WYPR: Midday with Dan Rodricks Podcast

The U.S. is one of only two countries that allow for-profit bail bonding. People seeking pre-trial release can hire commercial bail bondsmen, sometimes for a hefty fee, who act as insurance agents, promising money bail to the courts. The Justice Policy Institute, a Washington DC think tank, says that the bail bonding system (which goes largely unregulated,) undermines the pretrial process, takes advantage of low income communities, and is ripe for corruption. In reports rolling out this month, the group calls for sweeping bail reform and highlights the growing reliance on money bail, particularly in Baltimore. How to tighten up an expensive system, while keeping the public safe.With Tracy Velázquez, the executive director of the Justice Policy Institute and Jean Chung, author of a report on the Baltimore Bail System due out next week. Guest host: Korva Coleman

Baltimore Sun media critic David Zurawik returns for his monthly take on television. Guest host: Korva Coleman

Journalist Hanna Rosin says that while men remain stuck in old habits, unable to adapt to the economic shift away from manufacturing and other traditionally “masculine” jobs, women are more flexible and nimble, leaping at opportunities. That's why they're outpacing men in higher education and the work force. But with the rise of women, comes a social collapse, with women choosing not to marry the men they see as a drag, another mouth to feed. A provocative conversation with the author of “The End of Men, and the Rise of Women.” Guest host: Korva Coleman

An analysis of the latest news from the presidential campaign trail with panelists Doni Glover, founder and publisher of Bmore news; former GOP press secretary and gubernatorial speechwriter Richard Cross, and Shawn Parry-Giles, director of the University of Maryland’s Center for Political Communication and Civic Leadership. Guest host: Korva Coleman

Bestselling science/tech writer and popular TED talker Steven Johnson makes the case for political progress in a networked age, arguing that the key to breaking partisan gridlock lies in cooperative thinking, encouraged by both digital and human networks. Johnson is the author of “Future Perfect.” Guest host: Korva Coleman

With people living longer, thousands of baby boomers find themselves caught between supporting their parents and their own children, the teens and young adults still living at home. In this special edition of Midday Money, some advice for those feeling the squeeze financially and emotionally from Megan Avery, financial consultant and president of Legacy Associates. How to help your parents age safely, while taking care of yourself and your children. Guest host: Korva Coleman

Football is back, and so is the tailgating season. Chefs Henry Hong and John Shields have terrific tailgate recipes, and we invite listeners to tell us what they're cooking on game day. What was the most elaborate tailgate you’ve ever seen? What Maryland fans throw the best tailgates? And forget beer, what’s the best tailgate cocktail?

Baltimore city took in nearly $20 million dollars in revenue from speed cameras this year, which is $4 million more than what was expected. Critics are arguing that the cameras are more of a cash cow than a safety measure. We take a look at the issue with Baltimore Sun reporter Luke Broadwater. Then, Rob Sobhani has mounted what he calls an "insurgency" campain in Maryland for U.S. Senate, running as an independent. He'll join us to tell us why he's in the race. Also, a look at the ongoing unrest in the Muslim world following anti-American attacks on U.S. embassies with Towson University Middle East professor Kimberly Katz.

Our legal affairs show, with Baltimore attorneys, and husband and wife, Jim Astrachan and Julie Rubin.

It was hailed as a perfect, judicial compromise -- wider use of life sentences without parole for murderers and rapists as a replacement for capital punishment, regarded by death penalty opponents as cruel and unusual. But how is life-without-parole working out in the American criminal justice system? Charles Ogletree, professor of law at Harvard, and Austin Sarat, professor of jurisprudence and political science at Amherst College, are co-editors of "Life Without Parole: America's New Death Penalty."

Radiation is all around us. It’s in the air we breathe, the soil we walk on, the cell phones we hold to our ears. But what are the implications of all this radiation for our health and well-being? Johns Hopkins University professor, writer and one-time journalist Wayne Biddle, author of “A Field Guide to Radiation,” explains its genesis and its effects on the human body.

Do Republicans have a shot at gaining a majority in the Senate? Sizing up the congressional races with Carl Cannon, the Washington editor of RealClearPolitics. Then: Dan takes calls from listeners about current events and catches up on listener comments from earlier shows.

Hailed by ESPN (and many fans) as one of the best sports movies of all time, “Rudy” was released 20 years ago this fall and tells the story of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, who harbored dreams of playing football at the University of Notre Dame despite significant obstacles. A conversation with Rudy Ruettiger about his story and the film, how it became an inspiration to millions and changed his life.

With President Obama and GOP challenger Mitt Romney neck-and-neck this presidential election, the swing vote is more coveted than ever. Linda Killian, political journalist and senior scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center, says 40 percent of all registered voters are independents. But exactly who makes up this massive bloc? In “The Swing Vote: The Untapped Power of Independents,” Killian focuses on how Virginia, New Hampshire, Ohio and Colorado figure in the national election and why independents in those states feel alienated from the two-party system.

With the national political conventions behind us, Midday contributor and science educator John Monahan lays out how Republicans and Democrats regard science education, climate change, stem cell research and space exploration.