Louisiana Considered

If you’re a regular NPR listener, you know that our organization is under serious threat. The House of Representatives recently approved a request from President Trump to cut funding to the broadcast network. While this could be a major blow to all stations, the smaller ones are most at risk. Oftentimes,  it’s just a small team of people bringing news to an underrepresented region. Or in this case...

It’s Thursday and that means it’s time to catch up on politics with The Times Picayune/New Orleans Advocate’s editorial director and columnist, Stephanie Grace. Today she tells us about State Sen. Royce Duplesis’ decision to join the New Orleans mayoral race, and goes over Gov. Landry’s recent line item vetoes.  Café Reconcile , a modern soul food cafe tucked away in Central City, is a safe space...

More than 40 years after the 1979 Iranian revolutions, relations between the United States and Iran remain frayed. This has largely been due to Iran’s advancing nuclear program. But tensions escalated even further when Israel launched surprise attacks on key nuclear and military facilities in Iran. This prompted the U.S. to get involved, with President Trump ordering strikes on three Iranian nucle...

Its storm season in the Gulf South, and the National Hurricane Center has been tracking tropical disturbances headed towards the coast. Tropical Storm Barry formed over the weekend, and now forecasters are looking at more worrisome weather near Florida. Meteorologist Jennifer Narramore joins us to share an update and discuss how this year’s hurricane season compares to previous ones. The Tony-awar...

It's been three years since the Supreme Court reversed the nearly 50-year-old Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. Since then, Louisiana and other conservative states have enacted strict bans against the procedure. And as a result, other aspects of reproductive health have been caught in the post-Roe wake. Lorena O’Neil covers reproductive health for the Louisiana Illuminator. She spoke w...

It’s Thursday, and The Times Picayune/the Advocate’s editorial director and columnist Stephanie Grace is here to talk politics. Today she discusses why some Republican lawmakers are walking back their initial support for Medicaid cuts, and tells us about a rising democratic star in Louisiana politics. Most Louisianans are familiar with the term “Cancer Alley,” referring to the stretch of land betw...

A new Louisiana law could sentence more 17-year-olds to adult prison terms. But at the same time, some people serving long sentences for crimes they committed as teens are being released. Kat Stromquist of the Gulf States Newsroom reports on the challenges and joys of reentry for these "juvenile lifers."  It’s summertime in Louisiana, and for many that means it’s time for water sports. But for peo...

Louisiana is the only state where students have gotten better at reading since 2019. Officials credit new laws, and now, the final piece is taking effect: holding back third graders who are behind in reading. Education reporter Aubri Juhasz explains how schools are trying to help kids pass the test. Then, she joins WRKF’s Karen Henderson to follow up on the state’s new third-grade reading law.  Fo...

Over the weekend, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders came to Shreveport, the latest stop on his speaking tour, “Fighting Oligarchy: Where We Go From Here.” The senator discussed issues like tax cuts, health care, food insecurity, and Trump’s “big beautiful bill” – in front of a crowd of 1,800 in House Speaker Mike Johnson’s district.  Ahead of his Shreveport rally, Sanders joined us to discuss some of hi...

It’s official, the LSU Tigers Baseball Team is headed to the College World Series Finals. They clinched in an exciting victory over Arkansas on Wednesday, and will now face Coastal Carolina University in Omaha. If they pull out a win, it will be the Tigers second baseball title in three years. Koki Riley covers LSU baseball and football for The Baton Rouge Advocate. He joins us now from Omaha for...

It’s Thursday, and that means The Times-Picayune/The Advocate’s editorial director and columnist Stephanie Grace. Today, she tells us how Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, pushed back on Gov. Jeff Landry’s agenda during the legislative session, despite his record of sticking to party lines.  Climate change is altering the land we live on, and Indigenous communities are on the frontline....

Louisiana’s legislative session wrapped last week with 300 bills now heading to Gov. Jeff Landry’s desk.  He’s expected to sign many of them into law, but he’s already vetoed three.  WWNO and WRKF’s Capitol Access reporter Brooke Thorington, health reporter Rosemary Westwood and education reporter Aubri Juhasz join us to break down the legislation.  Churchill Downs, which owns Fair Grounds race tr...

While House Speaker MikeJohnson has been supporting President Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” its proposed Medicaid cuts could cause many of his constituents to lose coverage. The Gulf States Newsroom’s Drew Hawkins traveled to Shreveport to hear what people are saying.  One of the longest-running Broadway productions, “A Chorus Line,” opens at the Tulane Summer Lyric Theatre this weekend. And...

Louisiana lawmakers  passed more than 200 bills during this year’s regular legislative session. WWNO/WRKF Capitol Access reporter Brooke Thorington joined Louisiana Considered to give us an overview of what lawmakers achieved this session, from approving ivermectin sales without prescriptions to insurance reform. A new lawsuit by the Southern Poverty Law Center and National Housing Law Project all...

Louisiana counts nearly 2,000 foster homes across the state. There are more than 4,000 children in the foster care system. Right away, you can see the math doesn’t work unless every foster family doubles up on the number of children they take — and of course, that’s not feasible or even recommended in lots of cases. This week, we’ll get the perspective of those involved in Louisiana’s foster care...

It’s Thursday and time for our week in politics with the editorial director and columnist for the Times-Picayune/The Advocate, Stephanie Grace. Today, she discusses how rising crime and the recent jailbreak are impacting approval ratings for the city’s law enforcement officers. And she reviews approval ratings for the current mayoral candidates.  Flag football’s upcoming debut at the 2028 LA Olymp...

Cyberattacks on big companies get plenty of attention, but small businesses are hit about four times as often. A New Orleans restaurant owner lost thousands after her Facebook was hacked.  The Gulf States Newsroom’s Stephan Bisaha shares why hackers are targeting small businesses.  There’s been roughly $11 billion in cuts to university research funding since President Trump took office in January....

Protests against President Trump’s immigration policies and deportations are happening across the country. Over the weekend, raids from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers sparked massive protests in Los Angeles. President Trump called in the National Guard, and later, the Marines. There have also been protests in New Orleans, with demonstrators demanding the release of people detained i...

At the end of June, LSU president William Tate IV will step down and become president of Rutgers University in New Jersey. While LSU looks for a new leader, Matt Lee, vice president for agriculture, will serve in the interim.  In addition to his new role, Lee is also the dean of LSU’s college of agriculture and oversees research at the AgCenter. He has also worked as a public health expert, specia...

Last weekend, Dillard University hosted a memorial service to honor the lives of 19 Black New Orleanians, whose skulls were unlawfully taken to Leipzig, Germany in the 1880s. The memorial also drew attention to the history of racist pseudoscience in an effort of repatriation alongside the University of Leipzig. Dr. Eva Baham, retired Dillard University professor and chair of Dillard’s Cultural Rep...

It’s Thursday and that means it’s time to catch up on politics with The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate’s editorial director and columnist, Stephanie Grace. Today we dive into Gov. Landry’s agenda for the current legislative session and the bills he’s hoping to get passed.  Nottoway, a massive plantation mansion in Iberville Parish, recently burned down. The 53,000-square-foot home, located in...

Nearly two dozen violence prevention organizations in Louisiana stand to lose millions in federal funding as a result of recent Department of Justice grant cuts. These organizations include youth programs, substance abuse support, victim advocates, trauma care and more.  Josie Alexander, senior Louisiana strategist at Equal Justice USA tells us how these organizations interface with violence preve...

A bill recently advanced in the state Legislature that would give a $10,000 tax break to property owners who install a fortified roof. This comes after a recent study found that houses with fortified roofs in coastal Alabama were nearly 75% less likely to file insurance claims after hurricanes. This bill moves forward while a different insurance bill, written by state Senator Royce Duplesis, died...

Hurricane season is upon us, and the National Hurricane Center is predicting an above-average season. Preparations are starting, but cuts to both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency might impact hurricane forecasting and response.  The Coastal Desk’s Eva Tesfaye tells us what these changes will mean for hurricane response.  The new novel...

The use of chemical fertilizers has been growing for decades, and despite growing environmental concerns, politicians are adding more protections for these fertilizers than ever. Today on Louisiana Considered, we hear the second part of the latest episode of Sea Change, “The True Cost of Fertilizer.” Investigative reporter Garrett Hazelwood explores the policies in place that will not only protect...