What does it take to start over?

For thousands of people leaving Michigan prisons every year, it can come down to one piece of plastic: A photo ID.

This month, the Michigan Department of Corrections hit a milestone, having distributed thirty thousand government-issued IDs to incarcerated people since 2020.

That matters, because without an ID, you can’t get a job, sign a lease, open a bank account — you can’t even prove you’re you.

One in five people who leave Michigan prisons end up going back. The state says that’s the lowest it’s ever been. But what does a second chance actually look like when you walk out the door with so little?

Rick Speck knows this firsthand. He was released in 2014 after 15 years in prison. He didn’t have an ID. Now, he’s the deputy director of Nation Outside — a Michigan reentry nonprofit run by those who were formerly incarcerated.

He spoke with Robyn Vincent about his experiences and what our state and culture would look like if we believed more deeply in second chances.

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When someone is in distress, who should respond to the call for help? Police officers or social workers?

After the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter Movement, police departments reformed. Throughout the country and around Michigan, police hired mental health professionals — or co-responders — to respond to 911 calls, alone or with cops. 

Now, the question of who should take the lead on distress calls has become all the more pressing. Last month, this query was thrust into the public eye once again. That’s when Ypsilanti residents became upset after a SWAT team had a 30-hour standoff with someone they say was experiencing a mental health crisis. 

Hillary Nusbaum is a co-responder supervisor for the Oakland Community Health Network. Her organization partners with Oakland County police departments by having co-responders work alongside police officers. 

Producer Sam Corey spoke with Nusbaum about what a co-responder does and when they should be called to take action on a 911 call. 

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Grocery stores offer colorful produce aisles, where pyramid-shaped mounds of apples, oranges and lemons sit waiting for your inspection.

In that moment, you might wonder — how did the prices on those apples and oranges and lemons come to be? Who decided on that particular number?

Food prices are influenced by many factors. And in recent years, the numbers have been going up.

In 2022, food prices increased by almost 10% — the largest increase since 1979. And while they haven’t increased as much since then, fruits and vegetables are still becoming pricier. Lettuce, for example, is up over 7% since last year. Why? And how much have prices changed because of President Donald Trump’s tariffs and immigration policies?

Bill Loupée is the COO of Ben B. Schwartz & Sons wholesaler, which operates out of Detroit. He spoke with Robyn Vincent. .

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On Wednesday, the Great Lakes Water Authority will vote on a nearly 7% water rate increase and a 6% sewer increase.

Last year, GLWA proposed an even bigger hike — close to 8% for water — but public testimony at the hearing pushed the board to lower it. Wednesday’s hearing is another chance for residents to weigh in. What’s driving these increases — and why does water keep getting more expensive?

Suzanne Coffey is CEO of the Great Lakes Water Authority or GLWA. She spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent.

On The Metro, we also spoke about GLWA rate hikes — and why utility costs are rising — with Nick Schroek, dean of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. You can listen to that conversation here.

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Across metro Detroit, some leaders’ stances against ICE have gotten firmer. 

The Detroit police chief is not allowing his officers to work with ICE. Last week, Sterling Heights Mayor Michael Taylor spoke with The Metro about his criticisms of the institution.

Now, in Southfield, federal and state lawmakers are trying to stop ICE from opening an administrative office. 

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald, who is running to be Michigan’s Attorney General, has expressed concerns about ICE enforcement, and the presence of ICE agents in her jurisdiction. She spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent about that and more.

The Metro contacted US Immigration and Customs Enforcement prior to this conversation. They did not respond with a comment by the time this aired.

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There’s a lot of fear and uncertainty in Iran right now. 

Protestors have faced a violent reaction from Iran’s political leaders, resulting in the death of thousands of Iranians. But the demonstrations, nonetheless, have continued — and not just in Iran. 

This past weekend, the Iranian diaspora and others — amounting to hundreds of thousands of people around the world — protested the Iranian government. 

The demonstrations occurred in Germany and Los Angeles and Toronto and across the river, in Windsor.

One of the people participating the ongoing protests is Mahshid Soleimani. She’s a PhD student at the University of Windsor and a leader of an Iranian student group on campus. She spoke about her perspective, as part of the Iranian diaspora, with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent.

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In 2023, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed one of the most aggressive clean energy laws in the country — requiring Michigan utilities to hit 50% renewable energy by 2030 and 100% clean electricity by 2040. That plan assumed federal policy would be moving in the same direction. Things like federal tax credits, Environmental Protection Agency regulations, and infrastructure money for electric vehicles were anticipated to follow.

But that’s not what’s happening now. Last week, the Trump administration revoked the EPA’s ability to regulate pollution.

What does that decision mean for Michigan? What does it mean for DTE and Consumers Energy, which are both tasked with transitioning to clean energy sources instead of relying on things like natural gas?

Liesl Clark is the director of climate action engagement for the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability. She also used to run the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. 

The Metro‘s Sam Corey spoke with the director about the president’s actions and what she would recommend the state do now.

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How is the Trump administration doing overall at managing the economy? 

There are bright spots: inflation is down, unemployment is low, and the stock market is strong. But there are also concerns: Prices are still high in many areas, there’s been a hiring freeze across a number of industries, and most of the investments energy is are concentrated in artificial intelligence — not spread across a diverse range of sectors. 

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is traditionally pro-free market, pro-business, and conservative leaning — and that’s also true for their partner organizations around the country.

Faye Nemer is the CEO of the Middle East North Africa American Chamber of Commerce, which operates out of Dearborn. She told producer Sam Corey that she generally likes how the Trump administration is managing the economy. She thinks the tariffs are strategic. And while Nemer realizes small businesses are hurting, she thinks that’s likely to change as national policies will trickle down to everyone else.

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In metro Detroit, the vast majority of residents live within a 10-minute drive of a grocery store. But if you don’t have a reliable car, it’s a different story. Less than half of residents can reach those same stores by walking, biking, or taking a bus. And the same pattern holds for schools and healthcare facilities. 

We need to do better at linking the city and suburbs by bus, bike, and foot— but how?

Ben Stupka is the executive director of the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan. He spoke with Robyn Vincent about what the RTA hopes to accomplish this year to connect neighborhoods and people.

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Late last year, Rogelio Landin ran for mayor of Detroit on a simple platform: the city should annex some of its surrounding communities. Detroit needs people, and those suburbs need money. With annexation, the city could expand and gain more revenue to share with its new residents.

Landin didn’t get many votes, but the idea was provocative. What if metro Detroit acted more like a coherent region, instead of dozens of separate municipalities all going it alone? What could that unlock?

Rogelio Landin spoke with Robyn Vincent about that and more.

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Across Michigan, city leaders and police chiefs are asking  the same question: how should they work with federal immigration officers?

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been active across southeast Michigan, including in Livonia, Ypsilanti, Detroit, and other cities. ICE detention centers have been proposed in Highland Park and Romulus. We already know some of the outcomes.

In Michigan, from January to October of last year, ICE arrested over 2,300 people and detained almost the same amount, according to the Deportation Data Project. That number has nearly tripled since last year. 

Some city council members in Michigan have called for limitations on ICE and have supported state bills aimed at that exactly. But many Michigan mayors have remained silent on the issue. 

That’s not the case for Michael Taylor. He’s the mayor of Sterling Heights, where nearly 28% of residents are immigrants. He’s recently made headlines for wanting his city’s police department to separate itself from federal agents. 

He spoke with Robyn Vincent about what kinds of ICE policies he thinks Michigan cities should have.

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Most everyone wants students to have good teachers. But how do we adequately prepare educators, and keep them in the profession?

That’s a pressing question as teacher retention drops in Michigan. And it’s the most pressing in school districts with more poverty. 

Ten years ago, only a handful of Michigan school districts reported permanent teaching vacancies. Today, that number has exploded: more than 150 districts now have jobs they can’t fill.

Some in the state are trying to fix this. 

Jack Elsey leads the Michigan Educator Workforce Initiative. His nonprofit is launching a collaboration with some public universities in the state to change the way teachers are trained, and to keep them in the field. He spoke with Robyn Vincent.

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Detroit has a lot of needs, including things like bus transit, policing and security, and trash pickup. Those things cost money — money that can be difficult to come up with in a city of relative poverty. 

But with more people spending time in Detroit, and even moving to the city, it also has more opportunity to raise revenue. 

The Citizens Research Council investigated whether a sales tax could benefit residents by generating $72 million a year. Madhu Anderson is the council’s senior research associate for local government affairs. She believes a sales tax isn’t a great idea, but offered other possible ways Detroit could raise revenue. Anderson spoke with The Metro‘s Sam Corey.

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Affordability. That’s the word that’s been buzzing around politics. 

In November, Democrats across the country won on the promise of reducing the cost of living. 

But it’s not just liberals that are embracing an “affordability agenda.” Conservatives and libertarians are latching on as well. 

Jarrett Skorup is the vice president of marketing and communications at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, which appreciates the free market and criticizes government regulation. 

In this conversation, The Metro‘s Sam Corey spoke with him about why he thinks unregulated capitalism can help free people from the burden of rising costs.

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To counter President Donald Trump’s agenda, liberals aren’t discussing democracy. They’re talking about the issue of affordability.

Last year, Congressional Democrats fought a previous budget bill on the grounds that peoples’ healthcare costs would rise if it passed. In November, Democrats ran across the country — and won — on reducing the cost of living. Last month, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer unveiled a plan to make America more affordable. 

But what, exactly, is an affordability agenda? And how are politicians trying to resolve the affordability crisis?

EJ Dionne is a New York Times opinion writer, a professor at Georgetown University, and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. He joined Robyn Vincent to discuss.

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Many have been actively engaging and organizing against federal immigration enforcement and the killings of Americans at the hands of immigration agents.

It’s been true in Minneapolis, where thousands have taken to the streets. And it’s spread from there to Detroit and many other places across the nation.

Scenes in America this past weekend harkened back to the civil rights era with people taking to the streets, students walking out of class, and businesses shutting down for a national day of protest against ICE and the Trump administration. 

All these actions have us wondering: How effective have anti-ICE protests been so far? And when exactly is a protest successful?

Gloria J. Browne-Marshall is a professor of constitutional law at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She’s also the author of “A Protest History of the United States.” She joined Robyn Vincent to discuss.

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Of all the architects in Detroit, one of the best known may be Albert Kahn. He designed some of the city’s most treasured buildings, including the Belle Isle Conservancy, the Fisher Building, and the Detroit Athletic Club. 

Even still, a lot of people don’t know that much about Kahn. They don’t know how or why his work changed architecture in Detroit, or any of his design preferences. 

Chris Meister is the author of the new book, “Albert Kahn’s Daylight: An Architect Reconsidered.” He spoke with The Metro’s Sam Corey about why much of Kahn’s work prioritized natural light.

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Over the past decade, homelessness has been down in Oakland County. But in the last three years, it’s been trending up again. 

The 2024 point-in-time count found that about 1,700 people were homeless in Oakland County. 

Last week, the locality conducted its latest count while Wayne County had one on Wednesday. We don’t have the official results from either count yet, but, according to Ryan Hertz, the number of families that are homeless is growing, even as chronically homeless individuals are getting housing more often.

The Metro’s Sam Corey spoke with the CEO and president of the anti-poverty organization, Lighthouse, to learn more.

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Yesterday, President Donald Trump said he is going to “de-escalate a little bit” in Minnesota. But the protests against ICE in that state have continued as federal officers have remained on the ground.

One of the larger demonstrations in Minneapolis occurred last Friday. That’s when businesses closed and thousands of people took to the streets. It was also the day before Alex Pretti was shot and killed by federal agents. 

Interim Executive Director for The Detroit Jews for Justice Lisa Tencer was in Minneapolis on Friday. The Metro‘s Sam Corey spoke with her about why she went, and what she saw.

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