Louisiana News

Airs Saturday, June 10, 2017, at 3 p.m. One of the most renowned and beloved singers of the 20th century, American soprano Leontyne Price rose to superstardom at a time when African-American artists were only just beginning to achieve major recognition in the operatic world. Price, who turns 90 in February, is celebrated by Roger Pines, broadcast commentator for Lyric Opera of Chicago, in a tribute covering her life and career in depth.

Airs Sunday, June 11, 2017, at 6 p.m. Walmart has long been a target for critics of corporate expansion, but does the company really deserve the scrutiny? Some say that the big-box retailer devastates small communities by pushing out locally-owned businesses, mistreats its workers through low pay and restrictive work hours, and forces American companies to use cheap foreign labor to produce goods at low cost. Others point to the fact that Walmart provides countless jobs to low-skilled American workers, sells affordable goods, has increasingly become a leader in sustainability, and attracts new consumers and businesses to its neighborhoods. Has Walmart been good for America? Our debaters are, for the motion: John Tierney, Contributing Editor for City Journal; Richard K. Vedder, Economist & Author of The Wal-Mart Revolution.  Arguring against the motion Nelson Lichtenstein, Professor, at UC Santa Barbara & Author of The Retail Revolution; and Amy Traub Associate Director of Policy and Research for Demos.

Nearly all of us are familiar with the image from “The Wizard of Oz” that accompanies the line, “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.” Yet for the past several days, House Republicans have been publicly pulling the curtain back on the dysfunctional aspects of this session.

The month of June is always a reminder of that Louis Armstrong song, where he sings, "Do yo know what it means to miss New Orleans." That's the song where the lyrics go on to say he dreams of magnolias in bloom and wishes he were there.

Baseball legend Denny McLain on changes to the national pastime as pitchers throw fewer innings and batters hit more home runs and take exception to being hit by a pitch.

McLain was the toast of the game when he was 24 as American League Most Valuable Player in 1968, the year he won 31 games for the world champion Detroit Tigers. Two years later, his career took an abrupt change and he never returned to his prior greatness.

Raegan Carter of Smoke Free EBR talks to us about a coalition effort to ban smoking in bars and casinos in Baton Rouge. Last year, the Metro Council deadlocked 6-6 on a vote to follow the lead of New Orleans and prohibit smoking inside bars and casinos in the state’s largest parish.

Cyril Vetter discusses his latest posting about a divided America. Vetter says our divisions run along the fault lines of race, class and religion.

Corey Dolgon talks about his book, "Kill It to Save It: An Autopsy of Capitalism's Triumph over Democracy."

Sue Lincoln talks about the governor's command for a special session and the failure of several tax initiatives, including a ten-cent gasoline tax.