Talk Louisiana

Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore and businessman Kenny Nguyen detail Viral Positivity to salute health care workers during the Coronavirus pandemic. Moore also addresses arrests of rioters in the week since the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis Policeman Derek Chauvin. Documentary filmmaker Cindy Hurst examines the tragic history of race in America.

Southern Political Science Department Chair Albert Samuels and LSU Shreveport Political Science Professor Jeff Sadow discuss the tense situation in Minneapolis following the killing of George Floyd by MPD Officer Derek Chauvin. WAFB reporter Matt Houston and WRKF Capitol Access reporter Paul Braun discuss the last days of the 2020 Regular Session.

Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell reflects on various Louisiana political luminaries and the legislator to lobbyist pipeline. Mark Ballard updates listeners on the state of various controversial bills in the 2020 regular session.

Melissa Flournoy and Darrell Glasper debate Joe Biden’s recent controversy and the state of the 2020 race. New York Times reporter Nikita Stewart on her book about Troop 6000.

President of Our Lady of the Lake Trey Dunbar and General Skip Phillips detail this year’s charity raffle to raise money for Children’s. Former Congressman and head of Pharma Billy Tauzin informs the audience about how vaccines and treatments are being developed to fight COVID-19.

Richard White, Dean of the LSU Business School, looks at his retirement on July 1 amid a pandemic and reflects on the legacies of Huey Long and Will Rogers, celebrated Americans who died 26 days apart in 1935. Long penned acclaimed biographies about Long and Rogers. Baton Rouge singer and musician Rusty Yates laments more than two months without live music. Tea Hacic, author of “Life of the Party,...

Bayou Brief Publisher Lamar White discusses tort reform efforts and his research into famed mob boss Carlos Marcello. Preserve Louisiana Executive Director Fairleigh Jackson on continuing efforts to save historic buildings.

Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon discusses tort reform efforts. The Advocate’s Mark Ballard talks through the end of the regular session.

Republican political consultant Scott Wilfong and Democratic political consultant Mary-Patricia Wray take the hour to debate the state of the Presidential race, allegations against Joe Biden, vote by mail, and more.

Boo Milton talks of how the Obama Foundation's MBK Alliance is assisting local communities during the pandemic. Adam Knapp, President of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, reviews the business reaction to Phase One of the return to commerce amid Covid-19. Mike Bertaut, health care economist for Blue Cross, looks at the impact of coronavirus on insurance, health care and national politics.

Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haas discusses America’s place in the post-COVID world. General Russel Honore gives his thoughts on the 2020 Legislative Session.

Jason DeCuir, chair of the Louisiana Economic Recovery Task Force, surveys the landscape at the start of Phase One for businesses reopening after two months under a stay at home order. Journalist Celia Farber recalls her father, radio talk legend Barry Farber, who died last week one day after his 90th birthday. Best-selling crime writer Scott Turow looks back on his career of more than three decad...

Linda Lee, Vice President of the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at Our Lady of the Lake Medical Center, details the process of treating patients amid a pandemic. Gene Sperling, economic adviser to President Clinton and President Obama, calls for economic dignity during hard times. Mark Ballard of The Advocate looks at friction at the Capitol on a variety of fronts as a debate on insurance reform...

Former US AG Matthew Whitaker on his experiences working in the Trump White House, and his new book. Historian Tim McGrath on his biography of President James Monroe. Washington Post Columnist David Ignatius discusses his new work of fiction about the CIA.

Maya Cummings, widow of Congressman Elijah Cummings of Baltimore, remembers her husband and his conflict with President Trump. Lucas Spielfogel, executive director of the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition, talks about his organization’s involvement in the community as The Covid-19 stay at home order is relaxed effective May 15. Writer Chester Johnson recaps a race massacre in Elaine, Arkansas a century...

Brad Meltzer discusses his latest book on the first assassination attempt on President Lincoln. Economist Dr. Loren Scott predicts the national economy will bounce back strong by fall. Dr. Saul Weiner talks about his journey into medicine.

Hall of Fame songwriter and singer Don McLean discusses his career and the inspiration behind “American Pie”. Mike Manning of the Baton Rouge Food Bank on the incredible increase in demand for food bank services. UL System President Jim Henderson details their plan to reduce costs for adults who got college but never finished their degree.

Investar Bank President John D’Angelo recounts how he founded the institution and where banking will go post COVID-19. Advocate Bureau Chief Mark Ballard on the partisan wrangling over the stay at home order.

Alka Joshi discusses arranged marriages and her book The Henna Artist . One of Louisiana’s most prolific politicos, Jim Brown, calls in on his 80 th birthday. Conservative commentator Jerome Corsi evaluates the performance of Dr. Anthony Fauci. Eric Borsuk details the art heist that landed him in jail and his recounting of it in American Animals .

Baton Rouge Area Chamber President Adam Knapp on the state of business in Baton Rouge. Financial Advisor Ameen Walker on small business loans and unemployment payments. WRKF Station Manager Paul Maassen asks listeners to donate for Giving Tuesday.

Renowned Louisiana Attorney Lewis Unglesby discusses the difficulty of reopening courts in the middle of a pandemic. Deborah Wiles on her book “Kent State”.

Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Giles recalls the Kent State massacre 50 years ago and how his newspaper in Akron first reported the deaths of four students. Peter Kovacs, the editor of The Advocate, reflects on seven years of new ownership of Louisiana’s newspaper of record and how journalism has been affected by Covid-19. Katherine Landdeck salutes female aviators from WWII and previews an appearan...

Veteran journalist Michael Hainey, deputy editor of Air Mail, remembers his father, Bob, a prominent Chicago newspaperman who died mysteriously 50 years ago. Hainey is the author of “After Visiting Friends." Mark Ballard of The Advocate, details the clash between Gov. Edwards and President Trump over the stay at home order continuation until May 15.

Pastor and former state representative Raymond Jetson looks at the impact of Covid-19 on Baton Rouge and comments on shooting deaths of a BRPD officer and a former cop on Sunday. Raisin’ Canes founder Todd Graves talks about efforts to keep the restaurant industry afloat during the coronavirus pandemic. Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Pettit of LSU remembers his mentor, strength coach Alvin Roy, whos...

EBR DA Hillar Moore on the recent outbreak of violence in Baton Rouge. Former WAFB star anchor George Sells on the future of TV journalism after coronavirus.