Power, money and silence in Michigan politics

The Lions entered the 2025 NFL season with the highest expectations possible. Win the Superbowl. They unfortunately fell  short of those goals, missing the playoffs completely. For now, the player’s work is over, but work for the team's front office and coaches is just beginning. Changes to the staff and roster are imminent and some of those adjustments have already begun.  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.

It’s easy to fall into a restaurant rut. But, it’s the new year, and that means a chance to turn the page and find some new places to eat. There’s a lot to be excited about in metro Detroit's culinary world in 2026. 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.

Ford is switching gears once again.  Last month, the company decided to pivot from its electric vehicle plans, and into hybrid cars and gas engines. The biggest signal was the phasing out of the all-electric F-150 Lightning. Why are they pivoting again? And, what is the future for Ford and other automakers? 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

From stalled funding and legal brinkmanship to selective outrage after an ICE killing, Michigan politics this week reveal how power is exercised — and avoided. Colin Jackson explains what’s happening and what it means.

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.

Artificial Intelligence is already shaping daily life. It’s reducing the work we do, helping us find answers more quickly, and some research suggests it has strong capabilities to diagnose illness, perhaps better than doctors.  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. 

For some of our listeners, arts and culture from kindergarten through high school were guaranteed. Woodshop, cooking classes and of course art classes were a part of the curriculum.  As the decades have gone by, less money to schools means less resources. Oftentimes the first things cut from the budget are the arts.  But, educators who work within the K-12 school system want the arts to stay. They say it's essential to a well rounded education and helps create more open-minded and empathic people.  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. 

As U.S. environmental protections expand and contract under different presidents, a new study raises a different question: who is — and isn’t — speaking about climate change. Harvard historian of science Naomi Oreskes joins Robyn Vincent to discuss research analyzing more than 700,000 Catholic parish sermons, the moral weight of climate silence, and what happens when scientific urgency meets institutional quiet.