Midday

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 overwhelming voice vote, shortly after this broadcast.The President later signed it.) Many lawmakers had scrambled to return to Washington from their homes across the country in case a roll call vote were made necessary by objections from one or two members. No roll call vote was eventually required. By a vote of 96-0, the Senate passed the package in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.

The bill calls for unprecedented amounts of federal spending, equal to roughly half of the total federal budget. And while the final version of the Senate bill was vastly different from the first draft that the upper chamber considered, there are things that are in it, and things that are not in it, that are a source of dissatisfaction on both sides of the aisle.

But for people who have suddenly, and stunningly, been laid off from jobs that seemed completely secure at the beginning of the month, little matters other than whether or not they are going to be able to stay in their homes, and feed themselves and their families.

For timely insight into what the mammoth aid package will provide -- and what it won't -- Tom turns to his first guest today: Senator Chris Van Hollen, Maryland's junior senator, joins us on the line from his home in Kensington, Maryland.

Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

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 [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

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 stimulus package, we turn to Ian Duncan. He covers transportation for the Washington Post, and joins us on the phone.

Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

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 who live in low income areas, those risks are further compounded by lack of access to healthy food and quality healthcare.

Tom's next guest is a social scientist who has studied disparities in the health system. Dr. David R. Williams is a professor of Public Health and African and African-American Studies at Harvard University.

He joins us on the phone from Boston.

Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

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 before one a-m today, Democratic and Republican leaders, along with administration officials, announced a $2 trillion dollar deal had been reached. It’s expected to be passed and signed into law within days.

Tom's first guest today is Senator Ben Cardin, the Democratic senior senator from Maryland. Sen. Cardin is a Member of the Foreign Relations Committee, and Ranking Member of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee. He joins us from his office on Capitol Hill.

Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

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 of Maryland Medical Center and Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Congress has not yet been able to agree on the third iteration of a stimulus package to prop up the economy in the midst of this unprecedented pandemic. The stock market reacted badly yesterday, even after the Federal Reserve announced it would invest whatever it takes to address mass layoffs and business closures. The S&P Index fell another 3% yesterday, compounding the pain of last week’s 15% plunge. But it opened higher this morning, amid optimism that the Senate will reach a deal by the end of the day today.

Rep. Anthony Brown joins me now to discuss the federal government's response to the pandemic. Congressman Brown has represented Maryland's 4th Congressional District, which includes parts of Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties, since 2017. From 2007 to 2015, Mr. Brown was Maryland’s lieutenant governor, under Gov. Martin O’Malley.

Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

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. In Maryland, 20% of the population is 65 or older. In 10 years, it will be 25%. In Baltimore County, seniors already make up 25% of the population.

Rona Kramer joins us now. She is the Secretary of the Maryland’s Department of Aging, and she is a member of the state Coronavirus Response Team. For more information about what the Department of Aging is doing to help seniors, click here. Or call the department directly at 410-767-1100.

Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

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 District voters soon. Be sure to check the Board of Elections website to make sure your address is correct.

Today, Del. Nick Mosby is Tom's guest, as we continue with our Conversations with the Candidates series. Mosby is a Democrat. He has represented Baltimore in Maryland’s House of Delegates since 2017. Before that, Mosby was a member of the Baltimore City Council for five years, representing Central West Baltimore. Now, he’s running in the June primary against several other candidates for president of the Baltimore City Council.

Before he entered politics, Mosby was a manager at Verizon Communications and Baltimore Gas and Electric. He’s a Baltimore native and a Poly grad. He holds an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from Tuskegee University and a master’s degrees in telecommunications management from Stevens Institute of Technology. He is 41 years old. He and his wife, State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, live with their two children in Reservoir Hill. He joins us on the phone from his home.

Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

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 for just over one year now. The BPD continues to respond to unrelenting violence on the city's streets, and now, police are forced to serve and protect Baltimoreans while also confronting the invisible menace of COVID-19.

The Commissioner joins Tom on the line for the hour, and takes listener calls, emails and Tweets.

Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.

Kevin Lindamood, president and CEO of Healthcare for the Homeless, joins Tom to discuss COVID-19 challenges for those without shelter.

Email us at [email protected], tweet us: @MiddayWYPR, or call us at 410-662-8780.