The Trump administration is letting oil and gas industry workers off the hook when it comes to protecting endangered whales off the southern coast of the United States. This all began last week, when the Endangered Species Committee, also known as the “God Squad,” voted to grant a rare exemption from the Endangered Species Act for Rice Whales. Anna Kramer has been covering this story for NOTUS, and joins us with the latest.
Last week, Xavier University of Louisiana won the 2026 NAIA National Cheer and Dance Championship. The Gold Rush clinched victory over 14 other teams. The team previously finished in second place in 2024 and 2025.
At the helm of the squad is competitive cheer head coach Glenn Caston. He was named NAIA National Coach of the Year in 2022 and 2024, has coached nine national championship teams and has nationwide experience as a cheer and dance clinician.
He joins us with more on his career and the big win.
The state legislature is considering several bills during the current session that deal with Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) and other financial aid programs for postsecondary education.
The non-partisan advocacy group Better Louisiana says this is an opportunity for lawmakers to find ways for these programs to work together to better serve the state’s citizens and help meet Louisiana’s workforce needs.
Better Louisiana Chief Policy Officer Barry Erwin tells us where the organization stands on several bills.
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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. We receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman, Adam Vos and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell.
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