Midday

Chris Wilson’s success story is one of incredible tenacity and determination, escape from despair, and triumph over adversity. It’s also the story of a lost and angry teenager who was unable to overcome the trauma that was part and parcel of his rough Washington DC neighborhood. After committing a murder at the age of 17, he was sentenced to life in prison.How does his story end so well, when it begins so badly? He explains in his poignant and powerful memoir, The Master Plan: My Journey from Life in Prison to a Life of Purpose. Chris Wilson joins me in Studio A.Plus, Baltimore teachers vote on new union leadership, and Baltimore City works to recover from the Ransomware attack that has crippled its computer network. Ian Duncan of the Baltimore Sun has an update.

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In his new book, the political economist William Davies argues that the decline of trust in scientific expertise has led individuals and governments to rely increasingly on feelings rather than facts. William Davies is a political economist at Goldsmiths university of London. He is the author of many books; his latest is called Nervous States:Democracy and the Decline of Reason. Davies is also a contributor to publications including the Atlantic and the New York Times.

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Tom talks with Professor David Blight of Yale University. He is the winner of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for History for his expansive and acclaimed biography of Frederick Douglass. A highly respected Douglass scholar, David Blight is the annotator and editor of Douglass’ second autobiography. This latest contribution to Douglass scholarship explores Douglass’ amazing journey from enslavement on the Eastern Shore of MD to become one of the world’s most transcendent and influential figures. The book is called Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom.

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Tom talks with Baltimore Ceasefire co-founders Erricka Brdigeford and Letrice Gant. The group's mission: the cessation of murder in Baltimore City for one weekend every quarter. This past weekend was a Ceasefire weekend. 3 people were shot on Friday night. Two of those victims died. There were no shootings on Saturday. One non-fatal shooting took place yesterday. Since Freddie Gray’s death four years ago, 1,277 people have lost their lives to violence in Baltimore. Since they organized the first ceasefire weekend in August, 2017, Erricka Bridgeford and Letrice Gant have acknowledged many of those victims, their families, and the people who made the decisions to kill them.

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Today, another in our occasional series, Midday on Higher Education, in which we sit down with the Presidents of colleges and universities throughout the state. My guest is the President of Harford Community College in Bel Air, Dr. Dianna G. Phillips.

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It’s Midday on Ethics. An international court has ruled that South African Olympic champion Caster Semenya and other female athletes with naturally high levels of testosterone will need to take drugs that lower their hormone levels to compete in some women’s races.Dr. Jeffrey Kahn, director of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, joined us to discuss the ethics of doping - of a different kind.This conversation was live streamed on the WYPR Facebook page. You can watch the video here.

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Comedian and actor Susie Essman joins us for a conversation about her life and career. She plays the foul-mouthed Susie Greene, Larry David’s nemesis, on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Essman will be in Baltimore next week headlining the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation’s 9th annual Night of the Stars on Thursday, May 16. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit the BHC's website here.

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

Comedian and actor Susie Essman joins us for a conversation about her life and career.

Today, another installment of Tube Talk, our ultra-occasional discussion of what’s hot and what’s not on TV. We had some product placement on Game of Thrones that a few folks happened to notice. We had the displacement of a local TV anchor that has engendered all sorts of reaction about gender, and race. And a few fan-favorite shows are on extended hiatus, driving more than a few fans nuts. Tom is joined by three of those fans, who collectively watch an extraordinary amount of television and who should probably get out more often. But we are in debt to our Tube Talkers for making that commitment, and giving the rest of us a better sense of what to watch and what to avoid across the vast TV landscape.Joining us from Vox Media studios in Washington, DC. is Bridget Armstrong. She is a podcast producer. Her latest offering is the new TV podcast Primetime from vox.com…And here in Studio A, Tom's guests areWYPR’s Digital Producer, Jamyla Krempel and Midday producer Cianna Greaves, who also produces the podcast, Truth and Reconciliation, which was named last month as Best Podcast by the Baltimore Sun…Plus, our Tube Talkers respond to your calls, emails and social media comments...

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

Tube Talk: From GoT to Blackish, Our Takes on the Season's Shows