AOC Tears Into Higgins After Committee Meeting Shouting Match

During a House Oversight Committee hearing on the oil and gas industry, Rep. Clay Higgins got into an argument with Raya Salter, a clean energy advocate who accused Higgins and Louisiana of being "owned" by the oil and gas industry.

During Salter's testimony, Higgins asked her what would happen to all non-energy products that are petroleum-based if we got rid of the oil and gas industry. The discussion rapidly turned into a shouting match.

Higgins closed by saying that "the Lord gave us dominion over the planet," and that "from a biblical perspective, I am an environmentalist."

Salter countered that "The fossil fuel industry that owns your state is destroying the earth and the natural world."

After the fiery back-and-forth, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who also sits on the committee, launched into Higgins over his behavior, saying "Men who treat women like that in public, I fear how they treat them in private."

Higgins is up for re-election in this November.

The south Louisiana representative has long been an advocate for the oil and gas industry, which is one of the dominant industries in his district. In February of last year, he asked the Biden administration to rescind executive orders regarding the oil industry.

Fighting Fentanyl: Huge Arrests Made Across Acadiana in 2022

The fight against fentanyl is a daunting one as the highly potent drug continues to take lives every day across the country. From Lafayette to the surrounding areas, law enforcement agencies have their hands full as they fight to get fentanly off their respective streets.

The awareness for the fatal causes of fentanyl are there as people across the Acadiana area (and the state) are not only mourning the death of loved ones lost to the substance but are holding memorials and recently worked with legislators to pass "Millie's Law," which increases criminal penalties for those who sale and distribute fentanyl.

Fentanyl has become a leading drug in an epidemic that takes over 100,000 lives each year, according to the CDC. The drug is often added to heroin without it being disclosed to the person buying the drug. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency outlines how dangerous fentanyl has become:

"Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 80-100 times stronger than morphine. Pharmaceutical fentanyl was developed for pain management treatment of cancer patients, applied in a patch on the skin. Because of its powerful opioid properties, Fentanyl is also diverted for abuse. Fentanyl is added to heroin to increase its potency, or be disguised as highly potent heroin. Many users believe that they are purchasing heroin and actually don’t know that they are purchasing fentanyl – which often results in overdose deaths. Clandestinely-produced fentanyl is primarily manufactured in Mexico."

Let's take a look back at headline-catching cases involving fentanyl in 2022.