It’s Thursday, and time for our Week in Politics with the Editorial Director and Columnist for the Times Picayune/The Advocate, Stephanie Grace. Today we discuss why Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La. ) decided to support Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to run the Department of Health and Human Services and why his vote was so significant. 

A Louisiana mother and a New York doctor have been indicted for allegedly providing abortion pills to a minor in Port Allen. This is the first case of a doctor being charged for mailing abortion medication into a state where abortions are banned in the wake of the overturning Roe v. Wade. 

Rosemary Westwood has been covering the story. She joined Louisiana Considered's Managing Producer Alana Schreiber with the latest.

Xavier University of Louisiana is celebrating 100  years in 2025. It has been a part of the City of New Orleans community for a third of the city’s existence, training many of the state’s doctors, pharmacists, and other professionals.

The university’s president, Dr. Reynold Verret, tells us more about the institution’s impact on  the city, and how students, faculty and alumni are celebrating.

Early voting has begun for a special election to fill a vacant seat representing Louisiana's 14th district. Three Democrats are campaigning to finish the term begun by Cleo Fields, another Democrat who won election to Congress in November.

On Tuesday, WRKF’s Capitol access reporter Brooke Thorington spoke with one of the candidates, Carolyn Hill. Today she speaks with one of her challengers, Quentin Anderson.

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Bob Pavlovich. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber; our contributing producers are Matt Bloom and Adam Vos; we receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell.

You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at noon and 7 p.m. It’s available on Spotify, the NPR APP, and wherever you get your podcasts. 

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