Midday

The acclaimed pianist Lura Johnson joins Midday to discuss her stunning new album. 'The Art of Prelude and Fugue' is classical solo piano music that pairs the work of JS Bach and the Russian composer Dimitri Shostakovich. Containing little-known work, the album is intended for seasoned listeners and those new to piano. Photo by Katya Chilingiri.

A conversation about the future of so-called "DEI" initiatives on Midday. After the killing of George Floyd in 2020 and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, many corporations and businesses announced partnerships and initiatives to increase diversity and inclusion. But in recent years, the affection for diversity and inclusion has dwindled. In 2023, lawmakers in Texas and Florida passed le...

Shamiah T. Kerney, the Chief Recovery Officer in the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs, joins Midday to discuss updates on the distribution of funds originating from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). President Biden signed the ARPA measure into law in March of 2021. The city's Office of Recovery Programs was established in with the goal of overseeing that money. Shamiah Kerney joins Tom...

As the 2025 General Assembly reaches its midway point, the most pressing issue facing lawmakers is the state’s budget deficit. Matthew Gardner of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy joins Midday to share the details of Gov. Wes Moore’s budget proposal. Will higher taxes for higher earners be part of the final package? Legislators will vote soon on their version of the state’s 2026 budget...

The Trump Administration’s sustained attack on efforts to center diversity, equity and inclusion in the culture of for-profit and non-profit organizations, government entities, and society at large, have had an undeniable effect on the cultural climate in our country. While AI is scouring government documents for words the administration finds distasteful, some arts organizations, who are often at...

On today's Midday News Wrap, how Maryland's justice system treats its youngest alleged offenders. WYPR's Senior Reporter Rachel Baye reported on the state's documented failure to protect young inmates and how lawmakers are reconsidering the way young people are tried in Maryland courts. And The Baltimore Banner's Hallie Miller reported on efforts to get the city's largest tax-exempt institutions t...

The possibility of a government shutdown is looming as tomorrow night’s deadline quickly approaches. Republicans in the U.S. House passed a 6-month bill that is stalled in the Senate, where Democrats are pushing a 28-day continuing resolution that would allow time for a negotiated, bipartisan long-term bill. E.J. Dionne Jr., a Washington Post columnist cover national politics, joins Midday to disc...

The Social Security Administration provides $1.5 trillion in benefits for more than 73 million Americans. Social Security picks up 10,000 new beneficiaries every day. Last week, the agency announced it was cutting its workforce by 7,000 people. Shelley Washington has worked at the agency, which is headquartered in Woodlawn, Maryland, for 35 years. He is Executive Vice President of Local 1923, whic...

The U.S. Capitol is not the only place where a budget battle is raging. Legislators in the State House in Annapolis are debating ways to close a massive $3 billion deficit in the state budget. Yesterday, Sen. President Bill Ferguson indicated that a hike in the state sales tax was unlikely this year. A business-to-business tax of 2.5% has also been floated. Not unexpectedly, it is opposed by the b...

John Davis, the creator, producer and host of MotorWeek, joins another edition of Midday on Cars. Have you consider going electric for your next car purchase? Is this a good time to buy? What are the latest arrival in the automotive market? Davis answers your questions on those topics and more. MotorWeek is the longest-running automotive show on television. The show is produced at Maryland Public...

Why do women live longer than men? Is the female brain much different than the male brain? Author Cat Bohannon joins Midday to discuss the female body and its 200 million year history. Her award-winning 2023 book, Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution, is now out in paperback. Scientific research long focused on the male body, but in Eve, Bohannon shifts readers' atte...

Theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck joins Midday to share another weekly review of a local theatrical production. This week, Rousuck reviews The Bedwetter, at Arena Stage in Washington through March 16. Our insiders look back at the winners of Oscars 2025. What surprised them about the ceremony. Plus, remembering Gene Hackman's long career in Hollywood and a review of No Other Land, a documentary follo...

Today is Midday at the Movies, our monthly focus on new films and film-industry trends with movie aficionados Jed Dietz, founding director of the Maryland Film Festival, and Max Weiss, film critic and Editor-in-Chief of Baltimore Magazine. Our insiders look back at the winners of Oscars 2025. What surprised them about the ceremony. Plus, remembering Gene Hackman's long career in Hollywood and a re...

Bryan Sears of news site Maryland Matters joins Midday to discuss his reporting on Gov. Wes Moore's response to the chaotic first 6 weeks of the Trump administration. The state finds itself in a precarious budget situation. What does a rocky relationship between Moore and the White House mean for Maryland's financial future?

Today it’s Midday with the Mayor, our monthly conversation with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott. This month the Mayor discusses the city's plans to improve the permitting process, and the latest Inspector General reports on the Department of Public Works and the Sheriff's Office.

During the presidential campaign and after taking office, President Donald Trump repeatedly said he would prioritize the large-scale deportation of immigrants without legal status. If those plans are to be enforced in Maryland, the president will rely on Matthew Elliston, the Baltimore Field Office Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency in charge of the enforcement of...

Comedian Ali Goldberg joins Midday to discuss her interactive comedy and dating show "Love Isn't Blind" which comes to the DC Improv Theater tonight.

Ky Vassor and Myra Brosius join Midday to discuss "Sanctuary City I & II," a new art installation at Govans Presbyterian Church.

Former Delegate Maggie McIntosh discusses the latest in the General Assembly and how legislators are attempting to tackle the budget deficit.

Today on Midday, author Martha S. Jones discusses her new book, 'The Trouble of Color: An American Family Memoir.' Jones is a professor of history, and a professor at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Her latest book touches on important aspects of Black history and identity. Jones was described by The New York Times as an “assiduous scholar,” and in this memoir she explores her...

Last night at the Oscars, Hollywood veterans and new stars were honored for their award-winning performances on the big screen. A new book reflects on how the acting careers of many movie icons began at the Yale Repertory Theater in Connecticut. James Magruder, a Baltimore resident who worked as a dramaturg at Center Stage and is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama joins Midday to discuss his b...

Dr. Leana Wen joins Midday Healthwatch for a discussion about health issues affecting the well-being of Charm City residents. This week, we take a deeper look at the measles outbreak happening in other parts of the country. Unlike in Texas, where more than 100 people tested positive for measles, vaccination against the virus in Maryland are high. So, what do you need to know? Dr. Wen is a former h...

Theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck joins Midday to share another weekly review of a local theatrical production. Rousuck takes a look at Everything That Never Happened, on stage through March 9 at Baltimore Center Stage. The production revisits Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice from a new perspective.

John Grisham's book "Framed" was released in 2024 and is his second work of non-fiction. The book follows the stories of people falsely convicted of crimes, and the efforts to clear their names.

Midday hears from the Greater Baltimore Committee's CEO Mark Anthony Thomas about the importance of branding the city nationally and globally for its current development success and future growth opportunities.