The Metro

Years later, after the murder of George Floyd, most students weren’t on campus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But some college administrators showed their approval of the protests sweeping the nation. They held virtual vigils and declared Juneteenth a holiday. 

Today, as students protest in support of Palestinian rights amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, things look different. Since the war began in October 2023, hundreds of students demanding a ceasefire have been arrested.

At the University of Michigan and Wayne State University, police detained or disbursed dozens of student protesters and alumni. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is pursuing criminal charges against some University of Michigan protesters for several alleged actions they took during the protests. The charges represent "a pattern of excessive response by law enforcement to the campus protests," according to the ACLU of Michigan, which filed suit against the university in February for banning protesters from campus.

Now, a Palestinian graduate student at Columbia University, who led pro-Palestine protests there, is facing deportation. Mahmoud Khalil was arrested without due process and detained by ICE for allegedly supporting Hamas. Khalil is a legal permanent resident and is married to an American who is eight months pregnant. 

This week, a federal judge blocked Khalil’s deportation but has not yet ruled whether he will be released from custody. President Donald Trump has said Khalil’s arrest represents the beginning of many more.

Shikha Dalmia joined The Metro on Wednesday to discuss this. She is the president of the Institute for the Study of Modern Authoritarianism and the editor-in-chief of The UnPopulist, a free Substack publication devoted to defending liberal democracies from the rising forces of populist nationalism.

Hear the full conversation, beginning at the 06:50 mark.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Last month, Trump announced 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico. Then he raised tariffs on China. He then excused tariffs on U.S. automakers, plus some other Canadian and Mexican goods.

But that’s not the end of the story, because our trading partners are still retaliating. China announced retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agriculture exports that will hurt farmers in Michigan.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford also announced that the province will charge 25% more for its electricity, which 1.5 million Americans use, including here in Michigan.

Dan Scripps, chair of the Michigan Public Service Commission — which regulates utilities including gas and electricity — joined The Metro on Tuesday to help us understand how much gas and electricity prices might increase as a result of the tariffs. 

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Ed Trust Midwest Director of Policy and Research Jen DeNeal joins The Metro to explain the important work of the Department of Education.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

With all this in mind, some people are using their wallets to show where they stand. The grassroots group The People’s Union USA urged people to participate in an “economic blackout” last week, with the goal of uniting Americans to ​​regain control of the economy, the government and the country's future, according to its website.

Today on The Metro, we’re talking to local small business owners about the importance of supporting local economies and independently owned stores. 

Guests: 

• Catharine Batsios: Member-owner/community programmer at Book Suey Bookshop Co-op in Hamtramck.
• Rachel Lutz: Founder/owner of The Peacock Room, a place where you’ll find dresses, accessories, jewelry and so much more in inclusive sizes.
• Dan Radomski: He leads Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University. The program supports small to mid-sized manufacturers and people creating hardtech – products that combine hardware and software to solve a problem.

We also asked listeners: "How often do you shop at locally-owned businesses? Is it a question of cost, convenience, or something else?"

Alberta in Detroit said: “My first priority is to shop Detroit and to shop Black Detroit. Anything else is akin to cutting my nose to spite my face. We must support where we live.”

Also on The Metro, we revisited conversations with local businesses in Detroit: 

• Source Booksellers owners Janet Webster and Alyson Jones Turner joined the show in January to talk about the bookstore’s programming, author discussions and other events where avid readers and new readers can connect. 
• Temple Bar owner George Boukas joined The Metro to discuss the restoration process after the popular community spot partially collapsed in May. Temple bar reopened in December.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

In the Middle East, his election is at least partially credited with ushering in a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. Since being in office, Trump has also suggested America take over Gaza and relocate Palestinians. 

He’s also suggested that America take over Greenland, the Panama Canal and Canada. In that same vein, the administration has changed its orientation toward our historical allies. 

Many Arab Americans in Michigan voted for Trump, or voted for a third-party candidate, to bring about changes to American foreign policy. Many of them wanted America to be tougher on Israel, and to get Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire. 

Prior to voting for President Trump, CEO of the MENA American Chamber of Commerce Faye Nemer always voted for Democrats. She’s a Dearborn resident who supported Trump primarily because she thought he would create peace between Israelis and Palestinians. 

One and a half months into Trump’s presidency, Metro Producer Sam Corey spoke with Nemer to get a sense of how she’s feeling about the Trump administration now. 

The last two months have been marked by a string of airplane crashes and incidents. In January, an American Airlines aircraft collided with a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter at Reagan Washington National Airport. All 67 people on both aircrafts died. 

It was the first time in 15 years that a U.S. airline had a fatal crash. 

Two days later, a MEDEVAC jet nosedived onto a busy Philadelphia street. The plane exploded and seven people died. 

Then, in Toronto, a Delta aircraft crashed and flipped. It skidded down the tarmac upside down before coming to a stop. There were no fatalities, but the crash left 21 people injured. 

These are just some recent high-profile incidents that have captured headlines and heightened people’s anxieties about flying. 

According to data from the National Transportation Safety Board, there have been 19 fatal accidents in the skies this year. Those numbers are lower than those for the same time periods in 2024 and 2023. 

But, it’s hard not to feel some apprehension after hearing about the Washington D.C. mid-air collision of a commercial plane and a U.S. army helicopter.

These recent incidents have renewed calls for fixing staffing and outdated technology issues in aviation. During a congressional hearing on Tuesday, leaders of aviation safety and air traffic control associations urged Congress to help fix the staffing issues. 

They also pointed to Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) firing around 400 Federal Aviation Administration employees. David Spero, president of Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, said the firings demoralize the workforce and jeopardize airline safety.

So today on The Metro, we’re looking at the state of American aviation — what needs to improve and how.

Guests:

• Daniel Bubb: Former airline pilot, aviation historian and professor of history and politics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
• Todd Yeary: Former air traffic control specialist with the Federal Aviation Administration. He was in that role during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

More headlines from The Metro on March 5, 2025:  

• Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin addressed the Democrats following President Trump’s speech to Congress on Tuesday. She criticized Trump for helping wealthy people and raising prices. Slotkin also invited Andrew Lennox, a veteran who was recently fired from the Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs office, to join her. Before that announcement, The Metro spoke with Lennox to explore the consequences of his firing and what he makes of Trump’s actions thus far.
• It’s official — U.S. tariffs on Canada and Mexico are in place. President Trump enacted 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico. The tariffs will affect broad swaths of the U.S. economy… but the auto industries in Southeast Michigan and Ontario are expected to be hit especially hard. We look at the impacts with John Irwin, a reporter for the Automotive News, where he covers suppliers, electric vehicles, and trade policy. 

• Insideout Literary Arts is presenting its third annual Detroit Youth Poetry Con on Saturday, March 8. The day-long event positions teen poets to participate in writing workshops, community-building activities, and to share their work with peers and seasoned writers.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

For almost 30 years InsideOut Literary Arts has helped countless Detroiters  find a love and passion for creative writing. Founded by Dr. Terry Blackhawk, a Detroit Public Schools teacher, it was a goal to inspire young people through the written and spoken word. 

InsideOut Literary Arts Executive Director Suma Karaman and Citywide Poets Coordinator Justin Rogers joined The Metro on Wednesday to discuss the third annual Detroit Youth Poetry Con — a day-long event where teen poets can participate in writing workshops, community-building activities and share their work with industry experts and peers. The free event will take place on Saturday, March 15. Teens interested in participating must register by March 9.

Hear more stories from The Metro on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

On Tuesday night, President Donald Trump gave a speech to Congress. It was the longest address to a joint session of Congress in modern history.

Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin gave the Democratic response following Trump’s address, during which she criticized Trump for prioritizing helping wealthy people and raising prices. Sen. Slotkin also invited Andrew Lennox, a veteran who was recently fired from the Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs office, to join her. Before that announcement, The Metro spoke with Lennox to explore the consequences of his firing and what he makes of Trump’s actions thus far.

Hear more stories from The Metro on March 5, 2025.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand. 

The Trump administration's tariffs on Canada and Mexico went into effect this week, despite economists concerns that the 25% tax on goods could be detrimental to the U.S. and its trading partners.

Shortly after Trump announced the tariffs, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced a retaliatory plan to implement a 10% tariff on Canadian energy, adding that he's willing to cut off electricity exports to the U.S. if Trump's tariffs against Canada move forward. 

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said his country would respond with tariffs on more than $100 billion of American goods over the course of 21 days.

The tariffs will impact wide swaths of the U.S. economy, with the auto industries in metro Detroit and Ontario expected to be hit especially hard. 

To discuss those risks and how automakers are responsing, Automotive News reporter John Irwin joined The Metro.

Hear more stories from The Metro on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

The holy month of Ramadan, which began at sunset on Friday, is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims around the world through prayer, fasting, reflection and ending with a large, celebratory breaking-of-the-fast, known as Eid al-Fitr. Today is also Fat Tuesday, marking the end of the weeks-long Mardi Gras celebration leading up to Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent in the Christian faith.

Today on The Metro, we were joined by three metro Detroit chefs to discuss the common connections food has with cultural or religious traditions and celebrations.

Guests:

• Nikita Sanches: Detroit-area chef and owner of the Patchwork Culinary Project, a nonprofit education program that offers culinary training to immigrants and refugees. 
• Omar Anani: Chef and owner of the James Beard-nominated Saffron De Twah, an award-winning modern Moroccan bistro on the east side of Detroit.
• Ameneh Marhaba: Founder and owner of Little Liberia, a West African eatery which is about to relocate to Detroit's East English Village neighborhood.  

We also asked listeners:

"What’s your favorite food tradition?"

Use the media player above to listen to the full conversation.

More headlines from The Metro on March 4, 2025:  

• Detroit used to have a thriving transit system that served nearly two million people, with hundreds of buses and over 900 streetcars on 20 streetcar routes — including a streetcar on Michigan Avenue. A new transit campaign from the Metro Detroit Democratic Socialists of America is urging the question: What would it look like to revive that streetcar route? Metro Detroit DSA member Melina Herrera joined The Metro to discuss how the organization is working to move the needle on transit in Detroit.
• Juli McLoone is a curator in the Special Collections Research Center at the University of Michigan. One of her focus areas is the evolution of cuisine in various regions and cultures, and she helped preserve and digitize the only known copy of the earliest cookbook authored by a Black woman, “A Domestic Cook Book: For the Kitchen” by Mrs. Malinda Russel — published in Michigan in 1866.
• We also revisited two recent conversations on The Metro with Bharat Ramamurti, senior advisor for economic strategy at the American Economic Liberties Project, and Canadian Economist Jim Stanford about Trump’s tariffs, both paused and in effect.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

"A Domestic Cook Book: For the Kitchen," published by Malinda Russell in 1866 Michigan, is the oldest known published cookbook written by a Black woman. 

The book contains 260 recipes and household tips drawing from Russell’s 20 years of experience cooking in Southern kitchens, her boarding house, and her pastry shop, according to the University of Michigan Press.

Juli McLoone is a curator in the Special Collections Research Center at U-M. One of her focus areas is the evolution of cuisine in various regions and cultures, and she helped to preserve and digitize “A Domestic Cook Book."

McLoone joined The Metro on Tuesday to discuss the preservation process and the unique history behind this extremely rare cookbook. 

More stories from The Metro on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

President Donald Trump’s long-threatened 25% tariffs against Canada and Mexico went into effect on Tuesday, and economists are warning the tax on goods could be harmful to the U.S. and its trade partners.

Today on The Metro, we revisit two recent conversations about Trump's tariffs with Bharat Ramamurti, senior advisor for economic strategy at the American Economic Liberties Project, and Canadian Economist Jim Stanford.

Hear more stories from The Metro on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

At the turn of the 20th century, metro Detroit had one of the largest mass transit system in the United States,

Detroit's Department of Street Railways, the predecessor to the Detroit Department of Transportation, operated hundreds of buses and over 900 streetcars on 20 routes throughout the main spokes of the city — including the streetcar on Michigan Avenue — as well as routes leading to neighboring suburbs.

But over the years, as more families purchased automobiles and racial tensions grew, ridership decreased, and the streetcar system became too costly for the city to maintain. The streetcar tracks across the city have since been paved over, but a new campaign from the Metro Detroit Democratic Socialists of America aims to restore the tracks along Michigan Avenue — a vital hub of Detroit’s historic streetcar system.

Metro Detroit DSA member Melina Herrera joined The Metro to discuss how the organization is working to move the needle on transit in Detroit.

Hear more stories from The Metro on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Educators have been sounding the alarm that cellphones disrupt learning. More than half of public school leaders feel their students' academic performance has been negatively impacted by cellphone usage, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. 

Many public schools already prohibit students from having their cellphones in class, but recently state lawmakers nationwide have taken things a step further — and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is joining them.

Whitmer recently said in her State of the State address that she wants Michigan lawmakers to enact restrictions on school cell usage.

Looking at schools is only one part of the conversation. Nowadays, younger children get their hands on devices well before they enter a classroom. Forty percent of children have a tablet by the age of 2  and exposure to screen time can impact a young child’s ability to develop their behavior and communication skills.

Today on The Metro, we discuss what the impacts of technology on developing children are, both good and bad.

Guests:

• Jenny Radesky: Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Michigan Medical School.
• Jennifer Ehehalt: Senior regional manager, midwest for Common Sense Education, a nonprofit that provides research and recommendations about media and technology to families and schools.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

More headlines from The Metro on March 3, 2025:

• It’s been two weeks since a 54-inch water main broke and flooded Beard and Rowan street in Southwest Detroit, impacting over 400 households and displacing many residents. Great Lakes Water Authority CEO Suzanne Coffey joined the show to provide an update on the fix and how the agency is continuing to repair outdated infrastructure in the city.
• The Michigan Democratic and Republican parties elected new chairs last week. WDET’s All Things Considered Host Russ McNamara spoke with the Michigan GOP's new leader, Jim Runestad, about what he envisions for the party's future.
• Lacrosse, initially a tradition of many indigenous people including the Anishinaabe, is making a comeback here in Detroit. Cass Technical High School lacrosse coach Liam McElroy joined The Metro to talk about how the long-established game is an enriching activity for young people in the city, thanks in part to the Detroit Youth Lacrosse League founded by Chandler Park Conservancy.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Long before this city was home to gator shoes, Ford Motor Company and Motown music, before it was colonized by the French and given the name Detroit, this land was called Waawiyatanong.

Waawiyatanong is the ancestral homelands to three of the Anishinaabe nations of the Council of Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Ottawa and Potawatomi. 

And before war dominated our understanding of conflict resolution, the Anishinaabe — like several indigenous nations — used lacrosse to settle conflicts. For Native people, it was also a pastime and a recreational activity. 

The game that many of us know today differs from its origins. European settlers modified it extensively and those changes define the current collegiate and professional forms. 

Access and popularity of lacrosse is growing across the country once more, including here in Detroit.

Detroit Youth Lacrosse League is an organization trying to expand the sport in the city. Founded by the Chandler Park Conservancy, the league offers opportunities for all kids from all experience levels to participate in Olympic-style lacrosse.

Liam McElroy is the head coach of Cass Technical High School’s boys lacrosse team and the Motown Lacrosse Club. He is also the program director at Clark Park. McElroy joined The Metro to discuss the origins of the game and the sport's growing popularity in Detroit.

More stories from The Metro on Monday, March 3, 2025.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

The Detroit Documenters have been taking notes on growing tensions in Ferndale. 

The Ferndale Police Department has contracted with Flock Safety, an automated license plate reader company, for over a year. Now, city officials are considering renewing the contract with Flock Safety. 

Most of the license plate reader cameras are along the Ferndale-Detroit border, and some people are worried it could result in police disproportionately targeting Black residents. 

The Michigan chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to Ferndale’s chief of police in 2014, asking for an investigation into traffic stops in the city. That letter came after several complaints from Black drivers about arrest statistics at the Ferndale-Detroit border. 

Metro Producer Jack Filbrandt sat down with Detroit Documenters Coordinator Noah Kincade to learn more. 

More stories from The Metro on Monday, March 3, 2025.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Last week, both the Michigan Democratic and Republican parties elected new chairs. WDET’s All Things Considered Host Russ McNamara spoke with the Michigan GOP's new leader, Jim Runestad, about the importance of building bridges between various factions of the GOP.

More stories from The Metro on Monday, March 3, 2025.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

It’s been two weeks since streets and basements flooded on Beard and Rowan streets in Southwest Detroit after a 54-inch water main broke. The flooding impacted 400 households, which displaced many people who are now living in hotel rooms.

Since the main broke in February, the city of Detroit and the Great Lakes Water Authority have been repairing street infrastructure and cleaning up flooded basements. 

Great Lakes Water Authority CEO Suzanne Coffey joined The Metro on Monday to explain how the agency has fixed the main, and how it is continuing to repair infrastructure originally installed in the 1930s. Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

More stories from The Metro on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Black History Month is almost over. But at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, everyday is a good day to celebrate Black History. Manager of Community Engagement Yolanda Jack joined The Metro to talk about the significance of the museum for Detroit.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

A new exhibit at the Arab American National Museum gives us a window into Dearborn’s Southend neighborhood. It’s an area that Arab Americans fought to keep amid a zoning battle that lasted from the 1950s to the 70s. The exhibit features photographs of Yemeni and Lebanese people in the Southend neighborhood taken by Tony Maine during the 1960s and 70s. Exhibit Curator Dean Nessredine and Rasha Almulaiki of Adala PR Agency joined The Metro to discuss.

On March 6, Almulaiki is also moderating a conversation about the exhibit at the museum. 

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

NASA scientists determined that Asteroid 2024 YR4 had little to no chance of hitting Earth, but the moon should watch out. 

President and CEO of the Michigan Science Center Dr. Christian Greer is no stranger to asking questions about the mechanics of the world we live in. He’s a graduate of Morehouse College with a degree in Physics and a Doctorate of Education in learning technologies from Pepperdine University.

Greer wants to share his love of science with people across the board, but especially the next generation of curious thinkers. 

Many of those young, curious thinkers spend a lot of time on social media and Youtube. Recently, the news of a possible asteroid impact on Earth in 2032 sent folks into a frenzy. Greer joins the show to let us know what’s up with asteroids and our solar system.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.