The Engagement

Is artificial intelligence shaping the vote? Plus, two perspectives on AI in the classroom.

Mon, 02 Nov 2026 13:25:00 -0500

How is artificial intelligence impacting elections? Political campaigns are already familiar with selective editing and emotionally charged imagery. So is there a fundamental difference with AI-generated political messaging?

We learn how AI-generated ads are influencing voters, and what you can do about it.

Then, should AI be integrated into your child's curriculum?

The tech industry makes extraordinary promises about transforming education, from personalized instruction to better learning outcomes, but some critics are concerned generative AI may lead to students outsourcing their brains.

Two experts join us with very different opinions on AI in the classroom.

Guests

Candace Turitto is a senior lecturer with the Department of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland.
Ravi Pendse is the vice president for information technology and chief information officer at the University of Michigan.
Cathy O'Neil is a mathematician, data scientist, and author of Weapons of Math Destruction and The Shame Machine.
Amy Tondreau is an associate professor of elementary literacy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Credit

The Engagement had help from Isaac Moss, Sam Bermas-Dawes, Elizabeth Nonemaker and Malarie Pinkard-Pierre. Gabe Ortis and Shawn Murphy are our studio engineers. Khaleel Rahman is our producer and Amy Walters is WYPR's executive producer.

Join us

Want to have your voice heard on The Engagement? What should we be talking about? There are several ways to reach us:

Leave us a voicemail at 410-735-1616.
Leave us a voice message or a text on the Baltimore Public Media app.
You can also message us on Instagram or Facebook.

How To Make People Laugh on Election Night, 'A Different World' Returns, Baltimore Through Devin Allen's Lens

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 15:19:00 -0400

The recent headlines have been stressful. When they worked on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, writers Eliana Kwartler, Michael Cruz Kayne and Steve Waltien had the tough ask of making the news funny. They share how to make light of heavy subject matter.

After that, school is back in session. A Different World returns with a sequel to the early '90s hit. We talk to Felicia Pride, Baltimore native and show creator.

Then, Baltimore through the camera lens of photographer Devin Allen. He takes us through his shots of Baltimore’s 2015 uprising, and the other images he currently has on display at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

Guests:

Eliana Kwartler, Michael Cruz Kayne and Steve Waltien are former show writers on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Their podcast is called Jokes on News.
Felicia Pride is creator and showrunner of A Different World.
Devin Allen is a Baltimore photographer with work published in New York Magazine, The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Credit:

The Engagement had help from Isaac Moss, Sam Bermas-Dawes, Elizabeth Nonemaker and Malarie Pinkard-Pierre. Gabe Ortis and Shawn Murphy are our studio engineers. Khaleel Rahman is our Producer and Amy Walters is WYPR’s Executive Producer.

Join us:

Want to have your voice heard on The Engagement? What should we be talking about? There are several ways to reach us:

Leave us a voicemail at 410-735-1616.
Leave us a voice message or a text on the Baltimore Public Media app.
You can also message us on Instagram or Facebook.

Inside Scoop On White House Politics, A Socialist and Conservative Perspective, Israel Votes on the Future

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 15:10:00 -0400

How is President Trump faring ahead of the midterms, and what does that mean for Maryland? Politico White House reporter Scott Waldman fills us in on the president's campaigning strategy, the war in Iran and important races to watch.

We also take a look beyond the U.S. border and discuss elections in Israel and growing settler violence in the West Bank. Elections are over but votes are still being counted. A University of Maryland professor, Shay Hazkani, tells us why he flew in to cast his ballot.

Plus, we learn about the state of the conservative and progressive movements here in Maryland. The former chair of the Maryland Federation of College Republicans and the communications chair of the Greater Baltimore Democratic Socialists of America join the program.

Guests

Scott Waldman is a White House reporter for POLITICO and a Maryland native.
Shay Hazkani is an associate professor of history and Jewish Studies at the University of Maryland.
Liliana Norkaitis is former chair of the Maryland Federation of College Republicans and currently works as a Communications Director in the House of Delegates in the Maryland General Assembly.
Arjun Janakan is Communications Chair of the Greater Baltimore Democratic Socialists of America.

Credit

The Engagement had help from Isaac Moss, Sam Bermas-Dawes, Elizabeth Nonemaker and Malarie Pinkard-Pierre. Gabe Ortis and Shawn Murphy are our studio engineers. Khaleel Rahman is our Producer and Amy Walters is WYPR's Executive Producer.

Join us

Want to have your voice heard on The Engagement? What should we be talking about? There are several ways to reach us:

Leave us a voicemail at 410-735-1616.
Leave us a voice message or a text on the Baltimore Public Media app.
You can also message us on Instagram or Facebook.

Rep. Steny Hoyer on Retirement, Local Author Lawrence Burney, New Malcolm X Memorial in Annapolis

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 17:24:00 -0400

Rep. Steny Hoyer, one of the longest-serving congressmen in office, is retiring at the end of his term in January. He shares what it has meant to represent Maryland for almost half a century and how he decided it was time to move on.

Maryland author Lawrence Burney discusses writing about family, childhood and Maryland. His latest is No Sense in Wishing: Essays on Black Music, Belonging, and Baltimore.

A new memorial to civil rights activist Malcolm X is in Annapolis. Carl Snowden, a longtime civil rights activist, talks about Malcolm's legacy and spearheading the effort to bring the monument to Annapolis.

Guests:

Rep. Steny Hoyer is a congressman representing Maryland's 5th District.
Lawrence Burney is a writer, editor and critic. His latest book is No Sense In Wishing.
Carl Snowden is a longtime civil rights leader and a Convener of the Caucus of African American Leaders of Anne Arundel County.

Credit:

Today we had help from Isaac Moss, Sam Bermas-Dawes, Elizabeth Nonemaker and Malarie Pinkard-Pierre. Gabe Ortis and Shawn Murphy are our studio engineers. Khaleel Rahman is our Producer and Amy Walters is WYPR’s Executive Producer.

Join us:

Want to have your voice heard on The Engagement? What should we be talking about? There's several ways to reach us:

Leave us a voicemail at 410-735-1616
Leave us a voice message or a text on the Baltimore Public Media app.
You can also message us on Instagram or Facebook.

Rising gas, heat and electricity bills have Marylanders asking, where is the relief?

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 13:18:00 -0400

Tune in live on WYPR 88.1 or the WYPR app to listen to this episode of The Engagement. Find the episode here after the program.

Energy prices are rising across Maryland, and new energy rate hikes coming in 2027 are set to strain residents' already stretched budgets.

In Baltimore, monthly energy bills could be increasing by as much as $17, on top of other bills that many say are already too high.

Is there any relief on the way? Where are rising costs coming from?

Guests:

Sarah Petrowich is WYPR's state government reporter.
Tonya Baña is a Baltimore employment attorney.
Nick Alexopulos - Senior manager of communications for BGE

Credit:

The Engagement had help from Isaac Moss, Sam Bermas-Dawes, Elizabeth Nonemaker and Malarie Pinkard-Pierre. Gabe Ortis and Shawn Murphy are our studio engineers. Khaleel Rahman is our Producer and Amy Walters is WYPR’s Executive Producer.

Join us:

Want to have your voice heard on The Engagement? What should we be talking about? There are several ways to reach us:

Leave us a voicemail at 410-735-1616.
Leave us a voice message or a text on the Baltimore Public Media app.
You can also message us on Instagram or Facebook.

Uncovering Maryland's Lynching History and Reflections on Italian Heritage Month

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 16:36:00 -0400

When we think about lynching in America, we might not think about examples of racial violence in Maryland. But lynching did happen here. For decades, Black Marylanders were subjected to brutal acts of violence, often with the cooperation of institutions sworn to protect them. No one was ever held accountable.

For the past seven years, the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission has been bringing that painful history to light and calling for action.

So, what does justice look like generations later?

We hear from Dr. David Fakunle, who was the chair of the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission and is an Assistant Professor at Morgan State University.

Plus, author Jim Emison discusses his new book, Murder on the Hatchie. In the book, Emison writes about Elbert Williams, a Black civil rights activist whose murder in Tennessee exposed the deadly consequences of fighting for equality in Jim Crow America.

On Saturday Fakunle and Emison will be attending the 9th Annual Lynching in Maryland Conference.

Later in the show, reflections on Italian American Heritage Month with Nicolino Applauso, founder of the Applauso Italian Learning Center and the Director of the World Languages Laboratory at Morgan State University.

Baltimore has long been shaped by Italian immigrants and the culture, businesses and tradition crafted by their hand.

Guests:

David Fakunle is Museum Director of the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum and an Assistant Professor at Morgan State University. He chaired the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Jim Emison, author of Murder on the Hatchie.
Nicolino Applauso, founder of the Applauso Italian Learning Center and Director of the World Languages Laboratory at Morgan State University.

Credit:

The Engagement had help from Isaac Moss, Sam Bermas-Dawes, Elizabeth Nonemaker and Malarie Pinkard-Pierre. Gabe Ortis and Shawn Murphy are our studio engineers. Khaleel Rahman is our Producer and Amy Walters is WYPR's Executive Producer.

Join us:

Want to have your voice heard on The Engagement? What should we be talking about? There are several ways to reach us:

Leave us a voicemail at 410-735-1616.
Leave us a voice message or a text on the Baltimore Public Media app.
You can also message us on Instagram or Facebook.

France Rocked By Protests, Maryland Malls See Skin Cream Scam, A New Era for Pappas Crab Cakes

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 16:15:00 -0400

Curfews imposed calm to several French cities for the past two nights, and government officials announced that they will last as long as necessary. We hear the latest on France from NPR's Paris correspondent Eleanor Beardsley.

Then, a trip to the mall. An NPR investigation uncovered a nationwide network of skincare vendors using aggressive sales tactics to pressure customers into spending thousands of dollars on beauty products they never intended to buy. NPR's Monika Evstatieva joins D. to walk us through the story.

And finally, one of Baltimore's most popular crab cake destinations is changing its business plan. Could more restaurants follow? Baltimore Banner food reporter Christina Tkacik broke the story.

Guests:

Credit:

Join us:

Want to have your voice heard on The Engagement? What should we be talking about? There's several ways to reach us:

Leave us a voicemail at 410-735-1616
Leave us a voice message or a text on the Baltimore Public Media app.
You can also message us on Instagram or Facebook.

Healthcare costs are rising. What's Maryland doing about it?

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 18:00:00 -0400

How is health care policy changing in Maryland and beyond?

On The Engagement, discussions about the status of our healthcare system, plus President Trump's $500 "healthcare refund."

This hour, we hear from a former health care executive turned Medicare for All advocate, along with the president of Maryland Health care for All!

Guests:

Selena Simmons-Duffin is NPR’s health policy correspondent.
Wendell Potter is a former health insurance executive.
Vincent DeMarco is the president of Maryland Health Care for All.

Credits:

D. Watkins is the host of The Engagement from WYPR. We had help from Isaac Moss, Sam Bermas-Dawes, Elizabeth Nonemaker, Malarie Pinkard-Pierre and Shanya Mapson. Gabe Ortis and Shawn Murphy are our studio engineers. Khaleel Rahman is our Producer. Amy Walters is WYPR's Executive Producer.

Can settlement money move Baltimore from opioid addiction to recovery?

Mon, 19 Oct 2026 15:42:00 -0400

How can Baltimore help those impacted by the opioid crisis?

On The Engagement, discussions about Baltimore's more than $400 million opioid restitution fund and where that money should go.

We start with WYPR health report Scott Maucine, who is covering this story. Then, we hear from a recovering opioid addict and talk with a Baltimore official about how the city plans to manage the fund.

You may have the opportunity to help decide too. The second round of grant opportunities tied to the restitution funds is now open.

Guests:

Scott Maucione is WYPR's Health Reporter.
Kevin Dockins is a local recovery advocate.
Sheena Dockins is a local recovery advocate.
Sara Whaley is the Executive Director of Baltimore’s Overdose Response Office.

Credits:

The Engagement Trailer

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 17:27:00 -0400

From the news of the day to politics, community, arts and culture, The Engagement will explore the stories and conversations shaping Baltimore, Maryland and the broader region. Built around the idea that engagement means listening as much as talking, the program will bring different voices and perspectives into the conversation, ask tough questions and challenge assumptions, with an eye toward what comes next. Conversations will extend beyond the broadcast, creating opportunities for ongoing engagement with the people and communities WYPR serves.

The Engagement

Is artificial intelligence shaping the vote? Plus, two perspectives on AI in the classroom.

Guests

Related links

Credit

Join us

How To Make People Laugh on Election Night, 'A Different World' Returns, Baltimore Through Devin Allen's Lens

Guests:

Related links:

Credit:

Join us:

Inside Scoop On White House Politics, A Socialist and Conservative Perspective, Israel Votes on the Future

Guests

Related links

Credit

Join us

Rep. Steny Hoyer on Retirement, Local Author Lawrence Burney, New Malcolm X Memorial in Annapolis

Guests:

Related links:

Credit:

Join us:

Rising gas, heat and electricity bills have Marylanders asking, where is the relief?

Guests:

Related links:

Credit:

Join us:

Uncovering Maryland's Lynching History and Reflections on Italian Heritage Month

Guests:

Related Links:

Credit:

Join us:

France Rocked By Protests, Maryland Malls See Skin Cream Scam, A New Era for Pappas Crab Cakes

Guests:

Related links:

Credit:

Join us:

Healthcare costs are rising. What's Maryland doing about it?

How is health care policy changing in Maryland and beyond?

Guests:

Related Links:

Credits:

Can settlement money move Baltimore from opioid addiction to recovery?

How can Baltimore help those impacted by the opioid crisis?

Guests:

Related Links:

Credits:

The Engagement Trailer