La. Senate race heats up; Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser weighs is on NDAs; The Lion King comes to The Saenger

By Bob Pavlovich ,

Published October 22, 2026 at 2:50 PM CDT

Gulf States Newsroom reporter Drew Hawkins talks with Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser at his office in Metairie, Louisiana, on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Nungesser said that at a conference for lieutenant governors in Dallas, Texas, representatives from Meta said Gov. Landry’s administration required the NDAs around the Richland Parish data center, not Meta.

It’s Thursday, and that means it’s time to catch up on politics with Stephanie Grace, The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate’s editorial director and columnist. Today we hear how Democratic Senate candidate Jamie Davis is starting to gain some traction against the Trump-endorsed candidate, Rep. Julia Letlow.

There have been multiple reports of state officials signing NDAs with tech giants in recent months, but Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser says he’s largely been left in the dark. Nungesser, the state’s second-in-command, signed an NDA for the LIV Golf tournament, which was ultimately canceled after the company filed for bankruptcy.

In a conversation with Gulf States Newsroom’s Drew Hawkins at his Metairie office, Nungesser discusses the NDA he signed, how the Landry administration pushed the practice and why he thinks the public deserves to know what the state gives up to land these deals.

The Lion King is coming to New Orleans. The Disney musical with original songs by Elton John and Tim Rice debuted last night at the Saenger Theatre and will run through November 8th. And two of the cast members are New Orleans natives.One of them, Vernon Brooks III, joins us to discuss his New Orleans childhood, how he joined the company and what it means to bring the show to his hometown.

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Bob Pavlovich. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. We get production and technical support from Garrett Pittman, Adam Vos and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell. Our intern is Ryann Goldberg.

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