Talk Louisiana

Louisiana Pollster Bernie Pinsonat and Faye Williams, Alexandria native, on the power of President Trump in the state and the reluctance of state officials to criticize the president. Pinsonat is the state’s senior pollster. Williams is head of the National Congress of Urban Women and former Congressional candidate in Louisiana. Former President Obama’s senior adviser Dan Pffeifer on his tenure wo...

Healthcare Economist for BlueCross BlueShield Mike Bertaut talks Obamacare, Association Health Plans, rate decreases, and more on healthcare in Louisiana.

Loyola University Law Professor Andrea Armstrong looks at 25 deaths in the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison in a five year period between 2012 and 2016.   Attorneys Mike Wolf and Bill Grimley comment on the validity of non-disclosure agreements in the White House, the removal of the security clearance for former CIA Director John Brennan and the trial of former Trump Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort....

Louisiana Education Superintendent John White on his evaluation by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the state of education in our state. Mark Ballard, Capitol Bureau Chief for the Advocate, comments on the GOP search for a challenger to Gov. John Bel Edwards. Dr. Karen Dantin (pictured) of Baton Rouge discusses the keys to managing stress.

African-American activists Darrell Glasper and Collis Temple discuss President Trump's statements directed at Black Americans. Glasper and Temple were college basketball stars at Southern and LSU, respectively. Glasper, a Republican, is a former baton Rouge Metro Councilman. Temple, a Democrat, is a prominent businessman and integrated the LSU basketball program in 1970. Ron Fein, Legal Director f...

Mike McClanahan, president of the Louisiana NAACP, on his call for the Baton Rouge Metro Council to include only members from inside the city limits. This was the case prior to 1983. Crime writer Chuck Hustmyre of Baton Rouge on the latest of his seven books becoming a film, “Never Forgive.”   Journalist Becky Aikman tells the backstory of the making of the iconic film, “Thelma and Louise.” The 19...

Danny Heitman, editorial page editor of The Advocate, on writing editorials in the Age of Trump. Also, Danny will discuss America’s favorite novels as part of an LPB forum. LPB President Beth Courtney and LPB producer Kevin Geautreaux will also talk about the discussion panel. Jason Brown of Kean Miller on the intricacies of collecting sales taxes on internet purchases and options available in Lou...

WVLA anchor Jeanne Burns talks about her nearly quarter century ride on the air in Baton Rouge and looks at how the city is evolving. Lamar White of the Bayou Brief opines on the possibility of Mitch Landrieu running for president and  on secret tapes revealing a schism between President Lyndon Johnson and former Louisiana U.S. Senator Russell Long. Veteran actress Nancy Litton of Baton Rouge on h...

Interim Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin comments on why he had a change of heart and decided to seek the office vacated by his former boss, Tom Schedler. Journalist James Loewen discusses his latest work, “Sundown Towns, A Hidden Dimension of American Racism.” Michael Roizen, Chief Wellness Officer at the Cleveland Clinic, dispenses advise on the use of supplements.

Veteran Economist Loren Scott, former chair of the LSU Economics Department, assesses the impact of a trade war on the Louisiana economy. Columbia University Economic Historian Adam Tooze on his book, “Crashed,” detailing the tenth anniversary of the 2008 financial crisis. Alexandria media personality Tony Brown on the documentary,”Sugartown,” the story of a young black man’s suspicious death in p...

Attorney Chris Whittington and Pharmacist Doug Boudreaux, owners of Hope Pharmacy, on the medicinal marijuana business in Louisiana. Former Governor Edwin Edwards celebrates his 91 st birthday with our listeners. Journalist Paul Greenberg, author of “The Omega Principle,” Seafood and the Quest for a Long Life and a Healthier Planet.”

Former U.S. Congressman Bob Livingston comments on his 22-year tenure in the House, including his near miss to become speaker and controversial departure. Livingston, who is now a powerful lobbyist, has written his memoir and analyzes his ill-fated run for governor in 1987 and his associations with Governors Dave Treen and Edwin Edwards as well as Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. Adam Sh...

Rev. Chris Andrews, former pastor of First United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge, assesses the popularity of President Trump with white evangelicals in Louisiana and in the nation. Dr. Rickey Hill, chairman of the political science department at Jackson State University, remembers the slaying of two Southern University students, Denver Smith and Leonard Brown, in 1972. They were involved in a pea...

Cliff Vannoy, President, and CEO of the LSU Alumni Association, on the temperature of LSU graduates amid challenges in funding to higher education and with a month to go before the LSU football Tigers, kick off their season. Advocate Capitol Bureau Chief Mark Ballard on the prospect of Attorney General Jeff Landry running for governor.      

Lobbyist Jim Nickel (pictured), former Louisiana Democratic Party Chairman, on the partisan divide in Baton Rouge and in the Beltway and his insights on state and national politics. Author, attorney and banker Stephen Maitland-Lewis on his lifelong passion for his former pen pal  Louis Armstrong. Maitland-Lewis, who is a Board Trustee of the Louis Armstrong House Museum in New York, is in New Orle...

Law Professor and former Louisiana Democratic Party Communications Director Susan Nelson and LSU Political Scientist Jeff Sadow exchange views on Gov. Edwards and President Trump as they survey the political landscape in Baton Rouge and across the nation.   Celebrated Paleontologist Steve Brusatte offers new history to a lost world in his book: “The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs.”    

Senior Policy Analyst Scott Lincicome on his group Republicans Fighting Tariffs.  Lamar White of The Bayou Brief on Governor John Bel Edwards quest for re-election. Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser offers a plan to return to old-style politics and have candidates for state office run on a ticket. Musician Kenny Bill Stinson, a north Louisiana native, on his career as an artist mixing country mu...

Angus Kennedy, author of “Bitter Sweet,” on his reputation as the world’s leading chocolate taste. Quin Hillyer, conservative columnist and commentator, offers criticism of President Trump for his presidential and personal conduct. Public Service Commission Chairman Eric Skrmetta praises President Trump for his 18-month performance in office and warns utility companies not to disconnect service du...

State Rep. Rick Edmonds of Baton Rouge talks about his campaign for Secretary of State. Michael Sandlin, owner of the Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete, discusses his new tenant, a camel, and the death of Tony the Tiger, who was a feature at his business for nearly 18 years. Louisiana author Rene Uzee (pictured) on his book; “Yellow Jack,” which details the yellow fever epidemic of 1852 in New Orlea...

Former State Senator A.G. Crowe discusses his quest to be elected Secretary of State at age 70. Celebrated Louisiana novelist David Madden on turning 85 tomorrow. Journalist Kate Davies on her book: "Intrinsic Hope.”

Renée Chatelain head of the Arts Council of Baton Rouge discusses the state of the arts in Louisiana. She is to be joined by acclaimed musician Victor Goines of New Orleans. Dr. Robert Newton (pictured) of the Pennington Biomedical Center on a study aiming to see if physical activity related to African American adults can improve brain function and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Historian...

Greg Meriwether, the anchor for WAFB, reflects on his 17 years in Baton Rouge. Investigative Reporter Dan Moldea recaps the death of Vince Foster, aide, and friend to Bill Clinton, who took his life 25 years ago today. Molly Buchman of the Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre on acclaimed instructors joining forces with her group this summer.

Former Louisiana Democratic Executive Director Trey Ourso. Journalist Marc Ambinder reflects on a close call in 1983 as the U.S. and the Soviet Union weighed the prospect of a nuclear exchange. Ambinder’s book is “The Brink.” Advocate Bureau Chief Mark Ballard on qualifying for the Secretary of State election, controversy on the Metro Council and Gov. John Bel Edwards facing Bayou Bridge protestor...

Former Louisiana GOP Chairman Roger Villere on state and national politics with next year’s gubernatorial election slated for Oct. 12, 2019. Pepperdine University Professor Bruce Herschensohn on President Trump’s performance in the Helsinki Summit. Dr. Justin Lehmiller of the Kinsey Institute on Americans and their sex lives.

Former Cy Young and American League Most Valuable Player Denny McLain previews tonight’s MLB All-Star Game and recaps the first half of the season. LSU stars Aaron Nola and Alex Bregman are on the rosters of the National and American League teams.   State Representative Pat Smith reflects on the two-year anniversary of the murder of three Baton Rouge police officers and talks about the prospect of...