Roughly Speaking

Producer's note: Kamenetz died of cardiac arrest on May 10.Why should Maryland Democrats select Kevin Kamenetz over other candidates in a crowded field of experienced politicians and first-time office-seekers hoping to become the next governor? With the candidates agreeing on most of the issues, why Kamenetz?The Baltimore County executive, hoping to win the June 26 primary to face incumbent Republican Larry Hogan in November, answers that question on today's show.And we meet the woman he chose for a running mate, former Montgomery County Council member Valerie Ervin.Links:https://elections2018.news.baltimoresun.com/governor/kevin-kamenetz/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-kamenetz-running-mate-20180221-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks/bal-roughly-speaking-2018-gubernatorial-candidates-storygallery.html

Featured in this episode: An infectious disease specialist talks about Bill Gates' repeated warnings that the U.S. and the world are not sufficiently prepared for the possibility of a pandemic that could kill millions. But before we get to that:Book critic Paula Gallagher recommends a new non-fiction title, ----The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession and the Natural History Heist of the Century,---- by Kirk Wallace Johnson.Baltimore County executive Kevin Kamenetz, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor of Maryland, and his running mate, Valerie Ervin, talk about the opioid epidemic. Kamenetz announced Wednesday that the county would open a 70-bed on-demand treatment facility in Owings Mills.Michael Reisch, professor of social justice at the University of Maryland School of Social Work, gives his take on the sturdy Trump base -- why people who might be hurt by the president's policies stick with him.Dr. John Cmar, an expert in infectious disease on the staff of Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, gives some perspective to Bill Gates' most recent warning that the world could face a flu pandemic like the one that killed millions -- and 675,000 in the United States -- 100 years ago.Links:https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/534655/the-feather-thief-by-kirk-wallace-johnson/9781101981610/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/bs-md-co-opioid-announcement-20180501-story.htmlhttp://www.ssw.umaryland.edu/academics/faculty/michael-reisch/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks-blog/bs-roughly-speaking-donald-trump-evangelical-christians-20180419-htmlstory.htmlhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2018/04/27/bill-gates-calls-on-u-s-to-lead-fight-against-a-pandemic-that-could-kill-millions/?utm_term=.a20a298090f3

Baltimore might be considered a sanctuary for immigrants — a position that puts the city at odds with the Trump administration's crackdown on undocumented immigrants — but it's also in the midst of a long battle with violent crime. Should the U.S. Justice Department lend a hand? U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen recently got a concession from Attorney General Jeff Sessions to reconsider why Baltimore was excluded from a multimillion-dollar federal program aimed at cities struggling with violent crime.Also on today's show: Van Hollen talks about an array of other topics in Trump's Washington — from the tax cuts passed by the GOP-led Congress to the administration's hard line on the Iran nuclear deal.Links:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-baltimore-no-crime-grants-20180425-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-sessions-urban-crime-20170620-story.htmlhttp://www.newsweek.com/republican-tax-plan-donald-trump-cbo-884129

U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen talks about an array of topics in Trump's Washington.

2:03: Paula Gallagher, librarian and book critic, makes her weekly recommendation: ----The New Farm: Our Ten Years on the Front Lines of the Good Food Revolution,---- by Brent Preston.5:23: Roy T. Meyers, professor of political science at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, talks about the GOP tax cuts and the latest increase in federal spending — a combination that will send government deficits into the trillions, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Meyers, who once worked for the CBO, is an expert in the federal budget process. He provides a 30-minute history on recent deficits and how, rising to new levels, they could affect the nation's economy.Links:https://thenewfarm.ca/book/https://userpages.umbc.edu/!!!_meyers/index.html

Thiru Vignarajah, challenging incumbent Marilyn Mosby, says the Baltimore state's attorney has ----no idea---- how many criminal cases have been tainted by members of the notorious Gun Trace Task Force. Vignarajah says his survey shows that more than 2,300 cases involved at least one of the eight task-force officers convicted of corruption, and he has a plan for reviewing each one. It's part of Vignarajah's campaign pledge to restore faith in law enforcement after one of biggest scandals in Baltimore police history. In today's episode, Vignarajah also talks about police-involved shootings, holding officers accountable for civil rights violations, and recruiting talented attorneys to prosecute criminal cases in a city experiencing a surge of violence now in its fourth year.Links:https://elections2018.news.baltimoresun.com/baltimore-city/states-attorney/thiru-vignarajah/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bal-baltimore-gun-trace-task-force-coverage-storygallery.htmlhttp://thiruforbaltimore.com/web/policeaccountability/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-ci-mayor-crime-walk-20180424-story.html

Thiru Vignarajah says the state's attorney has no idea how many cases have been tainted by the GTTF

The latest Goucher Poll puts Maryland's Republican governor, Larry Hogan, in a strong position to win a second term. But while Maryland Democrats, who outnumber Republicans 2-1, widely approve of Hogan's job as governor, whether they vote for him in November remains an open question. Mileah Kromer, director of the Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center at Goucher College, talks about the poll results.

The latest Goucher Poll puts Gov. Larry Hogan in a strong position to win a second term.

A follow-up to Dan’s Sunday column on a new Brookings Institution report, “Renewing America’s economic promise through older industrial cities,” with its lead author, Alan Berube, a Brookings senior fellow and director of its Metropolitan Policy Program.The report argues that Baltimore and other post-industrial American cities, large and small, hold great potential for more inclusive economic growth that benefits their states and regions. Cities are where the best jobs are going, and a new generation of educated and well-trained Americans have a desire to live in cities that are thriving economically and diverse socially and culturally. The report puts Baltimore in one of the strongest positions among 70 of the nation’s older industrial cities. Berube explains why.Links:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks-blog/bs-md-rodricks-0422-story.htmlhttps://www.brookings.edu/research/older-industrial-cities/#01073https://www.brookings.edu/experts/alan-berube/