Podcasts about roughly speaking

Thirty years is a long, good run for any restaurant, and so attention must be paid: Saturday, Oct. 12 marks three full decades for Nancy Longo’s Pierpoint in Fells Point. It was early 1989 when Longo bought the Emma Giles Tavern, a rowhouse-barroom at 1822 Aliceanna Street, with an ambition to turn it into a restaurant serving “Maryland cuisine with a contemporary style.” As her 30th anniversary approached, Sun columnist Dan Rodricks paid a visit for the Roughly Speaking podcast and recorded a conversation with Longo in the Pierpoint kitchen.In this episode: Secrets of a great crab cake. Plus, something new: The Crab Corn Coddie, a mashup of a classic crab cake and the Baltimore coddie, with some sweet corn added for crunch. It was Dan’s idea, developed at home, and he asked Longo to bring her expertise to the evolving recipe. The chef was game to give it a try. In fact, Longo liked the concept so much she plans to put the Crab Corn Coddie on Pierpoint’s menu as a special on Wednesday evening, Oct. 23.

Call it beginner’s luck, but rookie Lamar Jackson’s record-breaking 2018 season left the Ravens management wanting more. So much more, in fact, that they traded veteran quarterback Joe Flacco for a fourth-round NFL draft pick and did not play him after he recovered from his week 9 hip injury — a decision that many criticized during the infamous Wild Card Round playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers, which ended in a 23-17 defeat. With Flacco’s departure, the team has vowed to head in a “new direction,” with Jackson at the helm. Outside of the Ravens’ administration, not everyone is as confident in this rebranding effort or Jackson’s ability to carry an offense — much less get through a game without fumbling. However, the team’s management, now headed by new general manager Eric DeCosta, is sticking by its decision.Ravens beat reporter Jonas Shaffer joins Roughly Speaking host Pamela Wood to discuss the Ravens’ big gamble on Lamar Jackson and other important decisions that the team has made as it enters the 2019 season.

On April 27, 2015, the day of Freddie Gray’s funeral in Baltimore, police and youth clashed near the Mondawmin metro stop in a skirmish that would thrust the city into the international spotlight. For four years, police, youth and others there that day has shared their version of events, leaving unanswered questions. Who, in reality, initiated the confrontation? And who was responsible for shutting down the transit service that day, a decision that left many high school students stranded in the center of the clashes?Baltimore Sun reporter Kevin Rector has sought to review surveillance footage from that day to paint a clearer picture. The Maryland Transit Administration continues to deny that request. But for the first time, the MTA has released records related to the April 2015 unrest that provide new insights, and revive old questions, about one of the most controversial and consequential moments in Baltimore’s history. Rector sits down with Roughly Speaking host Pamela Wood to discuss the findings and provide insight into a four-year-long hunt for surveillance video that he and many others believe they are entitled to view.

In this year-in-review episode of the Roughly Speaking podcast, our last of 2018, columnist Dan Rodricks speaks with Triffon G. ----Trif---- Alatzas, the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Baltimore Sun Media Group, about the mass shooting at the Capital Gazette in Annapolis and its aftermath. Alatzas talks about the day of the horror, the response of police, the community and other news organizations, and how the Capital recovered from the loss of four veteran journalists -- Wendi Winters, John McNamara, Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen -- and advertising assistant Rebecca Smith. Alatzas also talks about the move of the Sun's operations out of its long-time Calvert Street headquarters to Sun Park in Port Covington.

Arrested 40 years ago at age 16 in the murder of a promising Johns Hopkins medical student, James Featherstone received a life sentence for his conviction. If not for a major ruling by the Maryland Court of Appeals – known as the Unger ruling – Featherstone believes he would have died in prison. Since his unexpected release in 2014, he's managed to find work, but not the full-time job he seeks. He's been speaking to boys and young men in trouble with the law, hoping to save them from lives of crime and failure. And he's made friends with Carol Classen, the woman who was engaged to marry the man Featherstone was convicted of killing.In 1979, his first year as a columnist for The Baltimore Evening Sun, Dan Rodricks covered Featherstone's trial. Four years ago, he wrote about his release. And now, for this episode of Roughly Speaking, he visits him at his rowhouse in northeast Baltimore.

Randall Gornowich, the Baltimore artist who created the famous 30-foot pink flamingo perched above Cafe Hon in Hampden, plans to enhance his creation with a big, green homage to the bird's ancient ancestor. Listen to this episode of Roughly Speaking to understand why there's a T-Rex lurking behind the flamingo when you visit Hampden for the holidays.

Will Schwarz, a Baltimore-based filmmaker and video producer, founded the Maryland Lynching Memorial Project to remember the 40 documented victims of lynchings in the state, the last being George Armwood, who was killed by a mob on the Eastern Shore 85 years ago this week. The Maryland project is part of a national movement, led by civil rights advocate Bryan Stevenson and his Equal Justice Initiative. On Saturday, at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore, the names of Maryland lynching victims were read aloud, and Schwarz screened his short documentary on the Armwood lynching. In this episode: Will Schwarz talks about his ongoing project to collect soil from the grounds where Maryland lynchings took place and to get Maryland counties to memorialize the atrocities and the victims. We hear comments from Stevenson and excerpts from Schwarz's film.For more information: See the Sun's multimedia presentation on Maryland's grim legacy of lynching and hear previous episodes of Roughly Speaking on a student project to account for the lynchings and an oral history of the aftermath of Armwood's death by the late Clarence Mitchell Jr.

Acquil Bey, a retired Master Sergeant and U.S. Army Green Beret, says healthy relationships with co-workers, and being aware of potential problems, form the first lines of defense against violence in the American workplace. Bey served 22 years in the military before becoming director of security and safety for Under Armour. He now runs the Tailored Defense Training Group in Baltimore, training men and women in self-defense and in the use of firearms. In this episode of Roughly Speaking, recorded after a deadly shooting at the Rite Aid distribution center in Harford County, Bey talks about workplace safety and what employers and employees can do to protect themselves and others from the kind of violence that has erupted across the country at work sites, in places of worship, in schools and in concert venues.

Christopher Llewellyn Reed teaches filmmaking at Stevenson University, has worked on films, writes weekly reviews and monthly joins our other critic, Linda DeLibero, to talk about either classic movies or the current cinema. Today you’ll hear Chris talk about 10 of his favorites, from Spike Lee’s ----Do The Right Thing---- to ----The Godfather---- to ----The Piano---- and the 2005 film, ----Nine Lives,---- directed by Rodrigo Garcia. He even throws in a musical and a science fiction comedy. Chris starts us in the 1940s, after World War II, with ----The Best Years of Our Lives,---- directed by William Wyler, and a film you’re sure to recognize, directed by Frank Capra.Christopher Llewelyn Reed is professor and chair of the film and moving image department at Stevenson University. He is a regular contributor to Roughly Speaking. Linda DeLibero will be with us next week to list some of her top choices, Part II of A Film Critic’s Favorite Films.

Long before the 1954 Supreme Court case that found ----separate but equal---- unconstitutional, black parents across the country tried to enroll their children in all-white public schools. In researching girlhood and race in the decades before the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, historian Rachel Devlin discovered numerous stories about grassroots efforts to desegregate schools in the South, Midwest and in the District of Columbia. In most cases, the children who crossed the color line for the first time were girls or young women. In this episode of Roughly Speaking, Devlin talks about the brave girls who were in the vanguard of school integration after World War II. Devlin is an assistant professor of history at Rutgers University and author of, ----A Girl Stands At The Door: The Generation of Young Women Who Desegregated America's Schools,---- published earlier this year by Basic Books.Links:https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/rachel-devlin/a-girl-stands-at-the-door/9781541616653/(Image: AP Photo/Norman Rockwell Estate Licensing Company via the Corcoran Gallery )

Six Democratic candidates are seeking their party's nomination this month to challenge Republican incumbent Andy Harris in Maryland's 1st Congressional District in November. Two of the candidates -- longtime Talbott County attorney Michael Pullen and Army veteran Jesse Colvin -- are on today's show, talking about their respective challenges to Harris and about an array of issues facing the district, which runs from the Eastern Shore to the metro Baltimore counties.Both Colvin and Pullen have been guests on earlier episodes of Roughly Speaking, and another candidate, Alison Galbraith was on the show in November and April.Other candidates did not respond to invitations to the podcast.Links:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks-blog/bs-roughly-speaking-jesse-colvin-20180223-htmlstory.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks-blog/bs-roughly-speaking-michael-pullen-20180320-htmlstory.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks-blog/bs-roughly-speaking-crime-fight-20171116-htmlstory.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks-blog/bs-roughly-speaking-morella-galbraith-20180413-htmlstory.html

During the last week, there have been more than 1.5 million views of an online video featuring Maryland gubernatorial candidate Krish Vignarajah responding to sexist and racist tweets. Vignarajah says she has received hate mail and mean tweets ridiculing her gender, her ethnicity and even the appearance of her 11-month-old daughter, Alana, in a campaign ad. We hear what the trolls said, and how Vignarajah responded, in the candidate's second visit to the Roughly Speaking studio. Dan's first conversation with the candidate, former policy director for First Lady Michelle Obama, was in December, Episode 334, and covered an array of issues and candidate positions.Links:https://www.facebook.com/NowThisHer/videos/1286847331446139/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzVRsi7MF8shttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks-blog/bs-roughly-speaking-krish-vignarajah-20171214-htmlstory.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-krish-vignarajah-profile-20180521-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks/bal-roughly-speaking-2018-gubernatorial-candidates-storygallery.htmlhttps://elections2018.news.baltimoresun.com/

In this extra edition of Roughly Speaking,\u160\uLiz Bowie, the Sun's senior education reporter,\u160\utalks about the Dallas Dance case. Today was the 37th birthday of the former Baltimore County schools superintendent, but it was\u160\uhardly one to celebrate. A judge today\u160\usentenced\u160\uDance\u160\uto six months in jail\u160\ufor failing to disclose nearly $147,000 he earned from part-time consulting jobs.\u160\uDance pleaded guilty last month to four counts of perjury related to the income he earned outside of his role as superintendent for one of Maryland’s largest public school systems.\u160\u

Evangelicals and Donald Trump -- how the Christian right made a deal to overlook a lot of issues related to Trump’s character to support him, no matter what -- no matter porn star, playmate, nasty tweets, or arguably anti-Christian tax cuts for the rich. According to Newsweek, a new poll suggests that Trump’s base of white evangelical support has not been turned off by allegations of his affairs with Stormy Daniels or a former Playboy bunny. If anything, white evangelicals have come to hold more favorable attitudes towards him. Why?Our guests:Melissa Deckman, chair of the political science department at Washington College, a regular contributor to Roughly Speaking and the author of “Tea Party Women: Mama Grizzlies, Grassroots Leaders, and the Changing Face of the American Right.” Sheri Parks, our American culture commentator, associate dean at the University of Maryland and, starting in June, she will be taking on a new job as vice-president for strategic initiatives at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Links:http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/page/ct-perspec-page-trump-evangelicals-tony-perkins-0128-20180126-story.htmlhttp://www.newsweek.com/trump-evangelicals-support-millennials-888267

Michael Pullen, a Democratic candidate for congress in Maryland's 1st District, has staked out progressive positions in a bid to win his party's nomination and challenge incumbent Republican Andy Harris. Pullen, who spent 24 years as the attorney for Talbot County, says he supports a federal ban on assault rifles as a way to stem mass shootings. He also supports universal health insurance, or ----Medicare for all.---- Pullen opposes oil drilling off the Maryland coast, but supports the establishment of a wind farm in those waters and full funding for the Chesapeake Bay cleanup. He is one of six Democrats seeking the nomination in Maryland's June 26 primary. Two other candidates, Allison Galbraith and Jesse Colvin, already have given interviews, and those recordings can be found in the Roughly Speaking archive.Links:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/harford/aegis/ph-ag-harris-town-hall-0307-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-harris-offshore-drilling-20180209-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/environment/bs-md-offshore-wind-distance-20180312-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-trump-budget-maryland-20180212-story.html

Ben Jealous, the former national president of the NAACP, says Gov. Larry Hogan holds Baltimore in contempt and has done too little to help the city through its crisis in crime and police misconduct. On Wednesday, Jealous, seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Hogan's bid for re-election, proposed a set of reforms for Baltimore police and police across Maryland, including the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate allegations of misconduct.This is another in a series of interviews with candidates for office in 2018. To listen to earlier conversations with gubernatorial candidates, visit this Roughly Speaking archives page.Also today: Book critic Paula Gallagher returns to the lineup, recommending a novel, ----The Driest Season,---- by Meghan Kenny, a former Tickner Writing Fellow at the Gilman School in Baltimore.Links:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-pugh-police-discipline-20180222-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-goucher-poll-chelsea-manning-20180221-story.htmlhttps://benjealous.com/issues/criminal-justice/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks/bal-roughly-speaking-2018-gubernatorial-candidates-storygallery.htmlhttp://books.wwnorton.com/books/The-Driest-Season/http://meghankenny.co/about/

The same day of a White House ----listening session---- on the mass shooting at a Florida high school, student protesters marched on the state capitol in Tallahassee to demand tougher gun control. On today's show, American culture commentator Sheri Parks talks about the remarkable and passionate student uprising that has occurred even in the midst of mourning and grief. Parks is associate dean in American studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, and a regular contributor to Roughly Speaking.

Nominations for the 90th Oscars were announced in Los Angeles Tuesday morning. Listen to this latest episode of Roughly Speaking to hear reactions from our critics, Linda DeLibero and Christopher Llewellyn Reed. DeLibero is director iof film and media studies at Johns Hopkins University. Reed is professor and chair of the film and moving image department at Stevenson University. They are regular contributors to Roughly Speaking.

Guests on the weekend edition of the show: Eric Cox, State House bureau chief for The Baltimore Sun; Talia Richman, the Sun's education beat reporter; Dr. John Cmar of Sinai Hospital.Richman talks about the latest crisis in the Baltimore city schools — classrooms without heat during a prolonged cold spell. Officials have received complaints of lack of heating at about 60 of the school system’s buildings, and images of students bundled in winter coats have provoked outrage and finger-pointing.The Maryland General Assembly opens on Wednesday for its annual 90-day session, and Cox sizes up the major issues facing the legislature, all of them resulting from the actions or inactions of the Republican-controlled Congress. Plus, 2018 is an election year, with Gov. Larry Hogan facing re-electing and several state legislators facing primary challenges, thickening the state's political plot.Dr. John Cmar, an infectious disease specialist based at Sinai Hospital and a Roughly Speaking contributor, presents his list of communicable diseases to watch for in 2018, including a pan-resistant bacteria, or super bug, unaffected by multiple antibiotics.Links:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/k-12/bs-md-ci-gofundme-schools-20180104-story.html

In the last of a series of introductory interviews with Democratic candidates for governor of Maryland, Dan speaks with Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, a public policy expert and one of two women seeking their party's nomination. A one-time congressional staffer, Rockeymoore Cummings is the founder of Global Policy Solutions, a Washington-based consulting company. She is the wife of Rep. Elijah Cummings, the veteran congressman from Baltimore. Rockeymoore Cummings wants to be the Democrat who challenges incumbent Republican Larry Hogan because, she says, Hogan has a limited vision for the state and has held back economic development for Baltimore by killing the Red Line light rail project and the State Center redevelopment. She says she has a plan for ----inclusive growth---- that will address what she calls ----high levels of inequality---- across Maryland.Rockeymoore Cummings is the eighth Democratic candidate to sit for a Roughly Speaking interview. You can access all previous interviews by visiting the podcast's candidates page. We plan a second round of interviews for 2018, ahead of the June primary, and have invited Hogan to the studio.Editor's note: Rockeymoore Cummings suspended her campaign on Jan. 5.Links:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-rockeymoore-cummings-drops-out-20180105-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/anne-arundel/bs-md-rockeymoore-cummings-governor-20171011-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks/bal-roughly-speaking-2018-gubernatorial-candidates-storygallery.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks/bal-roughly-speaking-2018-gubernatorial-candidates-storygallery.html

2:43: Our film critics, Linda DeLibero and Christopher Llewellyn Reed, talk about Hollywood and sexual abuse in the entertainment industry; plus, the announced resignation of former comedian (and former U.S. senator) Al Franken.13:42: Paula Gallagher, Baltimore County librarian and Roughly Speaking critic, lists books that will make good holidays gifts for the Instant Pot fanatic, the reluctant history buff, and the ----Stranger Things---- follower in your life.30:16: DeLibero and Reed recommend released (----Ladybird---- and ----The Disaster Artist----) and upcoming films to see during the holiday season, and we celebrate the late great character actor, Claude Rains, famous for his roles in ----Casablanca---- and ----Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.----Links:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks-blog/bs-md-rodricks-book-list-1208-story.html

4:02: Mayor Catherine Pugh, who last week declared crime out of control in Baltimore, talks about the need for more police on the street and what her administration is doing about that. The mayor objected to the suggestion, in Dan Rodricks' Wednesday column, that she was slow to put together a crime-fight strategy. Today, she talks about her plan to reduce violence across the city. The interview was recorded before the Wednesday afternoon shooting of a city police detective.23:19: Paula Gallagher, Baltimore County librarian and Roughly Speaking book critic, recommends the new novel by Louise Erdrich, ----Future Home of the Living God,---- which, Gallagher says, is bound to invite comparison's with Margaret Atwood's ----The Handmaid's Tale.----27:18: Allison Galbraith wants to be one of the few millennials in Congress, so the 34-year-old Harford County Democrat is running for her party's nomination in Maryland's First congressional district. Galbraith says she's running because of incumbent Republican Andy Harris' ardent opposition to the Affordable Care Act.Links:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-ci-pugh-crime-20171109-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks-blog/bs-md-rodricks-1115-story.htmlhttps://mayor.baltimorecity.gov/sites/default/files/Violence Reduction Final Draft 081117_1515.pdfhttps://www.harpercollins.com/9780062694058/future-home-of-the-living-godhttps://www.allisonforcongress.com/abouthttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/blog/bs-md-obamacare-eastern-shore-20170818-story.html

In another in a series of interviews with candidates for governor of Maryland, Dan speaks with Democrat Kevin Kamenetz. The 59-year-old Baltimore County executive says Maryland under Gov. Larry Hogan is “standing still” on public education, mass transit and economic development, and needs a more progressive leader. Kamenetz was elected Baltimore County executive in 2010 and re-elected to that office in 2014. He is the current President of the Maryland Association of Counties and is a past president of the Baltimore Metropolitan Council. You can hear earlier interviews with other candidates for governor by visiting a special page of the Roughly Speaking archives. We’ll be interviewing more candidates in the weeks and months ahead. Maryland’s 2018 primary election takes place on June 26.Links:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks/bal-roughly-speaking-2018-gubernatorial-candidates-storygallery.html

Kevin Kamenetz will be serving his final year as Baltimore County executive in 2018. He’s announced that he will run for governor of Maryland in the June Democratic primary. Kamenetz will be a guest on Roughly Speaking in the coming weeks. Among those hoping to succeed him as Baltimore County executive is John Olszewski Jr., a former school teacher and state delegate from Dundalk. In another in our series of interviews of candidates for office in 2018, Olszewski, known as Johnny O., talks about growing up on the east side, his professional career, and his ambitions for the county if elected its 13th executive.Links:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/bs-md-co-olszewski-runs-20170626-story.html

1:59: Paula Gallagher, librarian and book critic, recommends all but the last 40 pages of "Sourdough," a novel by Robin Sloan that foodies should (mostly) love.5:30: Sheri Parks, culture commentator, wants to talk about adulthood, and why it seems to be arriving later with each generation. In fact, research shows that, since the late 1970s, it has taken longer for each new generation to complete school, leave home, become financially independent, marry and have children. Millennials have even delayed getting driver’s licenses. What does the later launch mean for families and society? And what constitutes full adulthood? Parks is assistant dean in American studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, and a regular commentator on Roughly Speaking.Links:https://us.macmillan.com/sourdough/robinsloan/9780374203108/

Heidi Beirich tracks hate groups for the Southern Poverty Law Center. She is an expert on various forms of extremism, including the white supremacist, nativist and neo-Confederate movements. In this episode of Roughly Speaking, Beirich talks about hate groups in Maryland, but more generally about how she works, and how the SPLC goes about declaring American organizations to be hate groups. Beirich oversees the SPLC’s annual survey of the nation’s hate and anti-government groups, available on the center's interactive Hate Map, which lists 917 such groups across the country and 18 in Maryland.Links:https://www.splcenter.org/hate-map?gclid=Cj0KCQjw9afOBRDWARIsAJW4nvyf1Nyhh6ZPUwFwhXZz1rzEeL3HVONCLrGGwKsegNteMV0LPZFiGMwaAi6jEALw_wcB

President Trump this week praised Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey for taking in refugees from the six-year-old Syrian civil war while his administration considers lowering further the number of refugees accepted in the United States. As a candidate and as president, Trump has taken a hard line on refugees while other nations have accepted hundreds of thousands of them. For instance, by the time Germany had accepted 600,000 last fall, the U.S. had welcomed only 16,000. On the show today, a look at the crisis with Alia Malek, Baltimore-raised journalist and civil rights attorney who traveled with Syrian refugees and profiled some of them for Foreign Policy. And Dan speaks with the leader of an Arabic music ensemble that will perform a concert at Towson University on Sept. 29 to keep attention on the refugee crisis.Paula Gallagher, Baltimore County librarian and Roughly Speaking book critic, offers a strong recommendation for, "Sing, Unburied, Sing," the new novel from National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward.Alia Malek, attorney, journalist and author of "The Home That Was Our Country, A Memoir of Syria," talks about the civil war, the refugee crisis and her Syrian ancestors. Malek is a featured speaker at the Baltimore Book Festival. She appears on the Ivy Bookshop Stage Friday at 5 pm.Michel Moushabeck is the leader of Layaali Arabic Music Ensemble, which comes to Maryland Sept. 29 to perform an evening concert for Syrian refugee awareness at Towson University. He offers a tutorial in Arab music ahead of the free concert.

2:09: Paula Gallagher, Baltimore County librarian and Roughly Speaking critic, recommends a debut novel, "My Absolute Darling," by Gabriel Tallent.5:58: After the islands, Florida and southern states were pummeled by Hurriane Irma, after Houston was flooded by Hurricane Harvey, it might be hard for Americans to turn their attention to Yemen, Somalia and South Sudan and the famine hitting those countries. But our topic is something a lot of Americans might not be aware of: The Trump administration's proposed deep cuts to foreign aid that for decades enjoyed bipartisan support in Congress. Thomas Awiapo, a native of Ghana orphaned as a boy, survived childhood famine because of U.S. foreign aid, and he tells us his heartbreaking story of survival. Now a consultant with Baltimore-based Catholic Relief Services, Awiapo was in Washington recently to says thanks for the food he received at a village school and to ask that such aid continue.Links:http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/541271/my-absolute-darling-by-gabriel-tallent/

Forty-five percent of Republicans in a new YouGov poll think it would be a good idea to allow courts to shut down news media outlets for publishing or broadcasting stories that are biased or inaccurate. Sentiment of that level could be a payoff for President Trump’s “fake news” campaign, his war with the American news media. On today’s show, a look at Trump and the press, and the state of truth and knowledge, with culture critic Sheri Parks and veteran journalist Arnold “Skip” Isaacs.2:25: Sheri Parks is associate dean in American studies at the University of Maryland College Park and a regular contributor to Roughly Speaking.30:55: Arnold R. “Skip” Isaacs was a reporter, foreign and Washington correspondent, and editor for The Baltimore Sun. He was a correspondent for The Sun during the Vietnam War and is the author of two books about it. He will be back in September to talk about Vietnam, timed with the 18-hour Ken Burns documentary series on the war that premiers on PBS Sept. 17.Links:https://today.yougov.com/news/2017/07/26/war-between-president-and-news-media-there-may-be-/https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/u4wgpax6ng/econTabReport.pdfhttp://amst.umd.edu/faculty/sheri-parks/http://www.accountability-central.com/nc/single-view-default/article/devaluing-knowledge-the-real-danger-of-the-fake-fact-era/http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/the-vietnam-war/home/

3:10 British comedian and actor Eddie Izzard has written an enjoyable new memoir about his childhood, boarding school days, getting into show business and coming out transgender, says our book critic Paula Gallagher. 6:35 Racial slurs are repugnant, but, according to last week's Supreme Court ruling in the "Slants" case, they are also protected under the law. The real check on hateful, offensive speech is social civility, says Sheri Parks, associate dean at the University of Maryland and a Roughly Speaking regular. Parks thinks we're in a strange, new era where the line between civil and offensive has become murky — a problematic situation for an increasingly diverse nation.Links: http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/318643/believe-me-by-eddie-izzard/9780399175831/http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-court-slants-disparate-trademark-20170619-story.htmlhttp://amst.umd.edu/faculty/sheri-parks/

2:45: Paula Gallagher, Roughly Speaking book critic, has read and recommends Roxane Gay's much-anticipated memoir, "Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body."7:01: Barrooms offered special drinks — Russian vodka and “impeachmint” cocktails — for every Trump tweet during fired FBI Director James Comey's televised testimony to Congress on Thursday. But bartenders did not have to deliver on the offer. Trump showed remarkable restraint — until Friday morning, when he accused Comey of "false statements and lies," and claimed "complete vindication." After another week of Trumpian drama and anxiety, it's time again for Happy Hour on the Roughly Speaking podcast with Baltimore bartender Brendan Dorr. This time, Dan's smarter brothers, Ed and Joe, join the conversation to talk about their favorite mixed drinks — the Negroni, the Old Fashioned, the Hemingway Daiquiri — and Brendan's brother, Aaron, shares a favorite cocktail, the Gin-Gin Mule. Brendan Dorr is president of the Baltimore Bartenders Guild and tends bar at the B----O American Brasserie.Links:https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062362599/hungerhttp://www.liquor.com/recipes/negroni/#gs.ofFHI20http://allrecipes.com/recipe/162397/classic-old-fashioned/https://www.thespruce.com/hemingway-daiquiri-recipe-760527http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/gin-gin-mule-232358http://www.bandorestaurant.com/

"Wonder Woman," starring Gal Gadot, debuted last week with $103.3 million in ticket sales and is expected to retain the top spot at the box office in the U.S. and Canada. Roughly Speaking film critics Linda DeLibero and Christopher Llewellyn Reed talk about "Wonder Woman" and the too few other movies that have featured female action heroes, from 1942's "Mrs. Miniver," starring Greer Garson, to Charlize Theron's Furiosa in "Mad Max: Fury Road" in 2015. Also on our list: "The Furies" (1950), "Aliens" (1986), "Jackie Brown" (1997), "Kill Bill, Volume 1" (2003), and "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1" (2014).Links:http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-movie-projector-mummy-wonder-woman20170606-htmlstory.html

1:46: Weekly Reader: Paula Gallagher, Baltimore County librarian and Roughly Speaking book critic, recommends, "No Apparent Distress," a memoir about a woman's journey to serving the poor as a physician.7:26: Hitting The Books: Gary Thorne, in his 11th season as the play-by-play announcer for the Orioles, reads a lot more than the sports pages. He reads books — non-fiction and novels — and over the last several months he's written about what he reads in a blog on the MASN web site. Today, Thorne talks about how "Hitting The Books" came about, which titles he's been reading while on the road with the Birds, and a favorite novel he makes sure to read about once a year.Links:http://books.wwnorton.com/books/No-Apparent-Distress/http://www.masnsports.com/gary-thorne/http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2165.The_Old_Man_and_the_Sea

1:08: Paula Gallagher, Baltimore County librarian and Roughly Speaking book critic, recommends a new novel, "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine," soon to be a motion picture directed by Reese Witherspoon.5:31: Mark Romano, a photographer and teacher of photography, talks about his collection of the works of Finley Taylor, who captured life in the logging camps of West Virginia in the early 20th Century. Romano has thousands of negatives from Taylor, a studio photographer who ventured by horseback and rail into the wilderness to chronicle the harvest of hardwood trees near the boom town of Richwood. Taylor's photographs appear in a three-volume set of books, "Last Photographers," published by Romano during the last year. Taylor is also the subject of Dan's Sunday column, accompanied by an online gallery of his photos.Links:http://deadline.com/2017/05/reese-witherspoon-hello-sunshine-eleanor-oliphant-is-completely-fine-something-in-the-water-1202090140/http://www.imagesbyromano.com/https://lastphotographers.com/

"I hope you can let this go," Donald J. Trump reportedly said to the former FBI director James Comey regarding th"e bureau's investigation of Trump's former national security adviser Mike Flynn. Was the president trying to obstruct justice? Today on the show, Dan talks Trump with commentators Melissa Deckman and Sheri Parks.Melissa Deckman is the Louis L. Goldstein Professor of Public Affairs and chair of the political science department at Washington College. She is the author of, "Tea Party Women: Mama Grizzlies, Grassroots Leaders, and the Changing Face of the American Right."Sheri Parks is associate dean for the College or Arts and Humanities, an associate professor of American Studies, and founding director of the Arts and Humanities Center for Synergy at the University of Maryland at College Park. Parks is the author of "Fierce Angels: Living with a Legacy from the Sacred Dark Feminine to the Strong Black Woman." She is a regular commentator on American culture for Roughly Speaking.

A special edition of Roughly Speaking, the day after Donald Trump’s sacking of the FBI director, James Comey, whose agency has been investigating suspected ties between Russia and the Trump campaign for president. Reaction from:Michael Greenberger (0:43), professor of law at the University of Maryland and a longtime attorney with extensive practice in Washington as a litigator and as a financial regulator.U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (12:26), Maryland Democrat.

Paula Gallagher, Baltimore County librarian and Roughly Speaking book critic, recommends a dystopian novel from the eco-fiction shelf called "Borne," by Jeff Vandemeer.Baltimore bartenders Brendan Dorr and Amie Ward talk about Amari, the branch of herbal, bitter-sweet liqueurs produced in Italy, sipped as digestives and now being offered in some mixed drinks. Ward and Dorr join Dan for a taste test of Meletti Amaro, Rabarbaro Zucco, Fernet-Branca and Fernet-Valet, a Mexican liqueur. Be listening for Amie and Brendan’s cocktail recipe for the Italian Mule. Amie Ward tells her life story to Quinn Kelley on a recent episode of Female Trouble.Links:http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-ca-jc-borne-vandermeer-20170413-story.htmlhttp://www.meletti.it/UK/products_amaromeletti.htmlhttp://www.zuccarabarbaro.com/?age-verified=d69ec69409http://www.liquor.com/brands/fernet-branca/#gs.JfnUJcwhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/features/female-trouble/bs-female-trouble-amie-ward-20170424-htmlstory.html

On this episode of Roughly Speaking with Dan Rodricks, a dive into data about health, housing and community trends across the city — which neighborhoods are struggling, which ones are hot, which will be hot in the coming months and years, and which neighborhoods are the most ethnically and racially diverse.2:45: Seema Iyer measures Baltimore life in all kinds of ways. She’s associate director of the Jacob France Institute at the University of Baltimore, and each year for the past 15 years, the institute, in partnership with the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance, has published Vital Signs, a statistical portrait of the city, measuring everything from unoccupied homes to high school dropouts and teen pregnancy.29:26: We get the latest on the general health of Baltimoreans from Meredith Cohn, the Sun’s health and medical research reporter, and Dr. John Cmar of Sinai Hospital.42:32: A look at Baltimore housing market trends with representatives of LiveBaltimore, Annie Milli and Steve Gondol.1:02:21: Seema Iyer describes a new project to measure the vitality of city neighborhoods in terms of art, culture and civic engagement. It’s a cool project called the Baltimore GeoLoom, launching this summer.Links:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks-blog/bs-md-rodricks-0329-20170328-story.htmlhttp://bniajfi.org/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/investigations/bs-md-sun-investigates-neighborhoods-20170401-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/business/real-estate/bs-bz-march-home-sales-20170411-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/features/female-trouble/bs-female-trouble-annie-milli-20170404-htmlstory.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-live-baltimore-gondol-20170301-story.htmlhttp://www.geoloom.org/

1:43: Paula Gallagher, a Baltimore County librarian and Roughly Speaking book critic, recommends "Mozart's Starling," a non-fiction look at the great composer's relationship with a bird and how starlings, once favored as pets, came to be considered a nuisance in the United States.5:43: The General Assembly has authorized the state attorney general, Brian Frosh, to sue the Trump administration to protect Maryland’s interests — and Frosh is now empowered to do so without first getting the permission of the Governor. In his story about this in today’s Baltimore Sun, reporter Ian Duncan says the assembly left behind “a kind of night watchman” to keep an eye on Washington while the legislature is in recess. But what actions by the Trump administration would prompt Frosh and other Democratic attorneys general to go to court? We’ll also hear of efforts to stop price gouging by pharmaceutical companies and how the state legislature reformed a bail system that Frosh believes would ultimately have been found to be unconstitutional.Links:https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/lyanda-lynn-haupt/mozarts-starling/9780316370875/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-frosh-success-20170411-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-attorney-general-powers-20170416-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-drug-prices-20170326-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-bail-frosh-20161011-story.html

Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack scored major pop hits in the 1970s with their duets, “Where Is The Love?” and “The Closer I Get To You.” But Hathaway, a gifted soul singer and song writer, was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, a severe form of mental illness that extracted a heavy toll on his music career and his personal life, culminating with his suicide at age 33 in 1979. At Baltimore Center Stage this month, Kelvin Roston Jr. portrays Hathaway in “Twisted Melodies,” a one-man play Roston wrote and reworked over the last 10 years.Today Dan speaks with Roston (3:03) about Hathaway and the play, and about mental illness. Then, Dr. Mark Komrad (17:26), Baltimore psychiatrist, gives his impressions of “Twisted Melodies.” Komrad, a contributor to conversations about mental health on Roughly Speaking, is the author of, “You Need Help: A Step-by-Step Plan to Convince a Loved One to Get Counseling.”Links:http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/arts/artsmash/bs-ae-arts-story-0324-20170320-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/arts/artsmash/bs-ae-twisted-melodies-review-20170330-story.htmlhttp://www.komradmd.com/Mark_Komrad_MD/Welcome.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks-blog/bal-roughly-speaking-trump-anxiety-story.htmlhttp://www.youneedhelpbook.com/You_Need_Help/Overview.html

6:31: Maryland’s Republican governor, Larry Hogan, faces re-election in 2018, but he remains highly popular in a predominantly blue state where President Donald J. Trump is deeply unpopular. Who among the state’s leading Democrats will emerge to take the Hogan challenge? Could Maryland voters, unhappy with Trump, turn against Hogan in the mid-term elections? With the Maryland primary election 13 months away, Dan talks politics with Erin Cox, the Baltimore Sun’s State House bureau chief.1:40: Paula Gallagher, Baltimore County librarian and Roughly Speaking critic, calls “Pachinko,” a family saga from novelist Min Jin Lee, a tour de force.Links:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-jealous-governor-20170228-story.htmlhttps://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/min-jin-lee/pachinko/9781455563937/

4:46: Award-winning author Mohsin Hamid, whose new novel, “Exit West,” is a love story about refugees fleeing a war-torn country, talks about migrants, globalization, nationalism and America in the time of Trump. Hamid is scheduled to appear Saturday at the Church of the Redeemer in Baltimore for a fundraiser for the International Rescue Committee’s Baltimore area refugee rescue and resettlement efforts. Hamid is the author of three previous novels, including “The Reluctant Fundamentalist,” an international best-seller in 2007.23:12: With President Trump having revised and signed an executive order banning immigrants from six majority-Muslim nations, veteran journalist Arnold “Skip” Isaacs returns to Roughly Speaking to offer more perspective on American fears of terrorism and the roots of Islamophobia. Isaacs says those fears are overheated and in part driven by anti-Islamic extremists who push conspiracy theories about “civilization jihad,” sharia law and terrorist connections to Muslim-American organizations.Links:https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/27/books/review-exit-west-mohsin-hamid.html?_r=0http://www.redeemerbaltimore.org/events/moshin-hamid-exit-west/

2:46: Paula Gallagher, Baltimore County librarian and Roughly Speaking book critic, recommends a new work of science fiction, "All Our Wrong Todays," by Elan Mastai.6:28: Sarbanes is a widely recognized name in Maryland. Paul Sarbanes was a U.S. Senator for 30 years. John Sarbanes, the senator's son, is a member of the House of Representatives, serving Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District. The next Sarbanes you’ll hear about is the congressman's son, Nico Sarbanes, a 23-year-old jazz musician who’s just releasing his first recordings this month. A trumpet player and singer, and student of jazz, Nico Sarbanes joins us today, ahead of his performance at the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival, to talk about his ambition to capture "the Baltimore sound."Links:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FEY5EP2/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8----btkr=1http://www.midatlanticjazzfestival.org/artists/nico/http://www.midatlanticjazzfestival.org/

3:33: The Sun’s State House bureau chief Erin Cox talks about Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s refusal to comment on President Donald J. Trump’s controversial — and now overturned — executive order on immigration. Plus, we get an update on the prospects for full marijuana legalization in Maryland.8:13: Book critic Paula Gallagher recommends "A Really Good Day," by Ayelet Waldman, a memoir of mood swings, marriage and microdosing LSD. Gallagher is a librarian at the Pikesville branch of the Baltimore County Public Library.21:13: In the spirit of international solidarity and adventurous cooking, Roughly Speaking foodies John Shields and Henry Hong join Dan to share recipes from the seven majority-Muslim countries targeted in President Trump’s executive order on immigration — Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Libya, Iraq and Iran. Shields, owner of Gertrude’s restaurant in the Baltimore Museum of Art, is an accomplished author of cookbooks, and he recommends two for anyone interested in the cuisine of the Middle East: “Jerusalem: A Cookbook,” and “Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen.” Look for the recipes discussed on the show in Dan’s Roughly Speaking blog post. Additional resources: The Sudanese Kitchen and chicken dishes from The Somali Kitchen, and a BBC program about the food of Syria. Henry Hong, “The Food Nerd,” is food and beverage manager at the Baltimore Country Club.Links:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks-blog/bal-what-s-cooking-this-weekend-food-of-syria-iran-sudan-iraq-somalia-yemen-and-libya-20170210-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/bal-erin-cox-20141007-staff.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-hogan-facebook-20170208-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-cannabis-vote-20170130-story.htmlhttp://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/545767/a-really-good-day-by-ayelet-waldman/9780451494092/http://www.bcpl.info/http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/225366/jerusalem-el-by-yotam-ottolenghi-sami-tamimi/9781607743941/https://www.amazon.com/Recipes-Remembrances-Eastern-Mediterranean-Kitchen/dp/0970971699http://www.sudanesekitchen.com/http://www.somalikitchen.com/category/chicken/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06d29bh

1:40: Paula Gallagher, Baltimore County librarian and Roughly Speaking book critic, praises "Perfect Little World," a new novel from Kevin Wilson, best-selling author of "The Family Fang." If you liked the early works of John Irving, says Paula, you’ll like the characters in this new work by Wilson. With today’s podcast, Paula begins a series of weekly book recommendations.5:09: Lane Harlan, creator of Bar Clavel, the Mexican-inspired bar and restaurant in Remington, describes her establishment’s widely-hailed margarita and provides tequila drinkers with a primer on the world of mezcal. Joining us for some “mezcal enlightenment” is bartender Brendan Dorr of the B----0 American Brasserie. Hear Lane’s earlier interview on Quinn Kelley’s Female Trouble podcast.Links:https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062450326/perfect-little-worldhttp://www.barclavel.com/http://www.bandorestaurant.com/menus/food-drink.htmhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/features/female-trouble/bal-female-trouble-lane-harlan-20160712-story.html

Roughly Speaking film critics Linda DeLibero and Christopher Llewellyn Reed share their thoughts with Dan on nominations for the 89th Academy Awards, noting nods to African-American actors and directors following the #OscarsSoWhite controversy of 2016, a snub of actress Amy Adams and yet another (and perhaps unnecessary) nomination for the great Meryl Streep.

1:43: Paula Gallagher, Baltimore County librarian and Roughly Speaking book critic, offers a list of non-fiction titles -- from American history to celebrity memoir to cookbooks -- that could make good gifts for friends or relatives.26:43: Food nerd Henry Hong and restaurateur and cookbook author John Shields have some professional advice on making great soups, including savory Asian concoctions involving noodles.47:31: Baltimore bartender Brendan Dorr of the B----O American Brasserie offers suggestions for cocktails that call for brandy, as well as some holiday drinks and punches, including The Tom and Jerry.Links:http://www.bcpl.info/category/between-the-covers-blogger/paula-ghttp://foodnerd.org/2011/03/03/henrys-well-marcella-hazans-minestrone/http://www.johnshields.com/http://www.bandorestaurant.com/http://www.esquire.com/food-drink/drinks/recipes/a3819/tom-and-jerry-drink-recipe/

In another in our series of post-election conversations, American culture commentator Sheri Parks talks about the overwhelmingly white coalition that backed Donald Trump, the nation's racial divide and the rise in hate crimes across the country. Parks is Associate Dean for Research, Interdisciplinary Scholarship and Programming for the College or Arts and Humanities, an associate professor of American Studies at the University of Maryland at College Park. She is the author of "Fierce Angels: The Strong Black Woman in American Life and Culture," and a contributor to "Roughly Speaking."

Two Maryland doctors from two generations provide some simple answers to common medical questions, from the kinds of injuries they’ve seen in emergency rooms to the best rules for losing weight. Dr. John Cmar of Sinai Hospital in Baltimore is an infectious disease specialist and Roughly Speaking’s regular medical answer man. Dr. Larry Romane of Frederick, Md., spent more than 35 years in emergency rooms before retiring to write and lecture about medicine. His specialty is medicine for the layman. He teaches such a course at Frederick Community College and has written a book, “R U Medically Curious?” now in its second edition from LifeRich Publishing.Linkshttp://www.lifebridgehealth.org/Main/LifeBridgeHealthPhysicianDirectory/Cmar-John-MD-651.aspxhttps://ilratfcc.com/portfolio/medically-curious-heart-attacks-strokes/http://bookstore.liferichpublishing.com/Products/SKU-001062057/R-U-Medically-Curious.aspx

5:32: Should Howard County establish a special fund to provide public financing of local political campaigns? It’s Question A on the general election ballot. Two proponents talk about the issue — Howard County Councilman Jon Weinstein and Maryland PIRG director Emily Scarr — while Dan offers opposition from a recent Sun op-ed by Howard County executive Alan Kittleman. The Sun has endorsed Question A while the Howard County Times published an editorial in opposition.24:20: Paula Gallagher, Baltimore County librarian and Roughly Speaking book critic, shares one book she really likes, one she likes, one that she two-thirds likes and one she likes not at all.39:50: Bob Hieronimus, Baltimore artist and champion of Negro baseball league history, talks about pitcher Leon Day, born 100 years ago this weekend. Day was a stellar pitcher for Negro league teams, including the Baltimore Elite Giants. Hieronimus describes Day’s long road to Cooperstown and the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Day will be remembered Saturday at the Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum during an afternoon fundraiser for the foundation in his name. For more information about the event, email leondaypark@gmail.com.Links:http://marylandpirg.org/mdp/abouthttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/howard/ellicott-city/ph-ho-cf-oped-kittleman-campaign-finance-1027-20161026-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-hoco-campaigns-20161026-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/howard/columbia/ph-ho-cf-editorial-1027-20161027-story.htmlhttp://baseballhall.org/hof/day-leon

3:37: American culture commentator Sheri Parks discusses Donald J. Trump’s candidacy for president and how it has further alienated American minorities from the Republican Party. Parks is associate dean in arts and humanities at the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Roughly Speaking contributor.25:33: Baltimore Sun media critic David Zurawik reviews news coverage of the Republican convention and the forced resignation of Roger Ailes as CEO of Fox News.42:40: Book critic Paula Gallagher recommends six novels: "This Must be the Place," by Maggie O’Farrell; "Dark Matter," by Blake Crouch; "Disappearance at Devil's Rock," by Paul Tremblay; "You Will Know Me," by Megan Abbott; "The Unseen World," by Liz Moore; "How to Set a Fire and Why," by Jesse Ball.59:16: Film critic Christopher Llewellyn Reed reviews new movies and talks about films to be released in the coming weeks, including a remake of the Hollywood epic, "Ben-Hur."

In this Independence Day episode of Roughly Speaking, some fresh perspectives on Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, with two leading Jefferson scholars — Annette Gordon-Reed, who won the Pulitzer Prize for history for her research on Jefferson and his slave Sally Hemings, and Pete Onuf, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia and senior researcher at the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies. Gordon-Reed and Onuf have collaborated on a book, “Most Blessed of the Patriarchs: Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination.”

Is it really elitist for the news media to fact-check everything Donald J. Trump says? Dan speaks with David Zurawik, the Sun’s media critic, about the claim by a Trump supporter on CNN that Trump’s political opponents, not the media, should point out any misstatements by the verbose Republican presidential candidate. David also talks about the too-cozy relationship between political operatives and the cable news channels. Plus, a preview of a new Viceland series, “Black Market,” featuring actor Michael K. Williams, who played Omar on HBO’s “The Wire.”Baltimore County librarian and Roughly Speaking book critic Paula Gallagher offers her 13 best choices for summer reading, including “Vinegar Girl,” a new novel, set in Baltimore, by Anne Tyler.

“What’s the most gruesome thing you ever saw?” There’s a question you’ve always wanted to ask a doctor and probably never did. But a student in Leah Burchman’s 5th-grade class at Bollman Bridge Elementary School in Jessup, Maryland, didn’t hesitate to ask Dr. John Cmar for his ickiest memory. "My students are very curious individuals, and they love learning about all different types of subjects,” says Burchman, who teaches two English/language arts classes at the Howard County school.On today’s show, Dr. Cmar, who practices at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, answers health questions from Bollman Bridge 5th graders (1:45) while science educator and author John Monahan answers questions about dinosaurs, Earth and space posed by the 5th grade students of Rosemary Hazle, a teacher at Tunbridge Public Charter School in Baltimore (33:47). "My students are eager learners and a really fun group of kids. They will come up with great questions,” Hazle promised, and they did.We expect to do this again before school lets out later this month. In the next health/science episode of Roughly Speaking, Cmar and Monahan answer questions from 5th graders at Hillcrest Elementary School in Catonsville and Roland Park Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore.

Roughly Speaking's two-plus weeks of candidate interviews returns to the Baltimore mayor's race with talks with one Democrat and one Republican, both of whom worked in local media, the latter a familiar voice on WBAL Radio for a decade.In this podcast:1:40: Patrick Gutierrez worked briefly here at the Sun as an editorial assistant. Before that, he had a successful career in banking. Today, he tells us why he’s running for mayor and describes the event last spring, following the death of Freddie Gray, that convinced him to get into the race and share his many ideas for improving the quality of life in the city.31:23: A veteran broadcast journalist, Allen Walden joined WBAL Radio in 1988 as morning anchor. In addition to catching his rush hour news reports, listeners heard his daily commentary, “Walden Ponderings” for years. Allen Walden retired from WBAL in 1998, ending a career that spanned decades and took him to new York, Boston and Cleveland before he settled in Baltimore. He's now a Republican candidate for mayor of his adopted hometown.

2:25: A conversation with Chris Van Hollen: The Democratic Congressman who is trying to win his party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate. His opponent is Donna Edwards, another member of the Maryland Congressional delegation. The Van Hollen-Edwards contest is one of the tightest Senate races in the country. Edwards has gone on the attack, accusing Van Hollen of being too willing to compromise with Republicans on key issues during his time in the House of Representatives. But, as you’ll hear, Van Hollen says Edwards been misleading voters about his record.27:05: Brilliance comes at a price: Our book critic Paula Gallagher is really excited about a new novel called “A Doubter’s Almanac.” She says it’s the best novel she’s read this year, literary fiction at its best.30:36: Coffee and conversation with David Zurawik: The Sun's overly caffeinated media critic makes his weekly visit to the show to talk about negative advertising in the Baltimore mayoral and Maryland Senate campaigns. We’ll be serving coffee freshly roasted by Roughly Speaking producer Steve Earley, and Steve will tell us about roasting your own at home.48:28: Getting city kids to golf: It's the weekend of the Masters, so a local golf feature: One of the Baltimore area’s most exclusive country clubs has stepped up to get city kids playing golf, with a new golf learning center at Baltimore’s Forest Park Golf Club, made possible with a donation from the Caves Valley Golf Club Foundation. Our guest is Sinclair Eaddy Jr. executive director of First Tee of Greater Baltimore.