Detroit has a number of famous representatives. Representatives John Dingell, labor leader Patrick McNamara, and Congressmember John Conyers. 

Charles Diggs Jr. doesn’t often make these lists. But should he? The first Black congressmember from Michigan, he worked with Martin Luther King, Jr, helped pass the Voting Rights Act, advocated for the end of apartheid in South Africa, and changed America’s foreign policy stances toward many nations in Africa.

Why don’t more people know about him? 

It’s partly because the congressmember ended his professional career in disgrace, having to retire because of a payroll kickback scheme he orchestrated.

But what should we remember about this representative who built cross-ideological and cross-political coalitions to achieve civil rights for more people in America and around the world?

Marion Orr is a professor of political science at Brown University. He spoke with Producer Sam Corey about his new book, “House of Diggs: The Rise and Fall of America’s Most Consequential Black Congressman, Charles C. Diggs Jr.”

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More stories from The Metro

Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall makes his MichMash debut this week to share his take on recent events involving the Michigan legislature. In this episode, he joins hosts Cheyna Roth and Zach Gorchow to talk about funding, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the state budget, Republican candidates for governor and more.

Bringing the H.E.A.T.

Speaker Hall says his H.E.A.T. plan (short for the Hall Ethics, Accountability and Transparency plan) aims to bring more transparency to spending in the legislature. He says that people need to know where money from the state budget is going.

“Let’s get public documents a long time in advance that tells us what is the public purpose, what is the project, so we can look into these ‘pork’ spending projects and say which ones are good and which ones are bad,” Hall said.

Republican candidates for governor

Hall also spoke about the current candidates for governor. He said that there were a lot of strong republican contenders, but he also complimented independent candidate Mike Duggan.

“Mike Duggan and I get along very well,” Hall said. “I’ve done many deals with him. The Public Safety Trust fund… We have a great relationship. But he’s more of a democrat than a republican.”

The Michigan gubernatorial elections will be held on Nov. 3, 2026.

Advocates push back on candidate’s Dearborn march

A Muslim civil rights organization is advising Dearborn residents to ignore what it calls an “Islamophobic publicity stunt” by a Republican gubernatorial candidate. Anthony Hudson says he plans to march through Dearborn Tuesday “to protect Americans from Sharia law.” At an October debate for Republicans running for Governor, the Genesee County man said he would deploy the National Guard to Dearborn if elected.

The Michigan chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations says it has responded to a number of threats against Michigan Muslims and mosques lately. This week, an Illinois man who allegedly made threats against a Dearborn Heights mosque was arrested. A Virginia man faces terrorism charges for allegations he threatened to kill Muslims at a Michigan mosque and law enforcement officials identified a Texas man they say made threatening calls to the Islamic Institute of America in Dearborn Heights.

The national CAIR office says it distributed a formal memo to every member of Congress last month, warning of the “anti-Sharia hoax” as a part of anti-Islamic propaganda.

Additional headlines for November 14, 2025

DTE seeks gas rate increase

DTE is asking to raise residential gas rates by almost 8 percent. Planet Detroit reports the request comes a year after the utility raised prices more than 2 percent and as federal money to help utility customers is in doubt. The Michigan Public Service Commission has 10 months to decide on the rate hike.

https://planetdetroit.org/2025/11/dte-gas-rate-hike-proposal/ 

Michigan launches MIVeteran app

The state has launched a tool aimed at supporting veterans and service members transitioning back to civilian life. MIVeteran is an app designed to help veterans navigate benefits and resources available to them. Resources and information on the app include: DD-214 requests, state benefits, employment, education, housing, and healthcare resources, and a guide to benefits for transitioning service members. The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency says it created the app as a part of its work to make Michigan a great place for veterans and their families. The MIVeteran app is free and can be downloaded from the Apple and Google app stores.

State seeks input on services for older adults

The state is wrapping up its series of community conversations around gaps in services for older adults next week. None of the remaining events are in Southeast Michigan, but a survey will be live until December 15th. The Bureau of Aging Community Living and Supports is collecting input for a new state plan on aging. The survey can be completed online or downloaded and mailed in.

Download and mail the survey about older adults in Michigan

Complete the survey online

Threads of Time market returns to the Fisher Building

More than 20 vendors will offer their wares at the Threads of Time: Vintage Market Saturday. The free event is set against the backdrop of the Fisher Building’s timeless beauty. Visitors can shop for apparel, accessories and housewares. Food and drink will also be for sale. The event runs from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. It is hosted by the Peacock Room.

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Shutting down the federal government was a matter of principle for U.S. Senate Democrats back in October.

Tens of thousands of federal workers were furloughed. Air traffic controllers were forced to work without pay. The Trump Administration fought in court to reduce SNAP food assistance.

Tax credits tied to plans through the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, were set to expire, and without them premiums were set to skyrocket. That was unacceptable to most Democrats, who wanted to leverage the shutdown to extend healthcare subsidies.

This week, seven Democrats and one independent changed their strategy and voted to end the shutdown.

They received only a promise of a vote on the ACA tax credits and assurances that federal workers fired by the Trump Administration would be rehired.

In the meantime, people are receiving notice that their premiums are going up. In Michigan, insurers are ending coverage for people through Obamacare. That could leave as many as 200,000 people in the state without coverage.

Michigan U.S. Senator Gary Peters voted to keep the government closed. He thinks it’s going to get worse unless those ACA tax credits are restored.

“Nationally, well over 20 million people are seeing large increases in their health care estimates, somewhere around 10 million will lose their health care coverage as a result,” Peters said.

Peters says he would like the Democrats who capitulated and voted to end the shutdown to speak for themselves.

“I know that they were focused on working on health care costs, but we’re also concerned about the cost of the shutdown itself,” Peters said. “Certainly government employees who had been going without a check for quite some time, which puts a real strain on our families.”

A failure of leadership?

Many Democratic voters—and some Democratic politicians—view the ending of the shutdown as a betrayal of trust and the latest instance where the party refuses to follow through on a promise.

Peters disagrees this was a failure of leadership.

“We don’t work for Chuck Schumer,” Peters said. “Every Senator represents the people in their state. I work for the people in Michigan, and my colleagues around the country work for the people in their individual states, and they have to ultimately do what they think is right.”

The Epstein emails

The White House is scrambling following the release of a new batch of emails to and from rapist and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

The emails seem to implicate that President Donald Trump was aware of Epstein’s crimes, and that the president maintained a relationship with the disgraced financier well into his first term in office.

Epstein died in federal custody in 2019.

After promising on the campaign trail to release all the evidence collected in Epstein’s prosecution, the Trump Administration has backed off that pledge.

Peters says the American public needs to see all of the documents.

“Bottom line, I think there’s enough information out now that raises so many questions that have to be answered that we need to see the release of all of the documents,” Peters said.

Earlier this year, the Trump Administration moved Epstein co-conspirator Ghislane Maxwell to a minimum-security prison.

WDET’s Liz Warner appeared on All Songs Considered, New Music Friday discussing the best albums for November 14.

View the entire article and listen to the broadcast.

It’s Friday, it’s mid-November, and the weekly deluge of new albums felt like it was finally starting to slow down as we approach the holidays — until we looked at our Nov. 14 list of LPs, EPs, compilations and reissues and saw triple digits. There’s no offseason in this business.

The most anticipated album out this week is Summer Walker’s Finally Over It … which we did not get to hear in advance, but that didn’t stop us from marveling at the Atlanta R&B star’s promo acumen. With 26 featured guests across 18 tracks, it’s going to challenge Taylor Swift for the top spot on the Billboard 200.

Each week, we welcome a different DJ from the NPR Music network of public radio stations, and this episode’s guest is the esteemed Liz Warner from WDET in Detroit, where she hosts an eclectic program called Alternate Take.

View the entire article and listen to the broadcast.

Controversy among local leaders in Oakland County is brewing.

A Detroit Free Press investigation uncovered gaps in the county’s laws that allowed multiple officials to engaged in conduct that experts say is a conflict of interest. Commissioners in Oakland County voted on contracts for organizations where they were also employed.

Detroit Free Press Investigative Reporter Dave Boucher joined the show to explain why those gaps exist and how to close them.  

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

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More stories from The Metro

Started off with a pair of fresh selects from Ni Maxine and corto.alto before diving into a bunch of throwback Thursday tracks by Nino Ferrer, John Lee Hooker, Bobbie Gentry, and Nick Drake.

Plus, the bartenders behind BOP OR SWAP at Last Chance Saloon stop by. The idea is simple. You bring a record. They play the full A side. The crowd votes. Is this a BOP (we love it—let’s play the other side!) or a SWAP (it’s terrible—onto the next record!). It’s one of my favorite music-related events in the city, every Thursday starting at 7 p.m. at Last Chance. Tell ‘em In The Groove sent ya—and have your bops ready!

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for November 13, 2025

• “Time” – Ni Maxine
• “APRIL (feat. anaiis)” – corto.alto
• “Uno Punto Uno” – Women In Jazz & Rosa Brunello
• “There, There” – Radiohead
• “Get Dressed” – Jeff Parker
• “Looking For You” – Nino Ferrer
• “Roll Your Daddy Right” – John Lee Hooker
• “Luv N’ Haight” – Sly & the Family Stone
• “Dancin People (Part 1 & 2)” – Stars
• “Jingo (Luke Una’s Dancing in Outer Space Edit)” – Manu Dibango, King Sunny Ade & Luke Una
• “Lo Life” – Antibalas
• “Seasons Come, Seasons Go” – Bobbie Gentry
• “One of These Things First” – Nick Drake
• “I Dig Love” – George Harrison
• “Afraid” – Flock of Dimes
• “Another Life” – Alabama Shakes
• “Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City (feat. Kameron Whalum)” – Zeshan B\
• “Summertime” – Rosinha De Valença
• “Alemania” – Twin Shadow
• “Works And Days” – Tortoise
• “I’ll Bet You” – Funkadelic
• “Yes We Can” – Lee Dorsey
• “Slow Down” – Loose Ends
• “I Can’t Help It” – Michael Jackson
• “Big Time Sensuality” – Björk
• “Angles Mortz” – Nightbus
• “Судно (Борис Рижий)” – Molchat Doma
• “Vampiro” – French Police
• “Hit My Head All Day” – Dry Cleaning
• “Carry Me Higher (Elite Mix) [10 Inch Version]” – The Blessed Madonna, Joy Anonymous & Danielle Ponder
• “Neverender (Kaytranada Remix)” – Justice, Tame Impala

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

Walk through Detroit long enough and the city starts talking to you — in murals, in corner bars, in the way old streets bend and break. 

A new puzzle collection tries to put that experience on the page.

On Saturday night, people who love this city enough to puzzle over it will gather at The Congregation in Detroit for the release of the new crossword book Block Party: Detroit Edition.

There are many things in Detroit to be surprised by — a block you thought you knew. A memory stirred by the sound of a bus rolling by. A building with an unexplored hallway.

This new crossword book leans into all of that. Every puzzle carries a bit of the city.

At the center of it all are two friends: Sala Wanetick and Emily Biegas. They write with curiosity, tease with wordplay, and hide little nods to the places they grew up and the corners they still wander. Their clues feel like conversations at a bar you’ve been going to for years.

They joined Cary Junior II on The Metro to discuss how a crossword becomes a portrait of a place, and why Detroit is perfect for this kind of puzzle.

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

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More stories from The Metro

Detroit Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield announced the 18 policy committees that make up her transition team Thursday. 

The transition team will determine the priorities for the first 100 days of the new administration.  

Sheffield says the decision to place the team’s headquarters at the Marygrove Conservancy was deliberate.  “We wanted to ensure that this process remained rooted in my values of neighborhoods and community. And I am proud to say that this is the first time a transition has been set up in one of Detroit’s neighborhoods. First time ever.” 

Sheffield says everyone appointed to the committees were chosen for their expertise, track records, and connections to everyday Detroiters.  

The committees will focus on various issues such as affordable housing, public transit, economic opportunities, and youth support and development.  

Additional headlines from Thursday, November 13, 2025

DPSCD endorses Invest in MI Kids

The Detroit Public Schools Community District School Board is endorsing the Invest in MI Kids ballot proposal.

The proposal would add a 5% surcharge on income over $1 million. Advocates say the charge would raise over $1 billion in funding for schools.

The Invest in MI Kids coalition says the new funds would be constitutionally protected and explicitly directed toward reducing classroom sizes, retaining and recruiting educators, and career and technical education.  

Nurture Benefits for child care professionals

The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential, or MiLEAP, is partnering with the Small Business Association of Michigan to provide affordable health and retirement benefits to child care providers. The program is called Nurture Benefits and enrollment opens on November 15.

Child Care providers will have access to medical, dental, and vision coverage, life and retirement benefits, and wellness and behavioral health resources. Childcare providers who work 30 hours or more a week are eligible to apply.

For more information, visit nurturebenefits.com.  

Marion Orr discusses new book

Author Marion Orr will be discussing his new book at Source Booksellers. The book is titled “House of Diggs: The Rise and Fall of America’s Most Consequential Black Congressman, Charles C. Diggs Jr.” 

Diggs was elected to represent Michigan’s 13^th congressional district in 1954.

The event will be held on Friday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m.  

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Evidence of colonization is embedded in the United States government. Through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, or the U.S. territories that are governed by colonial administration models, like Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The place we now call Detroit, or, Waawiyatanong, the ancestral and contemporary homeland of the Three Fires Confederacy, has a unique place in United States’ colonial history.

The people of the Three Fires Confederacy—the Ojibway, Ottawa and Potawatomi nations, or collectively Anishinaabe people, were subjects of colonialism, violence and displacement. First by European settlers, then by the United States government. That process was carried out and documented by bureaucratic process, what scholars call colonial administration.

Maggie Blackhawk is the Moses H. Grossman professor of law at the NYU law school. She’s an expert in colonial administration, law, and history.

She spoke to Metro producer David Leins about what we can learn today from the bureaucratic records of the past to better understand colonialism in the U.S. and Michigan.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

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As the weather gets colder, we’ve got some cozy events to keep you warm — including intimate performances, accessible art sales and seasonal celebrations.

Plus, the Dance Theatre of Harlem returns to Detroit. Read on to learn more.

Upcoming events

Sweet Tooth exhibition

  Hatch Art Center in Hamtramck

  Ongoing through Dec. 7

  Free

An art exhibition centered around the idea that we need sweetness in our lives to counteract the bitterness around us. The exhibit features works by 18 artists in a variety of mediums, including paintings, photography, sculptures and more. Hatch Art Center is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m., and on Thursdays and Fridays from 6–9 p.m.

Royal Oak Market: Art Fair Edition

  Royal Oak Farmers Market

  Thursday, Nov. 13 and Friday, Nov. 14

  Free

An indoor fine art fair featuring 60 juried artists showing a wide variety of works, including painting, jewelry, ceramics, glass, photography and more. There will also be live musical performances, food vendors and adult beverages. The fair is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. both days.

Jalasat / جلسات: Victor Ghannam, Roger Kashou and Noon

  Adeni Tea Room in Dearborn

  Friday, Nov. 14

  Free

A new pop-up performance series from the Arab American National Museum that celebrates Arab and Arab American expression through intimate performances of poetry, music and conversation in accessible environments. The first show features musical performances by Victor Ghannam, Roger Kashou and Noon (Farah Afra and Layan Srour). Admission is free and open to the public, and the show goes from 7–9 p.m.

Winter at The Station

  Michigan Central in Detroit

  Friday, Nov. 14 through Dec. 28

  Free, $15–$88

A family-friendly celebration of the season featuring festive decor, interactive exhibits, holiday shopping, live music and more. Special programming will also take place throughout the month, including dance performances, artist workshops and more. General admission is free and open to the public, but some of the special programming is ticketed, ranging from $15 to $88. Parking is $5 per vehicle. The Station is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Sugar Hill Clay’s 2025 Seconds Sale

  Sugar Hill Clay in Detroit

  Saturday, Nov. 15

  Free

The third annual ceramic seconds sale from Sugar Hill Clay, where experiments, tests and imperfect pieces from the studio are available for discounted prices, starting at $5. This sale is a fundraiser to help the studio purchase new shared tools and create new programming for their members to improve their community experiences. The sale goes from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Ferndale Underground Holiday Market

  Underneath the doT Parking Garage in Ferndale

  Saturday, Nov. 15 and Sunday, Nov. 16

  Free

An underground holiday market featuring unique gifts from over 90 local artists, makers, authors and bakers. Admission is free but canned food donations are welcome. The market is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Dance Theatre of Harlem

  Detroit Opera House

  Saturday, Nov. 15 and Sunday, Nov. 16

  $70–$150

A highly-anticipated Detroit performance by the Dance Theatre of Harlem, with a program featuring iconic works by Robert Garland, Jodie Gates and more. Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. Limited tickets remain for the Sunday show.

Detroit has changed a lot in the last two decades. 

There’s more investment in the downtown and midtown areas. There are more people milling about the city. The parks and public areas have improved. 

Stephen McGee witnessed those changes up close.The photographer and award-winning filmmaker came to Detroit decades ago and began photographing the city for the Detroit Free Press. He aggregated a lot of that work into his documentary, “Resurgo.”

In it, he focuses his lens on decaying infrastructure, new investments injected into the area, and the people who never left.

Who gets credit for all these changes? And, how can the investments in Detroit be more inclusive of those that have always been here?

These are some of the questions that McGee’s “Resurgo,” asks. It will be playing at the Emagine theater Thursday, Nov. 12 in Royal Oak at 7 p.m.

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

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The Dearborn school system has named a new interim superintendent, Lamis Srour. 

She currently serves as the Executive Director of Student Achievement over the Edsel Ford Feeder Track, a position she’s held for the past three years.  Srour started working with the Dearborn School District in 1998. 

She tells the school board that her focus will be on improving attendance, stopping bullying and repairing infrastructure. 

Srour’s first day on the job will be Dec. 5.  She’s filling in after the departure of Glenn Maleyko, who’s leaving to become the new head of the Michigan Department of Education. 

Additional headlines from Wednesday November 12, 2025

Hamtramck election 

The controversy continues in Hamtramck’s mayoral election. 

The contest between Adam Alharbi and Muhith Mahmood has still not been decided more than a week after Election Day. There’s a difference of just 11 votes between the two candidates out of about four thousand ballots cast. 

Alharbi has sued, charging that Mahmood is not a Hamtramck resident.  And City Clerk Rana Faraj has been placed on administrative leave.  With Faraj on leave, Wayne County is checking dozens of absentee ballots. 

People Mover closed temporarily 

If you usually use the People Mover to get around downtown Detroit, you’ll need another way to get where you’re going. 

The system is shut down for a few days as workers make repairs and upgrades in advance of the traditionally busy Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  A new track switch will be installed for the elevated railway. 

The People Mover will resume operations on Sunday, Nov. 23.   

Shields fight deal 

Flint boxer Clarissa Shields has signed a multi-fight deal worth $8 million. 

She has a record of 17 wins and no losses.  That includes 3 knockouts.  ESPN says Shields’ next fight is expected to happen sometime early next year. 

Keep home safe while traveling

AAA Michigan says now’s the time to start thinking about holiday travel plans. 

The auto club says there are a few things you can do to keep your home safe while you’re away for a few days.  Make sure to place lights on a timer—indoors and outdoors—to make it appear someone is at home.  Set your thermostat lower, but not too low.  You can save some money by using less heat while you’re gone, but don’t set the thermostat below 55 degrees.  If the house gets too cold, pipes could freeze and burst. 

And don’t tell the world about your travel plans on social media.  There’s no need to advertise that your house is empty. 

Gas prices on the rise

Metro Detroit gas prices are fluctuating as we get closer to Thanksgiving.  AAA Michigan says the average price of a gallon of self-serve unleaded is $3.05.  That’s down four cents from the same time last week.  But it’s 12 cents per gallon more than a month ago. 

Industry analysts say, while demand for gas has fallen, supplies have dwindled, too. 

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Huge thank you to listener Dean for reminding me that today is Neil Young’s 80th birthday! Would’ve slipped right through my fingers otherwise, so a few Neil Young songs of course plus an excellent Pixies cover of “Winterlong” (a big time favorite around here). Plus new music from Joshua Idehen, Detroit’s own MRKT, Smerz and more.

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for November 12, 2025

• “It Always Was” – Joshua Idehen
• “Goatnoggin” – Goat & human language
• “Monotropa” – MRKT
• “Easy (Astrid Sonne EDIT)” – Smerz
• “Tie You Down” – HAIM & Bon Iver
• “Elderberry Wine” – Wednesday
• “Take It All” – Say She She
• “Love Hangover (12”)” – Diana Ross
• “Baby I’m Scared Of You” – Womack & Womack
• “Maureen” – Sade
• “Place in My Heart (feat. RYAT)” – Taylor McFerrin
• “Ibiza” – Butcher Brown
• “Wreck” – Neko Case
• “I Wish I Was The Moon” – Neko Case
• “Train Song” – Vashti Bunyan
• “My Love Mine All Mine” – Mitski
• “All Mirrors” – Angel Olsen
• “Transmission” – Joy Division
• “The Chills” – Peter Bjorn & John
• “Just Like Honey” – The Jesus and Mary Chain
• “All I Wanna Do” – Beach Boys
• “Play The Game” – Beach House
• “It Might Have To Be You” – Vulfmon & Evangeline
• “Hurts To Be Alone” – Norah Jones
• “Harvest Moon” – Neil Young
• “Winterlong” – Pixies
• “The Fool” – Steven Bamidele & Sly5thAve
• “Different Places” – Amber Mark & John The Blind
• “Nervous System” – Candi Carpenter
• “Good Ol’ Days” – Hayley Williams
• “Nice To Each Other” – Olivia Dean
• “The Ones We Loved” – Georgie Sweet
• “Constellation” – The Circling Sun
• “Sympathy Magic” – Florence + the Machine
• “Down By The River” – Neil Young & Crazy Horse
• “Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)” – Neil Young

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.”

Across the U.S., flight cancellations have surged and delays are stretching into long waits. The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered major airports, including Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, to cut departures by up to 10% because there are not enough certified controllers to manage full schedules safely.

This didn’t start overnight. The nation’s controller workforce has been shrinking for years as a result of retirements outpacing new hires, a long training pipeline, and waves of budget uncertainty. 

The recent federal government shutdown has made everything worse: hiring is frozen, classes have stopped, and experienced controllers are leaving fast, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. He said the nation is now losing 15 to 20 controllers every day.

Former air traffic controller Todd Yeary is skeptical of those numbers, and some of the other aviation data he is hearing from the Trump administration. He joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to explain.

Use the media player above to hear the conversation.

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

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

More stories from The Metro

Last week, Democrats ran across the country on alleviating the issue of affordability. 

Those people spreading the message were often young, 30-somethings. 

That was true in New York City, where Zohran Mamdani became mayor-elect. And it was true in Detroit, where Mary Sheffield won as well. The voters who brought those people to victory — particularly in the New York mayoral race and the Virginia governor’s race — were young voters. 

Amanda Litman, the co-founder and president of Run For Something, recently told a reporter that of the over 200 left candidates affiliated with her organization, nearly every one who achieved victory did it by discussing affordability, particularly housing costs. 

So, how much does the issue of “affordability” translate to more liberal and more conservative places across the country? And, how much can we understand about what young people want from what we saw last week?

Litman joined The Metro to discuss.

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

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or NPR or wherever you get your podcasts.

More stories from The Metro

Three guests and three distinct flavors this week on MI Local, along with three new songs from Michigan artists!

We started off with a new track by the Traverse City based psych-rock/shoegaze duo known as Hail Your Highness, with “Treegaze,” from their new EP, “Wonderlust” that comes out this weekend.

Then we played “Black Cat Operator” by the Detroit-based darkwave-pop duo, Rogue Satellites, from their third “Horrors” EP, part of a series that they’ve consistently released around Halloween.

After that, we heard an interview I did with the eclectic, brilliant, multi-faceted singer-songwriter Laurel Premo, who’s based up in Traverse City, combining what’s been, for her, a lifelong admiration for American traditional folk styles with orchestral elements and Nordic arrangements.

Premo has been writing, arranging, and touring internationally since 2009. In 2021, she released “Golden Loam,” her first album as a proper solo-artist. On Halloween, she released the poignant EP, “Laments”—four orchestral folk pieces as odes of griefwork, exploring the possibility of grief being an ecstatic act that helps connect oneself with the tremendous energy and love that leads to these immense feelings, with a focus on how this love and loss is all about the deep connections we’ve forged.

You can hear my interview with Premo on this week’s show, and then stay tuned for the full, un-cut, podcast-length chat with her about this project in a couple of weeks, which will be close to the time when she’ll be releasing a music video for the first song on “Laments.”

Up next, we had The Muggs in studio to talk about their upcoming gig, opening for Blue Oyster Cult. The Muggs have been a Detroit blues/garage-rock institution for 25 years, born out of a high school friendship between its founding members, best known today as Danny Muggs and Tony Muggs.

Over the years, they’ve released several albums and gained worldwide acclaim, appearing on nationally broadcast television programs and touring Europe several times! The Muggs will be opening for Blue Oyster Cult at the Royal Oak Music Theatre next Saturday, Nov. 22.

My other guest this week, a returning guest to MI Local, is MRKT, a trio of prog-rock jazz-punk fusionists, who can tend to be a little reserved and taciturn in person, but on stage and on their recordings they turn in to frenetic awe-inspiring tornadoes of humans! They have a new album out this Friday and they treated WDET listeners to an exclusive listen of quite an epic track, titled “The Wheel!”

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

• “Treegaze” – Hail Your Highness
• “Black Cat Operator” – Rogue Satellites
• “Outer Rim” – Twinn
• “On With The Show” – The Muggs
• “Applecart Blues” – The Muggs
• “Magnet & Steel” – The Muggs
• “Regional Deities” – MRKT
• “The Wheel” – MRKT
• “Vespre” – Ancient Language

New music from Jack Jackson and Hermanos Gutiérrez, a duo of guitar-playing brothers who grew up as fans of Johnson and now get to collaborate and tour with him this summer—including a stop at Pine Knob!

Plus, Khraungbin celebrate a decade since releasing their debut album by remixing their own work and releasing new versions of it. Spoiler alert: they might be better than the originals without losing that initial magic!

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for November 10, 2025

• “Lltb (feat. Wet)” – Jam City
• “You got time and I got money” – Smerz
• “Parasite (feat. Kindelan)” – Sean Khan & The Modern Jazz & Folk Ensemble
• “The Atlantiques (feat. Anaïs Maviel, Jeff Parker & Josh Johnson)” – Meshell Ndegeocello
• “Telepatía” – Kali Uchis
• “DNM” – Mk.gee
• “A Forest (Tree Mix)” – The Cure
• “Paper Trails” – Darkside
• “Sonido Cósmico” – Hermanos Gutiérrez
• “Hold On To The Light” – Jack Johnson & Hermanos Gutiérrez
• “Moanin’ and Groanin’” – Bill Withers
• “I Feel for You (Acoustic Demo)” – Prince & the Revolution
• “Cannock Chase” – Labi Siffre
• “Mercury” – Automatic
• “It’s Starting” – RIO KOSTA
• “Kelly Watch The Stars (Extended)” – AIR
• “Sad Makeup” – Yukimi
• “Selenge” – Céline Dessberg
• “Blueberry Beads” – John Carroll Kirby
• “Burnin’ Coal” – Les McCann
• “The Thrill Is Gone (From Yesterday’s Kiss)” – Aretha Franklin
• “Rewind / Remind” – Momoko Gill
• “I Can See The Change” – Celeste
• “How Can We Mend a Broken Heart” – Kahil El’Zabar
• “Last Forever” – Patchwork Inc. & Wyatt Waddell
• “Intimate Friends” – Eddie Kendricks
• “Ankle Injuries” – Fujiya & Miyagi
• “Adventures In Success” – Will Powers
• “Surfside Sex” – Patrick Cowley
• “Flutes” – Hot Chip
• “Sympathy Magic” – Florence + the Machine
• “People Everywhere II” – Khraungbin
• “Open This Wall” – Berlioz

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.”

 New music from Yukimi of Little Dragon, a selection from Jordan Rakei’s new live album, Madison Cunningham is about to be a superstar and lots more.

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for November 11, 2025

• “All over Me” – Yukimi & Little Dragon
• “Lost My Love (DJ Amir & Re.Decay Jazz Re.Imagined Remix)” – Kenny Cox
• “White Gloves ii” – Khraungbin
• “Mind’s Eye (Live From The Royal Albert Hall)” – Jordan Rakei
• “Witches” – Alice Phoebe Lou
• “Shut Up Kiss Me” – Angel Olsen
• “The Juice” – Causa Sui
• “Diving Woman” – Japanese Breakfast
• “Sin Dones” – Juana Molina
• “Golden Gate (On And On)” – Madison Cunningham
• “Who” – David Byrne & St. Vincent
• “Motorway” – Goat Girl
• “Sad Cowboy” – Goat Girl
• “New York, Let’s Do Nothing” – King Hannah
• “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab (Daniel Avery Remix)” – English Teacher & Daniel Avery
• “Radio Free Europe (Jacknife Lee Remix / 2025)” – R.E.M.
• “One Of The Greats” – Florence + the Machine
• “Elegantly Wasted (feat. Leon Bridges)” – Hermanos Gutiérrez
• “The Revolution Will Not Be Telefonin’” – Tonico 70
• “Groove” – Beans
• “Magica” – El Michels Affair & Rogê
• “Pinball Number Count (feat. Dames Brown & Nicholas Payton)” – Brandon Williams
• “I Can Say To You (Toribio Remix)” – Butcher Brown
• “Brian” – Alfa Mist
• “Dog It” – Digable Planets
• “SPOTTIEOTTIEDOPALISCIOUS” – Kassa Overall
• “Nothing Without You” – Uma
• “Girl Like Me (Kaytranada Remix)” – PinkPantheress
• “Maybe I Got It Wrong” – Ruti
• “Planet Caravan (feat. David Jimenez)” – Brownout & Brown Sabbath
• “A Melhor Saída” – Dora Morelenbaum
• “Sorry Sorry (Francois K Remix)” – Femi Kuti
• “Coltrane (Crooked Man Remix)” – Cymande
• “We Live in Brooklyn, Baby” – Roy Ayers Ubiquity

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.”