The Rosenberg Brief

Category: Stories

  • French Quarter Festival Drops Chevron as Title Sponsor

    French Quarter Festival Drops Chevron as Title Sponsor

    By: Joshua Rosenberg. February 20, 2026

    The French Quarter Festival (FQF), an annual music festival held in New Orleans’ French Quarter, has dropped Chevron as its “Title Sponsor,” downgrading it instead to its list of “Star Sponsors.”

    The festival had been under pressure to drop Chevron from its list of sponsors by the group Chevron Out of French Quarter Fest, (Chevron Out) a coalition group. Chevron, according to the group, has been particularly complicit in crimes against Palestine and Palestinians, among other things. 

    FQF made clear that Chevron remains a sponsor of the event.

    “While Chevron will no longer serve as Title Partner, they remain a valued sponsor.” Sydni Raymond, Marketing and Communications Director of French Quarter Festivals, Inc., told The Rosenberg Brief via email on Friday, “This transition marks a once-in-a-generation opportunity to welcome a new Title Partner,” Raymond later said.

    Chevron Out, for its part, saw the move from FQF as a positive step, but emphasized that their work continues.

    “Chevron Out of French Quarter Fest is energized by the removal of Chevron as a title sponsor of the event,” Matt Banks, an organizer with Chevron Out, said. “We envision a French Quarter Fest that represents the culture and ethos of New Orleans, and that cannot happen with Chevron present.”

    Raymond did not respond to a follow-up question asking whether pressure from Chevron Out was part of their decision making.

    “We are working closely with a dedicated committee to guide this next chapter of growth and are engaged in thoughtful conversations with organizations that share our commitment to keeping the festival free, accessible, and rooted in the culture that makes New Orleans unlike anywhere else,” Raymond said.

    FQF debuted in the 1984. For many, it’s an integral part of living in New Orleans. For one thing, it’s free. And many of the musicians who grace the stages are locals. Those two facts separate it from JazzFest, for instance.

    As Raymond put it:

    “French Quarter Festival is a treasured cultural institution that brings together hundreds of thousands of fans each year and supports more than 1,700 local musicians annually.”

    The festival is scheduled to run April 16th – 19th this year.

    Also according to Raymond, Chevron had been a “Title Sponsor,” or the highest possible sponsor, for 13 years.

    That prime position, and the fact that Chevron is a sponsor at all, has angered some in the community, hence the Chevron Out coalition.

    In 2025, Chevron was ordered to pay Plaquemines Parish more than $740 million for its role in land loss, a serious problem in southern Louisiana. Chevron has appealed the ruling and is seeking to change the venue from state court to federal court.

    Also, according to Chevron Out, Chevron doesn’t have a net-zero emission policy and “refuses to align its activities with the temperature goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.”

    Update: This story has been updated with more information.

    Editorial note: Joshua Rosenberg is a member of NOSHIP, which is a coalition member of Chevron Out.

  • Documents show “project status” date of July for ICE detention facility planned for Hammond

    By: Joshua Rosenberg. February 12, 2026.

    Documents obtained by The Rosenberg Brief suggest that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility the federal government is planning to build in Hammond, La. will house up to 9,000 detainees. The documents show a “project status” date of July 1, 2026.

    “Conceptual plans call for the remodel of a detention facility; medical facility; and multi-residential development,” a Construct Connect newsletter reads. “The Hammond facility would house 9,000 detainees and serve as a staging ground for deportation.” Construct Connect is a leading software provider and platform for the commercial construction industry.  The Washington Post previously reported that the Hammond site would house 9,000 detainees. Nola.com previously reported that local officials were left in the dark over the facility, and neither its location nor its start date were known.

    NBC News previously reported that there were  20 potential locations DHS has targeted for the detention centers. DHS may be seeking to house as many as 8,000 detainees at some locations, according to NBC.  For context, the largest federal prison, the Louisiana State Penitentiary, known as Angola, houses some 6,300 inmates. The facility at Port Allen would reportedly house some 500.

    In addition to the detention facility in Hammond, ICE is reportedly planning to construct one in Port Allen, La. as well. 

    Update: This story has been updated with new information. 2/12/26

    Correction: a previous version of this story incorrectly stated the country’s largest prison. That error has been corrected. 2/28/26

  • Proposed DHS detention facility in Port Allen beginning to face community backlash

    By: Joshua Rosenberg. February 11, 2026.

    Residents are in the initial stages of organizing against a proposed Immigration and Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Port Allen, La.— one of 23 such centers that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is building, or attempting to build, across the country, as the federal government seeks to warehouse those individuals it’s detained.

    The location the feds are considering for the Port Allen site would reportedly be the Conns building: 2070 Commercial Dr. in Port Allen, 70767, a former distribution facility. The Courier Newsroom was the first to report on the development. 

    The Louisiana Voice also reported on the development.

    “We don’t need any more detention centers, period — much less a warehouse detention center in Port Allen,” a spokesperson for Southeast Dignity Not Detention (SEDND) Coalition, a group of activists, organizers, immigrants, children of immigrants, and others, told The Rosenberg Brief. “Louisiana already leads the world in incarceration, and these massive facilities only deepen a system rooted in abuse and neglect.”

    Louisiana incarcerates 1,067 per 100,000 people, according to the Prison Policy Initiative, making it the leading carceral state of any independent democratic state on earth.

    When asked for comment, DHS didn’t outright deny the plan.

    “We have no new detention centers to announce at this time in Louisiana,” a DHS spokesperson said. The spokesperson went on to claim the agency is keeping “Americans safe.” Many Americans would disagree with that assessment, not least of whom are U.S. citizens who have been detained, harassed, and/or racially profiled by ICE.

    The question posed by The Rosenberg Brief to DHS was simple:

    “Is ICE considering the address 2070 Commercial Avenue, Port Allen, LA as one of its mega detention centers?” At the time this reporter posed the question, he believed the facility at Port Allen would be designated as a “mega center.” This reporter also got the address somewhat wrong: it’s “drive,” not “avenue.”

    NBC News previously reported that there were  20 potential locations DHS has targeted for the detention centers. DHS may be seeking to house as many as 8,000 detainees at some locations, according to NBC.  A facility reportedly planned for Hammond, La., would house 9,000. For context, the largest federal prison holds a few more than 4,000 inmates. The facility at Port Allen would reportedly house as many as 500 detainees.

    The detention center in Port Allen lies within the district of Rep. Cleo Fields, D-La. His office provided a comment after this story was published.

    “This week, I was notified of a report about a potential ICE detention center being built in Port Allen, Louisiana,” Fields said. “While I have not received any official details from the Department of Homeland Security on the matter, I strongly oppose any such facility being established within District 6 and have been in contact with DHS for more information.”

    The offices of Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and John Kennedy, R-La. did not respond to a request for comment.

    A report by the American Immigration Council, published last month, details the unprecedented, explosive growth in detention expansion during Trump’s second term.

    “Surges of federal law enforcement officers taken from agencies as varied as the FBI and the IRS have fanned out across the nation to carry out ‘at-large’ arrests in American communities, which increased by 600 percent in Trump’s first nine months in office,” the report said.

    “The result of these changes in arrest practice has been a 2,450 percent increase in the number of people with no criminal record held in ICE detention on any given day,” the report later said. 

    Opposition to the detention centers has crossed party lines. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., for example, opposed the construction of a detention facility in Mississippi. 

    Detention and imprisonment shouldn’t be Louisiana’s reflexive response in the current climate, the spokesperson for SEDND said. 

    “No human being should be locked up for migrating,” the SEDND spokesperson said. “Surely our state can imagine an economy that doesn’t depend on prisons and detention centers.”

    Update: This story has been updated to include Rep. Fields’ comment and to include additional details.

  • The Silence that protects Walter Isaacson

    The Silence that protects Walter Isaacson

    By Joshua Rosenberg, Frebruary 7th, 2026

    Since The Rosenberg Brief was the first outlet to report on Walter Isaacson’s being named in the Epstein Files, there’s been radio silence: both from the local and national media and from the institutions to which he belongs. The Tulane Hullabaloo did run a story about someone being mentioned in the Epstein Files, but it wasn’t Isaacson. And the comment section wasn’t having it. 

    “I am pleasantly surprised that the Hullabaloo finally decided to cover this,” one commenter wrote, “However, you still haven’t said a word about Walter Isaacson (current Tulane professor) or Benjamin P. Sachs (former dean of Tulane School of Medicine), who are mentioned frequently in the Epstein files. If ‘the eyes and ears of the Tulane community’ take investigative journalism seriously, then surely we can expect a full report on Isaacson and Sachs in the near future. If you aren’t planning to cover their abundant presence in the files, then we ought to consider why this would be. The Hullabaloo already has a reputation for omitting uncomfortable truths in order to protect Tulane’s public image. Surely your editors recognize the importance of reporting on Walter Isaacson and Benjamin Sachs, even if the facts might be uncomfortable.”

    “Are you not gonna report on Walter Isaacson being mentioned in the files?” another commenter asked. “Or does he get a pass because he’s well known and brings in a lot of money for the University[?]”

    It may be worth wondering why there’s been a total blackout about Isaacson’s presence in the Epstein files. Tulane still has not responded to requests for comment from this reporter about whether Isaacson’s presence in the files will impact his employment or his association with the university’s Book Festival, which will take place March 12th through 15th of this year. Meanwhile, no other media outlet has picked up the story,

    Is it Isaacson’s prominent status as a professor that protects him? Is it the fact that he’s an alumnus of the Times Picayune, the city’s paper of record? The fact that he sits on the Board of Advisers of Verite, a local nonprofit newsroom? His close association with Tulane’s  Book Festival? His connection to CNN and Time Magazine? His connection to Teach For America (of which this reporter is an alumnus) His work with the show Amanpour & Company? His previous association with the Aspen Institute? Is he simply too “big” to fail?

    Maybe it’s some combination of the above. I suppose we may find out in March if/when Isaacson makes an appearance at the Book Festival. But whatever the case, the silence surrounding Walter Isaacson is currently deafening. 

  • Louisiana State Police cost records “fully exempt” from public disclosure, gov’t maintains

    Louisiana State Police cost records “fully exempt” from public disclosure, gov’t maintains

    By Joshua Rosenberg, February 6, 2026

    Travel cost records for the Louisiana State Police unit, who are assigned to protect the governor, are “fully exempt” from public disclosure, even as Governor Jeff Landry jet sets around the country and beyond. The Louisiana State Police Protective Services Section is specifically charged with protecting the governor and his family

    The “per diem and subsistence costs” travel records that Louisiana State Police (LSP) must maintain when the governor or his family are “away from Baton Rouge” are “fully exempt from disclosure, as releasing them would constitute the disclosure of security procedures, physical security information, operational plans, and internal security information,” Jason Gregory Hessick, Assistant Secretary of Public Safety Services wrote in a letter dated August 28, 2025.

    “Revealing the costs of meals, hotels, and salaries through the required ‘backup documentation,’ would naturally reveal the patterns and practices regarding the number of personnel accompanying the governor when he travels to certain locations, is at home, or is at the Capitol,” Hessick wrote. “In addition, substituting this information by providing an expense breakdown would amount to the same disclosure of internal security information. Releasing such information about the governor’s security personnel and operations would therefore be contrary to state law.”

    “The Louisiana State Police maintain that these records are fully exempt from disclosure…” Hessick wrote.

    Landry has been no stranger to travel since he assumed office in January 2024. He’s appeared multiple times on Fox News, which tapes in New York and Washington, D.C.. He’s also been named  “Special Envoy” to Greenland by President Donald Trump. Landry has already travelled to DC to discuss that appointment.  Landry says he still plans to travel to Greenland, a territory Trump has talked about taking over, despite being uninvited from a dog sled race.

    It’s unclear exactly how long this policy has existed. Landry was previously fined $900 and admitted to $13k in undisclosed complimentary trips. 

    Landry is also reportedly flying around in a $5.5 million jet that the LSP purchased. 

    According to Lt. Colonel Robert Burns II, Deputy Superintendent – Chief Administrative Officer Department of Public Safety, Public Safety Services, travel expenses were $133,752.09 and miscellaneous were $343,529.58 for Fiscal Year 2-25. Public records obtained before the decision to not disclose records show a figure close to $310,000 for LSP travel expenses. 

    The LSP did not respond to a series of questions, nor did the governor’s office.

    Among other things, The Rosenberg Brief asked if this same policy applied to other officials.

  • Walter Isaacson: Professor, Journalist, and Member of Jeffrey Epstein’s Social Circle

    Walter Isaacson: Professor, Journalist, and Member of Jeffrey Epstein’s Social Circle

    By: Joshua Rosenberg, February 4th, 2026

    Photo downloaded from Tulane’s website.

    NEW ORLEANS — Walter Isaacson is known for many things: being a professor at Tulane University, his association with the university’s Book Festival, his authoring of many books, and his interviews on the Amanpour & Company folks. 

    Unknown until recently , however — and perhaps just as career-defining — is the fact that Isaacson was part of Jeffrey Epstein’s social circle. Epstein was the predator and child sex trafficker who died in prison in 2019. Epstein was first sentenced in June 2008 after pleading guilty to soliciting sex from girls as young as 14.

    Newly leaked emails, compiled by the Department of Justice, show a certain coziness, or at least familiarity, Isaacson had with Epstein and other members of his social circle, even after Epstein’s original arrest. Exhibit A is how often Isaacson was shortlisted for invitations at Epstein-related events and gatherings, including at Epstein’s own residence, which was on New York City’s Upper East Side, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the world. 

    “Jeffrey Epstein is having Ehud Barak, the Israeli Defense Minister, over to his house on Tues night the 21st, [2010]” one such communication read. “[V]ery private , no agenda. He thought you might like to join in, IF [sic] you want to speak directly to Jeffrey I can have him call you, if you give me a time.” It appears Isaacson was busy that evening.

    Exhibit B includes how Isaacson’s own work itself became entangled in the Epstein social network. 

    “I just wanted to check in on Sean’s updated travel schedule. and plans for 1) meeting with me, 2) dinner or drinks or coffee with Jeffrey tomorrow, and 3) dinner following Isaacson event,” Ian Osborne, a British “fixer” who apparently made connections for Epstein said in an email. It’s unclear what the “Isaacson event” is that he’s referring to.

    Separately, on December 2, 2014, Lisa New emailed Epstein a$500,000 proposal that would fund a supposed educational undertaking. Isaacson is mentioned as a potential contributor to the project. It’s unclear if New was soliciting the 500k directly from Epstein.

    “500,000 would fund this initiative as the second HGSE (perhaps Harvard Graduate School Of Education) course (after Poetry of the City) and could begin immediately, Jan 1.. I’d be thrilled to include other scientists you name, perhaps taping the group in a session on metaphor at the edges of fields,” New wrote. 

    “I note that taped sessions already include economics, marine biology, astronomy, evolutionary biology, physics and computer science. Richard Dawkins, Walter Isaacson, David Mossberg and David Malan have all said yes to tapings,” the note said. 

    Exhibit C is the social milieu in which Isaacson found himself at times with unexpected characters, at least to this reporter’s judgement.

    Take for instance a list of people invited to British aristocrat William Astor’s dinner.

    Among those invited to the soiree were Martin Bashir, Christiane Amanpour, Katie Couric and Christopher Cuomo: all people who have claimed at one time or another to be journalists. It appears Epstein’s assistant sent Epstein a copy of the attendee list. One is left to wonder what the topic(s) of conversation were.

    Neither Tulane nor Isaacson responded to a request for comment.

  • Prominent Tulane Professor Associated with popular Book Festival mentioned in “Epstein Files”

    Prominent Tulane Professor Associated with popular Book Festival mentioned in “Epstein Files”

    Photo pulled from Wikimedia

    By: Joshua Rosenberg, February 2nd, 2026

    NEW ORLEANS — Walter Isaacson, the Leonard Lauder Professor of American History and Values at Tulane University, was mentioned in the so-called Epstein Files, among other things, as having been invited to a party at which Jeffrey Epstein, the notorious child sex-trafficker, was seemingly present.

    According to the Department of Justice’s database, Isaacson was invited to a small dinner party at Epstein’s home in 2013. Epstein was convicted in June 2008 on state (Florida) charges of procuring a child for prostitution and for soliciting prostitution.

    “Hello Mr. Isaacson,” the email reads “Jeffrey Epstein is hosting a small dinner party on Thursday, April 4th at his home in NY…Peter Mandelson and Ehud Barak are among the guests. He is asking if you might be available to join the dinner. Please let me know at your earliest convenience.” Isaacson appeared to decline that particular invitation.

    Ehud Barak is a former prime minister of Israel. The query “Walter Isaacson” shows 43 entries in the DOJ file database, some of which appear to be duplicates. Barak’s name appears 3,985 times in the Epstein Files. Mandelson is a prominent British politician, nicknamed “The Prince of Darkness.” His name appears 5,611 times in the Epstein Files.

    One email appears to show Isaacson’s presence on an airplane communicated to someone with the email address: jeevacation@gmail.com for some reason. That email address has been confirmed by the U.S. House Oversight Committee as belonging to Epstein.

    “Spoke to Walter Isaacson’s assistant, Pat. Walter will be on a plane to Chicago Tues. night at 7:05 for a board meeting,” a certain Lesley Groff wrote to “jeevacation@gmail.com.” Groff apparently was an assistant to Epstein.

    In a separate email, someone says “NEED TO hear from Walter Isaacson,” and others re April 4th (2013) dinner.

    Isaacson was previously accused by a student of assault. Isaacson also wrote a biography of Elon Musk. Musk was also named in the Epstein Files.

    Neither Tulane University nor Isaacson responded to detailed questions in time for this article’s publication.

    Isaascson is closely associated with Tulane’s popular Book Festival. Isaacson also has a role with Amanpour & Company, a news program, as an interviewer. The Rosenberg Brief asked Amanpour & Company if they had a comment for this story on Twitter/X after it was published.

    Isaacson also sits on the Board of Advisers for Verite News, a nonprofit newsroom based in New Orleans.

    The Rosenberg Brief asked Tulane University if Isaascon’s employment and/or association with the Book Fest may be affected by this revelation. The Tulane Book Festival is set to run from March 12th-15th this year.

    In a separate email, Lesley Groff states that Isaacson, among others, have been contacted for a “Barak party” in September 2010.

    “The only people who have been contacted are below,” she said. “I will not contact anyone else until I am told.”

    Among those contacted were Tom Barack, the ambassador to Turkey and the private equity real estate investor, a certain “Arthur Saltzburger” which could be a misspelling of Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, the former chairman of the board of the New York Times, Charlie Rose and Larry Summers.

    Update: This report has been updated with additional information, 2/8

  • Notoriously under-staffed New Orleans Police Department assigned 84 officers to protect a pro-Israel group last month.

    Notoriously under-staffed New Orleans Police Department assigned 84 officers to protect a pro-Israel group last month.

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    By: Joshua Rosenberg, January 30th, 2026

    The so-called North American Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism, hosted by Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) received heavy police protection as the group, led by then-Mayor LaToya Cantrell, conducted a second line through parts of the city that terminated at Gallier Hall. Afterwards, officers on motorcycles and on horseback, among others held guard. Eric Adams, then-Mayor of New York City, was also in attendance. On the same night, the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), which is understaffed — and as of 2024 — has only 800-900 officers on duty, responded to a double homicide in New Orleans East. The number of officers that the NOPD needs to optimally operate may vary, but the figure often cited is 1,600.

    CAM has been accused by its critics of blurring the line between legitimate criticism of Israel and Israeli policy and antisemitism.

    In a recent post, the group wrote, “The cultural appropriation of Jewish symbols and Jewish trauma is a deadly part of a broader campaign to use Jewish icons to advance an agenda that denies Jewish peoplehood,” the group wrote on their website. The Star of David is a central component of Israel’s official flag.

    The group’s agenda from December included the following:

    “Topics will include law enforcement collaboration, radicalization prevention, digital media, education initiatives, and tools for measuring local progress using CAM’s Municipal Antisemitism Action Index.”

    The group’s critics, though, were out in force. Protesters met the second line as it approached Gallier Hall and were staged outside the building throughout the evening.

    “Palestinian Youth Movement New Orleans (PYM Nola) condemns the city’s decision to host a conference by CAM–an organization whose sole goal is to silence critics of Israel by labeling any and all criticism as ‘antisemitic,’” Hakm Murad from PYM Nola told The Rosenberg Brief. “In a city with roughly 20,000 Palestinian community members, the decision to endorse such an extreme group spoke volumes. We are still mourning our beloved Tawfic Abdel-Jabbar, a Palestinian New Orleans born-and-raised teen who was murdered by Israeli settlers two years ago. The city has remained silent in the face of zero criminal investigations being brought to seek justice for one of its own. Instead, Latoya Cantrell rolled out the red carpet for CAM, an organization designed to suppress us, surveil us, and frame our grief as incitement and our resistance as terrorism. This is not fighting antisemitism. This is anti-Palestinian racism dressed in the language of Zionism. And it is morally bankrupt.”

    CAM hosted some 200 mayors from around the country on Tuesday, December 2. There were 84 officers assigned to protect CAM’s second line. An unspecified number continued to guard Gallier Hall after the second line concluded. 

    The city is also facing a budgetary crisis to the tune of at least $160 million. There are currently talks of furloughs for City Council employees.

    The protestors, which included New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP), Jewish Voice for Peace, and Palestinian Youth Movement, were protesting the fact that mayors from across the country were receiving “training” on how to combat antisemitism, which to their view, often means silencing pro-Palestine voices and activism.

    “As entirely peaceful protesters, NOSHIP members were met at Gallier Hall with a sea of blue; streets were blocked off, police were stationed at every corner, bomb sniffing dogs were run through the area, and a half dozen NOPD were stationed on horseback – all for a mere fifteen or so pro-Palestine demonstrators across the street,” a spokesperson for NOSHIP told The Rosenberg Brief.

    “We were met by overwhelming force, and it was only made worse by the NOPD’s lack of communication, threats of arrest for peaceful assembly outside of the building, and inability to control their own mounted patrols,” the spokesperson continued. “When the Zionist second-line, led by former Mayor Cantrell, gleefully paraded in our faces, a Georgia mayor assaulted one of our own. The NOPD chastised us for defending her. Even after filing a complaint with the department they refused to take any action against the official. It is clear what the City of New Orleans defended that night: genocide, hate, and intolerance.”

    CAM did not provide a responsive answer in time for publication. Mayor Helena Moreno, in office since mid-January, did not respond to a request for comment. The Rosenberg Brief asked specifically if Moreno would agree to not host CAM in the future.

    Israel has committed genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to a report released in September 2025 by United Nations Commission.

    Editorial note: Joshua Rosenberg is a member of NOSHIP and was present at the protest.

    Update: CAM provided a boilerplate “we received your request for comment” response. The story has been updated to acknowledge it.

    Update: This story has been updated with more information, 1/31 and 2/1

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