At the beginning of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s new memoir, armed protesters surround her house.

It’s December 2020, one month after the presidential election that Joe Biden won. He was not the preferred candidate of the armed mob shouting outside Benson’s home. 

The protestors yelled “treason” and “lock her up.”

In the moment, Michigan’s top election official tried to play it cool, all while her 4-year-old son sat unknowingly in front of the television watching “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”

Benson was indeed scared that night. But as she points out in her book, “The Purposeful Warrior,” “standing up to bullies” is nothing new for her. 

She did it investigating white supremacists in the American South, while she was dean of Wayne State’s law school, and during her tenure as Michigan’s Secretary of State amid President Donald Trump’s lies of a stolen election.

Benson joined The Metro this week to discuss her new book and why she is running to be Michigan’s next governor.

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Michigan schools have sputtered and stalled since the pandemic and advocates say the stakes are historically high.

According to a new report by the nonpartisan think tank Ed Trust-Midwest, Michigan ranks near the bottom nationwide in terms of how it funds students from low-income families.

Student learning, meanwhile, is stuck in a lethargic recovery following the virtual school days of COVID-19.

The report shows significant gaps in reading and math scores. Students from low-income households, students with disabilities, and Black and Latino students are all falling far behind.

At the same time, federal financial support for public schools remains uncertain as the Trump administration makes substantial cuts to the Department of Education.

These findings have animated a bipartisan group of Michigan leaders who say now is the time to act. They are calling for more investment, more accountability, and a concrete plan to support Michigan’s most vulnerable kids.

So what does this moment demand — and what happens if Michigan misses it? To answer these questions, Amber Arellano, executive director of Ed Trust-Midwest, joined The Metro.

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Editor’s note: This episode of The Metro aired prior to the president signing an executive order directing federal funding cuts to PBS and NPR.

Public trust in the free press has been steadily declining for decades and President Donald Trump’s combative relationship with the news media has further eroded that trust. He frequently refers to the free press as “the enemy of the people” and “fake news.” 

Those words have had an impact. 

In 2020, American journalists faced a sharp rise in attacks, especially during the Black Lives Matter protests. 

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, “at least 400 press freedom violations were reported, including physical assaults, arrests, and damage to equipment.”  

The committee found that many of these incidents, including roughly 300 assaults, were attributed to law enforcement.

On the campaign trail in 2024, Trump continued his rhetoric against the press.

“To get to me, somebody would have to shoot through the fake news. I don’t mind that so much,” he told a crowd in Pennsylvania.

Now, after Trump’s first 100 days in office, the Committee to Protect Journalists is sounding a louder alarm. 

It says the beginning of Trump’s term has “been marked by a flurry of executive actions that have created a chilling effect and have the potential to curtail media freedoms. These measures threaten the availability of independent, fact-based news for vast swaths of America’s population.”

Trump has banned reporters from his press conferences. He is selective of which media outlets he speaks to, and he has filed multiple lawsuits accusing media companies of misconduct against him. 

The president is also taking aim at NPR and PBS.

NPR reported last month that the administration plans to request Congress cut funding from NPR and PBS — news and information that is not profit-based and relies on funding from listeners, sponsorships, and the government. WDET is an NPR affiliate station that also would feel strong impacts from these cuts.

NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik joined The Metro on Thursday to talk more about this.

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Recreational marijuana has been legal in Michigan for nearly six years, and cannabis culture is thriving. Dozens of dispensaries have opened up across the city and metro Detroit more broadly. 

But even as states like Michigan bring in millions of dollars in tax revenue from legalized cannabis, thousands of people are still sitting in state and federal prisons for marijuana offenses. And, as with many issues in the American criminal justice system, racism is central to this issue.

A 2020 report by the ACLU found that more than six million marijuana arrests occurred between 2010 and 2018. And in every state — including those that have legalized marijuana — Black people are still more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white people.

The nonprofit Last Prisoner Project is on Capitol Hill this week as part of a larger effort to lobby for justice reform. Founded in 2019, the organization works within the criminal justice system to help individuals who are still incarcerated for cannabis.

Adrian Rocha, director of policy for the project, joined The Metro on Wednesday to discuss the group’s efforts and the stark racial contrast in incarceration rates.

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In Detroit, it’s not entirely uncommon to make a wrong turn that leads you toward another country. Some of us have made this mistake… and found ourselves on the Ambassador Bridge to Canada. It’s annoying — and more than a headache. But recently, this wrong turn has been much more impactful for immigrants. 

After making that wrong turn, more than 200 people have recently been detained at the border this year in a facility that is not equipped for detention. Migrants seeking asylum in Canada who’ve been turned back have also been detained, according to an NPR investigation. 

That investigation led to an inquiry by Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who held a press conference on the matter last week with staff attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan and the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center.

Tlaib says the 213 people detained at the bridge since January included families with children. At least 90% of the individuals detained were people who made a wrong turn, she said.

Ruby Robinson, senior managing attorney with the Michigan Immigrants Rights Center, joined The Metro on Tuesday to talk more about the detainments.

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Arab Detroit is constantly in flux. In the last 10 years, new communities of refugees from Syria, Iraq and Yemen have settled here. And each new community brings with them different perspectives of what it means to make it in America — to be American. 

The backdrop is that many have fled political crises that the U.S. has initiated or intensified. 

But when they arrive in the U.S., some Arabs in metro Detroit learn that speaking up about these conflicts can be a thorny matter. Still, the last 10 years have ushered in a new wave of political representation and engagement led by Arab lawmakers and residents.

The new book, “Beyond Refuge in Arab Detroit,“ explores how life is changing for Arab Americans in Detroit and what it means to thrive here during a time of intense political turmoil — both here in the U.S. and also in many of the countries Arabs have fled.

It weaves together writings from multiple contributors who delve into politics, environmental justice and sexual stigma and violence — all through the lens of Arabs in metro Detroit.

Sally Howell is one of the editors of the book, and a professor of history and Arab American studies at University of Michigan-Dearborn. She joined The Metro on one of the last days of Arab American Heritage Month to discuss the book.

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We’re four months away from the primary and already, there’s drama with Detroit’s city council race.

Unofficially, there are 45 people vying for nine seats on the council in the Aug. 5 primary election. District 6 Councilwoman Gabriela Santiago-Romero was supposed to be among them, but didn’t make it on the ballot after being disqualified for failing to pay a campaign finance fee, according to the City Election Department. 

Santiago-Romero called her removal erroneous and “undemocratic,” and is now suing the Detroit City Clerk’s Office and Clerk Janice Winfrey to get her name restored on the ballot.

Detroit reporter Sam Robinson has been covering the story for his Substack, Detroit One Million. He joined the show to share the latest on the race.

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More stories from The Metro on Monday, April 28, 2025:

• Political analysts say Canada’s federal election is the most important in decades
• New MOCAD exhibit to highlight contributions of Black tech innovators
• Detroit public schools have higher than average teacher retention rates, report finds

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

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Many have criticized U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in recent weeks for making sweeping claims about the cause and prevalence of autism and the United States.

At a news conference last week, Kennedy called autism “an epidemic” due to rising diagnosis rates, attributing the rise to “an environmental exposure.” He also called autism “a preventable disease,” promising to launch studies to find out what “caused the autism epidemic” and “eliminate those exposures” by September.

While it’s true that autism rates are on the rise, health experts say the increase is much more likely due to better screenings and higher diagnosis rates in recent years. The definition of autism has also broadened to include a variety of neurodivergent conditions, known as Autism Spectrum Disorders. 

“Autism destroys families,” Kennedy said. “More importantly, it destroys our greatest resource, which is our children. These are children who should not be suffering like this.”

Kennedy’s broad claims mirror a larger problem: There are persistent misconceptions about autism that affect autistic people and the way the world interacts with them. 

To discuss all of this, Autism Alliance of Michigan President and CEO Colleen Allen joined The Metro. She also founded the Henry Ford Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities.

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–WDET’s Jenny Sherman contributed to this report.

More stories from The Metro on Wednesday, April 23:

• How children’s education impacts parental dementia risk
• Detroit Fashion Revolution Week aims to reshape industry toward sustainability
• What’s behind Dearborn’s drastic drop in fatal overdoses?
• How Community Violence Intervention programs stop harm before it happens

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

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Caring for the poor and having mercy for the marginalized were values that played a central role in Pope Francis’ leadership, which touched many parts of the world.

In Vatican City, Pope Francis created a sanctuary for people experiencing homelessness. He called them Nobles of the Street.

In Gaza, a small war-torn parish received daily calls from Pope Francis. The pontiff began making those calls shortly after the war in Gaza started in October 2023. 

In southern France, Pope Francis inspired Le Village de Francois, a community partnership offering shared living spaces for vulnerable people, from the elderly to former sex workers and people with disabilities. 

And in Detroit, the late pontiff continues to inspire the work of the Pope Francis Center, which was renamed in his honor in 2016. Led by Father Tim McCabe, the Pope Francis Center welcomes many vulnerable people through its doors, offering everything from meals and hot showers to access to laundry facilities.

McCabe joined The Metro on Tuesday to discuss the life and legacy of Pope Francis and how the center will continue to embody the pontiff’s cherished values.

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–WDET’s Jenny Sherman contributed to this report.

More stories from The Metro on Tuesday, April 22:

• WDET is ‘rooting’ itself in local environmental reporting with tree canopy project
• Enjoy ‘Art in the Trees’ at Palmer Park in celebration of Earth Day
• Detroit Public Library is ready to help in many ways
• Michigan ends mandatory life sentences for 19 and 20-year-olds convicted of murder

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

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

Crowds at Detroit Metro Airport recently cheered and sang as four children from Gaza arrived in wheelchairs. The children are amputees and are among thousands in Gaza who have lost limbs from Israeli bombardments. 

Now, they face severe, life-altering injuries. 

The Israel-Hamas war in Gaza has made that tiny part of the world — which is roughly the same geographical size as Detroit — home to the highest number of amputee children per capita. 

The World Health Organization says this crisis of child amputees is especially dire because these kids have little access to medical care. Israeli air strikes have decimated what was an already fragile medical system. Many children who have lost their limbs must have surgery without anesthesia, according to the United Nations. 

Steve Sosebee is trying to do something about that. He orchestrates complex plans to evacuate and treat Gazan kids through his organization HEAL Palestine — including the four children who arrived at Detroit Metro Airport on April 13. 

He joined The Metro on Tuesday along with HEAL Palestine volunteer Yasmeen Hamed, a Dearborn Heights mother who has opened her home to multiple young Palestinians who have arrived in the U.S. for treatment after experiencing intense pain and trauma.

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More stories from The Metro on Tuesday, April 15:

• Cutting the ribbon on new affordable housing in Southwest Detroit
• A professor’s thoughts on reforming DEI at universities
• WDET celebrating the life and legacy of Judy Adams at Garden Theater this weekend
• Gov. Whitmer talks tariffs at the Detroit Economic Club

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

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Last school year, the number of Michigan students who missed more than 10% of school days was among the highest in the nation, at nearly 30%. The rate among Detroit students was more than double that. 

Wayne State University researchers Jeremy Singer and Sarah Lenhoff argue schools alone cannot solve the problem. They say local and state leaders must enact policies that address some of the roots causes of chronic absenteeism, like poverty.

Their new book, “Rethinking Chronic Absenteeism: Why Schools Can’t Solve It Alone,” urges school and government leaders to focus less on what happens in schools and more on the many systemic factors that make getting to class tough for students and their families. 

Singer, a professor of teaching at Wayne State University and associate director of the Detroit Partnership for Education Equity and Research, joined The Metro to explain.

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More stories from The Metro on Monday, April 14:

• New series explores health care education, access for Bangladeshi women
• Detroiter tapped to lead National PAL’s youth mental health and wellness program
• New campaign demands accountability, systemic change for survivors of child abuse
• Highland Park is replacing its 115-year-old water system

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More Americans are getting sick from preventable illnesses, especially kids. 

Here in Michigan, measles cases have recently been confirmed in Oakland, Macomb, and Kent counties. In Texas, two children have died from measles. Both were unvaccinated.

Health experts say measles deaths could become more common, marking a shift backwards. Measles was declared eradicated in the U.S. 25 years ago following what state officials describe as “a highly effective vaccination program in the U.S.” along with better measles control across North, Central and South America.

But the landscape for infectious diseases is changing. Vaccine skepticism and hesitancy are on the rise. So far this year, over 600 confirmed measles cases have been reported across multiple states. For comparison, there were 285 measles cases reported for all of 2024.

Outbreaks are on the rise as well. The vast majority of measles cases are outbreak-associated, which is defined as three or more related cases. 

The nation’s hub for addressing infectious diseases — the Department of Health and Human Services — has faced major cuts under the Trump administration. Experts say those cuts could affect the response to infectious diseases at the local, state and national level.

Dr. Teena Chopra, infectious disease specialist and assistant dean at Wayne State University’s School of Medicine, joined The Metro to help us understand the situation. 

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More stories from The Metro on Wednesday, April 9:

• Attorney representing pro-Palestine protestor detained at Detroit Metro Airport
• Changes underway on Monroe Street in Greektown
• Local impact of federal cuts to libraries and museums

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Gaza is a “news graveyard,” according to the Costs of War project at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs.

At least 232 journalists and media workers have been killed since the war in Gaza began. Some appear to have been targeted by the Israeli army, while others were killed alongside civilians. 

“The war in Gaza has, since October 2023, killed more journalists than the U.S. Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War (including the conflicts in Cambodia and Laos), the wars in Yugoslavia in the 1990s and 2000s, and the post-9/11 war in Afghanistan, combined,” a Costs of War report reads.

On Sunday, the number of journalist fatalities grew when an Israeli airstrike hit a tent camp in a hospital complex in southern Gaza. 

Journalist Helmi al-Faqawi was among the 10 killed. At least nine other journalists were severely injured when the encampment caught fire. 

It has been said — about journalists in Gaza and in many other places — that you can kill a journalist, but you can’t kill the story. 

This unflinching spirit of the press — to seek out the truth and report it at any cost — is central to The Gaza Project. It is a collaboration among more than 40 journalists across a dozen news organizations. Forbidden Stories is coordinating the project. The nonprofit works “to continue and publish the work of other journalists facing threats, prison, or murder.”

Hoda Osman is the executive editor at Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism, among the news organizations working on The Gaza Project. She joined The Metro to discuss the findings thus far from The Gaza Project and some of the journalists who have been killed.

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More stories from The Metro on Tuesday, April 8:

• Detroit’s oldest choir has a new director
• ‘Jazz-A-Bet’ book bridges music history and children’s literature
• Fighting food waste with composting in metro Detroit

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

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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. 

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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

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