to try to help the confederate army to recapture baton rouge, that was to be a first step toward an effort to recapture new orleans but when the confederate attack at baton rouge was repulsed and unsuccessf unsuccessful, it ended that chance and later on the confederates undertook a couple efforts but they were never able to organize a strong enough army to carry it through. >> the program there at the library is about to get back under way. we'll take one more quick call from glen in downey, california. hi, there. >> caller: yes. dr. mcpherson, i would like to ask you a question. this question is about gettysburg in 1863. i hope it's appropriate. when stonewall jackson had died, had he not died, who do you think he would have sided with at gettysburg, general lee or longstreet? >> i think he would have sided with lee. like lee, jackson always wanted to seize and hold the initiative and take the offensive. he was more of an offensive commander than a defensive commander in contrast to longstreet. so i'm fairly confident he would have sided with lee on those decisions. >> james mcphe

these force the surrender of baton rouge. when lee reaches vicksburg and demanded its cupitchulation the governor sent a cheeky reply. mississippians don't know and refuse to learn how to surrender to any enemy. if they can teach them, let them come and try. farragut would soon come and try. he decided to take most of the fleet up to vicksburg, including a large sea going sloots of war at a fairly high stage of the river. and that's late spring. but he was not happy about this prospect. in letters to his wife he complained of the navy department's pressure on him in ignorance of the difficulties he faced. they will keep us in the river until the vessels break down and the reputation we made is evaporated. the government appears to think we can do anything. fighting is nothing to the river. to secretary wells farragut reported the elements of destruction to the navy in this river are beyond anything i have encountered. more anchors lost and vesseled ruined than any i have seen in a lifetime. no doubt an exaggeration. and wells

. >> what you are seeing is a house fire in baton rouge, louisiana.ly, this was an abandoned house, and as it would be with any good fire, you need an emcee. >> it's burning. we're at 19 south and 12. baton rouge, louisiana. 31st and -- >> he is dropping a beat. >> check it here right now. this is the real mccaughey. >> the guy you are seeing is kenneth l. james, aka, mr. real mccoy. he decides to put some tunes to this and let people know what's going on. >> this reminds me of jimmy fallon when he slow jams the news "the late show." >> your downtown is about to get on fire. >> these firemen had no idea they were going to star in their first music video that day. this is one way to make a hot track. >> the best part about this video is after the fire is put out, the real mccoy goes on to thank everyone as if he is accepting n some kind of award. >> thank you -- for getting on stage with me. helped to knock out this situation. >> i wanted to find out more about mr. real mccoy. "right this minute" from baton rouge, louisiana. we have mr. real mccoy hims

in september of 1810, there's going to be a minor uprising and of all places in baton rouge, louisiana. now, let me tell you what happens here. there are a group of americans who are living in this region, north of the lake pontchartrain and north of new orleans. they had been there for more than a decade, many of them had. the spanish government was no longer able to meet their needs. and in september of 1810, these americans, they rise up, they storm the dilapidated fort there at baton rouge. in fact, there were gaps in the stockade that the men are running through. they capture the fortt. they capture the governor. one spanish soldier dies. well, as soon as that conquest or that rebellion had been successful, they call a convention. they draft a declaration, which looks eerily similar to the american documents, their constitution, and then they even created a flag. they called it a bonnie blue flag with a single star in it, the original lonestar republic. see, that's where i figured you guys would be hissing. but the reason i tell you about this little uprising, when it's mentioned

these gun boats forced surrender of baton rouge on the way up. but when lee reached vicksburg on may 18th, the confederate military governor there sent a cheeky reply. mississippians don't know and refuse to learn how to surrender to any enemy. if they can teach them, let them come and try. faragate would soon some and try. he decided to take most of the fleet up to vicksburg at a fairly high stage of the river in that late spring, but he was not happy about this prospect. in letters to his wife, he complained of the navy department's pressure on him and ignorance of the difficulties he faced. they will keep us in this river until the vessels break down and all of the little reputation we have made has evaporated, he wrote. the government appeared to think we can do anything but fighting is nothing to the evils of the river getting onshore, running afoul of one another, losing anchors, et cetera. to secretary wells faragate reported elements of destruction to the nevada in this river are beyond anything i have ever encountered. more anchors have

one is in baton rouge, louisiana, one is in panama city, florida, one is in birmingham, alabama and one is in mobile, alabama. and guess what? they all use u.s. steel in the pipe that they make. i'm just curious why none of these companies had a shot at some of this steel in the keystone pipeline, and my amendment very simply says let's certify this 75% claim or stop making claims that you can't back up with facts. and with that i yield back my time. >> the gentleman yield back. anyone over here wish to speak? the gentleman from alabama, mr. scalise. >> thank you. i think it's important to note that the jobs we're talking about being brought about by ski stone, if you look at this amendment, and i'm not sure if the gentleman was aware that all the pipe was already purchased, but under that amendment, they wouldn't be able to go forward with keystone because they already bought the steel. and, in fact, as we were told, half of the steel for the project was sourced from a u.s.-based mill in little rock, arkansas. in fact, we've already heard from our colleagues in arkansas that say they'r

one in baton rouge, louisiana, ones in panama city, florida, one is in birmingham, alabama, one in mobile, alabama. guess what, they all use u.s. steel in the pipes they make. i'm just curious why none of these companies had a shot at some of this steel in the keystone pipeline. my amendment very simply says let's certify this 75% claim or stop making claims you can't back up with facts. with that i yield back my team. >> gentleman yields back. members on this side wishing to speak? gentleman from louisiana. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i do think it's important to note when we're talking about the jobs that would be created by keystone, 25,000 american jobs we're fighting for in the legislation by mr. terry, if you look at this amendment, i'm not sure if the gentleman was aware all the pipe was already purchased but under that amendment they wouldn't be able to go forward with keystone because they already bought the steel. in fact, as we were told, half the steel for the project was sourced from a u.s.-based mill in little rock, arkansas. in fact, we've already heard from our colleagues

i grew up in the deep south in baton rouge, louisiana.in the 1960s and '70s, growing up in baton rouge was pretty much all about black and white. people, i'm talking about. and when i turned on the television or opened a magazine, there were very few people in the media who looked like me. when i got old enough, i decided that i wanted to change all of that. imagine that. an african-american man who grew up with a single mother who raised three kids successfully, working for one of the biggest news organizations in the world as a national anchor. that's pretty amazing. i'm don lemon and i am america. >> it is really amazing, don. thank you for sharing your story. i want to tell you about a cnn hero. he's a doctor who makes house calls by boat, traveling into some of the world's most remote areas to treat more than 10,000 patients in the last two years, all for free. >> my name is dr. benjamin labrot. i called an organization called floating doctors to use a ship to bring health care into the communities that have fallen through the cracks

i drove 14 hours to baton rouge. i knew that he was being interviewed.f they had a viewing area, if i might step in. i thought i was going to see a monster. >> across the temple of the head. i just kept beating them and beating them and beating them and beating them. >> did you strike them anywhere else with the crowbar or just in the head? >> i struck him once in the chest because he wouldn't stop breathing. i stabbed him in the heart. >> you stabbed him in the heart? >> i took the bottom of the crowbar. >> the straight end of it? >> he thought he was the worst criminal that this world had ever seen and he was proud of it. he appeared to be proud of it. >> then she clawed my face and grabbed my wrist. that's when i took the straight end of the crowbar, i just started bashing the back of her head. her brains were just like oozing out of her skull. >> very cold, very callous. >> the three girls that were at the car, did they know what you were up to when you were going up to the house? >> i didn't tell them. i wanted to keep them out of it. >> did scott d

former louisiana governor charles "buddy" rohmer joins me now from my home town of baton rouge. wanting to get you on forever. you've been out of public office for some time. i remember when you said you were going to run for president. my mom sent me a text saying buddy is going to run. get him on. why did you decide to come back? >> let me put it this way. i don't think washington's broken. i think it's bought. i saw it in louisiana when a system becomes corrupt and decent people get treated like dirt. i see that in washington. you've got to have a big check to get congress' attention. they only care about re-election and spend 70% of their time fund-raising. it's not right. we need tax reform, budget reform, immigration reform, trade reform, banking reform, health care reform, but it won't happen when the big boys own the system. i run with $100 limit, no pacs, no super pacs. i'm different. >> some people say that's okay, they respect you for that, that's great. that's honorable. let's be honest, governor. look at the position you're in. everyone is paying attention to mitt r

. >> and this comes to us from wvla nbc 33 news in baton rouge, louisiana, where one happy couple wasonored after having married when herbert hoover was in the white house. norman and norm ma burma tied the knott 81 years ago. they are the state's longest couple. they are the guest of their governor for valentine's day. still love each other. norman is 101 years old. his bride is 98. they have 13 great grandchildren. the secret? mr. burma says the key to happy marriage is simple, listen to your wife. very wise man. i'm lynn berry. this is "early today" just your first stop today on your nbc station. >>> 4:28. 40 degrees. we had clouds above us earlier. beautiful view of the crescent moon peeking out earlier. good morning, i'm joe krebs. >> i'm eun yang. welcome to nuft for this wednesday, february 15, 2012. we're following a developing story out of capitol hill where congress has reached a tentative deal to extend the payroll tax cut through the end of the year. lawmakers are expected to reveal details today. they could send the measure to president obama as early as this week. the ta

. >> and this comes to us from wvla nbc 33 news in baton rouge, louisiana, where one happy couple was honored after having married when herbert hoover was in the white house. norman and norm ma burma tied the knott 81 years ago. they are the state's longest couple. they are the guest of their governor for valentine's day. still love each other. norman is 101 years old. his bride is 98. they have 13 great grandchildren. the secret? mr. burma says the key to happy marriage is simple, listen to your wife. very wise man. i'm lynn berry. this is "early today" just your first stop today on your nbc station. >> live, local, late-breaking, this is wbal-tv 11 news today. >> good morning. we're off to a quiet start on this wednesday. no rain expected to start today. 39 at the airport. the 38 insurers sold. becoming mostly sunny. you'll see some clouds early -- will come back and check the forecast going into presidents' day weekend. >> 41 degrees on tv hill. the george huguely murder trial has brought to light the dangers of domestic violence. >> waterfloods a gas main in southwest baltimore an

. >>> and this comes to us from wvla nbc 33 news in baton rouge, louisiana, where one happy couple wasored after having married when herbert hoover was in the white house. norman and norma burma tied the knot 81 years ago. in 1931. they are the state's longest married couple. they are the guest of their governor for valentine's day. norman is 101 years old. his bride is 98. they have 13 great grandchildren. the key to a happy marriage is listening to your wife. i'm lynn berry. this is "early today," just your first stop today on your nbc station. >>> spa day sound nice? how about a spa marathon? the third annual sauna marathon took place as teams of four spa hopped in bathrobes and bikinis. the goal was to hit 15 spas that scanned over 60 miles and stay in each treatment for 3 minutes. sounds tough. check-in points ranged from traditional spas to steam baths and historic smoke saunas. >>> are all of those valentine's day sweets running up your calorie count? a farmer has cornered the produce department with mini heart-shaped cucumbers. the green gourds take shape in four days as the co

i remember sitting in the state operations center in that larouche and seeing the firemen -- in baton rouge and seeing the firemen tried to make the decisions, absolutely exhausted. i am not a first responder, but as you do training and preparation for this organization or any of your conferences, really think about the p.t.s.d. issues that the department heads will be going through at these times. the other thing i wanted to tell you is the children. they were just fabulous. if we went into -- we went into a tent shaped like a hut. they were being well taken care of and there were so happy to see us, kind of a novelty to them. i ask them if they were happier here or if they would rather be in school. i got a resounding they would rather be here. they were being taken care of. when the big one hits in san for cisco, i think that we will probably show the same care for our children. that was very heartwarming. there were a lot of vignettes that were in cadbury -- the were incredibly heartwarming. i'm glad to do as much follow up as we possibly can. >> are there any questions for the -- from

train crossing in baton rouge, louisiana. the gates are down. there is a car on the tracks.w close this train gets to the car. >> within like two feet of smashing this car on the tracks. >> he stayed in the car. >> what is going on? >> that's the funny thing. we talked to the person who shot this video. they said, the guy never made any attempt to get out of the way of this train. >> you guys look close, watch the driver. he puts his hand out the window, like, stop. >> he's obviously superman. he obviously stopped it. why he wasn't worried why he parked on the tracks in the first place. >> a conductor gets out of his cab, comes down the stairs of the locomotive and yells something. drer still doesn't really acknowledge. >> wow. amazing that conductor was paying enough attention that far back because it's nighttime and this car looks like it's black. how did the conductor even notice to start stopping. >> i imagine the conductor in there like yanking on the brake, you know. >> now at times today there was talk that this next video might actually be number one. but when the sm

every night where the ministers were beaten trying to get people to vote down in new orleans and baton rouge. when i came down here, the same thing was going on. we went to san francisco state university to get my credentials and my master's degree. we had to close the school down to get to ethnic studies. the police marching on us at san francisco state. after leaving new orleans and coming here, it was still

were beaten trying to get people to vote down in new orleans and baton rouge. when i came down here, the same thing was going on. we went to san francisco state university to get my credentials and my master's degree. we had to close the school down to get to ethnic studies. the police marching on us at san francisco state. after leaving new orleans and coming here, it was still a fight. comparing the schools, yes, i can see the different -- i can see the difference. those parents are there, and they bring in money for those schools, and they have all kinds of book fairs and arts festivals, computer labs, and at hunters point, it is a whole different story. you do not have a computer labs there. we do not have a parent involvement. it is a total difference. >> your perspective on jamal, awaiting the decision on whether he will be executed or spend his life in prison. >> he should be released. [applause] one of my professors actually is working on his case, so i have been following through her visits and conversations, but i think it is the quintessential exampl

alec was killed in a friendly fire incident outside baton rouge. of course, two todd sisters lost their husbands. mary's husband, of course, was murdered while she was holding his hand. if you move to just after the war itself, three of the todd girls die in childbirth. and two todd boys die during the war or immediately after in what i'll call hard living. but what i mean to imply is that this is a family who suffered for their sins. this is a sad family. a train wreck, really. and what i decided is that they are, in a sense, suffering the partly deserved self-inflicted misery of the civil war and its aftermath. all right. you wouldn't want a story of 16 todds today, and so i'm just going to tell you two of their stories. and their impacts on the lincolns. one, who had a negative impact on mary lincoln herself, and the other, a positive impact on abraham lincoln. we'll start with david todd. david todd was born in 1832, even as a kid, he was difficult to control. he grew up wild. at 14, he ran off to fight in the mexican war and never came home, n

the president of the family research council familiar fags tony perkins joins us from baton rouge tonight. congressman bob walker chairman of the board of the gingrich campaign. he is in harrisburg pa. our friend the florida attorney general. counterpart from texas greg abbott joins us from austin. and new jersey congressman chris smith republican from the state. college of mount saint vincent. sally cone is here the author of the new book patriot act judge katherine cryer stark. is it good enough for you the obama compromise? >> it is as slbsolutely good en. you have to go back to the very good catholic justice scalia in 1990 when he ruled in the case that as long as a law is neutral and valid and a broad application even if it requires certain behavior or prevents certain behavior by religious groups it is okay. this goes back to 1879 and the case law is absolutely clear. the president didn't need to make the compromises he did because the law according to the catholic justice pam bondi your rebuttal to judge cry ar's decision he had the conts tugs on his side from the get go and his po

this is from baton rouge which was under a flash flood warning. area dumping as much as 3 inches of rain. it is expected to improve today as well as the rest of the week. >>> swedish man was trapped in his car in the snow for two months. the 45-year-old man was emaciated and too weak to utter more than a few words. >> they thought they came across a car crash and they dug their way to a window and saw movement inside. >> he survived by eating ice chipped from the car. he was trended since the week before christmas when he drove off the main road. > >>> saw the rain in louisiana. nothing like that here. i don't know when we last saw something like that. >> we could use rain. we are cloudy. cool. and get decent rain and with the bay bridge work in mind, we will stay dry. we have a few scattered showers and some may approach the coastline. maybe a few sprinkles expected. picking up a little bit of moisture. just off the coast of bodega bay. and here is a return in novato. maybe a spritz in the skies. and most of us are cooler than we were were yester

. >> in rural louisiana, halfway between new orleans and baton rouge, is the second largest prison in the state, the elayn hunt correctional center. although the facility is relatively new, it opened in 1979, the look is anything but modern. armed officers on horseback, work crews farming the land, and no air conditioning. in the next hour you will meet some of the men doing time including a former nfl player and two aspiring boxers who win the opportunity to compete against a rival prison. >> a mile and a half from the banks of the mississippi river, what appears to be a toll booth is the entrance to the elayn hunt correctional center. this all-male facility houses more than 2100 inmates. >> every monday and tuesday the reception process will start at about 5:30 in the morning. the inmates will come from the various parish prisons and other doc facilities and they will all pool here. >> the men arriving today have been convicted of a wide range of crimes, everything from marijuana possession to murder. >> i'm here for one count of rape, three kidnappings, and aggravated burglary. >>