Midday

Film critics Linda DeLibero and Christopher Llewellyn Reed look back at the career and contributions of the late film critic Rober Ebert, who died this week of cancer at the age of 70. Also, an appreciation of three stars born on April 5 -- Gregory Peck, Bette Davis and Spencer Tracy.

A look at the top stories of the region with the reporters who covered them. Special guest: Andor Skotnes, author of "A New Deal For All? Race And Class Struggles in Depression-Era Baltimore."

Under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, enacted during the Great Depression, when more than half of the nation’s senior citizens were in poverty. Ira Katznelson, professor of political science and history at Columbia, expands our definition of the New Deal by examining the domestic and global forces behind it. Katznelson is the author of Fear Itself: The New Deal and The Origins of Our Time.

The Congressional Budget Office thinks so. Currently, earned income in excess of $113,700 is entirely exempt from the 6.2 percent payroll tax that funds Social Security. Removing it, says the CBO, would stabilize the Social Security system. Others believe means testing makes more sense.

An encore broadcast of Dan’s interview with Dr. Eben Alexander, author of  "Proof of Heaven: a Neurosurgeon’s Journey Into the Afterlife." Alexander recounts his near death experience, and the ways in which it altered his beliefs regarding consciousness and heaven. Also, Linda Hoy, author of "The Effect: Where Science Meets Spirituality," explores the ways in which science might explain the afterlife, and the power of human spirituality. 

A review of top stories of the region with the reporters who covered them. This hour, WYPR senior political analyst Fraser Smith weighs in on Dr. Ben Carson and his recent stumble on gay marriage as he contemplates a run for political office, and we'll discuss the potential political comeback of former Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon. Plus, WYPR’s Karen Hosler gives us her final report on the 2013 Maryland General Assembly. 

This week the Supreme Court considers the issue of gay marriage; on Tuesday the Court heard opening arguments concerning Proposition Eight in California, which prohibits same-sex couples from  marrying in that state, and today the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is on the docket. Midday on the Supreme Court and gay marriage today at noon.

Author Po Bronson explores what compels us to compete, why our culture is driven toward competition, and the hidden factors behind every sort of win and loss — from bringing home Gold in Olympic swimming to bombing the SAT.  Bronson is the co-author of "Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing."

Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Michael Moss surveys the giant processed foods industry and its complicity in the U.S. obesity epidemic, now effecting one in three adults and one in five children.  Moss is the author of  "Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us."

Most locals have heard of some the top restaurants in Baltimore such as Woodberry Kitchen or Cinghaile, but what about the best restaurants in other parts of the state? This hour, longtime Baltimore Sun food critic Richard Gorelick joins husband-and-wife food writers Kathy Wielech and Neal Patterson in listing some of the best eateries throughout Maryland.