The City of Detroit will spend more than $2 million to expand after-school programs. The funding will allow the nonprofit Get On and Learn or GOAL Line to add programs at four recreation centers and three library branches for all public, charter, and home school students in the city.  

Sheffield says the expansion brings the city one step closer to her goal to have an after-school program within a 2 mile radius of every school in the city.  “So with the support of the city, the state, philanthropic funds, we’re going to keep fighting every day to ensure that every child in this city and every zip code has access to after-school programming. “

The program provides sports, tutoring, and more, plus transportation to participating locations.  

Additional headlines for Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026

Rabbis critique Michigan Democrats, El-Sayed’s stance on Israel

Some liberal rabbis are calling on Michigan Democrats and the party’s U.S. Senate nominee to be more welcoming to Jews. 

Non-negotiable Michigan is asking Abdul El-Sayed and state party leaders to be more forceful about supporting Jewish safety, self-determination and sovereignty in Israel. 

Southfield Rabbi Aaron Starr says he’s concerned about how often Israel is criticized compared to other nations. “We can’t help but hear, when the only Jewish state in the entire world, a tiny fraction, a tiny sliver of the Middle East, let alone the whole population, when it is singled out, as opposed to all the bad actors in this world, we can’t help but hear antisemitism.”

El-Sayed has been working to make amends with Jewish Democrats who voted against him during the primary—often saying he cares about Jewish safety like that of his own daughter 

His Republican opponent, former Congressman Mike Rogers, has been courting support from Jewish voters.

Wayne State receives NIH grant to study air pollution

The National Institutes of Health awards almost $4 million to two Wayne State University researchers. Doctors Marianna Sadagurski and J. Richard Pilsner will use the money to study the impact air pollution in Detroit has on aging and cognitive health. 

Sadagurski’s preliminary research shows exposure to a mix of chemicals in the air impairs cognitive function and causes chronic inflammation. 

Emergency preparedness

Detroit residents can learn basic medical response, disaster preparedness and other critical emergency skills at a training the city is hosting next week. The Community Emergency Response Team Volunteer Training runs from September 17-19 and 26. The free training includes training on using defibrillators, caring for injuries like wounds and fractures, and other life saving skills.

Class times vary by day. Participants must complete all four sessions to receive certification. They take place at Detroit Emergency Management and Homeland Security at 13331 Lyndon. Register at detroitmi.gov/emhs or call 313-596-1742.

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

Michigan is in the national spotlight. 

That’s in part because of the state’s open U.S. Senate seat. If Democrats lose, their path to a Senate majority all but closes.

The race can tell us a lot about the direction of the Democratic Party — what is seen as acceptable to voters, and what appears too extreme. 

That’s because trends here represent things happening elsewhere, in places where manufacturing is declining but still deemed important, where wages are stagnating, and where younger people are leaving in hopes of finding greener pastures in other states. 

So, how should we be looking at the Senate race between Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers? What does it tell us about the politics of the median Michigan voter? And what does it say about the kinds of politics that are possible. 

Adrian Hemond is the CEO of the bipartisan advocacy firm, Grassroots Midwest. He’s also a longtime Democrat. He spoke with The Metro‘s Sam Corey.

Editor’s Note: In this conversation, Adrian Hemond said Dr. Abdul El-Sayed has associated with people who have committed acts of antisemitism. He did not name anyone on air, and we did not press him to at the time. We should have. WDET asked Hemond afterward for specifics and reviewed what he provided. None of it involved conduct by Dr. El-Sayed, and we found no evidence supporting the claim as stated. We should not have let it air unchallenged.

An earlier version of this note included material that did not meet our editorial standards.

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This has been a hard moment for many Jewish people. Antisemitism has been on the rise, and Americans’ views of Israel are now mostly negative. 

Those are big changes. And they’re translating into political shifts. 

It’s unknown how a majority of liberal Jewish residents voted during the Democratic Senate Primary. But a lot of older Jews are unsure of how to vote now that Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is the Democratic nominee. Do they support him or do they vote for Republican Mike Rogers?

This question carries weight beyond the election itself. It represents larger quandaries about what it means to be Jewish, about what antisemitism actually is, and about whether one can feel warmth toward Israel while being critical of its government.

Andy Levin organized for unions and served as president of his synagogue before running for office. His uncle, Carl Levin, served 36 years in the U.S. Senate, and his father, Sander Levin, served 36 in the House of Representatives. Andy Levin won his father’s seat in 2018 and held it for four years. Then redistricting put him in a primary against Congresswoman Haley Stevens. A super PAC tied to AIPAC spent more than $4 million to beat him, and it worked.

Levin spoke with host Robyn Vincent about why he’s supporting El-Sayed, and why many Jewish Metro Detroiters are struggling in this political moment.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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Michigan primaries usually come and go with most people not voting. They’re low-profile elections in August, and turnout tends to land somewhere around a quarter of registered voters. 

Last night was different.

Over 1.5 million ballots were counted in the Democratic Senate primary alone. That’s more than any non-presidential Democratic primary in this state going back to at least 1998.

That race, between Congresswoman Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed, is the most expensive Democratic Senate primary in history. El-Sayed won the primary.

Other progressive candidates won their races too: Donovan McKinney won the Democratic nomination for the 13th District seat in the U.S. House against incumbent Shri Thanedar, and Abbas Alawieh won the primary for Michigan senate in the 2nd District. 

Zach Gorchow is president of Gongwer News Service of Michigan and has covered state politics for a long time. He spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent about how this election shook out, and what it may mean come November.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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Outgoing US Senator Gary Peters is endorsing Congresswoman Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary for US Senate. 

Peters described Stevens as an “outstanding” candidate who will hit the ground running on day one. He talked about working with Stevens during the Obama administration and how he thinks that experience gives her a leg up over her opponent, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. 

“We want someone who can come in that doesn’t have a learning curve,” Peters said. “Someone who’s going to immediately represent the people of Michigan and fight for their interest. She’s Michigan through and through.” 

Peters changed his mind on endorsement

Peters said he wanted to stay out of endorsing in the Democratic primary until he realized how Michigan’s elections will impact the entire country. He said he sees “chaos” in the Trump administration, with inflated prices making it harder for Michiganders to buy gas and groceries. 

“It’s absolutely essential that a Democrat wins in Michigan. We need to have a check and balance with the administration,” Peters said. 

Peters denied his sudden endorsement meant the Stevens campaign was “panicked” as alleged by the Michigan Republican Party.

“That should be very telling when Republicans are making that comment. I guess they want the other candidate to win.”

El-Sayed has largely been leading in the polls since the beginning of May.

Representing Michigan

Peters described Michiganders as “practical, common-sense folks” who just want to get things done. To Peters, out-of-state endorsements for El-Sayed don’t reflect the needs of Michigan. 

“To me, this race is about Michigan,” Peters said. “It’s not about who’s attracting a national audience or who’s on national TV. It’s about who’s actually delivering for the people of Michigan.” 

However, money from outside sources like AIPAC has benefited Stevens’ campaign, with millions of dollars coming in for ad campaigns. 

Challenging the GOP

Peters says there would be big spending for Republicans in their primary if Mike Rogers had a serious challenger. 

“Whoever wins the primary, part of that $45 million of Republican money is going to go after that person with everything they’ve got, and that’s why you have to have someone who has a proven track record of actually winning tough races,” Peters said.  

What people should be focusing on instead of money, according to Peters, are the messages from each Democratic candidate.

On the Republican side, Peters said that Mike Rogers will serve as a “rubber stamp” for the Trump administration instead of serving the needs of Michigan. 

Come November, thousands of political seats are up for grabs.

One of the most compelling races in Michigan is the Senate. That’s in part because of what it says about the Democratic Party, especially after Mallory McMorrow dropped out.

Most polls have Abdul El-Sayed leading in the race, but there is still uncertainty as to whether he can defeat Haley Stevens, a sitting congresswoman who gained notoriety for her moderation, and for bailing out the auto industry.

Dennis Darnoi is the founder of Densar Consulting, based in Farmington. He says many voters want candidates that have an anti-institutional and populist bent.

“Progressive candidates are running against these establishment candidates and they’re being more successful because the Democratic base is really looking for two things: They’re looking for people who are going to fight and they’re looking for people who are anti-system.”

Darnoi spoke with The Metro’s Robyn Vincent about the Senate race and how it reflects changes to politics in Michigan and beyond.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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The United Auto Workers (UAW) endorsed Abdul El-Sayed for Michigan’s open U.S. senate seat and Jocelyn Benson for Governor.  

For UAW Region 1A Director Mark DePaoli, this move puts the union “back at the forefront” in terms of political influence.  

To determine which candidate receives their endorsement, DePaoli said the UAW Community Action Program (CAP) Board schedules meetings with candidates to ask questions and vote on who best reflects their values.  

“They ask a lot of tough questions because they want to be able to hold the candidates accountable for their answers,” DePaoli said.  

UAW rules require a two-thirds majority of CAP board member to agree in order for an endorsement to be made. 

“The best part about it is whether you’re one of the CAP reps from the plant, you’re one of the three Michigan directors, or you’re the president of the UAW, everybody’s vote weighs the same,” DePaoli said.  

Selecting a senate candidate

The CAP representatives came from each plant and facility represented by UAW, DePaoli said, and ended up voting in favor of El-Sayed.

Another way UAW members learn more about the candidates and their beliefs is through a public debate in which the candidates discuss their values.  

“It was live stream for all of our members, and the consensus at the end of that debate amongst everybody that was talking was that Abdul was the clear-cut winner,” DePaoli said. 

The vote was a surprise in some circles since the other two candidates—Congresswoman Haley Stevens and State Senator Mallory McMorrow—both have some background in the auto industry.

Stevens worked on the 2009 auto bailout in the Obama Administration. McMorrow trained as car designer. In autoworker-heavy Michigan, both candidates have leaned into drawing the interest of organized labor.

DePaoli said he was “dreading” the endorsement decision because each candidate had values that the UAW supported, but he decided that El-Sayed would be best suited to tackle the issue of healthcare, which DePaoli  referred to as “the biggest problem” for the majority of Americans.   

“We seem to be the only country where it’s acceptable for big business to make profit off of our illnesses,” DePaoli said. “Why not a health care expert in the U.S. Senate to help try and fix some of these problems?” 

El-Sayed said he was “deeply honored” to receive the endorsement from UAW. El-Sayed makes it a point that his campaign is built from union members instead of “corporate PAC money, AIPAC and Washington insiders.” 

“Together, we’re going to take on corporate greed, rebuild an economy that works for working people, strengthen collective bargaining and ensure that the future of Michigan manufacturing is built right here by union workers,” El-Sayed said.  

In the past, the UAW has almost exclusively endorsed Democratic candidates. According to DePaoli, UAW leadership invited all candidates for the U.S. Senate seat, and only three Democrats attended. Republican Mike Rogers did not attend.

“It makes it hard to endorse somebody that doesn’t even bother to come out and listen to the questions and hear the concerns of your membership, let alone give an answer,” DePaoli said. “I don’t think they even try to get Labor’s endorsement because they know they’re not going to vote any policies in favor of Labor.” 

Why Jocelyn Benson?

In the race for Michigan Governor, Jocelyn Benson has a financial advantage over Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson. She also has a lead in the polls.

According to DePaoli both candidates were worthy of backing and recently discussed their positions for the CAP board at UAW Local 600.

“Two great candidates coming from completely different backgrounds,” DePaoli said. “At the end of the day, we don’t completely trust in polls, but we were comfortable that Jocelyn Benson was the correct decision.”

None of the Republican candidates for governor showed up.

At the time, former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan was in the race and in the forum.

“I think a lot of people were surprised at how well he did,” DePaoli said. “But I think everybody had gotten to a point to say, well, even if we don’t endorse him—if he does win— we’re comfortable that we can work with him and get things done for labor.”

Duggan dropped out citing concerns over money and no path to victory given a recent surge for democrats. 

Michigan picks its next governor in November, and the Democratic frontrunner is Jocelyn Benson.

Benson made her name as Secretary of State when she refused to overturn Michigan’s 2020 election — even when armed protesters showed up at her Detroit home while she decorated a Christmas tree with her four-year-old son. The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award followed. So did the Presidential Citizens Medal.

Now she wants to replace Gretchen Whitmer in a state that voted for Donald Trump just 18 months ago.

Her path got easier last week when independent Mike Duggan dropped out, citing low poll numbers and fundraising struggles. She has also faced scrutiny along the way: her own Democratic attorney general ruled she’d broken state campaign-finance law launching her bid, and the Trump Justice Department sued her for Michigan’s voter rolls — a suit a federal judge dismissed in February.

The Metro’s Robyn Vincent had 15 minutes to find out what this all means.

This article has been updated to note that the U.S. Justice Department lawsuit against Michigan over voter rolls was dismissed in February 2026.

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In this episode

• Recap of the 2026 Democratic Endorsement Convention
• What stood out about the filing deadline?

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According to the team, there were few surprises during this year’s filing deadline. One development that stood out to Oosting was Republican James Hooper entering the race against U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib.

“James Hooper announced that no one filed, so he was going to give it a go,” Oosting said. “It’s good for a candidate to have at least one challenger. Rashida Tlaib is a lock for reelection, but what if something happens?”

The 13th congressional district in Detroit probably had the biggest news with Detroit City Councilwoman Mary Waters jumping into the race to challenge Shri Tanadar. Oosting said Waters jumping in may take votes away from state Rep. Donavan McKinney who was already running. “For [McKinney] to be successful you need a small primary field. Mary Waters getting into the race complicates things”. 

The party primary elections will be held on August 4th. 

• More from WDET:
  MichMash: Michigan Democrats hold 2026 state endorsement convention
  
  MichMash: Will the Michigan Senate race forecast other critical races across the nation?
  
  Detroit Evening Report: Shri Thanedar questions validity of campaign signatures submitted by Adam Hollier