Talk Louisiana

Author Mike Lupica on his new book “Robert B. Parker’s Blood Feud”. Lawyer Darrel Papillion on the Mueller investigation. LSU Jazz Ensemble leader Brian Shaw on Cool Winter Nights. 

Political Consultant Michael Beychok comments on Saturday’s vote on a half-cent sales tax for roads in East Baton Rouge Parish. Louisiana AFL-CIO Chief Louis Reine assesses another push to raise Louisiana’s minimum wage in light of Arkansas raising its rate to eleven dollars per hour. Louisiana is one of a handful of states remaining at the federal level of seven dollars 25 cents per hour. Actor J...

Mark Ballard, Capitol Bureau Chief of The Advocate, comments on the surprise decision from U.S. Senator John Kennedy to stay out of the 2019 governor’s race. Lamar White, Publisher of the Bayou Brief, assesses the potential field of candidates to challenge Gov. John Bel Edwards and assesses the future prospects of Senator Kennedy. Molly Buchmann, Executive Director of the Baton Rouge Ballet Theatr...

Former Congressman Henson Moore of Baton Rouge, who served as deputy chief of staff for President George H.W. Bush, reflects on the life of the 41 st president as America pays tribute Bush, who died last week at 94. Funeral services are being held today at the National Cathedral for Bush. Former Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards comments on his former Congressional colleague. Edwards represented so...

Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome and former president of the Shaw Group Jim Bernhard assesses the half-cent sales tax proposed for local transportation projects. The measure is on the ballot this Saturday in East Baton Rouge Parish. Reformed drug addicts Nicholas Bush talks about his book; “One by One, A Memoir of Love and Loss in the Shadows of Opioid America.”

Bike Baton Rouge founder Mark Martin assesses safety for cyclists in the Baton Rouge area. The topic has gained more attention since the death of EBR Councilman Buddy Amoroso earlier this year on road in West Feliciana Parish. Hospice Baton Rouge CEO Katharine Schendel and Denise Domingue, director of Camp Conquer, will talk about recent developments for the nonprofit which assists people in the l...

John Barry, author of “Rising Tide, the epic story of the 1927 flood that changed Louisiana and America, tells how he became one of the nation’s foremost authorities on influenza and recalls the night of Dec. 1, 1973 when Tulane ended LSU’s 25-year reign in one of college football’s most storied rivalries of the 20 th Century. Barry was an assistant coach with the Greenies 45 years ago. EBR Distri...

Mark Ballard, Advocate Capitol Bureau Chief, comments on a week in which a new battle over the state budget started. Dan Moldea, veteran investigative reporter in Washington D.C., updates what is happening with the Mueller probe of President Trump and a bipartisan call from lawmakers to take action against Saudi Arabia.

Hall of Fame Political Consultant Raymond Strother assesses the victory by Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith over Democrat Mike Espy in yesterday’s U.S. Senate election in Mississippi. KATC-Lafayette Reporter Josh Meny updates the continuing legal dispute over the Bayou Bridge pipeline.

Attorney Lewis Unglesby, an avid hunter, discusses the proliferation of gun violence in American and we update today’s U.S. Senate election in Mississippi.

LSU Economist and Director of the Public Administration Institute James A. Richardson on budget solutions for the state. Richardson has served as the State Revenue Conference economist since 1987. USA Today Network LSU writer Glenn Guilbeau and former LSU offensive stalwart Roman Starns on the Tigers 74-72 seven overtime loss at Texas A&M. LSU team chiropractor Jonathan Hymel on advances in sp...

Louisiana GOP Executive Committee member Vincent Bruno and Democratic blogger, Professor Dayne Sherman of Southeastern Louisiana University, offer their views on next year’s governor’s race and the state of the Trump presidency. LSU Sport Management Professor Chad Seifried on the history of Tiger Stadium, which first opened in 1924.

Author, actor and JFK assassination authority Joseph McBride on the 55 th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy and the recently released film, “The Other Side of the Wind,” which stars Orson Welles 33 years after his death. Actor Thom Bierdz on his career as a soap star as a gay man. His autobiography is “Young Gay and Restless.”

Alan Graham, CEO of Mobile Loaves and Fishes, details his ministry that provides food and clothing to homeless people. Former Congressional candidate Justin Dewitt talks about losing a race for the U.S. House this month, then losing his job. Advocate Capitol Bureau Chief Mark Ballard assesses the political climate in Louisiana ten and one half months ahead of an election for governor.

Advocate Columnist Smiley Anders celebrates his 81 st birthday with us and reflects on his 45 year career at the newspaper. Congressman Mike Johnson, R-Shreveport, talks about the change of leadership in the U.S. House and his rising status in the GOP Caucus.

Kimberly Eckert, Louisiana Teacher of the Year, on her career at Brusly High School and conditions for educators in the state. Education analyst and author Joe Feldman on problems with grading children in American schools. Attorney Preston Castille on his role as chairman of the Board for New Schools for Baton Rouge and challenges with minority youth and education.

LSU Shreveport Political Scientist Jeff Sadow and former state lawmaker Melissa Flournoy, President of Louisiana Progress, exchange views on the state and national political scene with Sen. John Kennedy possibly ramping up for a challenge to Gov.  John Bel Edwards and President Trump absorbing substantial losses in the midterm elections. Bayou Brief Publisher Lamar White on why the Mississippi U.S...

Lawrence O'Donnell, host of The Last Word on MSNBC, discusses his book "Playing with Fire: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics", and compares the crises of 68' to 2018.  The Advocate’s Mark Ballard on AG Jeff Landry’s decision to run for re-election. Louisiana Division of Administration Office of Community Executive Director Pat Forbes on his cross-state trip to talk to L...

Former WAFB anchorman George Sells, who graced the small screen from 1988 to 2012 as the top rated newsman in Baton Rouge, reflects on the Trump administration banning CNN’s Jim Acosta from news conferences and how the media have reacted to the action by the White House. Best-selling author Ellen Hopkins on her latest work, “People Kill People.” Hopkins addresses accessibility to guns in America i...

Blue Cross/Blue Shield Chief Healthcare Economist Mike Bertaut surveys the midterm impact on "Obamacare", and a governor's race that could heavily feature split opinions on the Medicaid expansion. Andrew Roberts discusses the legacy of Winston Churchill, and new biography "Churchill: Walking with Destiny". 

Dr. Michael Roizen, Chief Wellness Officer at the Cleveland Clinic, opines about advances in diet and exercise and his belief that some living Americans could live to be 150 years old. Author Jason Berry comments on his latest work “City of a Million Dreams” about 300 amazing years of New Orleans. Berry will be featured at Saturday’s Louisiana Book Festival. LSU student Lauryn Honore on her involv...

Mark Ballard, Capitol Bureau Chief for The Advocate, comments on the remarkable turnout for a midterm election in Louisiana, the runoff for Secretary of State, and voters embracing six Constitutional changes. Conservative Columnist and Commentator Quin Hillyer weighs the changes brought by the midterm results. What happens with Republicans gaining seats in the U.S. Senate, losing control of the U....

Democratic Political Consultant Trey Ourso and GOP Activist Darrell Glasper assess the midterm elections. Turnout was high nationally, and more than 300,000 votes were cast in yesterday’s Secretary of State election than in the 2015 gubernatorial election.

Jim Nickel, lobbyist and former Louisiana Democratic Party Chairman, looks at the national and local scene on election day. Elbert Guillory, former Louisiana Senator and head of minority outreach for the state GOP, forecasts the midterm elections.

America's Wetland Foundation President Val Marmillion assesses costal challenges threatening Louisiana and previews a major summit on Wednesday at LSU featuring leaders from politics, industry, and the environment. Manship School Professor Bob Mann surveys the midterm elections and remembers his former boss, Russell Long, who was born 100 years ago this month. Congressional candidate Larry Rader w...