The Detroit Auto Show officially begins Wednesday as the event’s media and industry days get underway.  Hundreds of journalists from around the world are in town to see the latest offering from Detroit’s automakers and other manufacturers.  

Detroit Auto Dealers Association executive director Sam Klemet says this year’s show will be unlike any other in recent history. “It’s one thing to look into the rearview mirror of what has been.  That kind of takes your eyes off the road ahead.  I think that people who come to the 2026 show will have a very different, positive engaged experience that we haven’t had in a number of years.  So, I think it will be a show that really resets the tone of what the Detroit Auto Show is all about.” 

The charity preview takes place on Friday evening.  The show opens to the public on Saturday and runs through Jan. 25 at Huntington Place in Detroit. 

Additional headlines for Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026

NACTOY awards announced 

The 2026 North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year awards were announced today.  A group of 50 automotive journalists rate the vehicles on several criteria, including design, safety, technology and performance.  

The 2026 Car of the Year is the Dodge Charger.  The Truck of the Year is the Ford Maverick Lobo.  And the Utility Vehicle of the Year is the Hyundai Palisade. 

Trump speaks to Detroit Economic Club 

President Trump traveled to Detroit Tuesday to connect with the auto industry.  He toured the Ford Rouge plant in Dearborn and talked with company leaders before heading into the city to speak to members of the Detroit Economic Club at the Motor City Casino.  

During his wide-ranging remarks, the president touted the strength of the economy and claimed that affordability is a “fake word”. He also made allegations of rigged elections and called for stronger voter identification requirements. 

Trump protests shadow Econ Club event 

Hundreds of demonstrators showed up outside of the Motor City Casino Tuesday to protest against President Trump and his administration’s policies, particularly those involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  

The protest was peaceful, but Detroit Police did arrest a couple of people for failing to move when ordered to do so. 

Detroit casino revenue surpasses $1 billion 

Detroit’s three casinos earned more than $1.2 billion in revenue last year, according to numbers released by the Michigan Gaming Control Board Tuesday.  Nearly 80% of that came from slot machines. 

The three casinos are reporting lower revenues for December.  The gaming houses brought in $105.1 million last month.  That’s down more than 5% from December 2024.  MGM Grand held nearly half of the city’s gaming market at 49%.  Motor City controlled 29 % and Hollywood Casino at Greektown held 22% of the market.  

The three casinos paid $12.4 million in taxes and wagering agreement fees to the City of Detroit last month.  They paid another $8.4 million in taxes to the State of Michigan in December. 

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While President Trump was inside Motor City Casino on Tuesday, protesters outside were braving the elements and aggression by the Detroit Police Department.

A group of demonstrators marched from Cass Park in front of the Masonic Temple and to the sidewalk in front of the casino at the corner of Temple and Grand River Avenue.

After being allowed to peacefully assemble for a few minutes, Detroit Police forced protesters down Grand River to a less visible location on the casino’s west side at Trumbull Ave and Elm Street.

A Detroit Police officer – who would not give his name, only the numbers 168 – threatened protesters and members of the press with arrest if they did not move. At least two protesters were arrested.

What the protesters have to say

Sarah Reed of Farmington Hills carried an inverted American flag – a symbol of distress. She stood in front of the advancing officers in an act of defiance.

Reed was surprised by their aggression. “It’s a public sidewalk, and if you and I were there this evening, this morning, before any of this, they’d have no issue with us being on the sidewalk,” Reed said.

Reed, the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, said she wants the president to resign. But she had a message for Democrats too. “Get off your asses and fight,” Reed said.

Troy resident Jake Malacos used his lunch hour to protest. He says he was happy to be around protesters because a show of solidarity is good for the community.

As for why he was picketing: “Well, the corruption from the Trump administration. The brutality. The murder of Renee Good. Most of the policies that he’s putting out are pretty rough for me,” Malacos said.

Once DPD had pushed the protesters to the designated 1st Amendment area on Trumbull, about 1,000 protesters marched to Detroit Public Safety.

Officially, Detroit Police do not work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but they do share office space.

Tuesday marks the fifth anniversary of the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.  A large group protesting the results of the 2020 election— claiming Joe Biden’s win was fraudulent—broke into the capitol building, destroying property, assaulting officers, and threatening elected officials. 

The events of January 6 resulted in several deaths and over a thousand arrests.

President Donald Trump pardoned most insurrectionists when reentering office in the past year, saying that the Biden administration over-prosecuted the group.

Melissa Nann-Burke was the Washington Bureau Chief for the Detroit News at that time of the insurrection.  She was working in the House chamber on January 6 and witnessed events from the inside. 

She spoke with WDET’s Jake Neher about it later that week on MichMash.

President Trump claimed overnight that the United States carried out airstrikes in Venezuela and “captured” President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, following a series of explosions and fires reported around Caracas in the early hours of the morning.

In a post on Truth Social published early Saturday morning, Trump said the U.S. had “successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro,” adding that Maduro and his wife had been “captured” and flown out of the country. Trump said the operation was conducted “in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement” and announced a news conference for 11 a.m. EST at Mar-a-Lago.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York on drug, arms and conspiracy charges.

“They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,” she said.

Read the entire article on NPR.org

Detroit Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield says she will retain Todd Bettison as the city’s police chief.  

In a statement released Tuesday, Sheffield praised Bettison’s results – citing Detroit’s record drops in violent crime – including the lowest homicide rate since the mid-1960s.  

Bettison had a 27-year long career in the police department, before becoming Detroit’s Deputy Mayor in 2022.  Mayor Duggan made him Police Chief earlier this year after former Chief James White left to become the head of the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network. 

Additional headlines from Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Sewer tunnelling project  

The Great Lakes Water Authority is starting a new project with the goal of alleviating sewage overflows in parts of Southwest Detroit.  The authority will hold a ceremony Thursday to launch the assembly and operation of a tunnel-boring machine.  

The $87 million infrastructure project will eventually build a three-quarter mile long tunnel that will redirect excess rainwater and snow melt away from the normal system into the Oakwood Retention Treatment Basin.  The GLWA says that should reduce sewage levels and overflows into the Rouge River.   

The tunnelling is scheduled to begin in the spring. 

North Corktown housing 

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has announced a new housing development in Detroit’s North Corktown neighborhood.  

The project will create 23 new apartments and retail space.  About 30% of the apartments will be classified as affordable housing.

The state is providing a $1.5 million grant from its Revitalization and Placemaking program.  The Detroit Economic Growth Corporation is also providing a $530,000 low-interest loan for the project. 

Trump addresses the nation 

President Donald Trump says he will deliver an address to the nation tonight.  He announced the action Tuesday on his Truth Social platform.  The president did not immediately say what the subject of his speech would be.  

The live address from the White House takes place at 9 p.m. and will be available on select broadcast and online platforms. 

Windsor street renaming 

Just across the river, the Chaldean Association of Windsor is holding a special street renaming ceremony.  

A section of Marentette Avenue will get the secondary name “Chaldean Way.”  Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens and other officials will be on hand for the ceremony.  The association says there are thousands of Chaldeans living in and around Windsor. 

 The event takes place at 3 p.m. on Friday. 

Christmas Eve one week away 

And Christmas Eve is just a week away.  That means many merchants around Detroit will be busier than normal as residents do their holiday shopping.  

Many large retailers will have extended hours to accommodate additional shoppers.  Independent stores may have expanded hours too, but check before you go.  

And if you haven’t been downtown in a while, you can look for several new shops, especially along Woodward Avenue near the new Hudson’s building.  

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