Jonathan Ferrara has produced over 170 exhibitions in New Orleans, across the United States, and Europe on his book "Guns in the Hands of Artists."

Ferrara, who lives in New Orleans, created a provocative exhibition 20 years ago that merged guns with artists.

Louisiana is the most homicidal state in America per capita in a country where every day, there are 35 gun homicides, 60 gun suicides, and 200 people who survive getting shot.

LSU Economist Jim Richardson heads the State Revenue Estimating Conference. Jan Moller is president of the Louisiana Budget Project. We speak with Richardson and Moller about the opening of Louisiana's 2017 Legislative Session. They will also address the feud simmering between Gov. John Bel Edwards and Garret Graves on flood recovery money coming to Louisiana.

Maj. Gen. Ronald G. Richard calls in to talk about President Trump's ordering of air strikes on Syria this week and what it may do to relations with Russia.

Also on today's program, East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome on her first months in office, here.

WRKF's Sue Lincoln joins us for our Friday look at politics. This week, we examine what appears to be the loss of civility in civil discourse as illustrated by Gov. John Bel Edwards' appearance before a U.S. House Oversight Committee hearing this week. We also preview the state legislative session, which opens Monday.

Also on today's program, East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome on her first months in office, here.

East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome talks to us about her first three months in office and her vision for the state's largest parish. She says flood recovery is still the first thing on the minds of many of the people she encounters at community meetings.

U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson of Shreveport joins us for a minute to talk with us briefly about Louisiana's flood recovery efforts, the reaction to Gov. John Bel Edwards' appearance in front of a congressional committee on Wednesday, and his role with Freedom Caucus on Health Care.

Also on today's program, LSU's Len Apcar talks with us about fake news, here.

Ben Jaffe is the owner and creative director at Preservation Hall, and head bass player with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. He grew up two blocks from Preservation Hall and his dad was previously the band's manager. Jaffe talks with us about the significance of this New Orleans institution.

Also on today's program, LSU's Len Apcar talks with us about fake news, here.

Len Apcar, Chair of Media Literacy at LSU Manship School of Mass Communication, on the label "fake news" and its impact on the 2016 election.

Apcar says some politicians may appropriate the term "fake news" as a label to criticize stories they don't like or media outlets they don't agree with. He maintains the original concept of "fake news" refers to completely fabricated fictional stories masquerading as news stories on what he calls phony websites that get picked up and spread by social media.

Texas A&M historian Elizabeth Cobbs talks about her contention that American women consistently lag behind other countries in victories for equal rights. Cobbs is in New Orleans, and her discussion coincides with Gov. John Bel Edwards, who declares he will renew his push for equal pay legislation.

Also on today's program: State Sen. Dan Claitor is proposing to end the death penalty. He speaks with us about that here.

State Senator Dan Claitor of Baton Rouge is co-authoring a bill proposing to abolish the death penalty in Louisiana. The prohibition on the death penalty would take effect after July 30th.