokesperson for the 19th JDC said.

Keller was arrested after the shooting, which stemmed from an altercation that happened during the LSU-South Carolina football game. Following the shooting, local and state police tightened security on campus during game days

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BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana Attorney General's office has hired a London-based accounting firm as it continues its investigation into alleged corruption among Baton Rouge government officials, including bribery and theft charges against councilman Cleve Dunn.

The AG's office has entered into a $150,000 contract with Ernst and Young, and the firm will help probe funding sources, contracts and relationships within the public sector. 

The contract went into effect at the end of March and remains active through the end of the year, with the primary focus of Ernst and Young's work with the AG's office being on public officials who have not yet been indicted in the corruption investigation. 

The full contract can be viewed here.

The AG's office did not provide a comment on the partnership with the firm. 

Several people have been indicted in connection with the AG's corruption probe, including Capital Area Transit System Chief Administrative Officer Pearlina Thomas and contractor Jay Colar, who were both implicated in an alleged scheme with Dunn. Documents say Thomas introduced Colar to Dunn, who awarded contracts to Colar's company. Dunn allegedly made more than $30,000 in kickbacks.

Two more city-parish arrests were made: Courtney Scott, a former administrator for Mayor Sharon Weston Broome, and Veronica Mathis, whose company assisted Broome's "Safe Hopeful Healthy Baton Rouge" program. They were booked on charges including conspiracy, theft, bribery, money laundering and public contract fraud.

 

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NEW ORLEANS — Planned Parenthood is returning to Louisiana, nearly one year after the reproductive health clinic ceased operations in the state due to a lack of federal funding. 

Planned Parenthood Great Plains announced Wednesday that it would expand its telehealth services into Louisiana later this summer, with in-person care in New Orleans expected to open in the fall.

The group said that its services will include contraception, STI testing and treatment, gender-affirming care, pregnancy testing, perimenopause and menopause care, vasectomies, cancer screenings and other preventive health services. The clinic will not offer abortion care, a service the previous clinics did not offer either.

Louisiana will join Arkansas, Kansas, western Missouri, and Oklahoma as part of the Planned Parenthood Great Plains network of 13 health centers. Care in Louisiana will be provided by Planned Parenthood of Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma, Planned Parenthood Great Plains said. 

Louisiana's Planned Parenthood clinics were previously operated for more than 40 years by Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast.

"Patients and community supporters have made clear they want Planned Parenthood back in Louisiana. We’re committed to ensuring care returns quickly and that this next phase builds on the decades of Planned Parenthood history here," Emily Wales, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, said in a statement. "We saw the impact that disruptions in access had on patients in Louisiana, and we know the deep disparities that exist in the health care landscape. In close collaboration with local partners, we knew we could be part of reshaping a future where all Louisianians can access essential sexual and reproductive care, no matter what."

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