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Diversity, equity and inclusion is going away. It’s been the story for businesses and colleges in America over the last month. 

With pressure from the Trump administration and from the U.S. Department of Education, the University of Michigan and a number of other universities have removed their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion offices. 

But it’s not just the White House that doesn’t like DEI. It’s been criticized by some professors, students and public commentators as well.

Metro Producer Sam Corey sat down with two professors to understand how DEI programs work and what could happen as they go away. Robert Sellers is a professor of psychology and education, and the first chief diversity officer at the University of Michigan. Stacy Hawkins is a Rutgers professor, diversity consultant and DEI expert. 

The Metro has reached out to several University of Michigan regents who helped usher in the end of DEI practices and programming. We are still waiting to hear back from those state-wide elected officials. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

More stories from The Metro on Monday, April 7:

• Mallory McMorrow wants to bring a new generation to the US Senate
• Curbing the impulse to buy more stuff
• Former Sleeping Bear Dunes superintendent warns of cuts to national parks, public lands

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.

Huge numbers of Americans took to the streets over the weekend for so-called “Hands Off” protests. People were condemning the Trump administration and many of its policies, including cuts to the National Park Service and other public lands. 

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has reduced staff that oversees public lands by hundreds of people. A judge ordered those positions to be reinstated, but it’s unclear how many people have actually returned to work. The White House has vowed to fight those rulings. 

Advocates, meanwhile, are bracing for additional cuts. This upheaval has raised concerns about the health and survival of America’s public lands, from popular national parks like Yosemite and Yellowstone to national lakeshores like Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes. 

Tom Ulrich was the deputy superintendent for Sleeping Bear Dunes for more than two decades before retiring in 2023. Ulrich joined The Metro to discuss the current challenges facing America’s public lands. 

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued an order last week, directing national parks to “remain open and accessible.” Burgum says that means there will be proper staffing, but not everyone is convinced this will happen. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

More stories from The Metro on Monday, April 7:

• Mallory McMorrow wants to bring a new generation to the US Senate
• Curbing the impulse to buy more stuff
• Political pressure is ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs

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

The CEOs of NPR and PBS are appearing Wednesday before a House subcommittee on government efficiency, chaired by Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, where they will answer questions about perceived political bias at the public broadcasters. 

Watch the livestream  below, beginning at 10 a.m. ET.

The hearing, entitled “Anti-American Airwaves: Holding the Heads of NPR and PBS Accountable,” was called by Greene in February to examine accusations by conservatives that news and cultural programming at the radio and television networks have a profound liberal bias. She has expressed skepticism that any federal funds should go to public broadcasting.

PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger, who worked at New York City’s WNET public television before taking over the reins at the network nearly two decades ago, will appear beside NPR CEO Katherine Maher, who came to the public broadcaster last year from Web Summit. She is also a former CEO and executive director at the Wikimedia Foundation.

Wednesday’s hearing is part of a larger Republican-led effort to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), established by Congress in 1967 as a private, nonprofit corporation to distribute federal money to NPR, PBS and other public broadcasting entities. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., and Rep. Scott Perry, R-Penn., introduced legislation to bar all funding for the CPB. Meanwhile, Brendan Carr, President Trump’s newly appointed chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, has also initiated inquiries of NPR and PBS stations, arguing that their corporate underwriting spots violate federal laws and policies because they too closely resemble commercial advertisements.

NPR receives about 3% of its funding from the government, either directly via CPB or through its member stations, who pay fees to carry its programming. PBS receives 16% of its funds from the CPB.

NPR reaches 43 million listeners each week with its flagship news programs, Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Its programming is distributed by 230 member stations around the country, which together hold the licenses to 1,300 local public broadcasters. The programming at PBS ranges from the acclaimed News Hour to children’s programming such as Daniel Tiger.

Disclosure: This story was reported and written by NPR Correspondents Scott Neuman and David Folkenflik. It was edited by Deputy Business Editor Emily Kopp and Managing Editors Gerry Holmes and Vickie Walton-James. Under NPR’s protocol for reporting on itself, no NPR corporate official or news executive reviewed this story before it was posted publicly.

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The Department of Veterans Affairs announced plans to restructure in early March. The agency will eliminate 80,000 jobs according to a memo issued by the VA’s chief of staff. 

The goal is to reduce the number of staff members to pre-pandemic levels. This is another proposed cut to add to President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s list of federal job cuts. Under Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), hundreds of jobs have already been cut at the VA.

Read more: 10 year Marine Corps veteran terminated from Veterans Affairs in Ann Arbor

Veterans make up a large percent of federal workers who are already at risk of losing their jobs due to cuts to other departments. They are a substantial portion of the VA workforce too. So the restructuring plans for the Department just makes things even more uncertain. 

They also rely on the VA to provide the essential services that help them return to civilian life after serving. Veterans get housing assistance and health care through the program. 

Today on The Metro, we’re looking at these cuts and how they could negatively impact services for veterans who need it. 

Guests: 

• Kevin Scott: Decorated combat-era Marine Corps veteran who provides therapy and support to veterans who are facing all kinds of challenges after serving.
• Vedia Barnett: Co-founder and executive director of Vet Space, a group for women veterans to share nature-based experiences. 

We also asked our listeners: 

“What is the transition to civilian life like for veterans and their families?”

Ryan, a Marine Corp veteran in Royal Oak, said: “I mean, (the VA has) been my health care service for 20 years, and I’m hoping to be till I die, my service. And if it goes away, you know, that upends my life in a different way. So it worries me.”

Tomorrow’s caller question: “What would allow you to give up your car in southeast Michigan?”

Use the above media player to hear the full conversation.

More headlines from The Metro on March 25, 2025: 

• The Michigan statehouse is split with Democrats controlling the Senate and Republicans controlling the House, making many wonder what bipartisan work can get done this session. To discuss what’s going on at the state capitol, Michigan Public Radio Network political reporter Colin Jackson joined the show.

• Alyce Hartman is the founder and executive director of Birdie’s Bookmobile. She is also a K-4 STEM teacher at Detroit Prep and the Mack Kids director at Mack Avenue Community Church. Hartman travels the city putting books in little hands and is getting ready to open Birdie’s Book Nest. She joined the show to discuss the project.

• Flooding is an issue Detroit residents are constantly facing, with water main breaks, extreme weather events and flooding growing more common over the last few years. Earlier this year, Metro co-host Robyn Vincent spoke with Nick Schroeck, professor of environmental law and dean of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, about the problem of flooding and some of the solutions that are being proposed to change it.

• We also revisited a conversation with Todd Scott, executive director of the Detroit Greenways Coalition, about pedestrian safety in Detroit. Hear the conversation below beginning at the 47:50 mark.

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

Dozens of so-called “Tesla Takedown” protests took place around the country over the weekend. One such rally took place at Somerset Mall in Troy, where more than 100 demonstrators gathered on the sidewalk outside because of the Tesla store inside.

Organizer Hank Kennedy says the goal of the protest is to get Elon Musk to leave his advisory role in the White House. They hope to hit the world’s richest man in his wallet by discouraging others from doing business with his electric car company, Tesla.

Listen: Tesla Takedown protestors rally outside Somerset Mall

“I do not think he has any conscience in his body,” says Kennedy. “I think the only way he will respond is if he feels some sort of economic pain.”

The stock market price for a share of Tesla has dropped by about 25% in the last month. It’s down 46% since President Trump took office.

Despite that downward trend, the electric vehicle maker is only down about 9% since the November election. Tesla’s value had soared to record highs in December.

Chris from Sterling Heights, who didn’t share his last name, says for him the protests are also about calling out the Trump administration’s policies, on issues like immigration.

“I can’t sit idly by anymore,” he said. It’s become too big of a deal, it’s too important now. If I just sit by on the sideline and just let it happen, I’m part of the problem.”

Kennedy says the group did get some support from passing motorists, who would honk or wave a fist in support.

“We also get some people who flip you the bird,” said Kennedy. “I had some friends of mine…last week somebody threw a cup filled with ice at them. And that’s why I think these charges that we’re violent are so ridiculous.”

There have been incidents of Tesla vandalism nationwide. However, law enforcement groups say those acts have been carried out by individuals and are not largely coordinated.

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If you are nervous about flying right now, you’re likely not alone.

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 aircraft 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, 19 fatal accidents have occurred in the skies this year. Those numbers are lower than those for the same 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.

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

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 15. The day-long event will allow teen poets to participate in writing workshops and community-building activities and share their work with peers and seasoned writers. To share more about the event, InsideOut Literary Arts Executive Director Suma Karaman and Citywide Poets Coordinator Justin Rogers joined the show.

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.

Donald Trump’s presidency has been marked by confusion and chaos for tens of thousands of federal workers across the country.

Federal departments are under scrutiny by Trump and Elon Musk, under the guise of making the government more efficient. Although Musk wasn’t elected by anyone, he’s been making sweeping changes and massive cuts to federal agencies — many of which regulate his companies.

His so-called Department of Government Efficiency, approved by Trump, has fired 1,000 National Parks Service employees; 3,400 U.S. Forest Service workers and 2,400 people at the Veterans Affairs department. 

These moves have frustrated many people and sparked some heated moments across the country. In town halls held this past weekend, Republican lawmakers were confronted by angry voters demanding answers. 

Doug Collins, the Trump-appointed Veterans Affairs Secretary, has said the department isn’t cutting critical health care or benefits. 

To discuss these massive cuts to federal agencies, Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell joined The Metro. She represents Michigan’s 6th Congressional District and she’s been sounding the alarm about cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

More stories from The Metro on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025.

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