
WWL First News with Tommy Tucker
1,046 episodes — Page 17 of 21

How the war with Iran is helping Russia
The US lifted some sanctions on Russian oil due to the war with Iran. What are the other ways the war is impacting Putin and Russia? We’ll break it down with Brian Taylor, Director of the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs at the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. His most recent book is “Russian Politics: A Very Short Introduction”

Gas prices are up, up, up - and it's almost entirely due to the Iran war
We'll get the latest on oil and gas prices and what we're paying at the pump with Patrick De Haan, the chief petroleum analyst for Gas Buddy.

What is the SAVE Act? Would it help or hurt things?
What is the SAVE Act, and why has President Trump been pushing it? We’ll break it down with David Schultz, Professor of Political Science at Hamline University.

Full Show 3-16-26: Saints improving, Iran fighting on, LSU struggling, and more
* Geller: Really love the Saints free agent additions * How determined is Iran to keep fighting on? * LSU baseball had a rough weekend. Here's what happened * The legislative session is a week old. Here's what we've seen so far * Recreational alligator hunting in Louisiana? It could be coming

Hour 4: Alligator hunting and Saints winning free agency
* A new bill would create a recreational alligator hunting season in Louisiana, with a $50 lottery. We’ll talk about it with Don Dubuc. * We’ll check in with our sports director Steve Geller for the latest on free agency and what we’ve heard from the new Saints.

Hour 3: Medical malpractice and cyber attacks
* Some Louisiana lawmakers want to change Louisiana medical malpractice laws. We’ll explain what’s going on…and what actually counts as medical malpractice. * An Iranian group launched a cyber attack against a US medical device company. We’ll explain what happened

Hour 2: Iran's willingness to fight on and a troubling 401(k) trend
* We’ll get an update on the war with Iran * Bank On It, financial insights you can count on with Jason Shields, the COO of Gulf Coast Bank & Trust

Geller: Really love the Saints free agent additions
We’ll check in with our sports director Steve Geller for the latest on free agency and what we’ve heard from the new Saints.

Recreational alligator hunting in Louisiana? It could be coming
A new bill would create a recreational alligator hunting season in Louisiana, with a $50 lottery. We’ll talk about it with Don Dubuc.

An Iranian group launched a cyber attack against a US company. Here's what to know
An Iranian group launched a cyber attack against a US medical device company, Stryker. We’ll explain what happened with Alex Hamerstone, director of advisory solutions for TrustedSec

Should Louisiana change its medical malpractice cap?
Some Louisiana lawmakers want to change Louisiana medical malpractice laws. We’ll explain what’s going on…and what actually counts as medical malpractice with Loyola law professor Dane Ciolino.

Bank On It: We're seeing an alarming trend with 401(k)s
Bank On It, financial insights you can count on with Jason Shields, the COO of Gulf Coast Bank & Trust

How determined is Iran to keep fighting on?
We get an update on the war with Iran, what the US has been doing, and how Iran has been responding with Lindsay Cohn, Visiting Associate at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs.

The legislative session is a week old. Here's what we've seen so far
We get an update on how the first week of the legislative session has gone with Jeremy Alford, editor and publisher of LaPolitics Weekly.

BONUS: Vintage toilets, biking babies, escaped cows and hidden salamander tunnels
This week, we’ll explore the sometimes-treacherous travel habits of baby cows in the Pittsburgh area and of salamanders in the Detroit area. In human transportation news, we’ll hear a lawmaker in Minnesota explain why she took a bike to the hospital to have her baby. Then, to send us out, Georg Papp of Outhouse Americana in Colchester, Conn., is going to explain why he’s dedicated to preserving the history of a vintage way to use the loo. He says that outhouses reveal more about culture than we might realize… Featuring audio from Drivetime with DeRusha out of WCCO News Talk in the Twin Cities, The Big K Morning Show out of KDKA in Pittsburgh, WWJ Newsradio out of Detroit and Own the Road with Kelli and Bob out of KRLD in Dallas.

Full Show 3-13-26: Another water main break, insurance discounts, and delicious Irish food
* Aimee McCarron had been warning about a leak where break happened * Tim Temple on discounts for fortified roofs, gold standard for building * Craving some Irish food? Maybe some seafood? Check these out * Could plastic pipes be a solution for the Sewerage and Water Board? * Why have there been earthquakes in northern Louisiana? *How will LSU baseball look in their first SEC series?

Hour 4: Irish food and seafood options and college basketball bets
* Where and what to eat around the New Orleans area * Tommy's Weekend Winners

Tommy's Weekend Winners: college basketball is heating up
Tommy talks sports betting with JR from Taking Vegas

Hour 3: Insurance discounts and Louisiana earthquakes
* We’ll check back in with Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple about discounts for fortified roofs and what he’s watching in the legislative session. * Why are we getting earthquakes in northern Louisiana?

Craving some Irish food? Maybe some seafood? Check these out
Tommy and Ian McNulty, who covers food and dining culture for The Times Picayune | New Orleans Advocate.

Hour 2: Another day, another water main break for the Sewerage and Water Board
* We talk to Aimee McCarron about the latest water main break in her district...and how her office has been warning about that spot * After all the recent water main breaks, could plastic pipes be a solution for New Orleans? We’ll talk with Norma Jean Mattei about what’s been going on and what HDPE is.

Hour 1: LSU getting back on track and understanding Iran's nuclear ambitions
* We’ll break down LSU baseball’s SEC opener against Vanderbilt with WWL.com columnist Jeff Palermo. Will the Tigers get back on track after a rough last weekend? * What do we know about the state of Iran's nuclear program? How can you tell what's for civilian purposes and what's for military purposes?

Why have there been earthquakes in northern Louisiana?
A Tulane researcher is helping understand these rare Louisiana earthquakes. We talk with geoscientist Cynthia Ebinger about the quakes and the work she's doing.

Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple on discounts for fortified roofs, gold standard for building
We check back in with Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple about discounts for fortified roofs and what he’s watching in the legislative session.

Aimee McCarron had been warning about a leak where the latest water main break happened
Another day, yet another water main break. We'll talk to Aimee McCarron about the latest break in her district...and how her office has been warning about the latest location for weeks.

Could plastic pipes be a solution for the Sewerage and Water Board?
After all the recent water main breaks, could plastic pipes be a solution for New Orleans? We talk with Norma Jean Mattei, Professor of Engineering at UNO and a past president of the American Society of Civil Engineers, about what’s been going on and what HDPE is.

Iran's nuclear program is complicated. Here's what to know to understand what's going on
What do we know about the state of Iran's nuclear program? How can you tell what's for civilian purposes and what's for military purposes? We talk with Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association.

How will LSU baseball look in their first SEC series?
We’ll break down LSU baseball’s SEC opener against Vanderbilt with WWL.com columnist Jeff Palermo. Will the Tigers get back on track after a rough last weekend?

BONUS: Trump's team tells GOP to stop talking hardline immigration as data shows economy suffering
New studies this week disproved the idea that cutting down on immigrants brings more jobs to Americans and that immigrants commit more crimes than average. Experts discuss, plus we get the latest on a blind immigrant who died in Buffalo when he was dropped off shoeless and alone miles from home, and on the other end of the spectrum Newell Normand talks about how New Orleans needs to get tougher with its street scene to compete for tourists.

Full Show 3-12-26: Crawfish farmers in trouble, S&WB control, and more
* The immigration crackdown is hurting crawfish season * Will New Orleans gain more control over the Sewerage & Water Board? * AI offers a huge business opportunity for Louisiana * Will Louisiana teachers get a permanent pay raise? * How are the markets reacting to the war with Iran, Trump's statements * Why is the Strait of Hormuz so important?

Hour 4: AI's big opportunity and the Irish Channel St. Patrick's Day Parade
* LSU is hosting a symposium on AI next week. We’ll get the details…and how big of an opportunity artificial intelligence is for Louisiana * What you need to know about the Irish Channel St. Patrick's Day Parade

The Irish Channel St. Patrick's Day Parade is this weekend! Here are the details
The Irish Channel St. Patrick’s Day Parade is this weekend! We’ll get the details from Ronnie Burke, the Vice President.

Hour 3: Teacher pay raises and heavy overnight storms
* A pay raise for teachers is one of Governor Landry’s priorities this legislative session. We’ll talk to Larry Carter, president of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, about why it’s so important to support our educators. * The National Weather Service gives us a rundown on what happened with those storms overnight

Hour 2: Sewerage & Water Board control and stock market ups and downs
* State Representative Stephanie Hilferty has a bill that would give New Orleans greater authority over the Sewerage and Water Board. We’ll talk with her about it. * How are the markets responding to the war with Iran? What can the average person expect in the coming weeks and potentially months?

Hour 1: Why immigration policy is hurting crawfish season and why the Strait of Hormuz is so important
* What exactly is the Strait of Hormuz? Why is it so important? How big are the dangers to ships during a conflict? We’ll break it all down * Checking in with Ag Commissioner Mike Strain

AI offers a huge business opportunity for Louisiana, and LSU wants everyone to take advantage
LSU is hosting a symposium on AI next week. We’ll get the details…and how big of an opportunity artificial intelligence is for Louisiana...from Andrew Scwarz, Professor of IT in the E. J. Ourso College of Business at LSU.

Will Louisiana teachers get a permanent pay raise?
A pay raise for teachers is one of Governor Landry’s priorities this legislative session. We’ll talk to Larry Carter, president of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, about why it’s so important to support our educators.

Will New Orleans gain more control over the Sewerage & Water Board?
State Representative Stephanie Hilferty has a bill that would give New Orleans greater authority over the Sewerage and Water Board. We’ll talk with her about it.

How the markets have been reacting to the war with Iran, Trump's statements
How are the markets responding to the war with Iran? What can the average person expect in the coming weeks and potentially months? We’ll talk with Bankrate senior economic analyst Mark Hamrick.

The immigration crackdown is hurting crawfish season
Tommy talks with Mike Strain, Commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry, about how immigration policy is impacting crawfish season.

How Tangipahoa Parish fared during the storms, tornadoes
Some severe storms rolled through the area overnight. We get an update on things from Tangiaphoa Parish President Robby Miller.

Why is the Strait of Hormuz so important? How easy is it for a country to make it dangerous?
What exactly is the Strait of Hormuz? Why is it so important? How big are the dangers to ships during a conflict? We break it all down with Frank Galgano, a professor at Villanova and a retired Army Lt. Colonel.

BONUS: 'You should just be prepared to pay higher prices:' Latest on Iran's effect on our economy, plus tornadoes, hail, floods strike the US
The highest strength tornado ever for this time of year struck Michigan this week, as hail, tornadoes, floods and more battered Texas and Illinois, too. Here's the latest on that, plus prices skyrocketing at the pump, where we stand with the war in Iran, proposals for a 'billionaire tax,' and more.

Full Show 3-11-26: S&WB frustrations, drones to fight crime, and Saints improving
* JP Morrell: There's "a lot of frustration" with the Sewerage & Water Board * How using drones can help NOPD make the French Quarter safer, more secure * The Saints have made clear improvements so far in free agency * The legislative session offers chance to transform Louisiana workforce * How is the war with Iran going for the US, Middle East in general?

Hour 4: Saints keep improving and a fun event in City Park
* We’ll continue to bring you the latest free agency moves for the Saints and the rest of the NFC South with Mike Detillier. * Lark in the Park is this Friday! We’ll get all the details from Gina Trapani, the Chief Philanthropy Officer for City Park.

Hour 3: JP Morrell is frustrated with the S&WB
* We’ll take our weekly deep dive into crime and policing and see what former NOPD chief Ronal Serpas thinks about the use of drones and other technology to fight crime. * We’ll talk with Councilmember JP Morrell about the Sewerage and Water Board and the recent water main breaks

Hour 2: How the Iran war is going and how drones can help the French Quarter
* NOPD could expand its drone program in the French Quarter. We’ll talk with Christian Pendleton, chair of the security committee for the French Quarter Management District, about why they want to move forward with it. * We’ll bring you the latest on the war with Iran and how things are shaping up across the Middle East, and what the next steps are with Bruce Jentleson

Hour 1: Transforming LA's workforce and public opinion on the Iran
* We’ll check in with Barry Erwin, the chief policy officer for Leaders for a Better Louisiana, about what they’re focusing on in the legislative session. * How are voters feeling about the war with Iran? Do they trust President Trump on how to handle foreign adversaries? We’ll break it down

Lark in the Park is this Friday! Here are the details
We’ll get all the details for Lark in the Park from Gina Trapani, the Chief Philanthropy Officer for City Park.

The Saints have made clear improvements so far in free agency
We continue to bring you the latest free agency moves for the Saints and the rest of the NFC South with Mike Detillier. How big is bringing Kaden Elliss back? What about adding Travis Etienne and David Edwards?