Midday

Now, Ira Kress, the interim president of Giant Food, joins Tom to talk about those empty shelves you may have encountered at the grocery store and whether the situation is improving. Giant has 163 supermarkets in the region and about 20,000 employees. And now, those folks are on the front lines in the battle against Covid-19. They are among the essential employees who are allowed to take public tr...

We begin today with a look at mail-in elections, including Maryland's primary, which is now scheduled for June 2. Several states have decided to hold their delayed primaries and other elections by mail because of the Covid-19 pandemic. For some states, this is nothing new. But for others, like Maryland, it is largely uncharted territory. Tom’s first guest is Kim Wyman. She is the Secretary of Stat...

Midday’s movie mavens, Ann Hornaday, Washington Post film critic and author of Talking Pictures: How to Watch Movies, and Jed Dietz, founding director of the Maryland Film Festival, join Tom with their streaming suggestions. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Licensed nutritionist Monica Reinagel, talks about the relationship between healthy eating and our immune system. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Marc Morial, the president and CEO of The National Urban League, joins Tom for a discussion about the importance of the census for minority communities, and how the process will be impacted by the Coronavirus outbreak. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Congressman John Sarbanes joins to Tom to discuss the details of the package. What’s in it? Who will benefit?  And whether further government subsidies will be needed to keep the economy propped-up for as long as it takes to conquer the coronavirus. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Tom’s guest today is Martin O’Malley, who served as the mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007, and as the 61st Governor of Maryland, from 2007 to 2015. In 2016, he sought the Democratic nomination for president of the United States. For decades, an argument about the fundamental role of government has raged between those on the political right who often think of government as invasive and overbeari...

While the United States remains the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, European nations continue to struggle to mitigate the serious outbreaks within their borders. Italy has reported more than 11,500 deaths. More than 8,100 people have died in Spain. And in Britain, as officials intensify efforts to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last Fri...

Our series of Conversations with the Candidates continues today with Carl Stokes, one of seven Democratic candidates vying to be the next Baltimore City Council President. The current Council President, Brandon Scott is running for Mayor, so there is no incumbent in the race. Carl Stokes is a familiar figure to folks who have been around a while. He served on the Baltimore City Council in the mid...

We begin today with Dr. Leigh Vinocur, a board certified emergency physician who has worked and taught for more than two decades at some of our area’s leading medical institutions, including the University of Maryland, Medstar Health, and Sinai Hospital. She is a national spokesperson for the American College of Emergency Physicians, a 40,000 member organization that has been sounding the alarm on...

Yesterday, federal authorities announced that 3.3 million people filed for unemployment benefits last week. 42,000 of those claims were from Marylanders. As we went on the air today, the House of Representatives was preparing to vote on the $2.2 trillion dollar economic aid package. (The measure passed on an overwhelming voice vote in the early afternoon, and the President signed it into law a few...

The number of coronavirus cases in the US is now greater than in any other country. Here in MD, we now have 774 confirmed cases of COVID-19. In the Capital Region, Baltimore, DC and Virginia, the number of cases has quadrupled since last week. As we went on the air today, the House was set to vote on the $2 trillion dollar economic relief package. (The bill was passed by the House in an overwhelmi...

Midday 'Health Watch': Dr. Leana Wen answers your questions about Coronavirus. Dr. Leana Wen is a visiting professor of health policy and management at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University, and a distinguished fellow at the Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity . She also served as the Baltimore City Health Commissioner for three years. Email us at mi...

As the COVID-19 pandemic has rippled through the US economy, one of the sectors most severely disrupted is transportation, from airlines and inter-city rail and bus lines to mass transit systems and,to a lesser extent, the trucking industry. For a perspective on how this vital sector of the economy is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, and what relief it might expect from the latest economic stim...

As the COVID-19 outbreak intensifies in America, concerns are being raised about how racial inequities in our healthcare system will exacerbate the risks for minority communities. African Americans are disproportionately affected by chronic health conditions like diabetes and heart disease, conditions the CDC has identified as “high-risk” for serious complications from coronavirus. For minorities...

Yesterday, when both Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell expressed optimism about a stimulus deal in the Senate, the stock market responded enthusiastically. The Dow jumped 2,100 points by the close of trading. It opened up again this morning. House and Senate lawmakers wrangled for nearly a week over the third tranche of the most expensive economic stimulus package in American history, and just befo...

The Olympics have been postponed for a year, and within the last hour, the Prime Minister of India ordered a lockdown of his entire country of 1.3 billion people. Here in Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan is scheduled to tour the Convention Center and Hilton Hotel in Baltimore at this hour. Emergency hospitals are being set up at those locations by the National Guard, in conjunction with the University o...

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan this morning announced yet another rise in the number of people in our state who have tested positive for the coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 illness. The majority of cases in Maryland involve patients between the ages of 18 and 64, but medical experts have stressed that senior citizens are among the most vulnerable populations when it comes to this pandemic. I...

Coronavirus has altered the election calendar for many states, including Maryland. The Primary Election for president and local offices has been postponed from April 28th to June 2nd. There still is an election on April 28th, to choose a successor to Elijah Cummings in the 7th Congressional District. That election will be mail-in only. The State Board of Elections will be mailing ballots to 7th Di...

As we confront the realities of the coronavirus pandemic and the disruption and anxiety it brings — medical personnel and first responders face unique and often dangerous challenges. How will police, like first responders in hospitals, deal with shortages of protective equipment? Tom's guest today is Michael Harrison, the Commissioner of the Baltimore City Police Department. He’s been on the job f...

Kevin Lindamood, president and CEO of Healthcare for the Homeless, joins Tom to discuss COVID-19 challenges for those without shelter. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

State Senator Mary Washington discusses why she decided to suspend her campaign for Mayor of Baltimore. Plus, WYPR’s Rachel Baye recaps the truncated General Assembly session Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

The new normal of living with the threat of COVID 19. Tom is joined by Dr. Clifford Mitchell of the MD Department of Health, infectious disease specialist Dr. Faheem Younus of the University of MD Medical Center, and Dr. Sonja Santelises, CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Joining Tom now with an update on the economic fallout of the coronavirus outbreak in Baltimore and the region is Donald C. Fry. He’s the President and CEO of the Greater Baltimore Committee. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Yesterday afternoon, Gov. Larry Hogan issued a series of sweeping executive orders in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, updates from Annapolis – first with Luke Broadwater, who covers the State House for The Baltimore Sun, and then with Bryan Sears, who covers Maryland politics and government for The Daily Record. Email us at midday@wypr.org, tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-87...