Talk Louisiana

(LRN) Mayor Gerard Landry of Denham Springs updates on his city's recovery from the historic flooding of 2016 one year late. Mayor Landry says 77 percent of the structures in Denham Springs received severe flood damage. We check in with landry for the latest on the recovery in Denham Springs. Also on today's program , Alyssa Carson, the aspiring astronaut, here . 

(LRN) Daniel Mintz talks with us about the new food studies program at Loyola University. The university has established a new bachelor's degree program in food studies beginning this fall. Also on today's program , Alyssa Carson, the aspiring astronaut, here .

16-year-old Baton Rouge resident Alyssa Carson is an aspiring astronaut who aims to become the youngest person in space. Carson is involved in a NASA program and wants to be involved in colonizing Marse in 2033. Also on today's program : Michael Rubin on "Cashed Out," here .

Today we speak with award-winning author and attorney Michael Rubin of Baton Rouge about his latest book, "Cashed Out." -

(LRN) Mary Lee Orr of the Louisiana Environmental Action Network talks about the state of the environment in Louisiana and the conflict over the Bayou Bridge pipeline. -

Raegan Carter of Smoke Free Baton Rouge talks with us about the passage of the smoking ban at bars and casions in the parish by the East Baton Rouge Metro Council. -

Music and film critic John Wirt remembers Glen Campbell. Campbell died Tuesday as a result of Alzheimer's disease. Campbell was known for his series of music hits a few decades ago and his television variety program that aired for three years through 1972. Also on today's program : Ben Bagert and Lamar White on President Donald Trump and North Korea, here .

(LRN) Former state lawmaker Ben Bagert, a Republican, and Democrat Lamar White, publisher of Bayou Brief, discuss President Donald Trump and North Korea. -

(LRN) New Orleans author Ladee Hubbard talks about her debut novel "The Talented Ribkins." Hubbard has received positive reviews, including this endorsement from writer Toni Morrison: "For sheer reading pleasure Ladee Hubbard's original and wildly inventive novel is in a class by itself." Also on today's program : Matt Watson on upcoming smoke ban vote and BRAVE, here .

East Baton Rouge Councilman Matt Watson talks about the expected Metro Council vote tonight on a smoking ban for bars and casinos. Wilson also addresses funding for the BRAVE program, now under review by the legislative auditor. -

Editorial page editor Danny Heitman from the Baton Rouge Advocate talks about the conditions at LSU's Middleton Library. Also on today's program : New York Times editor Dean Baquet on the changing media landscape, here .

New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet joins us to discuss the journalistic landscape in the age of President Donald Trump. Baquet will be the featured speaker at the annual Founder’s Day Luncheon for WRKF next month. He is a native of New Orleans and a Pulitzer Prize winner. -

(LRN) Psychology professor William McCown of the University of Louisiana-Monroe on findings at the annual Proscrastination Conference. Also on today's program : Casey Phillips on the Walls Project, here .

Casey Phillips, who was the catalyst for the Baton Rouge Walls Project in 2012, looks at the artistic evolution of The Walls in Baton Rouge. -

(LRN) Professor Nancy Rabalais of LSU's Energy, Coast and Environment Department talks about the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico and its impact on the environment. -

(LRN) Former Gov. Edwin Edwards reflects on his upcoming 90th birthday. Edwards is Louisiana's only four-term governor. He went to trial as a defendant four times, was convicted once, and served eight years in prison. He discusses his complex legacy and offers insights on state and national politics. He assesses the performance of Gov. John Bel Edwards and of President Donald Trump. -

(LRN) Actor Carl Palmer is an LSU graduate. He talks about the impact Sam Shepard had on his life and career. Shepard, the actor and Pulitzer Prize winning writer, died this week at age 73. Also on today's program : Paul Marx, former Mike the Tiger caretaker, here .

Former Mike the Tiger caretaker Paul Marx, a well-known lawyer in Baton Rouge, remembers caring for Mike II and even bringing him to his family home one night. LSU is apparently close to unveiling Mike VII, but the mascot will not be present at LSU games this fall. Also on today's program : Edwin Edwards reflects on a complex legacy, here .

LSU Law professor Chris Tyson talks about preparations by President Donald Trump's Justice Department to examine affirmative action policies on college campuses. Tyson also talks with us about the BRAVE program and where funding is going locally for violence prevention. Also on today's program : Bob Mann on Senate votes cast against the Affordable Care Act, here .

LSU mass communications professor Bob Mann talks about Louisiana U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy's decisions to cast votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Senator Cassidy, a medical doctor, had said any repeal of Obamacare would have to pass the Jimmy Kimmel test.  Mann is a former aide to U.S. Sens. John Breaux, Russell Long, and Bennett Johnston. Mann is also a columnist for the Time...

Maj. Gen. Ron Richard discusses his former colleague Gen. John Kelly and Kelly's new role as chief of staff for President Donald Trump. Richard served in in the Marines for more than 30 years before becoming head of the Tiger Athletic Association. Richard is an LSU graduate and resident of Baton Rouge.

(LRN) WAFB-TV anchor Donna Britt talks about her diagnosis with ALS last week. Britt continues to anchor the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts on channel 9 with Greg Meriwether. -

Writer Don Brown tells the story of Captain Jerry Yellin, now 93 years old, in his book, "The Last Fighter Pilot." Yellin flew a mission over Japan after World War II was over, but it was too late to inform Yellin that Japan had surrendered. -

(LRN) Pollster and former politician Ron Faucheux talks about President Trump's remaining popularity in the South despite Monday's Rasmussen poll finding the President's popularity falling below 40%. -

William O'Connor, senior writer for the Daily Beast, talks about the enduring legacy of Huey Long on the landscape of Baton Rouge. O'Connor's feature about the Old Governor's Mansion and its remarkable past is "Strippers, Insane Asylums, Assassination and Termites: Inside the Insane History of the World's Greatest White House Replica." -