Talk Louisiana

Public Service Commissioner and ranking Democrat Foster Campbell exchanges views with Republican activist Darrell Glasper, invited guest of the White House to tonight’s Trump rally in Lake Charles on the eve of Louisiana’s gubernatorial primary. Linda Gail Lewis, rock veteran and sister of Jerry Lee Lewis, talks about her show tonight at the Dyson House, hosted at Zeeland Street Market in Baton Rouge.

Conservative columnist and commentator Michelle Malkin comments on immigration in the age of President Trump, who visits Lake Charles tomorrow night. EBR Clerk of Court Doug Welborn on his quest for an eighth term against a vigorous challenge from recent guest Donna Collins Lewis. Advocate Capitol Bureau Chief Mark Ballard looks at the governor’s election two days from the Oct. 12 primary. Gov. John Bel Edwards and Republican foes Eddie Rispone and Ralph Abraham debated for a fourth and final time last night in Shreveport.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., son of the slain senator and attorney general and nephew of President John Kennedy, comments on his environmental mission. Kennedy appears in Baton Rouge Thursday as the keynote speaker for the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper. RFK Jr. is joined by Monica Fisher, the outreach coordinator for the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper. Darryl Gissel and Mark Armstrong, Chief Adminstrative and Communications Officers for Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, look at Saturday’s election to approve or stop the formation of the Village of St. George. Skidmore College Professor Robert Boyers reflects on his book “The Tyranny of Virtue.” Boyers says too many campuses are protecting students from uncomfortable ideas.

Democrat Mary Patricia Wray and Republican Scott Wilfong square off on the governor’s election four days away from the Oct. 12 primary. Famed Sports Sociologist Harry Edwards chimes in on the wisdom of paying college athletes after the signing of bill allowing this by California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

New York Times reporters Robin Pogrebin comment on the legacy of the explosive confirmation hearing of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Melanie Couvillion, director of the Manship Theatre, on the year ahead in the arts downtown.

Former Louisiana Congressman and high ranking member in the administration of George H. W. Bush Henson Moore celebrates his 80th birthday and reflects on what he sees as changes for the worse in American politics. Former LSU quarterback Matt Flynn, who won two NCAA titles as a Tiger and a Super Bowl ring with Green Bay talks about life after football and LSU’s Heisman Trophy candidate Joe Burrow.

Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon assesses his reelection quest against the challenge of Tim Temple. Donelon has served 13 years in his current post. Advocate Capitol Bureau Chief Mark Ballard comments on the election landscape nine days before the Oct. 12 primary. Ann Vail, Executive Director of Louisiana Clean Fuels discusses the Clean Fuels Summit. Dr. Trey Dunbar, President of Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health, talks about the new children’s hospital in Baton Rouge.

Candidate for Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple on his challenge of fellow Republican, incumbent Jim Donelon, in the Oct. 12 primary. Loyola University President Tania Tetlow, lawyer, law professor and first woman and first layperson to hold the top position at the New Orleans campus.

LSU Marching Band Director Kelvin Jones and Assistant Director Cliff Croomes discuss the rich history of the Golden Band from Tigerland. National Book Award winner Robert Jay Lifton assesses themes in his book “Losing Reality, On cults, Cultism, Mindset of Political and Religious Zealotry.”

Danny Heitman, editorial writer for The Advocate, comments on state and local politics and his award winning column “At Random.” Dan Moldea, well known investigative reporter, surveys the landscape in the Beltway where House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has opened an impeachment inquiry against President Trump.

Dr. Allison Stanger, author of “Whistleblowers: Honesty in America from Washington to Trump,” comments on the impeachment inquiry of President Trump related to a whistleblower complaint. Mark Ballard, Capitol Bureau Chief of the Advocate, previews tonight’s gubernatorial debate 16 days before the Oct. 12 primary.

Quin Hillyer, conservative columnist and commentator and former top aide to Louisiana Congressman Bob Livingston, comments on impeach proceedings launched against President Trump.Dr. James Gordon, director of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine and Toni Bankston, executive director of the Baton Rouge Children’s Advocacy Center, preview the Community Day of Healing on Baton Rouge on September 27th.

Pennington Biomedical Center Professor and President of the Obesity Society Steven Heymsfield discusses the epidemic of overweight Americans and reflects on his childhood friendship with President Trump, who grew up on the same block in Queens in the 1950s and early 1960s. Author William Schaberg comments on his work, “Writing the Big Book,” The Creation of A.A.”

Sean Reilly, Chief Executive Officer of Lamar Advertising, talks about the largest business based in Baton Rouge and his time in the Louisiana House as a state representative from 1988-96.

LSU Manship Professor and Louisiana Political Hall of Famer Bob Mann assesses Thursday’s gubernatorial debate and the state of the Trump presidency. Holly Howat, Executive Director of Beacon Community Connections in Lafayette, discusses health care accessibility and the 2019 South Louisiana Culture of Health Summit. Bridget Gordon, registered nurse and coordinator of the Community Injury Prevention Program at University Medical Center New Orleans, conveys the importance of child safety seats. Carlos Thomas of Baton Rouge, former Vanderbilt running back, looks at Saturday’s game in Nashville between his alma mater and LSU.

State Librarian Rebecca Hamilton remembers the late journalist Cokie Roberts, who died this week at 75. Harrison Golden of WVLA previews tonight’s gubernatorial debate at the LSU Union Theater. Mark Ballard of the Advocate assesses the governor’s election 23 days before the Oct. 12 primary.

LSU Manship School Dean Martin Johnson and friends on the state of campus newspapers and collaboration with LSU athletics. A salute to the late journalist Cokie Roberts from an encore interview in 2015. The New Orleans native died yesterday at age 75. Serena Pandos and Leslie Charleville from the Louisiana Art and Science Museum comment on Friday’s gala “Chroma, Color Your Senses.”

LSU Alumnus and Academy Award winning composer Bill Conti previews his performance tonight at the Union Theater with the LSU Symphony and looks back on his days as a student who lived in Tiger Stadium. Former Baton Rouge Coroner Hypolite Landry talks about his varied life as he celebrates his 93rd birthday with listeners of Talk Louisiana.

EBR Councilwoman Donna Collins Lewis on her bid to unseat veteran Doug Welborn as Baton Rouge Clerk of Court…and the prospect of the Village of St. George. New York Times reporter Megan Twohey comments on her role in breaking the story of sexual harassment by Harvey Weinstein, detailed in the book “She Said.”

Former Louisiana GOP Chairman Mike Francis, current member of the Louisiana PSC, discusses solar energy and politics four weeks before the gubernatorial primary. Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Tyler Bridges of the Advocate contrasts this year’s governor’s race with the 2015 campaign that prompted Tyler’s book with Jeremy Alford, “Longshot.”

Ken Perret, President of Louisiana Good Roads and Transportation Association reviews the deplorable condition of state roads and predicts 2020 will provide another push for a gasoline tax in Louisiana. Mark Ballard, Capitol Bureau Chief for the Advocate, looks at Bernie Pinsonat’s gubernatorial poll one month before the Oct. 12 election. Lee Hartley Carter on the art of persuasion in an era where facts don’t seem to matter.

General Russel Honore’, hero of Katrina and head of the Green Army, joins activist Hays Town to discuss the vulnerability of the Baton Rouge water system, and Honore’ looks back 18 years to the 9-11 attack on America. Dr. James Gordon, Chairman of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine, discusses his book “The Transformation.”

Style writer Dana Thomas discusses her book “Fashionopolis” which examines the clothing industry with is a 2.4 trillion dollar annual business with one of six workers on the Earth connected to it. Baton Rouge tailor Manuel Martinez reflects on 35 years as one of America’s most celebrated clothiers and how the industry is evolving. Glenn Guilbeau of the USA Today Network and James Moran of Tiger Rag comment on the Saints 30-28 last second win over Houston and LSU’s impressive 45-38 victory at Texas.

Mara Liasson, NPR national correspondent, comments on the politics of appointing Supreme Court justices and surveys the landscape for the election of 2020. Celebrated author Brad Meltzer showcases his two new biographical subjects, Walt Disney and Marie Curie. Torrie Fields, Program Manager for Blue Shield of California, discusses her role as moderator for a forum this Thursday about end of life care hosted by the LSU Manship School and its Reilly Center for Public Affairs at the LSU Heath Center in New Orleans.

Austin sportswriter Asher Price on his book about UT Heisman winner Earl Campbell, LSU’s game vs Texas on Saturday and a revelation about former LSU President Troy Middleton. Former LSU Quarterback Jimmy Field comments on being the last quarterback to beat Texas. LSU defeated the Longhorns 13-0 in the 1963 Cotton Bowl as Field ran for the only touchdown in the clash in Dallas. We will also review former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s conversation from foe of President Trump to supporter of the president.

Zach Williams tells the back story of his book about former LSU football coach Bo Rein. Williams’ book is “Forty Minutes to Baton Rouge.” It details the rapid rise to stardom for Rein, who was named LSU coach at age 34 and died in a plane crash 42 days later. Rein’s legacy is immense almost four decades after his death. Advocate Bureau Chief Mark Ballard on the governor’s election in five weeks and President Trump’s influence on Louisiana politics.

Pollster Bernie Pinsonat and Political Consultant Mary Patricia Wray look at the Louisiana gubernatorial primary slated five weeks from Saturday. Former MVP and two-time Cy Young winner Denny McLain reviews the world of pitching in the Major League with hurlers no longer completing games and two former Tigers dominating the mound for other teams, Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer.

Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell looks back on more than 40 years of office holding, starting with his election to the Louisiana Senate in 1975. Campbell also previews a debate coming this month before the PSC on solar energy. Darlene Adams Rowland comments on the enduring popularity of the Farmer’s Market in Baton Rouge.

Lamar White, publisher of The Bayou Brief, previews Louisiana’s gubernatorial primary just 40 days away.Former LSU standout and onetime head football coach of McNeese State John McCann assesses Saturday’s showdown at Austin between LSU and Texas.

Dan Borne, former president of the Louisiana Chemical Association, starts his 34th year as the Voice of the Valley. Borne looks at his tenure as the voice on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium as LSU opens its season Saturday against Georgia Southern. Former LSU student body president Ted Schirmer reflects on campus life in the 1970s and how some things remain the same while others have vastly changed at the Ole War Skule. Schirmer was the first non-Greek SGA president at LSU. A Vietnam veteran, he had a controversial tenure leading the students of his time.

WAFB anchorman Greg Meriwether looks back on 18 years in Baton Rouge, the 14th anniversary of Katrina and the state of broadcast news. Advocate Capitol Bureau Chief Mark Ballard on a new poll in the governor’s election, controversy over Medicaid providers and the state changing its education formula.

Louisiana Blue Cross Blue Shield Economist Mike Bertaut surveys the future of the Affordable Care Act and reflects on court action against Johnson and Johnson and controversy over the state’s choices for providing Medicaid. National Economist Chris Macke predicts whether the nation is falling into a recession. Author Carla Rachel Sameth talks about her book “One Day on the Gold Line,” her story that features candor on the issues of race, class, drugs and sexuality.

LSU Professor and Researcher Brooks Elwood on the significance of LSU’s Indian Mounds, which are the oldest structures in the Western Hemisphere at an estimated 9,000 years. Former Louisiana Lawmakers Troy Hebert and Melissa Flournoy remember their mutual friend Kathleen Blanco and differ on the performance of President Trump. Dr. Benjamin Runkle, who was awarded a Bronze Star in Operation Iraqi Freedom, assesses the impact of America’s WWII leaders. His book is “Generals in the Making, How Marshall, Eisenhower and Their Peers Became the Commanders Who Won World War II.”

Hall of Fame political consultant Ray Strother, the Louisiana legend who worked for Bill Clinton, Albert Gore and Gary Hart, assesses the political commercials in the Louisiana governor’s election and the legacy of former Alabama Governor George Wallace, whose 100th birthday was yesterday. Strother also opines about the reelection quest of President Trump.

Advocate Reporter Andrea Gallo reflects on her series about abuse in the LSU Greek System and former LSU Faculty Senate President Kevin Cope provides the view on fraternities from the campus. Author E.R. Ramzipoor previews her book “The Ventriloquists,” which provides new context to fake news based on what happened in Nazi Germany.

Michael Pasquier, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and History at LSU, comments on his coastal voices podcast. Former local synagogue president Victor Sachse, also a former political scientist at the University of Louisiana Lafayette, responds to President Trump saying Jews are disloyal if they vote for Democrats. Advocate Bureau Chief Mark Ballard on the passing and tribute to former Governor Kathleen Blanco, who will lie in state today at the Capitol.

Author Rannah Gray on the sordid life of Baton Rouge media star Scott Rogers, who died five years ago this month. Rogers, who was also chaplain for the Baton Rouge Sheriff’s office, was exposed as a serial pedophile before a murder-suicide in August of 2014. Former Baton Rouge Coroner Hypolite Landry remembers being one of the last physicians to examine Elvis Presley and traveling around the world in his private plane in 1969.

GOP Political Consultant Scott Wilfong and former Democratic Party Communications Director Susan Nelson exchange views on state and national politics. Investigative Reporter Nick Bryant, who placed the unredacted black book of Jeffrey Epstein, surveys the landscape following Epstein’s suicide in prison.

Former Communications Director for Gov. Kathleen Blanco Bob Mann, remembers Louisiana’s chief executive, who died Sunday at 76 after a long battle with cancer. Blanco was governor from 2004 to 2008 and is recalled for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Producer John Hardy and veteran actor David Jensen note the 30th anniversary of the premiere of “Sex lies and videotape,” which debuted in August of 1989 and won top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, spawning careers for Steven Soderbergh, Andie MacDowell and James Spader.

Financial analysts Fred Dent and Andy Anderson assess the markets after an 800 point drop of the Dow Jones average on Wednesday. Veteran journalist and anchorman George Sells talks about CNN’s Chris Cuomo getting into a shouting match with men who called Cuomo “Fredo.” Megan Foster Kelly discusses her group “Mompreneurs,” combing business and family.

Sister Helen Prejean, the celebrated death penalty activist, comments on her memoir “River of Fire". Journalist Zahra Hankir discusses the preponderance of women from the Middle East reporting from hot spots in their home region.

Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome on police and crime and the appearances in Baton Rouge this week by activist Christena Cleveland. Historian Ryan Swanson the physical life of President Teddy Roosevelt.

Camille Manning Broome, CEO of the Center for Planning Excellence addresses climate change and environmental challenges the state is facing. Manning notes that land loss and climate change affect nearly every aspect of Louisiana life from public health to the economy to the housing sector. Amherst University Professor Ronald Rosbottom reveals how French youth responded to the threat of Hitler. Rosbottom’s book is “Sudden Courage: Youth in France Confront the Germans 1940-45.”

Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana President Robert Travis Scott discusses the need for substantial revisions in Louisiana's constitution. Photographer Randy Roussel on documenting the River Parishes.

Rose Hudson, President of the Louisiana Lottery for 13 of its 28 years, assesses a record year in which the lottery returned 184 million dollars to education. Vincent Bugliosi, prosecutor of Charles Manson, in an interview five years ago recalls the horrific murder spree of the Manson family. Taking the lives of Sharon Tate and four others on this date 50 years ago. Bugliosi, the author of “Helter Skelter” died in 2015 shortly after this interviewed aired on the 45th anniversary of the murders in Los Angeles.

State Representative Denise Marcelle comments on crime in Baton Rouge and the continuing residual effect of the Alton Sterling shooting in 2016. Mark Ballard, Capitol Bureau Chief for the Advocate, updates us on qualifying for statewide offices and legislative races. The deadline is 5 o’clock today. Former Time and Newsweek Correspondent Douglas Waller discusses his latest book, “Lincoln’s Spies, Their Secret War to Save a Nation.”

Mark Walters, Spokesman for the Second Amendment Foundation, surveys the landscape on the issue of gun regulation after mass shootings in Dayton and El Paso. Edwin Edwards biographer Leo Honeycutt reflects on the 92nd birthday of Louisiana’s only four term Governor. Writer Caroline Myss discusses the nature of God and sacred power.

Former Louisiana Congressman Charles Boustany, R-Lafayette, is calling for an end to tariffs ordered by President Trump. Boustany says the tariffs are costing hundreds of millions of dollars in damages to Louisiana businesses. Investigative Reporter Nick Bryant comments on the implications of a wide-ranging scandal involving New York billionaire Jeffrey Epstein. Highlights from Congressman Garret Graves, who appeared before the Press Club of Baton Rouge Monday and defended his vote in favor of no background checks for sales of weapons at gun shows between private individuals.

Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser discusses plans for a civil rights trail and assesses the impact of mass shootings in the United States on tourism. Independence native and former LSU student Robert Crais talks about his Louisiana roots and how they contributed to him becoming one of the nation’s top crime novelists. His latest work is “A Dangerous Man,” the 18th installment of his acclaimed Elvis Cole and Joe Pike series.

Professors Dayne Sherman, SLU, and Jeff Sadow, LSU-Shreveport, square off on state and national politics as Louisiana candidates qualify for the Oct. 12 primary next week and Democrats survey the impact of two contentious presidential debates this week. Dr. Faye Williams, Alexandria native and National President of the National Congress of Black Women, questions the legacy of President Reagan after a tape surfaces with Reagan in 1971 as California Governor referring to black people as apes in a conversation with then President Richard Nixon.