Best WWL First News Podcasts (2025)

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Saints and Tigers, Sewerage and Water Board, and a big retirement: Full Show 9-19-25 1:38:34

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2h ago1:38:34

1:38:34

* What to know about the Saints offense vs. the Seahawks defense* Will LSU/Southeastern be a get right game for the Tigers offense?* Arthur Hardy is retiring after this upcoming Mardi Gras* How is work on the new Sewerage & Water Board substation going?* What to know about the Saints defense vs. the Seahawks offense* How Billy Nungesser is trying t…

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Arthur Hardy's retiring and Tommy's Weekend Winners: 9am hour 34:14

2h ago34:14

34:14

* Arthur Hardy is retiring this coming Mardi Gras. So we’ll go up close and personal with him and hear his story and what’s next for him* Tommy and JR go over Tommy's Weekend Winners

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Tommy's Weekend Winners: What to know going into Week 3 of the NFL season 16:33

7m ago16:33

16:33

Tommy talks with JR from Taking Vegas

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Arthur Hardy is retiring after this upcoming Mardi Gras. Here's how he got to be the Carnival expert 26:13

8m ago26:13

26:13

Arthur Hardy is retiring this coming Mardi Gras. So we go up close and personal with him and hear his story and what’s next for him.

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Saints breakdown and New Orleans budget woes: 8am hour 22:04

24m ago22:04

22:04

* Breaking down the Saints/Seahawks match-up* New Orleans is facing a huge deficit, and the city has been instituting cost-saving measures

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How big is New Orleans's budget deficit? How do we fix it? 9:53

13m ago9:53

9:53

New Orleans is facing a huge deficit, and the city has been instituting cost-saving measures. How did we get here?We talk with Councilmember Joe Giarrusso.

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How the Saints match up against the Seahawks 12:10

1h ago12:10

12:10

The Saints head out for their first road trip of the season. We break down the match-up with the Seahawks with Mike Detillier.

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High school football and the Sewerage and Water Board: 7am hour 19:48

25m ago19:48

19:48

* This week's prep football rundown* We get an update on the delayed substation the Sewerage and Water Board has been working on

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How is work on the new Sewerage & Water Board substation going? 8:50

1h ago8:50

8:50

We get an update on the delayed substation the Sewerage and Water Board has been working on with Steve Nelson, the superintendent.

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Prep football round-up: What to know about this weekend's games 9:17

30m ago9:17

9:17

We get a prep football break down with Ian Auzenne, the co-host of the Manning Family Children’s Prep Football Round-up.

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LSU preview and boosting Louisiana tourism: 6am hour 22:27

1h ago22:27

22:27

* We preview the LSU/Southeastern game with WWL.com columnist Jeff Palermo. How are you feeling about the Tigers?* Checking in with Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser about his trip to Canada to try and boost tourism and find out how our northern neighbors view New Orleans.

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How Billy Nungesser is trying to convince Canadians to vist New Orleans 9:04

31m ago9:04

9:04

We check in with Louisiana Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser about his trip to Canada to try and boost tourism and find out how our northern neighbors view New Orleans.

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Will LSU/Southeastern be a get right game for the Tigers offense? 13:23

29m ago13:23

13:23

Tommy and WWL.com columnist Jeff Palermo preview the LSU/Southeastern game.

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Government shutdown showdown: Battle lines are drawn and among the stakes is healthcare for millions 26:12

13h ago26:12

26:12

We're weeks away from another government shutdown and a Louisiana senator says it's about 50/50 if it'll happen. So, how did we get here and how do we get out of it? Part of the discussion focuses on Social Security and our trillions of dollars in debt -- neither of which is set to be handled in this budget whether it passes or not.…

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Saints updates, fighting crime, vaccines, and more: Full Show 9-18-25 1:29:47

1h ago1:29:47

1:29:47

* How close are the Saints to getting that first win?* We can't eliminate all crime, but how do we get it as low as possible?* Childhood vaccination rates are declining. That's dangerous for everyone* We've been making significant progress in the fight against homelessness* What to expect from the weather and the tropics over the next week…

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Fighting homelessness and cyber safety: 9am hour 31:26

37m ago31:26

31:26

* Getting an update on the fight against homelessness in the area with Martha Kegel, the executive director of UNITY of Greater New Orleans.* We check in with our favorite tech expert, Andrew Schwarz from LSU, about the ongoing ransomware attack against the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office and some of the other news of the day.…

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Ransomware attacks are a huge problem for companies and governments 11:49

39m ago11:49

11:49

We check in with our favorite tech expert, Andrew Schwarz from LSU, about the ongoing ransomware attack against the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office and some of the other news of the day.

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We've been making significant progress in the fight against homelessness 19:38

40m ago19:38

19:38

We get an update on the fight against homelessness in the area with Martha Kegel, the executive director of UNITY of Greater New Orleans.

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Helping businesses and fighting crime: 8am hour 20:07

1h ago20:07

20:07

* Louisiana is launching a number of new initiatives to make things easier for businesses and to help grow the economy. * We take our weekly deep dive into crime and policing in the New Orleans area with former NOPD chief Ronal Serpas and get his take on whether deploying the National Guard here would be a good idea.…

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We can't eliminate all crime, but how do we get it as low as possible? 7:42

22m ago7:42

7:42

We take our weekly deep dive into crime and policing in the New Orleans area with former NOPD chief Ronal Serpas and get his take on how to keep lowering crime and whether deploying the National Guard here would be a good idea.

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Louisiana is aiming to make things easier for businesses to do business 12:24

1h ago12:24

12:24

Louisiana is launching a number of new initiatives to make things easier for businesses and to help grow the economy. We get the details with Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois.

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Childhood vaccinations and Saints updates: 7am hour 17:01

1h ago17:01

17:01

* Childhood vaccination rates have been on the decline across the country. We talk with Dr. Corey Hebert from LSU Health New Orleans about why that’s concerning for everyone...and bust some anti-vaccine myths.* We get a Saints update from WWL sports director Steve Geller

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How close are the Saints to getting that first win? 7:18

1h ago7:18

7:18

We go over the Saints injury report and break down some of the match-ups with the Seahawks with WWL sports director Steve Geller

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Childhood vaccination rates are declining. That's dangerous for everyone 9:46

1h ago9:46

9:46

Childhood vaccination rates have been on the decline across the country. We talk with Dr. Corey Hebert, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, about why that’s concerning for everyone...and bust some anti-vaccine myths.

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Weather updates and food prices: 6am hour 21:11

2h ago21:11

21:11

* We get an update on the upcoming weather and how the tropics are looking* Checking in with Ag Commissioner Mike Strain

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Food prices, trade opportunities, and more with Ag Commissioner Mike Strain 12:02

2h ago12:02

12:02

We have our weekly check-in with Mike Strain, Commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry.

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BONUS: Hate speech vs free speech and is there a difference? First Amendment tested by Charlie Kirk's murder 34:00

15h ago34:00

34:00

Charlie Kirk said there was no such thing as hate speech, but then why are so many people getting fired and arrested for their words in the wake of his death?

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RED MEAT BONUS: Free speech vs hate speech: Is there a difference? And the lessons about it to take from Charlie Kirk 45:04

19h ago45:04

45:04

Charlie Kirk said there's no such thing as hate speech. So then, why are so many people losing their jobs over what they're saying about his death? Explore the issue with a law professor and hosts Tara Servatius, Marc Cox, Bob Rose, and join a rousing debate on the Kayal Show from WPHT Radio.

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New Orleans' next mayor, a help in hurricane season, insurance, and more: Full Show 9-17-25 1:28:30

3h ago1:28:30

1:28:30

* Recapping the mayoral debate: who stood out? Were any minds changed?* What is the Bermuda High, and why has it been good for hurricane season?* Ending Obamacare tax credits could lead to higher costs for everyone* Explaining negligent homicide case against the mother of 12yr old who died* What to know about cutting the cord…

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What to know about cutting the cord and picking the right streaming services 30:09

3h ago30:09

30:09

Have you cut the cord? How do you decide which streaming services are worth it? Is it tougher for sports fans? We sort it all out with Kourtnee Jackson, CNET Senior Streaming Editor.

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Why storms have been turning away and the New Orleans mayoral race: 8am hour 17:16

2d ago17:16

17:16

* What is the Bermuda/Azores high that’s been pushing tropical systems north into the Atlantic?* We recap the mayoral debate with UNO political scientist Ed Chervenak. Which candidate stood out the most? Did it change anyone’s mind?

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Recapping the mayoral debate: who stood out? Were any minds changed? 8:18

18m ago8:18

8:18

We recap the mayoral debate with UNO political scientist Ed Chervenak. Were there any fireworks? Which candidate stood out the most? Did it change anyone’s mind?

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What is the Bermuda High, and why has it been good for hurricane season? 8:58

42m ago8:58

8:58

What is the Bermuda/Azores High that’s been pushing tropical systems north into the Atlantic?

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Louisiana's energy future and a tragic negligent homicide case: 7am hour 19:48

1h ago19:48

19:48

* There’s a carbon capture project moving forward in Louisiana while a number of solar projects are getting canceled* The mother of Bryan Vasquez, the 12 year old who went missing and was later found dead, was denied bond on a negligent homicide charge. We break down what’s happening

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Explaining the negligent homicide case against the mother of Bryan Vazquez, the 12 year old who died recently 8:42

1h ago8:42

8:42

The mother of Bryan Vasquez, the 12 year old who went missing and was later found dead, was denied bond on a negligent homicide charge. Dane Ciolino, Professor of Law at Loyola, explains the case for us.

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Carbon capture, solar, and the future of Louisiana energy 11:07

1h ago11:07

11:07

There’s a carbon capture project moving forward in Louisiana while a number of solar projects are getting canceled. We’ll break down what’s going on with our energy industry with Greg Upton, Director of LSU's Center for Energy Studies

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Healthcare costs and getting a better insurance deal: 6am hour 21:16

2h ago21:16

21:16

* If Obamacare tax credits go away, over 92,000 people in Louisiana could lose health insurance according to some. We break down how healthcare and insurance work and how things have changed since the Affordable Care Act * Do you shop around for better insurance coverage, or do you stick with the company you’ve been working with for awhile? A new s…

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Do you shop around for better insurance rates or stay loyal to one company? 8:52

1h ago8:52

8:52

Do you shop around for better insurance coverage, or do you stick with the company you’ve been working with for awhile? A new study shows 57% of customers shopped around last year for better deals last year.Shannon Martin, Bankrate insurance expert, joins us.

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Ending Obamacare tax credits could lead to higher costs for everyone 11:02

43m ago11:02

11:02

If Obamacare tax credits go away, over 92,000 people in Louisiana could lose health insurance according to some. We break down how healthcare and insurance work and how things have changed since the Affordable Care Act with Walter "Dub" Lane, Associate Professor of Economics & Finance at UNO.

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Good education news and breaking down the Saints: 9am hour 32:32

6h ago32:32

32:32

* Louisiana’s absenteeism rate fell last year after rising two years in a row* We’ll take another look back at the Saints loss to the 49ers and start to look ahead to the match-up against the Seahawks

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The Saints are 0-2, but they look competitive 16:28

1h ago16:28

16:28

We’ll take another look back at the Saints loss to the 49ers and start to look ahead to the match-up against the Seahawks with sideline reporter Jeff Nowak

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How Louisiana has gotten school absenteeism rates to fall 16:04

1h ago16:04

16:04

Louisiana’s absenteeism rate fell last year after rising two years in a row. We talk with BESE representative Sharon Clark about what's changed.

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Hyperbaric treatments and LSU injury updates: 8am hour 8:04

1h ago8:04

8:04

* We’ll pick our conversation back up about hyperbaric treatments for children who suffer brain damage...and the general public* Brian Kelly says Garrett Nussmeier has been dealing with a torso injury. We get the details on that and more of what Coach Kelly said

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What we know about Garrett Nussmeier's injury, LSU's offense 8:04

42m ago8:04

8:04

Brian Kelly says Garrett Nussmeier has been dealing with a torso injury. We get the details on that and more of what Coach Kelly said with Koki Riley, LSU beat writer for The Advocate

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Why aren't hyperbaric treatments covered by more insurance companies? 10:31

37m ago10:31

10:31

We pick our conversation back up about hyperbaric treatments for children who suffer brain damage with Dr. Paul Harch, emergency medicine and hyperbaric emergency medicine physician and the former director of the LSU Hyperbaric Medicine Department.

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Slow real estate market and fixing bridges: 7am hour 20:56

1h ago20:56

20:56

* Home values are rising around the country...just not in New Orleans. And insurance premiums are scaring off many home buyers* Louisiana wants to fix or replace 62 bridges by the end of 2026. Will it work?

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Louisiana has a plan to fix 62 bridges by the end of 2026. Will it happen? 7:49

1h ago7:49

7:49

Louisiana wants to fix or replace 62 bridges by the end of 2026. We check in with Archie Chaisson, the new executive director of the Office of Louisiana Highway Construction, about their plans.

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Why are home prices in the New Orleans area not growing like the rest of the country? 13:06

1h ago13:06

13:06

Home values are rising around the country...just not in New Orleans. And insurance premiums are scaring off many home buyers. We try to make sense of what’s happening in the real estate market with Ali Bustamante, professor in the department of economics and finance at UNO.

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Another looming shutdown and what's driving inflation: 6am hour 21:19

35m ago21:19

21:19

* We keep inching closer to another government shutdown. What are the hold-ups this time?* The head of the Congressional Budget Office says tariffs are fueling inflation. Is that the case?

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Are tariffs fueling inflation? 9:04

37m ago9:04

9:04

The head of the Congressional Budget Office says tariffs are fueling inflation. Is that the case? We try to sort it out with Patrick Penfield, Professor of Supply Chain Practice at Syracuse University.