Talk Louisiana

Historian David Nichols talks about his book, "Ike and McCarthy: Dwight Eisenhower's Secret Campaign against Joseph McCarthy," analyzing the feud between our 34th President and the most powerful member of Congress. Nichols addresses how this historical lesson about McCarthyism is applicable to contemporary battles on Capitol Hill.

Secretary of State Tom Schedler addresses concerns about voter fraud in elections. He also details his efforts to register as many citizens to vote as possible in the state. Shedler says Louisiana boasts one of the highest voter registration rates in the nation, but getting those voters to turn out at the polls is an entirely different idea.

Former U.S. Rep. Trey Radel, a Republican from Florida, recaps a two-year period in which he went from being a popular television anchor to being a congressman to getting convicted for cocaine possession. Radel has put his story about the political process in a book, "Democrazy: A True Story of Weird Politics, Money, Madness, and Finger Food."

Gov. John Bel Edwards plans to unveil his tax plan today. Public Affairs Research Council President Robert Travis Scott will help us analyze the tax plan and assess its impact on Louisiana businesses.

Also joining us for this segment, we have State Rep. Steve Carter (R-Baton Rouge), who will discuss his push for a 17-cent gasoline tax to help restore state roads and bridges.

Today's featured guest was Beth Courtney, President and CEO of Louisiana Public Broadcasting. Courtney is a former Vice Chair for the Corporation of Public Broadcasting and has testified before Congress on numerous occasions.

President Trump is proposing the elimination of all federal funding for CPB, which supports NPR and PBS. WRKF is a member station of NPR; LPB is a member station of PBS. Today, Courtney addresses the options available to retain support for public broadcasting and answers your questions about your local PBS station.

Best-selling author Greg Iles is a resident of Natchez. He has taken unsolved killings of black men in the South during the Civil Rights struggle to heart with his latest novel, "Mississippi Blood." We talk with Iles about his novel and the history behind it.

We took a couple of minutes out of our inaugural episode of Talk Louisiana to speak with Paul Maassen, General Manager and President at WRKF in Baton Rouge and also General Manager at WWNO in New Orleans. Maassen says he wants to see programs like Talk Louisiana become a place where we can have a thoughtful, civil discussion about politics, public affairs, and current events.

Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré joins us for the inaugural edition of Talk Louisiana. Honoré, who was regarded as a hero in leading the recovery from Hurricane Katrina, is now leading a group of environmental activists at the State Capitol. Honoré's Green Army will be active in the upcoming legislative session, pushing environmental reform. Honoré discusses the goals of the Green Army and provides his impressions about the state and national political system.

Jim Engster is returning to WRKF to host new program, Talk Louisiana, weekdays at 9:00 a.m., beginning Monday, March 27. The one-hour show will immediately follow Morning Edition. Talk Louisiana will present interviews with local newsmakers, calls and emails from listeners, and original feature reporting. We are excited to have Jim back. His 30 years of experience in journalism and his knowledge of Louisiana's people, business, and politics are ideal for this type of long form discussion program.