Axios New Orleans

May 20, 2026
Wednesday's here. Grab your coffee and let's dive in.
Today's weather: Partly sunny with afternoon storms possible. High of 86.
🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios New Orleans members Joseph Caneco and Gary Solomon Jr.!
🎧 Sounds like: "Right Place Wrong Time" by Dr. John.
Today's newsletter is 896 words — a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: ⚓️ Tall ships on the way
New Orleans hosts a flotilla of international tall ships next week for the kickoff of Sail 250, which is part of the country's 250th birthday celebrations.
Why it matters: The 12 ships will be open for free public tours along the Mississippi Riverfront.
The big picture: The vessels start arriving May 27. They'll be open to the public Thursday, May 28, through Sunday, May 31.
- The official welcome ceremony is at 1pm May 27 and includes a 21-gun salute and a military flyover, according to New Orleans & Co., the city's tourism arm and one of the sponsors.
- There's also a fireworks show at 9pm May 30 and a seafood cook-off Sunday at Delacroix restaurant.
Zoom in: The vessels will be docked along the riverfront from the Bywater to the Crescent City Connection.
- Sail 250 is one of the largest gatherings of tall ships in the world, organizers say.
- The ships are from the U.S., Chile, Peru, Colombia, Uruguay, Sweden, the Netherlands, Argentina and the U.K.
- See photos and details about the vessels.
If you go: Expect airport-style security screenings. IDs are required to board the U.S. Navy ships.
- Guests must wear closed-toe shoes, organizers say.
- The event is family-friendly, but children need to be at least 5 years old to tour U.S. Navy ships.
What's next: The ships leave Monday, June 1, for Norfolk, Virginia; Baltimore; New York and then Boston.
2. 🇺🇸 Other America 250 events

Louisiana is hosting several other America 250 celebrations and exhibits.
✍️ A rare Louisiana Purchase agreement is in Baton Rouge. The document bears Napoleon Bonaparte's signature.
- The exhibit is on display until July 11 at the old Louisiana State Capitol. Admission is free.
🌭 Jefferson Parish hosts a patriotic celebration June 14 in downtown Gretna. It includes a parade, music, relay races and a nighttime drone show. (Facebook)
🇺🇸 The Cabildo has a new America 250 exhibit that highlights Louisiana's decisive yet often-overlooked role in winning American independence.
- It includes two rare portraits of Bernardo de Gálvez that were transported from Mexico. The exhibit is here through May 2027.
🧠 The Historic New Orleans Collection has a new augmented reality exhibition called "American Revolution." It's here until January.
- Guests can step into 20 defining moments of the nation's founding through 360-degree reconstructions, a press release says. Admission is free.
3. 🇬🇱 Jeff Landry's awkward trip
Gov. Jeff Landry is visiting Greenland as President Trump's special envoy. The national headlines haven't been kind so far.
- He's facing backlash after reportedly telling Greenlandic children to visit the Louisiana Governor's Mansion for "all the chocolate chip cookies you can eat." (Washington Examiner)
- His offers of MAGA hats and a selfie were turned down. (New York Times gift link)
- Greenlandic officials also took issue with an American doctor traveling with the governor to assess their health care system, the NYT reports.
What they're saying: "We sent this idiot to Greenland?" Esquire columnist Charles P. Pierce asks.
- "Jeff Landry — whose constituents want him recalled — is not even close to the right person to smooth things over," Esquire's headline reads.
4. 🫣 Tough job market
Fast-growing Southern metros offer the best job opportunities for new college graduates, according to a new study.
The big picture: Birmingham, Alabama, and Tampa Bay, Florida, top the list, based on payroll processor ADP's ranking of 20-something hiring rates, wages and affordability.
Yes, but: New Orleans and Metairie were ranked as the fifth-worst place for new grads.
- The metro has a 2% hiring rate, ADP says. The annual wage estimate is $43,632, compared with $59,004 in Birmingham.
- Salt Lake City; San Diego; Riverside, California; and Portland, Oregon, were also ranked at the bottom.
The rest of the top 10 metros are:
- San Jose, California
- Columbus, Ohio
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Tulsa, Oklahoma
- San Francisco
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- New York
The bottom line: Entry-level hiring is rebounding this spring — but in a tough job market, young professionals' prospects may depend on the role, sector and location, the Wall Street Journal reports.
5. Fully Dressed: 🤳 GOP pushes back
🤳 The Louisiana Republican Party launched a social media campaign this week to counter grassroots efforts to recall Gov. Jeff Landry and state Attorney General Liz Murrill. (Shreveport Times)
- The line to sign the petition at Bywater Bakery wrapped around the block over the weekend.
- Murrill has taken the lead in several Republican-backed efforts to overhaul local government in New Orleans. (The Times-Picayune 🔒)
🔎 Kenner mayoral candidate Diane Schnell says she'll challenge the election results, alleging problems with voting machines. (WDSU)
👥 House Majority Leader Steve Scalise endorsed Julia Letlow in the U.S. Senate runoff against state Treasurer John Fleming. (Fox 8)
📺 Carlie is watching "Orange is the New Black" for the first time and just got to the New Orleans flashback because there's always a New Orleans connection.
🐣 Chelsea is on parental leave.
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Thanks to our editor Jen Burkett, who can't wait to see what Nashville will do with the Super Bowl.
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