Talk Louisiana

  Louisiana Chef John Folse discusses his long and varied career. Folse brought Louisiana cuisine to Japan in 1985, Beijing in 1986 and Hong Kong and Paris in 1987. He cooked for Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in Moscow in 1988 and a year later was the first non-Italian chef to create a Vatican state dinner in Rome. The Chef John Folse Culinary Institute and Nicholls State in Thibodaux opened...

  Former Military Intelligence officer Janet Humphreys of Louisiana on her association with Gen. Michael Flynn, who has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about the Russia investigation.   Mark Ballard, Capitol Bureau Chief for the Advocate, on issues in state government regarding sexual harassment and other topics the Edwards Administration is dealing with.            

Guest host Stephanie Riegel chats with Executive Vice President of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber Michael Diresto and Chief Administration Officer for Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome, Darryl Gissel. 

Singer Toni Tennille, author Nicholas Jennings and Brian Kilmeade of Fox & Friends are Jim's guests for today's show. 

  Advocate Reporter Elizabeth Crisp on the move by Senator Sharon Hewitt to address sexual harassment cases in state government. The Advocate is also asking women to come forward anonymously and tell their stories.   Pollster Bernie Pinsonat on the political climate in our state less than two years from the next statewide election cycle.   Author Anne C. Bailey of Binghamton University on her book...

  Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain on his recent farming tour with Governor John Bel Edwards and prospects for trade with Cuba.   WAFB anchorwoman Donna Britt on plans for the holidays.   LSU Music Professors Brian Shaw and Bill Grimes on their performances next week at the Manship Theatre.  

  LSU and MIT Physics Professor Rainer Weiss on winning the 2017 Nobel Prize for his work with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory in Livingston Parish. A discovery in September of 2015 confirmed a major prediction of Albert Einstein’s 1915 theory of relativity.    Thomas Kochan, Professor of Work and Employment Research and Engineering Systems at MIT, comments on disparities b...

  Guest host Julie Baxter Payer discusses with Livingston Parish President Layton Ricks developments in the parish over the last year, including the failure of two drainage taxes proposed recently and what is coming up in 2018.    Baton Rouge blues musician Larry Garner, who has gained international acclaim throughout Europe joins the conversation with Julie. He talks about why his songs appeal to...

Today's Talk Louisiana show is an encore presentation of Jim's show with Political Consultant James Carville. Steve Cochran of the Restore Mississippi River Delta coalition joins the discussion to talk about their new best of the best recommendations from the new State Master Plan for restoring and preserving Louisiana's coast.  Kyle Dacuyan, Senior Manager of Literary Outreach & Activism at P...

  Music and film writer John Wirt on the death of many legends of music this year, most recently David Cassidy and Mel Tillis. Others who died in 2017 include Fats Domino, Glen Campbell and Gregg Allman.   Mark Ballard, Capitol Bureau Chief for the Advocate, on the sudden resignation of the deputy chief of staff for Governor John Bel Edwards. Johnny Anderson has left his post amid allegations of s...

  Veteran Anchorman George Sells, who was the top rated anchor at WAFB in Baton Rouge for 24 years, reflects on allegations of sexual misconduct against many prominent men. The latest revelations center of Charlie Rose, the award-winning journalism fired by both CBS and PBS amid charges of inappropriate actions with employees at the networks.   Vincent Bugliosi, the famed prosecutor who wrote Helt...

  WAFB reporter/anchor Kevin Frey on the collision of wills between the Legislature and the Governor’s office as we approach 2018 and the fiscal cliff slated for July 1st. Frey is the station’s capitol correspondent.                     Fairleigh Jackson of Preserve Louisiana on the tax bill approved by the U.S. House which eliminates a federal tax credit for historic preservation. Jackson says mo...

  Smiley Anders, the six day a week columnist for the Advocate for the past 38 years, celebrates his 80th birthday on Talk Louisiana.   Tyler Bridges, Pulitzer Prize winning writer for the Advocate, remembers the most talked about play in college football history. Thirty-five years ago, California beat Stanford 25-20 in John Elway’s last game for Stanford on a wild kickoff return on the game’s fin...

  Louisiana native and LSU graduate Donna Brazile discusses her book detailing the Hillary Clinton campaign of 2016. Brazile will reflect on what went wrong in the final days of Secretary Clinton’s bid for the White House and will also talk about a host of prominent politicians being engulfed in sex scandals.   Vastine Stabler of Swine Palace Theatre at LSU comments on “The Mountaintop.” The produ...

  Former State Representative and candidate for Treasurer, John Schroder, will be with us. Schroder is in a runoff to succeed John Kennedy. His opponent in Saturday’s election is Democrat Derrick Edwards.   Advocate Capitol Bureau Chief Mark Ballard opines on the number of elections in Louisiana and the prospect of a low turnout for Saturday’s statewide election. The turnout in Orleans Parish to s...

Baton Rouge Symphony Conductor Timothy Muffitt and celebrated pianist Jeremy Denk on Thursday's concert at the River Center. Beverly Gray, author of "Seduced by Mrs. Robinson," on the 50th anniversary of the premiere of  "The Graduate." Gray examines the enduring appeal of the film. Music promoter Johnny Palazzotto on the Slim Harpo Music Awards and the emergence of Baton Rouge as a major music ve...

  Science writer Dava Sobel, often featured on NPR, discusses her work, “The Glass Universe, How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars.”   Barry Erwin, President of the Council for a Better Louisiana, on a major economic announcement from Gov. Edwards and the danger of the looming fiscal cliff. Erwin is a former television reporter who will also reflect on his career...

  Tulane History Professor Walter Isaacson, former Editor to Time Magazine, on his latest biographical target, Leonardo da Vinci.   MSNBC Host Lawrence O’Donnell comments on the significance of the 1968 presidential election.   Lawyer Byard Edwards on Tangipahoa residents’ lawsuit over I-12’s role in historic flooding last year.          

  LSU Mathematics Professor Jim Madden remembers his childhood friend from Connecticut, Paul Manafort, the former campaign chairman for President Trump. Manafort is under indictment, and Madden recalls him as a young man attending Catholic schools and later Georgetown University.   Highland Coffees Owner Clarke Cadzow on the annual Northgate festival tonight at the gates of LSU.   National Review...

  Secretary of State Tom Schedler gives his forecast for voter turnout for the statewide election for Treasurer on Nov. 18th.   Hall of Fame Political Consultant Ray Strother assesses wins by the Democratic Party in Virginia and New Jersey this week.   David Hallberg, the first American to join the famed Bolshoi Ballet as Principal Dancer the the artist described by the New Yorker as “the most exc...

  LSU Libraries Dean Stanley Wilder on the future of the Middleton Library on campus. The building sitting prominently on the Quadrangle at LSU faces possible demolition.   Pulitzer Prize winning sportswriter Jeffrey Marx on the rise of former LSU infielder Alex Bregman, the starting third baseman for the World Series champion Houston Astros.   Historian Robert Merry details the life of the 25th A...

  Rev. Chris Andrews of Rebuilding Baton Rouge responds to the tragic church massacre in Texas where 26 people were killed and 20 wounded Sunday. Andrews was pastor of First United Methodist Church of Baton Rouge for 22 years.   Sportswriter John Feinstein comments in his latest book detailing the personalities and pressure on the course for the 2016 Ryder Cup.

Jason Badeaux, student body president at LSU, comments on the conversation about an 85-million dollar recreation center constructed near Sorority Row and the state of affairs on a campus that has other buildings with major structural challenges.   Rachel Diresto, Vice President for the Center for Planning Excellence, and John Snow of Emergent Method on this week’s conference in Baton Rouge. The 12...

James Carville recalls the night of Nov. 3, 1992. Twenty-five years ago, Bill Clinton won the presidency with the Ragin' Cajun political consultant at his side. Nick Saban, in an encore interview, remembers leaving LSU. Tomorrow, Saban and Alabama host the Tigers in Tuscaloosa. Journalist Martha Raddatz, who moderated a Trump-Clinton debate, on her substantial career.

  Blues Artist Kenny Neal reflects on the legacy of Fats Domino, who died last week in Harvey at age 89. Kenny also discusses turning 60 and his continuing road show with 200 performances this year.   Louisiana Democratic Party Executive Director Stephen Handwerk and State Treasurer candidate Derrick Edwards. Edwards was recently endorsed by the Democratic Party in his runoff election against Repu...