Public Service Commissioner JP Coussan said on Tuesday that tech companies have failed to communicate the benefits of AI data centers to the public. Coussan, speaking at the Tulane Future of Energy Forum, also defended the use of non-disclosure agreements by state officials, but acknowledged the public backlash they have created. The Times-Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate’s Sam Karlin reports:

“They have absolutely failed on their communications,” Coussan said of data center developers. “They’re playing catch up and I think they’re doing a decent job of playing catch up.” Coussan added that nondisclosure agreements – which Gov. Jeff Landry’s administration and other elected officials have widely embraced to lure data centers and other companies to the state – have “struck a chord” with voters.

Louisiana boosts AP scores, but course access is limited

The share of Louisiana high schoolers who passed Advanced Placement exams and received college credit has increased by more than 30 percentage points since 2019, the highest rate in the nation during that time. That’s according to the Louisiana Department of Education. But as The Times-Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate’s Patrick Wall explains, many students don’t have access to the classes:

Just under 11% of Louisiana students who graduated from a public high school last year earned a three or above on an AP exam, compared with 25% of graduates nationally. … Louisiana also has bigger racial disparities than the nation as a whole. In 2025, 35% of Black Louisiana students attended high schools with five or more AP courses, 11 percentage points lower than the share of White students. Nationally, 75% of Black students attended such schools, just 1 percentage point lower than their White peers. 

New Orleans working to get cash payments for new parents

New Orleans leaders are working on a pilot program that provides new moms with cash grants of $1,500 and $500 per month for at least six months after giving birth. The funding would come from the Rx Kids program, which now operates in more than a dozen cities in Michigan and Ohio. Chelsea Brasted of Axios explains the economic impact of providing families with a no-strings-attached cash allowance:

The unrestricted payments give all soon-to-be and new parents freedom to cover the bills they’re most worried about — and it works, according to researchers’ reviews of the program.Enrolled families saw a 91% drop in evictions, a 50% drop in neonatal mortality, a 29% drop in NICU admissions, a 27% decrease in low birthweights and an 18% increase in adequate prenatal care, data show. … Michigan’s programs have shown a return between $1.60 and $3 for every $1 invested … 

Kicking legal immigrants out of Medicaid

The federal tax and budget megabill made many noncitizen adults with legal status, which include refugees of war and interpreters who assisted the U.S. in Afghanistan, ineligible for Medicaid. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that move would cause about 100,000 more immigrants to be uninsured by 2034. But new analysis from KFF Health News shows that number could be much higher: 

More than 281,000 immigrants from nine states and the District of Columbia are expected to lose Medicaid in October. While some may be able to obtain coverage elsewhere, the state numbers suggest hundreds of thousands of immigrants nationally are at imminent risk of becoming uninsured.

Lawfully present immigrants will face other challenges to obtaining health coverage:

Under a change starting in January, the CBO estimates, about 1 million will lose eligibility for government subsidies to buy individual health coverage on Affordable Care Act marketplaces by 2034. And they will also lose access to Medicare, a change expected to affect about 100,000 immigrants, the agency forecasts. 

Number of the Day

27% – Share of American workers who are worried that their job will become obsolete because of technology. (Source: Gallup)