Politics

Is big business to blame for such public health crises as diabetes and obesity? Author Wenonah Hauter examines food, farm policy and public health in "Foodopoly: The Battle Over the Future of Food and Farming in America." Hauter is an organic farmer in Virginia and executive director of the Washington-based watchdog organization Food & Water Watch.

One of the mandates of the Affordable Care Act was to reduce insurance costs to consumers, but insurance premiums have been increasing nationwide, in some cases up to several hundred dollars a month. Jonathan Weiner, professor of health policy and management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Jay Hancock, reporter for Kaiser Health News, examine the trend and take listener questions as part of our continuing coverage of health care reform.

Part II of a conversation about gun violence with Baltimore County Chief of Police Jim Johnson, one of the state law enforcement officials flanking Governor Martin O’Malley when he announced aggressive proposals for firearms reforms following the Newtown massacre. Johnson is chairman of the National Law Enforcement Partnership to Prevent Gun Violence.

INTERVIEW EXCERPTS:

Yesterday, Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold was suspended from office after a judge found him guilty of two counts of misconduct in office. The verdict came down after sordid details were revealed during the trial that accounted how Leopold used his staff to conduct personal and political tasks, which included emptying his catheter bag and keeping a dossier on political opponents. This hour, we examine the verdict, and discuss its repercussions with Andrea Segel of The Baltimore Sun and Allison Bourg of The Capital.

"Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity," President Obama said in his second inaugural speech, restating his 2008 pledge of comprehensive immigration reform. But how does he break a stalemate that has festered in Congress since the Bush administration? We look at the national picture and the local scene, particularly English-only ordinances passed in Frederick and Queen Anne's counties and, more recently, in Carroll County.

Four years after a state commission recommended capital punishment's abolition in Maryland, Gov. Martin O’Malley has joined the NAACP in pushing for repeal of the death penalty; it’s the second time he’s introduced such legislation in the General Assembly. We hear arguments from both sides: Sen.

President Obama has proposed sweeping reforms to limit firearms violence in America. How much public support will the Obama administration enjoy against the organized and well-financed opposition of the gun lobby? What effect will the president’s actions have on Maryland and other states that enact gun control legislation of their own?

What should we expect from the second term of the Obama presidency? Political analysts Herb Smith (McDaniel College), Max Hilaire (Morgan State University) and Republican blogger Richard Cross III discuss fiscal challenges, immigration and foreign policy and gun regulation and other issues facing President Obama during the next four years.

The Baltimore Ravens are going to the Super Bowl. They'll square off against the San Francisco 49ers in New Orleans on February 3rd. Tom Hall talks with Mark Hyman about last night's AFC Championship game and looks ahead to the Super Bowl.