We’ll spend the hour with Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings Blake. Within 5 months of the violence and uprising that ripped through the city in 2015, the Mayor had announced that she would not seek another term, saying she didn’t want to be distracted by politics while she worked to rebuild the city after that cataclysmic event. What role will the Port Covington development play in those efforts, and have city officials properly vetted all aspects of this enormous project? What’s the status of

This week, the Democrats gathered in Philadelphia for the Democratic National Convention, aspiring to unify the party, rebuff criticism of Hillary Clinton as untrustworthy, and articulate the dangers of electing Donald Trump. First lady Michelle Obama, former president Bill Clinton, and President Barack Obama were the headliners who all adduced strong arguments for historic nominee, Hillary Clinton. Fairai Chideya of FiveThirtyEight and Michael Fletcher of ESPN’s The Undefeated join Tom to

Are the calls for unity at the Democratic National Convention working? Baltimore Sun reporter John Fritze joins Tom by phone from the convention for an update. Then, co-host Nathan Sterner speaks with John Racanelli, host of A Blue View on WYPR, about why the National Aquarium has decided to relocate its dolphins to a marine sanctuary. Plus, resident foodie Sascha Wolhandler stops by to share some international salad ideas that will spice up your summer.

The Democratic National Convention kicks off today. Sheri Parks from the University of Maryland and Michael Higginbotham from the University of Baltimore School of law join Tom for a DNC preview. Then, theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck reviews Spamalot on at Cockpit in Court. Then, Living Questions continues with Rabbi Jessy Gross, who’s recently been named one of America’s most inspiring Rabbis. She’ll introduce us to the Charm City Tribe, a group of millennials who are practicing religion in a

With two days down and two to go, Republicans in Cleveland are making the case for Donald Trump to a general election audience. With so many A-list Republican luminaries skipping the convention, and in the aftermath of a divisive and controversial primary campaign, has Trump begun to unify the party, and to bring the country together around his cause? Jenna Johnson has been covering Donald Trump for the Washington Post for most of the last year. She joins Tom by phone from Cleveland. Then,

The Republican convention gets underway today in Cleveland. Elizabeth Copeland, a Baltimore Republican who is the founder of the Urban Conservative Project, gives a preview. Then, what’s the best way to end homelessness? Certain data suggest that providing homeless people permanent housing is the most effective strategy, but others argue that transitional housing, combined with counseling, treatment and training makes more sense. Jan Mitchell, a former resident of Marian House, which helped her

Baltimore City Health Commissioner Leana Wen joins for another installment of Healthwatch. It’s one thing to call gun violence in America an epidemic. It’s another to actually treat it like a public health crisis, and to employ scientific methods to shape policy and save lives. Leana Wen talks about efforts to combat gun violence in the city. Then, sports guru Mark Hyman talks about the Orioles best start in almost 20 years, and how Zika has impacted the upcoming Olympic games. Plus, Wyclef Jean

Tom speaks with Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh for the Focus on the Counties series. Schuh was one of three county executives elected in the Baltimore region in the Republican wave led by Governor Larry Hogan. When Steve Schuh took office in late 2014, he was the third person to head the county in two years, following the scandal-ridden administration of John Leopold, and the brief tenure of Laura Newman. His working relationship with the county council has not always been smooth; he

Three out of five people who are arrested are not able to post bail, which means they are incarcerated, sometime for months, until their cases come to trial or are resolved. What are the standards for setting the amount of bail, and do those standards disadvantage the poor? Cherise Fanno Burdeen, the executive director of the Pretrial Justice Institute, and Tara Huffman, the director of Open Society Institute-Baltimore Criminal and Juvenile Justice Program join Tom to talk about making bail

We continue our Focus on the Counties series with Howard County executive Alan Kittleman, In 2014, he won election as a Republican in a place where Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly two to one. Howard County is diverse and multi-cultural, and it’s one of the wealthiest jurisdictions in the country. As the town of Columbia prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year, will fewer people be able to afford to live there? Can Columbia continue to be a model for sustainable, diverse