The first rule of NDAs: You can’t talk about the NDAs

By Gulf States Newsroom staff

Published August 21, 2026 at 5:00 AM CDT

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An investigation by the Gulf States Newsroom’s Drew Hawkins found dozens of elected officials in Louisiana have signed nondisclosure agreements related to large-scale developments, including the Amazon data centers in northwest Louisiana and a Meta data center in northeast Louisiana. The announcement caught many by surprise, and critics say the agreements keep communities in the dark.

Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) are becoming a common tool for concealing negotiations over large industrial developments in Louisiana.

Gulf States Newsroom’s senior reporter Drew Hawkins joins us to round up months of reporting on NDAs across Louisiana government — from the 50-plus elected officials and 121 state employees who've signed NDAs with Gov. Jeff Landry's administration, to Landry's own agreement with Meta, to Rep. Julia Letlow's matching NDA and the stock trades she failed to disclose on time.

This episode is hosted by Tanya Ott. The podcast is produced by Aubri Juhasz, Elise Catrion Gregg, Maya Miller, Drew Hawkins, Orlando Flores Jr., and Ryan Vasquez. Joseph King is our social producer. Nellie Beckett is our community engagement producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme.

To get in touch with the team, email connect@gulfstatesnewsroom.org.

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