Federal employees, labor unions, and two Democratic congresswomen rallied outside the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit on Friday, demanding the Trump administration keep its hands off veteran services.  More than 100 people marched on a sidewalk outside the VA, holding signs that read, “Save the VA,” “Stop the war on America’s workforce,” and “Dump Trump.” They chanted, “This is what democracy looks like” and “Save civil service.”

While the Democratic Party seems to be at a loss as to how to respond to President Donald Trump and his billionaire buddy Elon Musk’s rapid (and possibly unconstitutional) dismantling of the federal government, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders is calling it like he sees it. The Vermont independent has hit the road for a national “Fighting Oligarchy: Where We Go From Here” tour, rallying against what his office calls “the takeover of the national government by billionaires and large corporations, and the country’s move toward authoritarianism.”

Detroit City Councilwoman Mary Waters is taking a unique approach to preventing more children from being shot by unsecured guns in the city. Waters, a former teacher, is going to schools to provide gun locks to children who sign pledge cards promising to deliver the locks to households with unsecured firearms.

A former Detroit pension system employee has been charged with embezzling at least $460,000 in retirement funds. Evette Byrd, 52, was arraigned in Wayne County Circuit Court on one count of embezzlement of $100,000 or more and one count of using a computer to commit a crime, according to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office.

This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here. This coverage is made possible through a partnership between Grist, BPR, a public radio station serving western North Carolina, WBEZ, a public radio station serving the Chicago metropolitan region, and Interlochen Public Radio in Northern Michigan.

It has been a week and a half since a 54-inch water main from the 1930s ruptured in Detroit’s Southwest neighborhood, causing flooding that damaged hundreds of homes and displaced more than 650 people. The city was able to get the affected residents into hotels across metro Detroit, and churches started collecting supplies and donations. Many nonprofits and local businesses also began setting up mutual aid funds; collection points for bottled water, hygiene products, and clothes; and donating cooked meals.

A new advocacy group is pushing for policies that recognize the critical role immigrants play in Michigan’s population growth and economic success. The Businesses and People for Immigration campaign launched on Jan. 15 and has drawn support from more than 240 signatories, including the Detroit and Grand Rapids chambers of commerce, business leaders, and economic development organizations. With Michigan’s declining birth rate and population stagnation, supporters argue that immigration is essential to fueling key industries such as technology, health sciences, and manufacturing.

A Detroit woman has filed a federal lawsuit against the city and several police officers, alleging she was wrongfully arrested in front of her children and jailed based on a false match using facial recognition technology. The lawsuit, filed last week in U.S. District Court, accuses Detroit police of violating the constitutional rights of 36-year-old LaDonna Crutchfield, a mother of three who was arrested at her home on Jan. 23, 2024, without a warrant. Crutchfield was held on an attempted murder charge despite no evidence linking her to the crime.

Erik Prince, the Michigan-born former CEO of the controversial military contractor Blackwater, is pitching a sweeping plan to the Trump administration that would rely on private security forces and military bases to carry out mass deportations. The proposal, which calls for processing camps and a fleet of aircraft to remove millions of undocumented immigrants, has raised alarms among civil rights advocates and immigration groups. Prince, a Holland, Michigan native, is best known for founding Blackwater, the private military firm accused of war crimes in Iraq.

Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic brings his Denver Nuggets to town to take on Cade Cunningham and the Pistons in a Friday night tilt that sees both teams jockeying for playoff position in their respective conferences. With the Pistons amid their first playoff push since the 2018-2019 season, this will be the first time the Pistons faithful will get to see Jokic in his prime play in a meaningful game. As Cunningham turns in a season worthy of some light MVP chatter himself, this is the sort of measuring stick game Detroit fans are waiting to see.

Apple plans to open a manufacturing academy in Detroit later this year, bringing new job training opportunities to a city that has long struggled with poverty and high unemployment. The move is part of Apple’s $500 billion initiative aimed at expanding high-tech manufacturing and workforce development over the next four years. The Apple Manufacturing Academy in Detroit will provide free in-person and online classes designed to help small and medium-sized businesses integrate artificial intelligence and smart manufacturing techniques, according to the company’s announcement Monday.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel was met with boos and chants of “Drop the charges” at the Michigan Democratic Party Convention in Detroit on Saturday as pro-Palestinian party members protested her prosecution of activists at the University of Michigan. The tense moment occurred during the Sixth Congressional District meeting at the Renaissance Center, where U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell introduced Nessel to the room. While many in the crowd cheered, other Democratic Party members erupted in jeers, chanting for about a minute as Dingell struggled to regain control.

This past Saturday was Gabriela Santiago-Romero’s birthday party fundraising event. She had set out to raise $20,000 in just over a month to help support a campaign while working full time for the city. The event proved successful and the room roared as Santiago-Romero unexpectedly crossed the finish line.

If you enjoyed the unexpected intrigue of the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament this month, get ready for a double dose of more international sports drama next year. With the Winter Olympics in Italy and the World Cup soccer tournament ending in the United States, the overlap of global sports and politics in 2026 could be exciting — and maybe dangerous. We got a glimpse of what could come when Canada won the hockey tournament on Thursday with a 3-2, sudden-death overtime victory over the United States.

It’s a rough time for U.S. Postal Service workers. Tens of thousands of members of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) soundly rejected a contract in late January, marking the first time since 1978 that members turned down a proposed agreement. The last contract expired in May 2023.

A Dearborn-based nonprofit animal shelter is waiving adoption fees through Sunday in an effort to reduce overcrowding. The waived fees apply to all dogs more than six months old and weighing at least 20 pounds. Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit has 53 dogs that meet the criteria, including 10 that have been at the shelter for at least two months.

HGTV, everyone’s favorite reality TV guilty pleasure, is coming back to Detroit. The network announced Thursday that it has green-lighted Condemned, a new home improvement show set in the Motor City. “During the eight one-hour episodes, property investor and rehabber Kristyn Patterson and her builder father, Pancho Patterson, will stop at nothing to rescue The Motor City’s worst houses that are destined for the wrecking ball,” HGTV says in a press release.

Four teenagers know who killed 15-year-old Tyler Johnson in a Southfield hotel room in February 2024. Two of them tried to flee the Westin Southfield Detroit hotel when police arrived, and one was detained for possessing two handguns, including one that was used in the shooting.

Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib is running for a second term, but his announcement Monday was quickly overshadowed by revelations that he and three city council members spent nearly $10,000 in public funds to attend President Donald Trump’s inauguration last month. The timing of his re-election bid, coming just hours before the story broke, raises questions about whether Ghalib was trying to get ahead of the controversy. Whatever the case, Ghalib, who made headlines last fall for endorsing Trump’s campaign, posted his re-election announcement on social media Monday afternoon, declaring that he would “continue to serve my city and my community with sincerity, commitment, and integrity, through this position and through other potential prestigious future positions.”