Gulf States Gumbo

A quick warning — today’s episode is about the death penalty and includes talk about recent executions and methods. 

Capital punishment is a priority of the Trump administration, with the Deep South at the epicenter. We talk with our criminal justice reporter Kat Stromquist about the new method Alabama pioneered. Kat also talks with researcher Corinna Barrett Lain about her new book, “Secrets of the Killing State,” and how executions can go wrong. 

This episode is hosted and written by Stephan Bisaha. The podcast is produced by Kat Stromquist, Drew Hawkins, Orlando Flores Jr. and Ryan Vasquez. Joseph King is the social producer and our audience engagement producer is Nellie Beckett. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme.

To get in touch with the team, email [email protected].

And support our local station partners by donating to WWNO, MPB, and WBHM.

Editor’s Note: This episode contains descriptions of sexual violence that may be upsetting for some listeners. 

Public health reporter Drew Hawkins takes over this week’s episode to focus on a single story — the Gulf South’s shortage of sexual assault nurse examiners, better known as SANEs. 

Over the last year, Drew has been reporting on the impacts the shortage has had on hospital systems and sexual assault survivors. In partnership with Type Investigations, Drew examines who these nurses are, what they do and how they help survivors of sexual assault. 

This episode is hosted and mixed by our public health reporter Drew Hawkins, and edited by Ashley Lisenby and Ryan Vasquez. Additional editorial support for this project was provided by Type Investigations. 

The podcast is produced by Stephan Bisaha, Kat Stromquist, Orlando Flores Jr. and Ryan Vasquez. Nellie Beckett is our audience engagement producer and Joseph King is the social producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme. 

To get in touch with the team, email [email protected].

And support our local station partners by donating to WWNO, MPB, or WBHM.

On this week's episode, we zoom into Clarksdale, Mississippi, where Ryan Coogler’s latest blockbuster "Sinners" is set. Movie critics said it's one of the best of the year, but residents couldn’t watch it without driving elsewhere. That changed after one man spoke out. 

Our sports and culture reporter Joseph King and Mississippi Public Broadcasting's Shamira Muhammad tell us about what they saw at a series of special screenings of the film in the Mississippi Delta town. 

This episode is hosted and mixed by our public health reporter Drew Hawkins. The podcast was produced by Stephan Bisaha, Kat Stromquist, Orlando Flores Jr. and Ryan Vasquez. Nellie Beckett is our audience engagement producer and Joseph King is the social producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme.

To get in touch with the team, email [email protected].

And support our local station partners by donating to WWNO, MPB, or WBHM.

On this week's episode, we’re heading to Mobile, Alabama, to find out why the Trump administration wants more ships built there and and across the Gulf. And, why critics say the policy meant to make that happen is not enough carrot and too much stick.

Also, this August will mark 20 years since Hurricane Katrina, an event that forever changed New Orleans. Whether you left Louisiana or stayed after Katrina, we want to hear your story. 

On behalf of our partner station WWNO, we're asking listeners from near and far to share love letters to the city.

Let us know your name, age, where you’re from and any other details you'd like to share. If you respond, we may use your story on the air or online.

You can submit your love letter in two ways:

This episode is hosted and written by economic mobility reporter Stephan Bisaha. The podcast was produced by Kat Stromquist, Drew Hawkins, Orlando Flores Jr. and Ryan Vasquez. Nellie Beckett is our audience engagement producer and Joseph King is the social producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme.

To get in touch with the team, email [email protected].

And support our local station partners by donating to WWNO, MPB, or WBHM.

On this week's episode of the Gulf States Gumbo, we examine how cost-cutting in Washington is being felt in the South. 

Take the federal funding that’s played a major role in fighting the U.S. HIV epidemic — especially in hard-hit places like Alabama — for example. DOGE cuts and Trump administration policy changes threaten to undo that progress, according to advocates. 

And Louisiana lawmakers are asking Congress to bring back a federal program that helped schools buy food from local farms. WWNO and WRKF education reporter Aubri Juhasz explains how one school district used the money.

This episode is hosted and written by audience engagement producer Nellie Beckett. The podcast was produced by Stephan Bisaha, Kat Stromquist, Drew Hawkins, Orlando Flores Jr. and Ryan Vasquez. Joseph King is the social producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme.

To get in touch with the team, email [email protected].

And support our local station partners by donating to WWNO, MPB, or WBHM.

Chicago has a lot to celebrate right now. After all, before he was Leo XIV of the Vatican, he was Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago. 

What’s less well known are the Pope’s Creole ties. 

In this week's episode, we hear how Catholics in Jackson, Mississippi, and New Orleans are reacting to the news, and we talk to the man who uncovered the Pope’s Southern connection. 

This episode is hosted and written by economic mobility reporter Stephan Bisaha. The podcast was produced by Drew Hawkins, Kat Stromquist, Orlando Flores Jr. and Ryan Vasquez. Joseph King is our social producer. Nellie Beckett is our audience engagement producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme. 

To get in touch with the team, email [email protected].

And support our local station partners by donating to WWNO, MPB, or WBHM.

On this week's episode, we round the bases with a couple of sports stories, like a "torpedo bat" design giving baseball players newfound power. 

But what is it about these bats that allows players to hit the ball so deep? WWNO's and WRKF’s Alana Schreiber visited Marucci Sports, a bat manufacturer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to find out. 

New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Khalen Saunders says football should be open for everybody. That’s why the two-time Super Bowl champion says his youth football camp is inclusive to the queer community. 

Our sports and culture reporter Joseph King talked to Saunders about how his allyship intersects with football. 

This week’s Gulf States Gem: Hog Heaven in Laurel, Mississippi.  

This episode is hosted and written by Joseph King. He's also our social producer. The podcast was produced by Stephan Bisaha, Orlando Flores Jr., Kat Stromquist and Ryan Vasquez. Nellie Beckett is our audience engagement producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme.

To get in touch with the team, email [email protected].

And support our local station partners by donating to WWNO, MPB, or WBHM.

On this week's episode of the Gulf States Gumbo, we take a look at how communities are turning to nature to solve their environmental problems, from urban flooding in New Orleans’ Treme neighborhood to using forests to tackle greenhouse gases — while getting tribal nations paid for it. 

Plus, a send-off to our environment and communities reporter Danny McArthur. 

This episode is hosted by public health reporter Drew Hawkins. The podcast is produced by Stephan Bisaha, Kat Stromquist, Danny McArthur, Orlando Flores Jr. and Ryan Vasquez. Joseph King is the social producer. Nellie Beckett is our audience engagement producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme. 

To get in touch with the team, email [email protected].

The first weekend of New Orleans’ highly anticipated Jazz and Heritage Festival is underway. And this year, New Orleans native and hip-hop legend Lil Wayne will take the main stage with The Roots for the first time in the festival’s history. Our sports and culture reporter Joseph King tells us why this is a big moment for hip-hop artists at Jazz Fest.

Joseph also talks with Big Freedia, New Orleans' Queen of Bounce, ahead of her performances on the Jazz Fest main stage and in the gospel tent. She also shares her Jazz Fest Gulf States Gems with us. 

This episode is hosted and written by sports and culture reporter Joseph King. The podcast is produced by Kat Stromquist, Stephan Bisaha, Danny McArthur, Orlando Flores Jr. and Ryan Vasquez. Joseph King is the social producer. Nellie Beckett is our audience engagement producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme.

To get in touch with the team, email [email protected].

Campaigns and election days tend to hog the political spotlight. It's much harder to follow the time of year when the state leaders who won those elections actually get together and work to pass laws big and small. 

On this week’s show, we find out what our state lawmakers have been up to in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana with updates from the public radio reporters covering recent legislative sessions. 

This episode is hosted by our economic mobility reporter Stephan Bisaha. The podcast was produced by Kat Stromquist, Danny McArthur, Orlando Flores Jr., Kat Stromquist and Ryan Vasquez. Joseph King is the social producer. Nellie Beckett is our audience engagement producer. Our theme music is by DJ Supreme. 

To get in touch with the team, email [email protected]. 

And support our local station partners by donating to WWNO, MPB, or WBHM.