Border agents heading to New Orleans; Loyola music business program recognized; Gulf South doctors perform robotic-assisted spinal surgery

Roughly 250 agents are set to come to New Orleans for an immigration crackdown dubbed the “Swamp Sweep.” Agents are aiming to arrest 5,0000 undocumented people in southeast Louisiana and Mississippi.

Jack Brook reported this story for The Associated Press. He joins us with the latest.

Loyola University’s School of Music and Theatre Professions was recently recognized as a top music business school of 2025 by Billboard Magazine. Loyola joins the ranks of schools like Berklee College of Music, the University of Southern California and Belmont University in Nashville.

This comes as Loyola is building its own hub for music business entrepreneurship and on-the-job education – it’s known as Wolf Moon Entertainment and involves partnering with the venue Gasa Gasa.

Kate Duncan, director of Loyola’s School of Music and Theatre Professions, and Tim Kappel, associate director and professor of practice in music law, join us for more.

Last month, two Louisiana doctors performed the first robotic pediatric spinal surgeries in the Gulf South. Ochsner Children’s doctors Lawrence Haber and Ryan Farmer work with patients with varying degrees of scoliosis. Now, technology is helping them to straighten patients’ spines. Pediatric orthopedic surgeons

Both doctors join us for more on the future of technology in surgery.

—

Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber. We get production 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. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you!

Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you’re at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you’d like to listen to.

Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you