Midday

Now that Oprah Winfrey has ended her talk show we''ll look at her impact on culture, publishing and politics. Our guests include: Sheri Parks, associate professor of American Studies at the University of Maryland and author of Fierce Angels: The Strong Black Woman in American Life and Culture, Richard Sher, People Are Talking host and longtime Oprah colleague and friend, Kathleen Rooney, author of Reading With Oprah: The Book Club That Changed America and Craig Garthwaite, author of a study on the role of celebrity endorsements in politics: Oprah, Obama, and the 2008Democratic primary.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is next week, and on his way to the competition, 2011 Baltimore Spelling Bee champion Robbie Palmisano of Hereford Middle School stops by Midday for some Bee prep.

The case of a Maryland farmer named John Merryman who was arrested on this day in 1861 on charges of treason against the United States. An examination of the suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus in times of war or national emergency; with Dr. Jonathan White, author of “Abraham Lincoln and Treason in the Civil War: The Trials of John Merryman” and George W. Liebmann, author of “Six Lost Leaders: Prophets of Civil Society.”

Journalist Alina Tugend, author of the book Better by Mistake, takes a light hearted, entertaining look about how to transform our mistakes into powerful opportunities.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake joins us in Studio A this hour. She’ll update us on the city’s plans to move forward with the Superblock development and other issues facing Baltimore.

Extreme shyness can pose a serious threat to a child's academic and social development. How to boost your child’s confidence and allay chronic social anxiety with Professor of Psychology Christopher Kearney, author of Silence is Not Golden.

From the Midwest to the Middle East. We’ll talk with a Red Cross volunteer from Baltimore. Phillip Bovender is part of the disaster relief operation helping people in the flood and tornado-ravaged areas of the south. Also: we’ve invited Kimberly Katz, Associate Professor in Middle East and Islamic History at Towson University and Waleed Hazbun, Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Studies and Public Administration at American University of Beirut.  to weigh in on President Obama’s Middle East speech.

A look at some of the most interesting local news stories with the reporters who covered them. With another Preakness upon us, we take a look at Maryland horse racing; Gov. O’Malley catches some flak from groups that are usually his allies, and Marylanders already paying more at the pump will soon pay more at the toll booth soon.

Tony Foreman and Cindy Wolf return with more pleasures gastronomic today – this time it’s seafood – how to select it, how to prepare it, how to grill it and what to serve with it.

In this edition of Midday on the Law we'll look at this week's Supreme Court decision on police searches and the filing of charges in the attack on a transgender woman in Baltimore County. With attorneys Julie Rubin and Jim Astrachan.