Midday

Shamiah T. Kerney, the Chief Recovery Officer in the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs, joins Midday to discuss updates on the distribution of funds originating from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

President Biden signed the ARPA measure into law in March of 2021. The city's Office of Recovery Programs was established in with the goal of overseeing that money.

Shamiah Kerney joins Tom to discuss the Office of Recovery Programs' important work.

As the 2025 General Assembly reaches its midway point, the most pressing issue facing lawmakers is the state’s budget deficit.

Matthew Gardner of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy joins Midday to share the details of Gov. Wes Moore’s budget proposal. Will higher taxes for higher earners be part of the final package?

Legislators will vote soon on their version of the state’s 2026 budget, which includes ways to close that $3 billion dollar budget deficit.

The Trump Administration’s sustained attack on efforts to center diversity, equity and inclusion in the culture of for-profit and non-profit organizations, government entities, and society at large, have had an undeniable effect on the cultural climate in our country.

While AI is scouring government documents for words the administration finds distasteful, some arts organizations, who are often at the forefront of bringing social justice issues to the attention of their audiences, are scrambling to eliminate those themes from programs that receive federal funding.

Not Baltimore Center Stage, however. Last week, the theatre announced it would not comply with new federal guidelines disavowing topics like equity or gender.

Two leaders from Baltimore Center Stage join Midday to discuss the decision, and what it means for the future of the theatre. Stevie Walker Webb is the theater’s artistic director and Adam Frank is the Managing Director.

On today's Midday News Wrap, how Maryland's justice system treats its youngest alleged offenders. WYPR's Senior Reporter Rachel Baye reported on the state's documented failure to protect young inmates and how lawmakers are reconsidering the way young people are tried in Maryland courts.

And The Baltimore Banner's Hallie Miller reported on efforts to get the city's largest tax-exempt institutions to contribute more to the Baltimore's budget. Currently, those organizations pay a smaller preset amount each year.

The Social Security Administration provides $1.5 trillion in benefits for more than 73 million Americans. Social Security picks up 10,000 new beneficiaries every day. Last week, the agency announced it was cutting its workforce by 7,000 people.

Shelley Washington has worked at the agency, which is headquartered in Woodlawn, Maryland, for 35 years. He is Executive Vice President of Local 1923, which represents SSA workers. He joins Midday to discuss the mood inside SSA, and how wide-ranging cuts may disrupt benefits and services for Americans in need.

The U.S. Capitol is not the only place where a budget battle is raging. Legislators in the State House in Annapolis are debating ways to close a massive $3 billion deficit in the state budget.

Yesterday, Sen. President Bill Ferguson indicated that a hike in the state sales tax was unlikely this year. A business-to-business tax of 2.5% has also been floated. Not unexpectedly, it is opposed by the business community and Republicans in Annapolis. Gov. Wes Moore has not yet taken a position on the tax.

One of the founding members of the Maryland Freedom Caucus, Republican Del. Kathy Szeliga of Baltimore County, joins Midday to discuss how she things the state can best navigate its dire financial situation.

John Davis, the creator, producer and host of MotorWeek, joins another edition of Midday on Cars.

Have you consider going electric for your next car purchase? Is this a good time to buy? What are the latest arrival in the automotive market? Davis answers your questions on those topics and more.

MotorWeek is the longest-running automotive show on television. The show is produced at Maryland Public Television and syndicated on PBS stations across the country.

Why do women live longer than men? Is the female brain much different than the male brain?

Author Cat Bohannon joins Midday to discuss the female body and its 200 million year history. Her award-winning 2023 book, Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution, is now out in paperback.

Scientific research long focused on the male body, but in Eve, Bohannon shifts readers' attention to the female body, its evolution and why it matters today.

Theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck joins Midday to share another weekly review of a local theatrical production.

This week, Rousuck reviews The Bedwetter, at Arena Stage in Washington through March 16.

Our insiders look back at the winners of Oscars 2025. What surprised them about the ceremony.

Plus, remembering Gene Hackman's long career in Hollywood and a review of No Other Land, a documentary following the unlikely friendship between a Israeli and Palestinian filmmaker. In the West Bank, the pair document a Palestinian community's harrowing existence in the path of Israeli settlements.