The Metro

Since last year, President Trump has been pressuring the Smithsonian Institution to celebrate American exceptionalism, and not to focus so much on the ugliest parts of American history, like the institution of slavery.

What the president does next remains to be seen, but the effort to censor exhibits raises important questions about American culture and history.

Though museums are suddenly politicized spaces, they’re among the most trusted institutions in America, according to a survey by the American Alliance of Museums.

Devon Akmon, director of the Michigan State University Museum, argues that museums have an opportunity and responsibility to model the ways people can think and listen together.

He joined The Metro to discuss the implications of President Trump's pressure campaign on the Smithsonian and cultural institutions in America.

The bridge will create a second international crossing between Detroit and Windsor-Essex and has been in the works for years. It was first proposed in the early 2000s and the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority was created in 2012. In 2019, a Community Benefits Plan was published by the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority. 

Residents on both sides of the border, including Delray in Detroit and Sandwich in Windsor, were engaged through a number of meetings and an advisory council was assembled. The report highlights key issues raised by community members:

• Workforce development
• Landscaping and aesthetics
• Construction effects
• Community safety 
• Economic development opportunities

Heather Grondin is the Chief Relations Officer for the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority. She joined The Metro to look at what community benefits were delivered for residents of Delray on the Detroit side, and Sandwich on the Windsor side.

Late last year, four Detroit students and their families were detained by ICE. The incident sparked outrage and fear amongst community members, who have since raised their voices in response. A new project spearheaded by two Detroiters aims to give people whose loved ones have been taken a place to heal.

The Altars for Collective Grief Project is an effort by Theresa Beckley-Amaya and Julianna Sanroman to construct altars around Southwest Detroit with the photos of loved ones who have been detained. Beckley-Amaya and Sanroman joined the show to discuss the project and why they organized around grief.

Submit your photos to the project here.

That's what Stephanie Leiser found in a recent survey of Michigan municipal leaders. She’s the Director of the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy, and a lecturer at University of Michigan. The Metro's Sam Corey spoke with Leiser to learn more.

ROSE or The Reach Out, Stay Strong, Essentials program is for birthing parents. It provides pregnant people with the skills and information they need to have better outcomes after giving birth. 

Dr. Jennifer E. Johnson is the founding Chair of the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health at Michigan State University. Dr. Johnson is a University Distinguished Professor, and the first C. S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health at MSU. 

Recent numbers suggest that homicides fell well below 200 last year. That was the first time that happened in six decades. Mayor Mary Sheffield wants to continue the trend by creating an Office of Neighborhood & Community Safety, which will focus on mental health issues, after-school programs and resident access to jobs to further increase safety.

Shantay Jackson is the Director of the National Offices of Violence Prevention Network at the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, which will help establish Detroit's office. She spoke with The Metro's Sam Corey.

Jeremy Reisman is the Editor in Chief of the Pride of Detroit publication. He joined The Metro to explain how we got here and what needs to be addressed . 

The Detroit Board of Police of Commissioners was established in the 1970s after widespread claims of police abuse. Today, after the murder of George Floyd and increased scrutiny of police, more pressure is on police commissioners to hold officers accountable and to make policing work for everyone.

Just before the new year, Detroit welcomed four new people to its Board of Police Commissioners, including Victoria Camille. She is the District 7 commissioner. Commissioner Camille joined Cary Junior II on The Metro to discuss.

Melody Baetens, dining and entertainment reporter for Detroit News, compiled a list of new restaurant openings to look forward to in the coming year. She joined The Metro to take us through the list.

Paul Eisenstein is a contributing editor for Headlight.News, and a contributor to dozens of media outlets, including Japan’s Nikkei. He spoke with The Metro's Robyn Vincent

Michael Luca, a professor of economics at Johns Hopkins University, studied these behaviors. He proposes we take time in January to double-check all the accounts that automatically withdraw our money and get rid of the service we no longer use. 

The Empowerment Plan has been in service to metro Detroit’s homeless population since 2012. 

Empowerment Plan employs people living in shelters. They manufacture coats made from sleeping bags that they distribute to people in need. That includes people in Detroit, across the nation, and in dozens of other countries. 

Veronika Scott is the founder of Empowerment Plan. She talks about her struggles with poverty and homelessness as a kid. She remembers driving around with her mother, getting sent in circles from one caseworker in Detroit to another in Pontiac. 

Years later, a class at College for Creative Studies called “Designing to Fill a Need" led her where she is today—and that’s helping people experiencing homelessness.

This year, Empowerment Plan hand made its 100,000th sleeping bag coat. 

Veronika joins host Tia Graham on The Metro to talk more about reaching this milestone and what’s next for organization.

But the rise of AI is also accompanied by pessimism and fear. Jobs could be taken and never replaced; our loneliness could worsen; and scholars say our critical thinking abilities are already degrading. Some of these concerns are the context for opposition to data centers, the spaces that house and advance artificial intelligence. Many don’t want them in their backyards.

All of this is happening after Wayne State officially opened its own AI research center in October. 

Ezemenari Obasi is the Vice President for Research & Innovation at Wayne State University and heads the university’s Institute for AI and Data Science. The Metro's Sam Corey spoke with him about why he believes AI can help us solve some of our biggest problems.

Michigan has been the setting for thousands of films. At one point, the state encouraged movie makers through incentives to produce their films here.

Those programs were cancelled a decade ago. Since then, productions have largely gone elsewhere to shoot. 

As for the films set in Detroit, which ones really capture the city, its essence and the people who live here? 

Steven Shaviro is a former film critic and professor at Wayne State University. He joins The Metro to discuss and critique movies that were made in or about metro Detroit. 

Meghan Collins is Museum Educator for K-12 and Family Programs at the MSU Broad Art Museum. She is also an Assistant Professor of Art Education in MSU’s Department of Art, Art History, and Design. 

In 2024, she was named the 2025 Museum Educator of the Year by the Michigan Art Education Association. 

Laura Herberg, reporter for Bridge Michigan, joined The Metro to walk us through the Michigan Dreaming Winter Bucket List.

12 activities made this year's winter weather fun bucket list, with dog sledding in the Upper Peninsula taking the top spot and drop-in hockey on Belle Isle representing Southeast Michigan.

In Oakland County, local leaders have gotten more attention in recent months. That’s because reports have shown potential conflicts of interest when some have voted on matters that affect their side jobs. Discussions arose about hiring an ombudsman to oversee county officials' operations, or having commissioners disclose their financial information.

But in a recent Oakland County meeting, neither of those things happened. 

Instead, county commissioners kicked the responsibility to the state legislature, urging those lawmakers to pass a bill mandating local officials to publicly disclose their assets.

Why didn’t commissioners pass an ethics resolution? 

Oakland County Commissioner Michael Spisz was originally advocating for the county to pass an ethics resolution, but changed course. He spoke with The Metro's Robyn Vincent.