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.

Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh has fired the police commissioner, Kevin Davis, citing a lack of progress in the department's fight against violent crime. But police are just one part of the city's criminal justice system. With homicides climbing above 300 for each of the last three years — and 11 killings in the first 19 days of 2018 — will Baltimore voters keep Marilyn Mosby as the city's chief prosecutor? Ivan Bates, a 49-year-old defense attorney and former prosecutor, is among those challenging Mosby as a candidate for Baltimore State's Attorney in the June Democratic primary. He blames Mosby for losing dozens of veteran prosecutors and dozens of felony cases, making defendants more brazen and less concerned about facing harsh punishment for their crimes. Bates also says Mosby's office should have known about the corruption of the disbanded Gun Trace Task Force; dozens of criminal cases have been thrown out because of the unit's unlawful practices.

It might seem like an abstract thought to many -- an actual nuclear attack on an Asian neighbor of North Korea, or on the United States -- but the situation between Washington and Pyongyang has wrought real tension not felt since the Cold War. Saturday, when Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency mistakenly issued an alert about a missile attack, it raised a question: Do Americans know what to do in the event of such a military emergency? What's the plan? Culture commentator Sheri Parks joins Dan for the conversation -- and a look back to the Cold War, Civil Defense and the Cuban Missile Crisis.Links:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation-world/ct-hawaii-false-missile-alert-20180114-story.html

2:33: Cory McCray, a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from East Baltimore, talks about what got him off the streets where he sold drugs as a young man — his mother, an apprenticeship program, and an inspiring community leader in Belair-Edison.15:19: Anthony Smith, executive director of Cities United, talks about a national effort to reduce violence among African-American men and boys in more than 100 communities across the country, a collaboration of mayors to identify best practices and sustain them over a generation or more.47:33: Joe Ehrmann, former Baltimore Colt defensive tackle, minister, coach and motivational speaker, talks about the InSideOut Initiative to bring a big change in coaching philosophy to high schools, including Baltimore's. Partnered with the Ravens, the program aims to instill character development and moral leadership in student-athletes by breaking through the win-at-all-costs coaching approach too common in youth sports.

Erricka Bridgeford, one of the organizers of Baltimore Ceasefire and The Baltimore Sun's Marylander of The Year, talks about visiting the sites where homicide victims fall, and what Baltimoreans can do about the violence in their city.

On Tuesday at the White House, Donald J. Trump made an attempt at bipartisanship on immigration. But, as the evil Ramsay Bolton in ----Game of Thrones---- might say: ----If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention.---- Republicans quickly criticized Trump for appearing to make concessions, and conservatives in the House of Representatives rolled out a legislative package that takes a hard line on immigrants, including those covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. Joining Dan to comment on national politics this week: Herb Smith, professor of political science at McDaniel College.With the Maryland General Assembly open in this election year, Mileah Kromer, director of the Goucher Poll, talks about the legislative session, the state's June primary and the November election. Could a Democratic wave at the polls threaten the incumbency of the popular Republican governor, Larry Hogan? Mileah Kromer is an associate professor of political science and the di

Senate Democrats are trying to force a vote on reinstating net neutrality rules, and they have hit a key legislative milestone, according to the tech new web site, Ars Technica. Meanwhile, state legislators in Nebraska and California are proposing net neutrality laws to replace the US-wide ones repealed by the Federal Communications Commission in December. Today on the show: Sean Gallagher, the Baltimore-based IT editor of Ars Technica, explains what the demise of net neutrality will mean for consumers, in Maryland and across the country, unless congressional action reverses the controversial FCC action.Links:https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/01/restoration-of-net-neutrality-rules-hits-key-milestone-in-senate/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/01/net-neutrality-gaining-steam-in-state-legislatures-after-fcc-repeal/https://arstechnica.com/author/sean-gallagher/

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 c

Thiru Vignarajah, an experienced attorney and former prosecutor, says he has a plan for cutting the city’s murder count in half within the next three years -- that is, if voters elect him over the incumbent Baltimore State's Attorney, Marilyn Mosby. Vignarajah blames Mosby for the city's three-year surge in violence, citing the loss of dozens of veteran prosecutors and a lack of convictions of violent, repeat offenders. A former deputy Maryland attorney general, Vignarajah is seeking the Democratic nomination for state's attorney in June's primary. He has just released a five-point plan to cut shootings and homicides, focusing on Baltimore's most violent neighborhoods.Links:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-rodricks-0920-20150918-column.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-ci-2017-violence-20171229-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks-blog/bs-md-rodricks-0510-20170509-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-ci-baltimore-ple

Today's episode goes with Dan's latest column: A Baltimore couple, Pamela and Christian Wilson, talk about their proposal to convert used, unwanted shipping containers into two-bedroom, rent-to-own houses for people who are homeless. They have teamed with Baltimore architect Jay Orr to come up with plans and presented them to officials at City Hall. The Wilson are now seeking partners to join them in the endeavor. Links:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks-blog/bs-md-rodricks-0103-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

Why do so many people live in tents along the Jones Falls Expressway and near other highway overpasses and bridges? Dan takes a walk around the block — from the back door of The Baltimore Sun — to find out. Homeless men and women frequent the area, and several have set up residence in what's known as the Guilford Avenue Tent City, across from the newspaper's rear entrance and just a few blocks from City Hall. Katie League, director of community services for Health Care for the Homeless, talks about the reasons for homelessness, starting with the lack of affordable housing in Baltimore. Many people in the tents have been waiting for housing vouchers to help pay for rent, League says. But the Trump administration has delayed additional federal funds for subsidies, so the wait goes on.Meanwhile, with winter on the way, the Baltimore mayor's office says it is prepared to meet the demand for shelters during the winter months.http://www.hchmd.org/our-staffhttps://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21731792-whatev

4:55: Want to skip the turkey and roast a Christmas goose instead? Longtime Baltimore restaurateur John Shields tells us how it's done — with some assistance from the city's newest restaurateur, the British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. Dan meets Shields in the kitchen of his restaurant, Gertrude's in the Baltimore Museum of Art, while drawing advice from one of Ramsay's instructional videos. Ramsay recently opened a restaurant in the Horseshoe Live Casino in Baltimore. Both chefs agree: ----Goose fat is gold.----18:00: Brendan Dorr, president of the Baltimore Bartenders Guild, provides a guide to the well-equipped home bar — a selection of glasses, utensils and bottled aromatics every mixologist should have on hand when guests arrive for a holiday gathering. Dan interviewed Dorr at his workplace, the B----O American Brasserie in downtown Baltimore.Links:http://www.johnshields.com/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88MHrk0qA1chttp://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/dining/baltimore-diner-blog/bs-fo-gordon-rams

In the seventh in a series of interviews with candidates for governor of Maryland, Dan speaks with Krish Vignarajah, a 38-year-old attorney and former policy adviser to Michelle Obama. She is one of eight candidates seeking the Democratic nomination in 2018. Born in Sri Lanka, Vignarajah grew up in Baltimore and Baltimore County, the daughter of public school teachers who emigrated to the United States to escape civil war in their native country. The Yale- and Oxford-educated Vignarajah worked in the State Department and as policy director for Michelle Obama when she was first lady. Questions have been raised about Vignarajah's eligibility to run for governor, but Vignarajah, 38, insists she meets the legal requirements to do so and vows to be on the June ballot.Links:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks/bal-roughly-speaking-2018-gubernatorial-candidates-storygallery.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-krish-vignarajah-campaign-20170919-story.htmlhttp://krishformaryl

In another in a series of interviews with Democratic candidates for governor, Maryland state Sen. Richard Madaleno says the Republican incumbent, Larry Hogan, has no long-term vision for the state and has been ----playing small ball---- on health care, education and transportation. Madaleno, an openly gay candidate, has been in the General Assembly for 15 years. He is one of eight Democrats seeing the nomination to challenge Hogan in 2018. He recently announced that he would seek public financing for his primary campaign, giving him an opportunity to raise as much as $2.8 million, with an estimated $1.4 million of it in public funds.Bonus: Baltimore-based Helicon's annual winter solstice concert takes place Saturday, Dec. 16, at Goucher College. Ticket information can be found at http://www.kenkolodner.com/winter-solstice-concert.html.Links:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/dan-rodricks/bal-roughly-speaking-2018-gubernatorial-candidates-storygallery.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politi

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

Is the nice dance over? Luke Broadwater, the Sun's City Hall reporter, talks about a rift between Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan over plans for fighting crime in the city. With Baltimore closing out another year of 300-plus homicides, marking one of the highest per capita rates in the country, Hogan announced state initiatives to immediately address the violence. He did so at a press conference with neither Pugh nor Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis present. Pugh, who just marked her first full year in office, dismissed the Hogan plan as ----nothing new,---- confirming the rift.Links:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-ci-hogan-crime-plan-20171204-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-pugh-year-in-review-20171128-story.htmlhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-1210-hogan-pugh-crime-20171206-story.html

In this episode: Two doctors in the house -- Dr. John Cmar of Sinai Hospital decodes a certain podcast host's recent lab results; Dr. Lydia Chang offers a history of quackery through the ages. Plus, Baltimore County librarian Paula Gallagher recommends a new book for bird lovers, and Dan remembers a ----mild-mannered, moderate Maryland Republican.----Links:https://noahstrycker.com/books/birding-without-borders/https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-544-55814-4http://lydiakang.comhttp://www.lifebridgehealth.org/Main/LifeBridgeHealthPhysicianDirectory/Cmar_John_MD_651.aspxhttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/obituaries/bs-md-obit-richard-cross-20171110-story.htmlhttp://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Richard-Cross----lc=4007----pid=187207144----mid=7634798

In this episode, sounds, music and words from the funeral for Baltimore Det. Sean Suiter, who died on Nov. 16 after being shot in the line of duty while investigating a homicide in West Baltimore. Links:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-ci-suiter-funeral-20171128-story.html

Two conversations about Baltimore and the lifestyles of millennials.1:37: Bill King, the 26-year-old president of the City Center Residents Association, meets Dan at a sidewalk cafe to talk about why he chose to live in downtown Baltimore, one of Maryland's fastest-growing census tracts, and about his vision for the old business district as a new city neighborhood.21:54: Mike Heslin, the 31-year-old market manager for Lyft in Baltimore, talks about the ride-sharing company's plans for future growth, including a rental program for drivers who do not own cars and designated pickup spots near new residential and commercial developments. Lyft sees growth in changing lifestyles, particularly among city dwellers who do not want to own cars, only access to them when needed.