In this episode of “Across the Aisle,” former Maryland state Sen. Bobby Zirkin explores issues shaping political debates in Maryland and beyond, from juvenile justice and the death penalty to a contentious U.S. Senate race and unrest in France.

In this solo episode nicknamed "The Riff," Zirkin reflects on his trip to Brazil to watch the Ravens play the Dallas Cowboys, reflecting on the atmosphere at the game and the Brazilian fans’ display of national pride. He then turns to Baltimore, questioning whether Maryland’s juvenile justice laws leave the state without adequate ways to hold young offenders accountable or connect them with services after serious incidents.

The conversation shifts to the death penalty after Zirkin discusses a reported proposal to livestream a federal execution. Drawing on his experience in the Maryland Senate, where he voted to repeal the state’s death penalty, Zirkin revisits the difficult questions surrounding capital punishment, including the risk of executing an innocent person and the limits of making executions a public spectacle.

Zirkin also weighs in on the Michigan Senate race, focusing on a debate between Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed.

As part of “The Riff,” Zirkin moves across local, national and international issues, offering his perspective on the debates he believes deserve closer attention.

You can watch the podcast weekly, every Tuesday on YouTube and The Baltimore Sun, and listen on Spotify, Apple, Amazon and iHeart.

In this episode of “Across the Aisle,” former Maryland state Sen. Bobby Zirkin speaks with Tali Cohen, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, about rising antisemitism, efforts to combat hate and the challenges facing Jewish students and families in Maryland.

Cohen explains the ADL’s work across Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and North Carolina, including its partnerships with law enforcement, efforts to track threats and antisemitic incidents, advocacy for legislation and educational programs addressing antisemitism, bias and extremism. The conversation also examines the difficulty of distinguishing criticism of Israel from antisemitism and the role that education can play in addressing misinformation and misconceptions about Israel and Zionism.

Much of the discussion focuses on antisemitism in Maryland schools. Cohen describes incidents ranging from harassment and graffiti to Nazi imagery and other forms of targeting Jewish students, while discussing efforts to provide teachers with educational resources and tools to address antisemitism in the classroom. ADL data shows that Maryland recorded 181 antisemitic incidents in 2025, including 61 at K-12 schools.

In this episode of Across the Aisle, Bobby Zirkin goes solo to discuss a few pressing issues on his mind: the ongoing debate surrounding Israel, including accusations of genocide, allegations of war crimes and what he describes as the spread of antisemitism across political and media circles.

Zirkin also discusses the war and international pressure on Iran, questioning just how effective economic sanctions and other measures are.

He then turns to election reform and Redistricting Madness, as the fight over congressional maps becomes increasingly partisan.