Midday

After the Covid-19 public health emergency ended in May, millions of Marylanders have faced challenges with resuming Medicaid eligibility, according to reporting by  Maryland Matters . Danielle Brown of Maryland Matters joins Tom to explain in-depth the challenges for Medicaid users and the Maryland Department of Health. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-878...

The  Baltimore Banner  conducted an analysis of the impact of speed cameras on I-83 in Baltimore City. Joining Tom to discuss the results of The Banner's analysis are reporters Hallie Miller and Ryan Little. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Tom starts with a conversation about the UAW strike against the big three auto makers: General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. At the heart of the argument between workers and upper management is the discrepancy between executive and worker compensation. Car makers have been highly profitable businesses since the government bailout during the Obama administration. But workers contend that those profi...

Since their Carnegie Hall debut 13 years ago, Meng Su and Yameng Wang of the Beijing Guitar Duo have appeared around the world in recitals and with orchestras. They’ve got a new album out: Claire de Lune, which includes music of French composers. The pair, who first met at the Central Conservatory in Beijing, China, are currently on a tour of twelve cities across the United States.  The duo will p...

Today is Midday's Newswrap, and we start with Emily Hofstaedter of the WYPR news team. She is covering the Baltimore City Council’s deliberations about a new map for councilman districts and a financial penalty for environmental crimes in Curtis Bay. Tom continues with Tim Prudente , enterprise reporter for the Baltimore Banner, o n the latest Catholic abuse case coming out of St. Benedict's Churc...

It's time again for a visit with  Midday ' s  theater critic,  J. Wynn Rousuck, who joins Tom each week with her reviews of Maryland's regional stage. This week she reviews the Baltimore Rock Opera Society’s production of  “The Gold Night,"  which runs until October 21. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Tom's guests are Carole Boston Weatherford, an award-winning author, and her award-winning son, Jeffery Boston Weatherford, who is an acclaimed illustrator. They have collaborated on a powerful book about their family’s journey in Maryland, from enslavement to freedom. It’s called  Kin: Rooted in Hope.  Carole and Jeffrey will speak about the book tonight at the  Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryla...

Tom's guest is an African American religious scholar whose work focuses on the intersection of race and religion. Dr. Walter Earl Fluker is a Distinguished Professor at the Howard Thurman Center at Hartford University for Religion and Peace in Hartford, CT. He has been invited by the Institute for Islamic, Christian and Jewish Studies to give the annual  Manekin-Clark Lecture , which he’ll deliver...

On today's show, students and teachers in Baltimore City are in their second month back in classrooms following summer break. Each fall, at about this time in the new school year,  Dr. Sonja Santelises  joins us with updates on the school year so far. Dr. Santelises has been the CEO of the City School System since 2016. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780...

On today's show, a conversation about the New York Times, one of the world’s most singular and powerful journalistic enterprises.  Adam Nagourney  joined the Times in 1996, and served as the chief political correspondent in Washington, D.C., and as the Los Angeles Bureau Chief. He now covers national politics. Nagourney captures with exquisite detail and insight the triumphs and the tumult of the...

Today, we continue our series of conversations about the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The latest crescendo of violence in the decades-long conflict began when Hamas terrorists attacked Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023. Tom speaks with  Dr. Shibley Telhami , the Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland. He’s also a non-resident senior fellow at the Bro...

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. Today, a theater review about a new show, at a new theater in town. Pink Pen Theatre’s production of “ Think Pink! ” continues at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church through October 15. (Photo by Robin Davis Mill) Email us at midday@wypr.org, twe...

Today, on the Midday News wrap, we’re going to focus on local news with Baltimore Banner reporters Justin Fenton and Adam Willis. First up, Fenton updates us on Baltimore Police Chief Richard Worley and ownership problems with vacant properties. Willis shares the latest on city redistricting and the Mayor's Office of Recovery Programs. The reporters also address the proposed $48 million payout for...

Isabel Cumming , head of the Office of Inspector General for the City of Baltimore, joins us. The Office of the Inspector General estimates it saved the city nearly $7 million in 2022. We’re talking about some of the complaints she and her staff have been looking into lately. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

On today's show, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott joins me to talk about violence reduction, economic development and redistricting. Homicides are down in the city, year over year, but some high-profile shootings have people worried. And, city employees are headed back into their offices. Will that improve city services? Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

We talk to a singer and guitarist whose musical compositions and style are unique, and genre-defying. Sara Serpa is a vocalist, composer, and improviser. She is a native of Lisbon, Portugal. She’s in town as part of a seven city tour with the guitarist André Matos . There new album is Night Birds . Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

How much of a threat does artificial intelligence present to the creative community? In their recent contract negotiations, writers of movies and TV shows wrangled with producers over the use of A.I. in creating content. Allison Goldberg  is a Baltimore comedian who organizes showdowns between humans and AI to see who’s funnier, faster. She joins me to explain when Chat GPT is a boon and when it’s...

Israel has continued bombing targets in Gaza as the Israeli Defense Forces gather hundreds of thousands of troops and reservists near its southern border. Many assume an impending ground attack into Gaza is likely. To share the latest with Midday on this conflict is Ishaan Tharoor , a foreign affairs columnist for the Washington Post. He joins us on Zoom from Washington. (Photo by Adel Hana, AP) E...

Israel is assembling troops near Gaza, from which it has cut-off food, water fuel, and electricity. Israel state officials believed that Hamas is holding about 150 hostages in Gaza. Yesterday, Hamas threatened to execute Israeli hostages if Israel bombs civilian homes in Gaza without warning. There is concern that the war will expand to fronts other than Gaza and southern Israel. Hezbollah fired s...

Today on Midday: a conversation about local schools, in particular, how the physical condition of some Baltimore City Public Schools impacts educational equity. The state of Maryland has an Interagency Commission on School Construction. The Capital Improvement Program averages about $280 million dollars each year for major new, renewal, or replacement projects as well as for addition projects or c...

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. We review “ Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill ,” which continues at Baltimore Center Stage through October 15. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

It's the Midday Newswrap with the biggest stories this week which include a mass shooting at a local Black college and a leadership change in Congress. On Tuesday night, t he Morgan State University Community was shaken by a shooting that occurred  after a joyous start to their annual Homecoming festivities. Five people were wounded with non-life-threatening injuries. To discuss this incident Tom...

The Baltimore Orioles are the top seed in the American League playoffs. Their week of rest comes to an end Saturday when they’ll take on the Texas Rangers in the ALDS, the Division series. It’s the first time the team has made the playoffs since 2014. The excitement that the Orioles have generated this season is peppered with no shortage of anxiety as negotiations continue to finalize a lease agre...

Tommy Orange is a Native American author whose debut novel burst onto the literary scene in 2018. The book garnered a Pulitzer Prize nomination, and praise from literary giants such as Colm Toibin and Margaret Attwood. It’s called There There , and it chronicles the Native American experience far from the reservation, in the cities that were the final stop in a centuries-long campaign of assimilat...

J. Wynn Rousuck joins Midday to discuss her new book "Please Write." Written entirely in letters exchanged between two Baltimore dogs and a Cleveland artist, the story delivers a distinctive account of coping with heartbreak and loss through the power of imagination and love. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.