Legislation

At least 12 are dead and dozens wounded after a gunman walked into a Colorado suburban movie theatre during a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises." We open the phone lines for listener reactions to the tragedy.

In our continuing series “Obamacare Demystified,” the short and long term political implications of states opting out of Medicaid expansion, an aspect of President Obama’s heath reform rejected by the Supreme Court. Eight governors have vowed to opt out. What will that mean for their constituents, their budgets and ultimately, if more states join the ranks, to Obamacare? With Sarah Kliff, who covers health policy for the Washington Post, and Michael Reisch, professor of social justice, University of Maryland School of Social Work.

Impact on small businesses In the first in an ongoing series, Midday takes a closer look at the complex Affordable Care Act, ruled constitutional by the Supreme Court on June 28. Republicans warn that Obamacare is a job-killer, that it will hurt small businesses and deal some a fatal blow. An examination and analysis of what the ACA means for businesses, large and small.

Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld most of the federal health overhaul, what’s ahead for people who live in Maryland? We’ll sort it out with Lt.

With guests:

• Senator Ben Cardin
• Kathy Westcoat, president of HealthCare Access Maryland
• Dr. Peter Beilenson, Howard County Health Officer, former Baltimore City Health Commissioner
• Jonathan Weiner, Professor Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

With guests:

• Michael Greenberger, professor at the University of Maryland School of Law and former lead litigation counsel in courts across the country, including the Supreme Court, for Washington law firm of Shea & Gardner
• Stacey Lee, assistant professor, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, and a lawyer with expertise in the business of health care
• Julie Rubin and Jim Astrachan, Baltimore attorneys with Astrachan Gunst Thomas Rubin and Midday legal commentators

Questions on same-sex marriage, redistricting and the Dream Act could all make it to referendum on the Maryland ballot this November. Have online petitions made it too easy to override the General Assembly on key issues? And what is the future of voting? Will the current movement to go online succeed?