WYPR: Midday with Dan Rodricks Podcast

Jonagold, Gala, Honeycrisp, McIntosh, Granny Smith, Pink lady, Braeburn -- at the height of the apple harvest, there are so many varieties to choose from. What grows in Maryland, the best orchards to visit, and what to do with your bounty: recipes for savory and sweet apple-based dishes, with Henry Hong, chef, food writer and manager at Waterfront Kitchen in Fells Point, and John Shields, chef and owner of Gertrude’s Restaurant in the Baltimore Museum of Art.

We weigh in on Thursday night's first and only Vice Presidential debate with Richard Cross, a former GOP press secretary and gubernatorial speechwriter, and Kimberly Moffitt, assistant professor of American Studies at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and co-editor of "The Obama Effect."

Our twice-monthly legal affairs hour with Baltimore attorneys (and husband and wife), Jim Astrachan and Julie Rubin. On today's docket: What is the Maryland Orphans Court and why aren't all of its judges required to have law degrees? What Maryland voters should know about that before they go to the polls on November 6. Also, a look at the case of the purloined vice president -- why Discovery Communications is suing a computer science company. And New York City goes after acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns for footage from his movie about the five men exonerated in the Central Park Jogger rape case. Also joining us: Sun reporter Steve Kilar on a major federal criminal investigation into mortgage fraud.

The Maryland Dream Act is one of three controversial items up for a vote on the statewide ballot this November. The act, approved by the General Assembly but petitioned to referendum, would allow undocumented immigrants who have graduated from a Maryland high school to pay in-state tuition rates at Maryland community colleges and universities. Our guests: State Sen. Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City), a supporter of the Dream Act, and Brad Botwin, director of Help Save Maryland, an organization opposed to the new law.

Redefining what masculinity looks like in the 21st century, with Carlos Andres Gomez, author of “Man Up: Cracking the Code of Modern Manhood.

The war on drugs has led to mass incarcerations, with the nation’s poor and minority communities disproportionately affected. Documentary filmmaker Eugene Jarecki filmed in more than 20 states to capture the stories of individuals affected by our country’s longest war -- from dealer to grieving mother to narcotics officer to politicians. Jarecki, whose new film “The House I Live In” opened in limited release last week, is our guest this hour, along with Judge Andre Davis of the U.S. Fourth Court of Appeals, an outspoken critic of the war on drugs and mandatory minimum sentencing laws.

An analysis of the latest news from the Maryland referendum and presidential campaigns with panelists Karen Hosler, WYPR news contributor;Dedrick Muhammad, executive director of the NAACP's Financial Freedom Center, and Kimberly Moffitt, assistant professor of American Studies at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and co-editor of "The Obama Effect."

With the popularity of the CSI television shows it might seem like every police department and prosecutor’s office across the country employs high-tech science to solve even the most basic of crimes. But, according to legal expert David Harris, with the exception of DNA work, law enforcement has not embraced science and often resists it, many times at the expense of the accused. Harris, author of “Failed Evidence: Why Law Enforcement Resists Science,” joins Midday Science contributor John Monahan to explore the use of science (or lack of it) within law enforcement agencies.

After 14 years with NPR and nearly a decade covering Congress, Andrea Seabrook left to start a blog and podcast called DecodeDC, in large part because she got fed up. Capitol Hill has become such a spin-zone that Seabrook wants to cut through the lies she felt she was being told as a reporter and to “stop coddling the lawmakers.” What’s really going on in Washington, what it all really means, ans a new approach to political journalism in the digital age.

Cyclist Lance Armstrong is in Maryland this weekend to add his star power to the Ulman Cancer Fund's Half Full Triathlon in Ellicott City. It's a yearly fundraiser benefiting young adult cancer patients. But this year's race is controversial. Armstrong was recently banned for life from sports that are governed by signers of the World Anti-Doping Code. The American Anti-Doping Federation has moved to strip him of his seven Tour de France cycling victories, saying Armstrong used banned substances to enhance his performance. The sports ban includes sanctioned triathlons. To allow Armstrong to participate, the Ulman Cancer Fund race had to drop its sanctioned status and some participants aren't happy about it. We'll take listener phone calls on this and speak with event organizer Brock Yetso. With guest host: Korva Coleman.

"Dr. No" turns 50 today, the film that launched the James Bond franchise. Tune in for perspectives on Bond through the decades today with Linda DeLibero, Christopher Llewelyn Reed and guest host Korva Coleman.

A conversation with Jeanne Marie Laskas, author of "Hidden America: From Coal Miners to Cowboys, an Extraordinary Exploration of the Unseen People Who Make the Country Work."

Our culture commentator Sheri Parks weighs in on Wednesday night’s debate between President Obama and Mitt Romney, the first of three as we enter the final stage of the campaign.

For everyone who doesn’t know a “bond” from an “option” from a “future,” Paddy Hirsch, of American Public Media’s Marketplace, provides a straightforward and entertaining primer on how markets really work. Hirsch is author of “Man Vs. Markets: Economics Explained Plain and Simple.” He is a senior producer at Marketplace and the creator of the acclaimed and popular Marketplace Whiteboard.

A conversation with former Maryland congressman and NAACP president Kweisi Mfume.