Midday

Tom speaks with  R. Eric Thomas , a best-selling author and his latest book is a funny collection of essays called  Congratulations, the Best is Over!    The book is about love and marriage and family and home, and it is an insightful exploration of what happens when plans change. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Death penalty lawyer  Stephen Bright  joins Midday to discuss his new book, "The Fear of Too Much Justice: Race, Poverty and the Persistence of Inequality in the Criminal Courts." He, along with co-author James Kwak, has written a persuasive and disturbing book that is packed with real life examples of people who have been treated unfairly, incarcerated unjustly, and in some cases, put to death in...

With the school year underway, two journalists share their recent reporting about education issues in Baltimore and beyond including the Howard County school bus problems. Bri Hatch  is the education reporter for WYPR and  Lillian Reed  reports for our news partner, The Baltimore Banner. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Serena McIlwain , the Maryland Secretary of the Environment, joins Midday. Gov. Wes Moore has set ambitious goals for the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, care for the Chesapeake Bay, and assure environmental justice. We will ask Sec. McIlwain about the state's plans to meet those lofty goals. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Now, we turn to two experts who work with the first responders during an emergency: the people who take the calls that come into 911 call centers around the country. Brian Fontes  is the CEO of the National Emergency Number Association, a nonprofit group that has recently published a report that surveyed 911 call center personnel to see how they are dealing with the pressures of their pressure-fil...

Congressman John Sarbanes  joins Midday. Can Congress avoid a government shutdown? Will Speaker Kevin McCarthy be able to appease his right flank and the Senate? Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

It is 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 preview what’s ahead for the new theater season. (Photo by VSDavis Photography) Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Today is  Midday at the Movies,  our monthly focus on new films and film-industry trends, with our regular movie aficionados,  Jed Dietz,  founding director of the  Maryland Film Festival ,  and  Ann Hornaday , film critic for the  Washington  Post. Jed Dietz and Ann Hornaday recap WYPR's New/Next Film Festival , where local filmmakers showcased their work. Plus, will music documentaries save thea...

Baltimore City lost more than $10 million in housing grants, according to  reporting  by Hallie Miller and Emily Sullivan of the Baltimore Banner. They joined Tom in studio to explain how this error occurred. Also, breaking news on former Baltimore City Mayor Sheila Dixon's plans to run for office again in 2024. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Midday speaks with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott for our monthly conversation on Baltimore City.  Tonight, he will hold a community meeting with residents of Brooklyn to talk about the After-Action report following  the mass shooting at the Brooklyn Homes public housing complex two months ago , in which two people were killed and 29 injured. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or c...

James McBride , an acclaimed author, screenwriter and musician, joined Midday. In 2013, McBride won the National Book Award for his best-selling novel, The Good Lord Bird, which was made into a streaming series. In 2015, President Obama awarded him the National Humanities Medal. As a journalist, McBride’s work has appeared in The New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Washington Post and other majo...

Our guest today for another edition of Midday Healthwatch is  Dr. Leana Wen . The uptick in COVID cases that began during the summer is continuing. Other than anecdotal evidence how do we know how much COVID is out there? What, if anything, should we do about it? A new COVID vaccine should be available in just a few weeks while RSV and the flu vaccines are available now. We look to Dr. Wen for gui...

For more, visit https://www.wypr.org/show/midday   Tom's guest on this encore edition of Midday is writer and journalist Jonathan Eig , whose latest book is a comprehensive new biography of the slain civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Eig's book — called, simply, King: A Life — is the first biography of the iconic social activist in more than three decades. Jonathan Eig's book incorp...

For more, visit https://www.wypr.org/show/midday   (This conversation was originally broadcast on July 3, 2023.) Americans love to eat, without doubt, but we also have a terrible penchant for throwing away a lot of food. About 4% of all the world's climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions comes from the perfectly edible food we routinely toss into landfills — some $400 billion dollars worth every...

For more, visit https://www.wypr.org/show/midday   (This conversation was originally broadcast on August 7, 2023.) Tom Hall's guest on this encore edition of Midday is Tom Hanks . You know his work over a performing career that has spanned 46 years. You know that he has made dozens of iconic films, and that he has won a gazillion awards . On this episode of Midday we’re not going to talk about any...

For more, visit https://www.wypr.org/show/midday   (This conversation was originally broadcast on January 27, 2023.) Tom's guest on this archive edition of Midday is Pico Iyer , who for more than 50 years has been acclaimed as a compelling, insightful and thoughtful writer. He has published widely as a journalist, and he’s written novels, but he is perhaps best known as a travel writer . He has jo...

(This conversation was originally broadcast on July 6, 2023.) For more, visit https://www.wypr.org/show/midday   Welcome to this encore edition of Midday .  Tom's guest today is Wesley Lowery , the Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former correspondent for the Washington Post, Boston Globe and CBS news, who is currently Executive Director of the Investigative Reporting Workshop , an innovative tra...

(This conversation was originally broadcast on July 31, 2023.) For more, visit https://www.wypr.org/show/midday   Tom's guests on this encore edition of Midday are two authors who have a special bond. Ann Patchett is the best-selling author of nine novels, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and a recipient of the National Humanities Medal . Her new book, which will be released tomorrow, is called...

Today on Midday , we reflect on the 60th anniversary of one of the most pivotal and important events in American history; the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. August 28 is remembered as the day King ended his speech at the Lincoln Memorial with his immortal “I Have a Dream” soliloquy, an improvised conclusion to an address that galvanized the throngs of...

Today on Midday, we reflect on the 60th anniversary of one of the most pivotal and important events in American history; the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. August 28 is remembered as the day King ended his speech at the Lincoln Memorial with his immortal “I Have a Dream” soliloquy, an improvised conclusion to an address that galvanized the throngs of p...

This week Midday's theater critic,  J. Wynn Rousuck ,  spotlights the  10x10x10 Play Festival  at Fells Point Corner Theatre. The event spotlights 10 plays that run 10 minutes long and feature 10 of the area's best actors. The plays and playwrights featured in the festival include: A Working Title by Colin Valkenet Kaylee and Adelyn by Elizabeth Shannon Monster Mash by Jalice Ortiz-Corral A Stop O...

Today on Midday Tom talks about the first Republican presidential debate for the 2024 campaign season. Last night, eight candidates took the stage in Milwaukee for two-hours as they vied to stand out among a crowded primary field. Although there was no shortage of fiery remarks and zingers in the debate, it remains to be seen if the needle has been moved at all in a race that former-President Dona...

Labor Day is right around the corner. For many folks, that means a three-day weekend to spend pruning, picking and perfecting our gardens. This is the time of year to start thinking about cold weather crops and there’s never a bad time to think about native plants and pollinators. In other words, it is a perfect time to head Back to the Garden here on Midday. Joining Tom to answer all of your gard...

Tom's guest today is Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Kevin Atticks who was appointed by Governor Wes Moore in January. The Maryland Department of Agriculture reports that agriculture is the state's largest commercial industry with 6,000 full time farmers employing more than 350,000 people. Overall, this industry contributes more than $8 billion dollars per year to the state’s economy. As summer...

Two of Baltimore’s most acclaimed and successful artists, D. Watkins and Devin Allen, are collaborating on a new documentary about the precipitous decline of young people in sports. D. Watkins, a best-selling author, screenwriter and editor at large for  Salon , joins us to talk about the new documentary. The short film is called  We Used to Win Here . You can watch the documentary  here . Email u...