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A look at Louisiana politics from Chaplain Hy McEnery and Christopher Tidmore
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11 LUG 2025 · Hy and Christopher begin the show with a spirited dive into New Orleans’s bohemian past where the funerary tradition is honored by a drink comprised of absence, gin, and vermouth. Chronicling this history, author Sue Strachan joins us on the Founders Show, talking about her new book The Obituary Cocktail, and it’s premier at the Garden District Book Shop on Friday, July 18. More information at https://www.gardendistrictbookshop.com/
We then ask the question if only Nixon could go to China, can Trump be the only person who brings about amnesty for illegal immigrants?
Could an amnesty deal be possible, allowing millions of illegal migrants to stay legally in the United States?
Through the intervention of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Mandonna Kashanian, a 64-year-old Iranian-born resident of Louisiana, was released from ICE detention on Tuesday, July 8. She was arrested last month while picking figs in her Lakeview yard while her American-born husband and daughter sat inside unaware.
Kashanian entered the U.S. legally in 1978. She overstayed her visa; though, she was granted a stay of deportation more than 20 years ago. Her family noted that she applied for asylum multiple times, consistently reporting to immigration officials since. Until this year, she had never been arrested for any criminal or immigration-related offense.
Despite the recent postulations of pundits, MAGA world has not begun to rip itself apart over the Epstein list, Ukrainian weaponry, Russian sanctions, fiscal prolificacy, or bombing Iran. It’s this, a battle between those who wish to deport anyone with questionable legal status, and those who wish for a pathway to legalization. Lately, the latter group has included the president of the United States.
The GOP stands on the precipice of Civil War over Donald Trump’s proposal of amnesty for illegal immigrants in key industries (such as agriculture) who have not been arrested for other crimes. The irony is shocking, yet Democrats may have been provided with an unexpected opportunity to finally give a pathway to legal status to migrants. Otherwise, stories like Mandonna Kashanian’s might become all too common. The only question that remains is how much in penalties will progressives concede to conservative congressmen to get amnesty legislation passed.
It seems impossible, but that’s what the president has been telegraphing over the last two weeks, much to the chagrin of some of his senior advisors. He would agree to amnesty for the right price. Trump’s proposed pathway will likely include cash payments in exchange for the right to stay in the United States, if the president’s “Gold Card” proposal proves any indication. Yet with strong opposition on the MAGA right of the GOP, Democrats will have to put forward a deal, however much they might dislike Trump personally, to avoid as many as 11 million deportations.
A window of opportunity exists. Trump does not like to be thwarted, even by his allies. Especially by his allies – just ask Elon Musk. MAGA theorists have condemned his $5 million cash payment to come into the United States. Moreover, the federal courts will likely strike it down, absent any congressional action. However, the simple idea that a cash payment could render a green card has some deportation purists in the MAGA movement unnerved.
In recent weeks, Trump has flummoxed deportation advocates, like Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, “Border Czar” Tom Homan, and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, who have rushed to “clarify” Trump’s comments that migrants employed in farming and industrial activities without a criminal record should not face expulsion from the country. In point of fact, as Trump tries to thread the proverbial needle, thousands of (otherwise) law abiding illegal immigrants face round up from ICE agents. With a greater boost in funding thanks to the passage of the “Big Beautiful Bill, which will provide Immigration & Customs Enforcement with more money than the FBI and all other federal security agencies put together, the round ups will probably skyrocket. The otherwise innocent will be the victims.
That is bad news for agri-business interests who are disproportionately powerful in key pro-Trump electoral constituencies in rural America – and corporate ambassadors from Archer-Daniels-Midland, Tyson and Smithfield have been letting the president know of their displeasure.
Realists around Donald Trump, and quite a few senior GOP members, have been trying to find a solution that their base would accept. An economic paper published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas on Tuesday, July 8, found that “high interior deportation,” with removals gradually rising to 437,500 a year, would cut economic growth by 0.83 percentage point this year and 0.84 in 2027.
Trump fears recession above all else; however, deportation advocates, like the MAGA-allied Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), estimates the annual net cost of illegal immigration at the federal, state and local levels to be at least $150.7 billion, as of early 2023. Put another way, FAIR states that this translates to a cost of $8,776 annually per illegal immigrant. That has given deportation hawks a fiscal counter argument.
Of course, libertarian advocates like the CATO Institute argue that there is a net $203,000 positive to the economy for each illegal immigrant over a 30-year period, but that carries little sway with the mainstream of the Republican Party currently. Payments, however, do.
$8,776 multiplied over 30 years would amount to $263,280. That’s not a lot higher than the $200,000 cap that the Trump administration has put on graduate student loans, such as for medical school tuition. Nevertheless, if the American people are willing to let someone borrow for medical school or law school over 30 years at $200,000, why will not even our most recalcitrant citizenry allow an immigrant earn their citizenship by paying the same amount over a similar period of time?
Or perhaps levy a more reasonable fine?
Understandably, Democrats will decry the notion of paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for the right to simply live, especially as this amounts to far more than the $5,000 penalty that they proposed in the 2006 amnesty legislation. Nevertheless, progressive may have no choice but to swallow a high fine threshold to get a deal done.
MAGA Republicans have the law on their side right now. A strict reading of the federal statutory code allows for deportation for any reason, if one’s status is even slightly illegal, as Mandonna Kashanian learned. Advocates for amnesty for those who have obeyed the law for decades (like she has) might hope for a far lower fee based on years living in the United States. Nevertheless, if a congressman’s empathy for the situation of law-abiding citizens being arrested will not move him to co-sponsor an amnesty bill, perhaps money will?
If efforts toward such a compromise fail, Democrats will win the moral argument. MAGA opponents will have made very clear that they have predicated their deportation agenda not predicated upon questions of national economic security – as they have claimed – but upon race and ethnicity.
Equally, Democrats have to be realistic. Some Republicans are racist, but not all. Currently, progressives are losing the immigration debate according to national polling. The deportations remain popular. Splitting the economic conservatives from the MAGA conservatives may ensure that law-abiding mothers from Lakeview do not find themselves in detention cells. If Mike Johnson and Steve Scalise do not champion their cause, if presented with a profitable alternative for the federal treasury, then their true motivations will have become clear.
The House majority leader from Metairie stepped up for Mandonna Kashanian. Will he do so for everyone else? And will the pathway be affordable for immigrants to make the payments?
Scalise argued last Thursday, that’s exactly the course of action which he demands of Congress. “What do you do with the people who are here illegally but aren’t violent criminals? And by the way, how do you know the difference? Well, some unelected bureaucrat in Washington working for a federal agency who’s processing thousands of cases a day really doesn’t have enough information to know."
“We will have to change the law in Congress," Scalise said, "and that means both parties are going to have to come together to do it, not to yell and scream and demagogue the issue."
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8 LUG 2025 · The Founders Show comes to you from Colonial Williamsburg this week as Hy and Christopher discuss the importance of the 4th of July as the show begins They go on to examine the “Big Beautiful Bill”, its impacts, benefits like a $1000 deduction for nonprofits (even if you claim the standard deduction), and the likelihood that a Louisiana legislative special session will be called to make up for the loss of Medicaid dollars. Could you see another penny in sales tax here in the Pelican State to make up for the healthcare cuts?
Hy’s and Christopher’s main subject of the show, though, is the New Orleans Mayor’s race and the entrance of Royce Duplessis. That leads us to ask the question… Will Royce Duplessis ‘Mandy-Landry’ Moreno?
He has to make it to the runoff first, but if the standing room only crowd at Central City’s Ashe Powerhouse Theatre provides any indication, Royce Duplessis might have a chance to both break into the 2025 mayoral runoff and outflank the likely liberal Caucasian candidate – as he did get elected to the state Senate.
In order to win, Duplessis must replicate the coalition that allowed him to best Democratic Rep. Mandy Landry in 2022. He must build a biracial coalition of African-American Democrats as well as white Republicans and Independents to outflank a prominent Caucasian challenger. His Senate district, which has more than 75,000 registered voters in Orleans Parish, is a good microcosm of the city – 48 percent are Black, 40 percent are Caucasian, and nine percent other. In fact, it’s a bit worse than the City of New Orleans for an African-American contender, which is 55 and 34 percent Black and white respectively. That Duplessis could carry a gentrified district, which under traditional political rules should have given a preference to a liberal white contender, speaks well of his chances in a citywide runoff.
Of course, the state senator first has to best Councilman Oliver Thomas and Judge Arthur Hunter in order to end up in a likely runoff with frontrunner Councilmember At-Large Helena Moreno. His announcement speech hinted exactly at Duplessis’ strategy to achieve that goal when he said, “The journey to tonight, to this very moment, started about 37 years ago on Press Drive in Pontchartrain Park.” The senator went on to recount a lesson which he learned as a 6-year-old football player, yet the subtle message that he grew up in the first desegregated neighborhood that was the home of so many subsequent civil rights leaders was not lost on the crowd. They cheered. The Creole candidate had arrived.
Duplessis appealed to the city’s wider working class base as well, noting that his opponents should have been more concerned about the 20,000 people who left Orleans rather than “where the mayor sleeps.” Then he doubled down on an obvious attack on Oliver Thomas (as well as Helena Moreno) with the words, “The next mayor of New Orleans cannot be someone who knows the system, but be willing to change the system.”
Reacting to the cost of living crisis, Duplessis pledged to build 40,000 affordable apartments and new homes just before he pledged an economic development mission to make the Port of New Orleans the largest in the world. It is a package uniquely suited to uniting the right and the left on the ideological spectrum.
"This city is being asked to settle,” he said of his opponents. “New Orleans will never become its greatest if we accept complacency,” he said, explaining that his impetus to jump into the contest came from the electorate’s general lack of excitement about the contenders. Duplessis freely admitted that he did not have the money his opponents have, the original reason he demurred from running six months ago. Nevertheless, he’s counting on the public’s desire for change to propel him into the runoff and into the mayor’s office.
Moreno is also expected to work across racial lines to secure 15 to 20 percent of the Black vote to emerge victorious, a task well underway with some highly visible endorsements from African-American leaders. Duplessis enjoys high name recognition in his 5th La. Senatorial District but lacks that same level of positive ID across the city as she or her fellow councilman. A survey conducted September 4-5, 2024, by JMC Analytics pegged Duplessis' backing at nine percent, behind both Moreno and Thomas.
Councilman Thomas would stand as the prohibitive favorite under normal circumstances, thanks to his tenure in office and general public likability, yet his past felony conviction has given many potential citywide voters pause.
Even if Duplessis transcends Thomas’ position in the polls, the senator must contend with Judge Arthur Hunter, who had his official kick-off on the day before Duplessis – Monday, June 30. Moreover, Hunter has already sought to build upon his high profile in the African-American community by actively courting Caucasian leaders. Caroline Fayard, Dickie Brennan and consultant Karen Carvin Shachat are heavily involved in the former Judge’s campaign.
Duplessis must win the 13 to 15 precent of New Orleanians who consistently vote Republican along with the vast majority of the African-American vote and at least some white Democratic moderates who would otherwise support Moreno to achieve victory. At first glance, he would have to replicate the biracial, bipartisan coalition that fueled Ray Nagin’s surprise win over Mitch Landrieu in 2006. Of course, that is a very similar combination to the one that elected Royce Duplessis to the state Senate in 2022. Also, like Latoya Cantrell nearly eight years ago, his strength in the Irish Channel, Central City, Broadmoor and Uptown (key precincts in his Senate district) could overcome bipartisan and biracial support elsewhere for the other candidates. That’s how Cantrell beat Desiree Charbonnet, despite the former judge’s bipartisan backing, ubiquitous name recognition, and endorsements elsewhere in the city.
To break past Thomas and Hunter, though, Royce Duplessis faces the same challenge as six months ago – a lack of money. Grassroots support will prove essential to close the financial deficit, which makes the more than 500 people who showed up for his campaign announcement, with less than 48 hours warning, so encouraging for the state senator’s bid to become mayor of New Orleans.
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30 GIU 2025 · We kick off the show talking about the fact that New Orleans is no longer a major city - at least according to the federal government. We keep into that theme in our conversation with former New Orleans Councilman and state Senator Jon Johnson. He’s running for Council District E, and we ask the question as a convicted felon, can he win? Johnson believes he can.
We then talk about the big beautiful Bill, which reached its first hurdle of passage on Saturday night. Originally, it looks like it would cut Medicare Advantage. Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy had proposed something along those lines, which would’ve affected half of all Medicare recipients. Darren Grubb joins us to let us know that those cuts did not make the final bill, and hopefully will not return and reconciliation. It is a triumph of grassroots lobbying.
However, to our major topic of the day…
New Orleans Metro ceases to be a major city, according to OMB
By Christopher Tidmore
It went unnoticed by most of the local media, but a federal agency has downgraded New Orleans from a major city to little more than a large town, and that has major implications for future government funding, business relocation, and economic development.
Basically, the North Shore was robbed from the New Orleans Metro! During his tenure two decades ago, former St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis controversially changed the moniker in advertisements of his parish from “New Orleans’ North Shore” to “Louisiana’s North Shore”, trying to break the mental metro association of the Causeway connection. It took 20 years, but a federal agency says the numbers now argue for exactly that.
Quite simply, the population of the New Orleans metropolitan area was reduced from 1,237,748 to 962,165 by the stoke of a pen, since less than a quarter of North Shore residents now commute to the South Shore for their jobs.
For the last 70 years, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has maintained a set of consistent statistical definitions for metropolitan regions of the United States to enhance the value of data provided by federal statistical agencies. The current rules are published in the Federal Register and are used to consistently define metro areas across the country.
Starting with data released for 2023, the metropolitan statistical area (MSA), anchored by New Orleans — officially, the New Orleans–Metairie MSA — no longer includes St. Tammany Parish. Following a 2020 update published by the federal government and implemented this year, the New Orleans–Metairie MSA now covers seven parishes: Plaquemines, St. Bernard, Orleans, Jefferson, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, and St. James. Additionally, a new Slidell–Mandeville–Covington MSA has been created, which consists only of St. Tammany Parish.
Why have these official definitions changed? As the New Orleans Data Center explained, “The short answer is that a smaller portion of workers who live in St. Tammany are commuting to work in Orleans, Jefferson, and other parishes on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain. This smaller portion no longer meets the criteria for St. Tammany to be included in Metro New Orleans. For a longer answer, keep reading below where we run down the details. As a result of the change, the new official population of Metro New Orleans is lower than you might recall. According to the Census Bureau, the population of Metro New Orleans was 962,165 in 2023. If St. Tammany were included, the population under the old 8-parish definition would be 1,237,748 in 2023. The massive discrepancy between these two numbers is overwhelmingly driven by the official removal of St. Tammany’s resident population from the total rather than by population loss in the individual metro parishes. The bottom line is that, going forward, the official estimate will reflect a 7-parish region of under 1 million, not an 8-parish region of over 1.2 million. Without St. Tammany, basic measures of Metro New Orleans’ demographic and economic makeup will also change.”
The OMB had previously classified St. Tammany as an “outlying county” of the New Orleans–Metairie MSA. Its two urban areas around Mandeville–Covington and around Slidell now stand as geographically separate and distinct from the larger urban area on the south shore. Previously, more than 25 percent of St. Tammany residents who work commuted to the six “central counties” on the south shore, meeting the criteria to be part of the New Orleans–Metairie MSA.
For the last major update in 2010, which used data collected from 2006-2010, 26.2 percent of St. Tammany’s workers were commuting to the south shore. In the new estimates used for OMB’s latest major update in 2020, which use data collected from 2016-2020, this portion had fallen to 22.5 percent. The 25 percent commuting threshold is no longer met. Further, St. Tammany’s two urban areas have sufficient population to define the parish as a “central county” in a new MSA, deemed the Slidell–Mandeville–Covington MSA.
As the Data Center explanined, “Because St. Tammany’s jobs have grown at an even faster pace than its population, the ratio of jobs to population has increased, from 232 jobs for every 1,000 residents in 1990 to 346 jobs for every 1,000 residents in 2023. The job-population ratio in St. Tammany remains lower than in Orleans and Jefferson (and Plaquemines, St. James, and St. Charles). But unlike in St. Tammany, the jobs-to-population ratio in Orleans and Jefferson is lower than it was during the early 2000s, before Hurricane Katrina. Altogether, these measures track a relativeshift in metro area jobs to St. Tammany Parish that has outpaced the shift in population, making it more likely for residents of St. Tammany to find jobs located in St. Tammany.”
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20 GIU 2025 · Hy and Christopher are joined for the second half of The Founders Show by Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta, who has launched an inquiry into why the blackouts were ordered with just nine minutes notice by a little known federal regulatory group one month ago.
MISO is more than a soup, but Skrmetta believes that Louisiana and her electric utilities would be better off working with other southeastern states for a new interstate compact on power distribution.
By the end of the program, we also talk with Skrmetta, who is an expert on international relations, about Iran. It’s timely, because the first half of the program discusses not just the apocalyptic danger of the Supreme Leader and his Mullahs, but how some of Donald Trump’s closest allies believe that joining the Israeli bombing campaign is a tragic mistake.
The president has given himself just under two weeks to decide whether America will join the war with its critical 30,000 pound bunker buster bombs necessary to destroy the underground atomic centrifuges. However, bombing Iran could endanger domestically the President’s pursuit of getting the US Senate to pass the “One Beautiful Bill”.
Nevertheless, the political damage within the GOP at home might be necessary, as Hy notes quoting a senior source in Washington DC:
The world watches with bated breath as Tel Aviv endures one of the most devastating strikes in its history. The recent Iranian missile assault has tragically targeted sacred spaces within the heart of the city: the Diamond Exchange District, Stock Exchange, and Soroka Medical Center. With reports of 147 injured and significant destruction, the impact of this violence is felt deeply across the nation.
Furthermore, Israeli officials have confirmed the use of cluster-type munitions, raising alarm over the devastating consequences for civilian populations. In an unsettling development, authorities have enforced censorship, restricting foreign media from documenting the reality on the ground, while Iranian media mockingly disseminates footage intended to undermine Israel's narrative. The power dynamics in this conflict have escalated to unprecedented levels.
🌡 An Escalation of Tensions
The Iranian Supreme Council has issued dire warnings regarding a "new strategy" in retaliation for any external intervention. The IRGC has demanded the immediate evacuation of the Dimona nuclear facility, signaling an urgent need for global attention. Reports indicate that key sites, including the Israeli Police Headquarters and intelligence facilities, have been targeted, while Iran has released a provocative 3D map of the Israeli C4I Command Center. Though the IDF has successfully intercepted cluster munitions, there are claims that the Iron Dome defense system is being overwhelmed by the intensity of these assaults.
🌐 The Global Response is Building
Amid these grave developments, the United States is weighing its options for a potential strike on Iran, with a final decision expected in the coming days. Former President Trump has denied any pre-approved attack plans, while the White House has committed to a resolution within the next two weeks. Simultaneously, direct talks between U.S. and Iranian officials are reportedly underway, with Russia and China condemning Israel's actions and cautioning the U.S. against further escalation.
💣 Geopolitical Reactions & Threats
The conflict has unraveled far beyond the immediate region, with Iranian drones downing an Israeli Heron UAV and Kata'eb Hezbollah ominously warning that U.S. bases may become “duck hunting grounds.” Iran's threat to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz looms large, prompting NATO to shorten its upcoming summit to mitigate potential fallout.
📉 Broader Implications
On the home front, Iran has accused the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of facilitating Israeli aggression. An extended internet blackout persists in Iran, marking one of the worst communication disruptions since the 2019 protests, while reports of connectivity recovery remain limited. The strike on Soroka Hospital has been falsely framed as a concealment of military assets by Iranian authorities.
☢️ Strategic & Nuclear Considerations
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s assurance that Russian nuclear experts will remain in Iran underscores the strategic stakes at play. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s assertion that “we can destroy all of Iran’s nuclear facilities” echoes the severity of the situation. National unity is a powerful reaction to adversity, as an Iranian official states, “This war has united our people, not weakened them,” a poignant reminder of the indomitable spirit within.
📣 Censorship and the Media Landscape
As the conflict unfolds, Israel has imposed restrictions on foreign press coverage, claiming a need for security. Concurrently, Iranian authorities allege that Israel is using civilian areas as shields for its defense systems, intensifying the narrative battle that accompanies military operations.
🗣️ Voices of Resilience & Symbolism
In these tumultuous times, the personal toll is evident. Prime Minister Netanyahu has poignantly shared that even his son has had to cancel his wedding due to the ongoing violence. Trump's remarks underscore the hesitation and complexity involved in making decisive choices in such a volatile context. Meanwhile, supreme leaders and their advisors warn of the long-term implications of this conflict.
As we navigate through these challenges, it is vital to emphasize the importance of resilience, dialogue, and unity across all nations affected by these events. The path forward must prioritize healing and understanding amidst the turbulence of war.
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17 GIU 2025 · The Founders Show comes to you live from the Thousand Islands on the Canadian-US border, from the deck of the famed Canadian Empress riverboat.
We’ve been sailing down the St. Lawrence Seaway, and that triggered our kick off topic for this week’s show. The U.S. / Canadian relationship has been in the news quite a bit over the last year. North of the border, voters have resented the “51st state” comments, so much so that Canada re-elected a previously unpopular Liberal government that was willing to stand up to Donald Trump.
However, despite being a different country, Canada is intrinsically linked with the United States – nowhere more so than the thousand islands win you could be 50 feet away by boat to cross the border. We explore the difficulties those people have putting up with a huge amount of bureaucratic red tape just to go back-and-forth, and the relationship between the United States and Canada. Why don’t we have free movement of population? Why isn’t our relationship even closer when we are truly cousins in close proximity?
We then turn to the Louisiana legislature, and a Bill to allow Louisianians to sue doctors who send abortion pills across state lines. This puts Gov. Jeff Landry, if he signs, in direct conflict with President Donald Trump. Trump thinks 15 weeks are an acceptable margin or gray area to allow abortion to be legal. Hy and Christopher discuss where the gray area lies.
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23 MAG 2025 · Hy and Christopher are joined by Curtis Robinson of the https://www.hunter-gathererspodcast.com/ to interview the legendary David Amram. At 94 years young, the famed jazz and folk musician has played with everyone from Dizzy Gillespie to Leonard Bernstein. He invented jazz poetry with Jack Kerouac in Greenwich Village. And Amram explains why New Orleans is the most American city.
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19 MAG 2025 · Curtis Robinson joins Hy and Christopher to talk about the chances to pass the current budget in Congress and the state of politics in Washington DC. He also mentions a little bit about Hunter S Thompson and Gonzofest 11 while he is at it.
Robinson is a veteran newspaper, editor, Washington-based columnist, and member of the National Press Club. He ranks as the consummate Washington insider, and based on what he has heard, he thinks Trump will succeed in passing the budget, and he explains the reasons why. We also find out about the real impact of DOGE, and how it could impact the space industry in Louisiana.
Robinson and also cohosts https://www.hunter-gathererspodcast.com/ and we speak about what the great journalist would’ve thought about the current political situation and how he would’ve agreed that Emoluments is not a face cream.
Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 of the United States Constitution reads, “No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.” The “Emoluments Clause” likely includes luxury airplanes.
We also chat about whether ending Michoud’s Artemis be justified by Elon Musk’s pursuit of Mars.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry tweeted an impassioned letter to U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson to save Boeing‘s Artemis rocket program in the coming budget. The future lunar expedition launchers are assembled at New Orleans’ Michoud Space Center, and the rocket construction facility employs hundreds of high-paying, high-tech jobs in Louisiana.
The Artemis Project was dealt a blow when its Starliner return vehicle malfunctioned in 2024. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were supposed to be in orbit for eight days but the American astronauts remained on the International Space station for nine months until one of Elon Musk’s Space X Dragon capsules returned them to Earth.
The disaster led Musk to boast that his rockets were superior to the traditional NASA government contractor, yet Space X’s prototype Starship’s last two flights ended with explosions. That’s the vehicle he proposes to use to begin the process of taking Americans to Mars, instead of back to the Moon, Boeing’s priority.
Congress and the NASA administrator nominee Jared Isaacman seem to agree, speeding up the timeline for astronauts to reach the red planet – potentially at the expense of New Orleans’ Michoud facility. Their sudden switch follows the release of the White House’s 2026 budget proposal, which would increase funding for Mars-related projects by $1 billion and pay for the launches. It also signals the Trump’s administration’s intentions to prioritize sending people to Mars.
“We are evaluating every opportunity, including launch windows in 2026 and 2028, to test technologies that will land humans on Mars,” said NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens. The White House first hinted at the possibility last month in a press release after a meeting between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Donald Trump. It indicated the U.S. and Italy would partner on a Mars mission as soon as next year.
A Mars mission might be a boon for Musk’s SpaceX, a top contender to provide the rocket. While other companies have rockets that could reach Mars, only SpaceX has announced plans to land one on the planet in 2026.
Moreover, Trump, in his inauguration speech, promised to land the first astronaut on the planet; Musk, standing behind him, gave a thumbs up. Isaacman also subsequently told Congress that he would “prioritize” such a mission in testimony ahead of his nomination hearing.
Despite Musk pushing Trump to prioritize Mars over a moon landing, a Mars focus could lead to a clash with lawmakers, who have legally mandated that NASA pursue a long-term human presence on or near the moon. Congress may buck Trump and refuse to approve the funding in his budget request, especially if lawmakers worry the effort will delay lunar plans. That is the essence of what Landry has suggested to the Louisiana-born speaker in his defense of the Boeing project.
Landry wrote to Johnson: “I am writing to express my strong support for NASA's Artemis program and to urge you to lead Congress in ensuring its continued funding and success. Initiated under President Donald Trump. The Artemis program rightly refocused NASA on returning American astronauts to the Moon and establishing permanent U.S. leadership in space. This mission is a critical steppingstone toward building the interplanetary infrastructure necessary to reach Mars and beyond…Artemis Il, with its core stages built right here in Louisiana at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, is currently being stacked and prepared for launch in Florida. Meanwhile, Artemis Ill and additional Louisiana-built stages are actively in production at Michoud. This program has become a powerful engine for STEM and engineering talent, doing two important things: (1) helping retain our skilled, homegrown workforce, and (2) attracting top-tier talent from across the Nation to make Louisiana their home. These individuals become taxpayers, neighbors, and contributors to our communities and economy.”
The governor continued, “Last week's release of the federal budget proposes significant cuts and mission changes that would effectively end the Artemis program in favor of initiatives that offer far less benefit to Louisiana. This would be a devastating setback for our State. Without Artemis, the Michoud Assembly Facility risks a sharp decline in workload. Our skilled labor pipeline, including the training program at Nunez Community College in Chalmette, faces the threat of disruption or closure. We would again see the outmigration of Louisiana's talent as our workers seek opportunities elsewhere.”
“The Artemis program is not only vital to our State, but it is also vital to our national security. We must reach the Moon before China and establish a permanent, U.S.-led presence to protect our values, freedoms, and leadership in space. As Chairman Brian Babin of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee recently noted, we do not want American astronauts to be greeted on the Moon by a sign that says ‘Welcome’ in Mandarin.”
However, Landry’s plea may have come too late.
The White House’s budget proposal also cancels the Gateway lunar space station program, which many senators support. Isaacman has said the space agency can pursue lunar and Mars plans at the same time. Next year and 2028 are the soonest time frames when Earth and Mars are closest, making them optimal years for launching missions.
Of course, SpaceX’s Starship does not constitute the only contender for the trip. Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, which launched for the first time in January, could carry a small payload to Mars. The company has already contracted to send two small satellites to Mars in the next 18 months to study the planet. Rocket producer ULA has also built rockets for Mars missions.
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14 MAG 2025 · May 15-18 will see https://gonzofest.net at The Rink, 2727 Prytania. It's a celebration of the life and work of Hunter S. Thompson.
Hy & Christopher are joined by two of the organizers, Curtis Robinson and Kent Fielding. Christopher and Curtis actually produce a podcast on Hunter S. Thompson - https://www.hunter-gathererspodcast.com/ - which they exerpt on this week's radio show.
Join us on Friday, Saturday and Sunday - Gonzofest is free! More information is available at https://gonzofest.net.
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6 MAG 2025 · Hy and Christopher take on the legislative session, discussing Gov. Jeff Landry losing influence as the deficit picture changes and several pieces of legislation under consideration.
We also spent some time looking at the trash situation in the French Quarter, and a proposed legislative solution. This is Christopher‘s editorial on the subject:
Trash Bill: the first step at empowering neighborhoods
It’s curious that Mayor LaToya Cantrell reacts with such opposition to French Quarter residents demanding to choose their own preferred trash contract. She predicated her entire pre-Councilmanic career upon the idea of empowering neighborhoods. She first proposed the taxing authority, ultimately passed by the legislature, that allowed neighborhoods to levy a mileage upon homeowners for anything from parks to community enrichments. As long as it passed by democratic vote, Cantrell once believed neighborhoods should be able to take their own destiny into their hands—except, apparently, trash collection.
Louisiana legislators advanced a bill on Wednesday, April 30 which aims to wrest authority from the city's mayor by letting a state-created board in the French Quarter enter sanitation contracts. Sponsored by state Sen. Jimmy Harris, D-New Orleans, and drafted with support from New Orleans City Council members, Senate Bill 195 would allow the 13-member French Quarter Management District to secure "emergency contracts" for sanitation services (ostensibly when New Orleans' city government fails to provide those services in the neighborhood). The city would have to repay the board for the work. The bill moved unanimously from the Senate's Local and Municipal Affairs Committee that afternoon, advancing to the full Senate.
The current controversy centers upon the Mayor’s determination that Henry Consulting will take over the garbage contract in the Vieux Carre’ on Aug. 1 over the highly popular IV Waste, the firm currently performing that work across the city's downtown. Critics, including Councilman At-Large JP Morrell cited to the legislative committee how Henry Consulting had been allowed by the Cantrell Administration to sidestep many provisions of the RFP process, including being granted a 50% reduction and the surety bond needed to win the contract.
The basic truth, though, remains that French Quarter locals trust Sidney Torres’ IV Waste and its “DisneyWorld-level” street cleaners over Henry’s politically-connected firm. If this legislation is passed and signed into law, however, the change will do more than fix a bad contract. It will create the precedent that neighborhoods should be able to control the quality of life elements of their existence at the most local of levels.
Too often, parish governments (and frequently state government) concentrate power far too much in too few hands too far away from the average citizen. Governance often works best when it stands closest to the people. Equally, many minority neighborhoods have suffered at the whims of politicians deciding their fate from afar, deaf to the individual concerns on the level of the streets.
Every neighborhood should have a deciding say in their garbage contracts, as the collection of refuse and the cleaning of the streets often ranks first as the number one quality of life issue, after crime.
In this case, it’s a Black mayor versus a non-minority neighborhood, but control at the household-level would benefit far more minority neighborhoods across Louisiana than the current practice of keeping everything decided by the typically old white male politicians of too many Parish governments.
Overcoming the opposition of New Orleans’ first woman Black mayor in order to return power to a neighborhood over trash will eventually benefit African-Americans homeowners across Louisiana in the long-term (ironically enough) when the first step is taken to empower French Quarter residents. Other neighborhoods, including minority neighborhoods, will follow—in time.
Trascritto
25 APR 2025 · Hy and Christopher kick off with an interview with hospital activist Beth Pence. She reveals that only six Louisiana hospitals have been transparent with their pricing and cost for procedures, despite the law passed by U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy which mandates hospitals must provide the pricing “openly and transparently”. We discuss how hard this byzantine economic burden places on so many families.
We then move to talking about our main subject, PortNOLA - more on that story below.
Our hosts also question the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s 2.46 Mills Renewal for 10 years, on the ballot May 3. The dysfunction in the Orleans Parish’s Sheriff’s Office has led to the construction of a jail complex, which the current Sheriff originally pledged not to use and has been— to put it politely— schizophrenic in the messaging of its eventual purpose. Staff attrition stand at record rates, morale is down, and recidivism is up.
Sheriff Susan Hutson still has time to turn things around, and she still can make that on some of her progressive promises whilst balancing the law-and-order responsibilities of her office. Her election is not until this autumn, but she needs to take qualitative steps in order to be worthy of the tax dollars for which she asks the electorate. Moreover, Hy and Christopher have long opposed elections where only one measure is on the ballot. Sheriff Hutson did not create this system, but she could’ve chosen to put this tax on the autumn ballot—when she herself was up for reelection. Perhaps, that’s too much of a political ask, but if an elected official believes in the revenue measure, he, or she should put their own political feature on the line for it.
Bayham Beats Goliath in Container Port Battle
By Christopher Tidmore
On Wednesday, April 23, State Rep. Michael Bayham (joined by the entire Council of Saint Bernard, the Parish President, DA, and Sheriff’s representatives) dealt the Port of New Orleans a sensation which the archons of the Dock Board rarely experience before a legislative committee—the taste of defeat.
House Bill 616 would have granted the Port of New Orleans unilateral expropriation power to build a highway-level road from a new container-port which they proposed to build. It would have run across the parish. The bill would have empowered PortNOLA to seize private property without the approval of the parish government, levy tolls (as well as exempt their own trucks & vehicles from those tolls), and contract with a private company to own the road, allowing the private firm to administer the seized property.
All of this to build a container-port which encounters majority opposition in St. Bernard Parish, to construct it on top of an historic African-American cemetery, and build in shadow of a Black community in Violet which likely would never be able to look upon the Mississippi River again.
Moreover, this container-port stands years overdue with its original budgetary cost of $1.8 billion soaring. to $3.9 billion. Some even argue that taxpayers will likely be on the hook if it’s allowed to proceed— despite promises that private dollars will underwrite the container-port infrastructure. (Unlike in Plaquemines, PortNOLA representatives have demurred from explaining whom exactly will fund the full cost of the new container-port.)
The victory of the St Bernard Parish citizens in the LA House Transportation Committee in deferring the legislation was immediately labeled ‘a blockade to economic progress’ in the Pelican State. PortNOLA officials have ignored, however, that the Plaquemines Port container terminal project (under construction directly across the river) achieves almost all of these economic goals, would be built on undeveloped land, enjoys wide public support, and would actually fund infrastructure bridges to connect lower Plaquemines to Jefferson by rail and road, improving evacuation routes, and underwriting the removal of a dangerous train right-of-way which bisects downtown Gretna next to a public park where children play. Jefferson and Plaquemines support their project as ardently at St. Bernard opposes PortNola’s “LIT” Project (as it is formally named).
Despite friendly articles in the daily paper, the lobbyist for Plaquemines terminal facility noted that while the Plaquemines project would require major infrastructure investment, “The LIT project in St. Bernard would actually require more infrastructure investment. Plus, the Plaquemines infrastructure projects are absolutely needed, irrespective of the container terminal being built — in fact, they're 15 years overdue based on congestion and safety issues. In contrast, the LIT-related infrastructure would only be built because of the proposed terminal there.”
He continues, “The LIT project would cost $1.8 billion. I know for a fact that its cost has now soared to $3.9 billion. This soaring cost would make it the most expensive U.S. container terminal ever built by far, all in order to produce very modest projected growth. Because private dollars could never be justified through a reasonable return on investment of this amount, a great portion of this would have to be public money. In contrast, the entire Plaquemine terminal facility (as opposed to transportation infrastructure) would be built with private investment. Industry giant Maersk/APM Terminals is committed to supply this.”
“Finally, the Plaquemines project is supported by a very strong expert market study, which shows it aggressively attacking the Dallas market, which LIT would not do, and that would be a game changer for Louisiana. As a result, the Plaquemines container port would produce five times the container business growth over 10 years than LIT would produce in the same time period.”
The arguments proved enough to convince the state House Transportation Committee to vote to table the legislation, yet the fight is hardly over. PortNOLA lobbyists pledged to bring it back up for consideration later in the legislative session, despite local opposition.
A look at Louisiana politics from Chaplain Hy McEnery and Christopher Tidmore
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