Midday

A new documentary investigates the Christian Nationalist movement in the United States and its involvement in the attack on the Capitol in 2021. Dr. Matthew Taylor  joins us to talk about the film, "Spiritual Warriors: Decoding Christian Nationalism at the Capitol Riot." Taylor is the Protestant Scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian and Jewish Studies in Baltimore. He is also the author...

It's time for another visit with Midday  theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck , who joins us each week with her reviews of the Maryland, DC and Virginia regional stage. Iron Crow Theatre’s production of “ Rent” continues at the Theatre Project through February 4, 2024. This production of “Rent” has been described as re-envisioned. What kind of changes has Iron Crow made? Email us at midday@wypr.org, twe...

Today is Midday on the Law. Former President Donald Trump testified briefly in a Manhattan Federal courtroom yesterday in the defamation trial with the writer E. Jean Carroll. As for the other four cases in which Trump has been indicted on 91 counts, the Supreme Court may eventually consider the issue of Presidential immunity and ballot eligibility, but a case involving a rioter charged in the Jan...

The Baltimore Ravens take on the defending super bowl champions in the AFC Conference Championship at M&T Bank Stadium. If you are not a football fan, we suggest you become one by Sunday; or at least fake that you’re a fan if you run into any other local human being. If you are already a Ravens fan, give us a call or drop us a note to weigh-in on the big game. How do you think we’ll do? Do you...

A couple of weeks ago, Sen.  Chris Van Hollen  was part of a Congressional delegation that traveled to Egypt and Jordan to explore solutions to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Congressman Hollen joins us on today's program. The Senator is a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, which is chaired by MD’s Senior Senator, Ben Cardin. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us...

Last spring, Maryland's senior Senator Ben Cardin,   announced he would retire next January at the end of his third term. In today’s installment in our series of  Conversations with the Candidates ,  Tom talks with one of the leading candidates in the Democratic Primary to succeed Senator Cardin. Since 2018,  Rep. David Trone  has represented the 6th Congressional District, which includes all or p...

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski, Jr . joins us today. Violent crime was down in the County last year, as it was in Baltimore city, and in jurisdictions around the country. Funding for transportation projects will be down this year, which was a concern of the County Executive when he appeared before legislators in Annapolis recently. Olszewski has proposed a new regulatory process for m...

It is Midday on Ethics, a series with Dr. Jeffrey Kahn , the director of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. We ask him about the decision behind organ transplants, which could mean life or death for patients with an array of illnesses. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Today we continue our series of Conversations with the Candidates. My guest is Del. Terri Hill, a Democrat, one of several members of the Maryland General Assembly. She is running for Congress in the 3rd Congressional District. The incumbent, John Sarbanes, will retire from the House of Representatives next January. Terri Hill  is a physician who grew up in Columbia, Maryland. She earned her under...

It's time for another visit with  Midday  theater critic  J. Wynn Rousuck , who joins us each week with her reviews of the Maryland, DC and Virginia regional stage. Up next, Midday theater critic J Wynn Rousuck joins me with a review of  the new show from Rapid Lemon Productions, The Book of Grace . Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

On today's show, Tom discusses big stories of the week which include our week of snow and school closings in addition to the Baltimore Sun's new ownership. Guests on today's program include: Meteorologist  Justin Berk Nieman Journalism Lab founder  Joshua Benton Baltimore Banner reporter  Emily Sullivan Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Today, we continue our series of Conversations with the Candidates with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott. He is running in the Democratic primary and seeking a second term in the city’s top job.   We ask him to addresses his record in office and his platform for Baltimore's future. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

On the latest installment in our series of  Conversations with the Candidates , our guest is Bob Wallace, who is running to be the Mayor of Baltimore. Mr. Wallace made his first bid for public office in 2020, when the former Republican ran for Mayor as an independent. He finished a distant second to Brandon Scott. This year, he’s running as a Democrat in the May 14th primary. Bob Wallace is a busi...

The  Rev. Dr. Kevin Slayton , a longtime policy advocate and minister, has written a compelling new book about the intersection of politics and the pulpit. The book is titled Politically Preaching: Why Politics are Local to the Black Church. Slayton chronicles the history of Black clergy vetting, promoting, encouraging or dismissing candidates for public office, and he turns an unstinting eye to t...

The Baltimore Sun was sold to David Smith, the Executive Chairman of Sinclair Broadcasting. The conservative media conglomerate owns the Fox45 TV station in Baltimore, and more than 200 other stations across the country. Melody Simmons , a Senior Reporter for the Baltimore Business Journal, joins us to discuss the news. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780...

In August of 1956, during the Montgomery bus boycott, Dr. King addressed a gathering celebrating the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity in Buffalo, NY.  His speech came to be known as his “Birth of a New Age” address. In it, he said, “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all h...

Spoken word recording artist, actor, educator and composer Wordsmith has a new piece out, called Network to Freedom. It will see its world premiere Monday, Martin Luther King Day,  at the B&O Railroad Museum with Wordsmith and his frequent collaborator, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra . Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

The 2024 Session of the Maryland General Assembly is underway. On today's show, we talk about what we can expect in this year's session, which Senate President Bill Ferguson described to me as a “turn the corner year” when  we spoke on Midday earlier this week . Lawmakers are now in their third day of the 2024 session. Over the next three months they will consider statutes concerning housing, juve...

On latest installment in our series of  Conversations with the Candidates , our guest is Baltimore City Councilmember  Zeke Cohen . First elected to the council in 2016, Cohen is serving in his second term representing the 1st District. He is giving up that seat to run for City Council President, the office currently held by Council President Nick Mosby. A former educator, Zeke Cohen has been a st...

Julia Bullock  is one of the most acclaimed singers in the world. She performs operas and concerts and recitals all over the globe. This Sunday, she is set to perform a recital for the first time in Baltimore in the  Shriver Hall Concert Series  with pianist Bretton Brown. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Dr. Heidi Anderson  is the President of the  University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) , the historically Black university in Princess Anne, Maryland. She joins Tom to discuss the important issues the school is grappling with including financial aid, diversity initiatives, admissions and the challenges of school leadership. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-66...

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh is looking ahead to another post-season berth for the Ravens after finishing the regular season with the best record in the NFL. Since taking the reins of the team in 2008 he has led the Ravens in 20 playoff appearances, the second-most by any NFL coach in the past 15 years. The team this year will be led by the likely MVP of the league, quarterback Lamar...

The Maryland General Assembly begins its 2024 session tomorrow in Annapolis. Lawmakers are set to consider legislation in the context of budget concerns, and in an election year that will decide some key local races and feature races for the House of Representatives that include several members of the General Assembly. Joining Tom with a preview of the session is  Senate President Bill Ferguson. E...

Baltimore has succeeded in a competition with more than 400 other jurisdictions to receive a designation by the federal government as a “tech hub.” This designation, which we share with 30 other cities, allows us to compete for tens of millions of dollars in federal grants to develop new innovations in AI that can be applied to health care. Next month, the Greater Baltimore Committee will submit a...

(This conversation originally broadcast on November 30, 2023.) On this encore episode of Midday on Books, Tom speaks with novelist Alice McDermott about her latest novel, " Absolution ." The story is set in Vietnam in the earliest days of the war and explores the lives of the American military wives. The book places at its center a young woman, newly married, living in an unfamiliar place, submerg...