The Trump administration wants American museums to be less critical of the nation’s history.

Yesterday, the Smithsonian Institution submitted documents about upcoming exhibitions and programming to the White House for a review of “improper ideology.”

Since last year, President Trump has been pressuring the Smithsonian Institution to celebrate American exceptionalism, and not to focus so much on the ugliest parts of American history, like the institution of slavery.

What the president does next remains to be seen, but the effort to censor and rewrite history and culture raises important questions about American culture and history.

Though museums are suddenly politicized spaces, they’re among the most trusted institutions in America, according to a survey by the American Alliance of Museums.

Devon Akmon, director of the Michigan State University Museum, argues that museums have an opportunity and responsibility to model the ways people can think and listen together.

He joined The Metro to discuss the implications of President Trump’s pressure campaign on the Smithsonian and cultural institutions in America.

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The Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor is nearly open, and its community benefits process is winding down.

The bridge will create a second international crossing between Detroit and Windsor-Essex and has been in the works for years. It was first proposed in the early 2000s and the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority was created in 2012. In 2019, a Community Benefits Plan was published by the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority. 

Residents on both sides of the border, including Delray in Detroit and Sandwich in Windsor, were engaged through a number of meetings and an advisory council was assembled. The report highlights key issues raised by community members:

• Workforce development
• Landscaping and aesthetics
• Construction effects
• Community safety 
• Economic development opportunities

Heather Grondin is the Chief Relations Officer for the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority. She joined The Metro to look at what community benefits were delivered for residents of Delray on the Detroit side, and Sandwich on the Windsor side.

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It’s easy to fall into a restaurant rut. But, it’s the new year, and that means a chance to turn the page and find some new places to eat. There’s a lot to be excited about in metro Detroit’s culinary world in 2026.

Melody Baetens, dining and entertainment reporter for Detroit News, compiled a list of new restaurant openings to look forward to in the coming year. She joined The Metro to take us through the list.

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Some people welcome winter in Michigan with open arms, while others watch the calendar until spring’s warmth returns.

One way to overcome the long, cold winter here in Michigan is to get outside and try some new activities.

Laura Herberg, reporter for Bridge Michigan, joined The Metro to walk us through the Michigan Dreaming Winter Bucket List.

12 activities made this year’s winter weather fun bucket list, with dog sledding in the Upper Peninsula taking the top spot and drop-in hockey on Belle Isle representing Southeast Michigan.

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A child has been diagnosed with measles in Oakland County. DMC Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital in Commerce Township has been identified as the likely site of exposure.

People who were in the Emergency Department of the hospital on Dec.  7, 2025  between 7:20 p.m. and 11:10 p.m. may have been exposed.

Kate Guzman, Oakland County Health Officer, told The Metro the child was not vaccinated for measles and had recently traveled domestically.

Vaccine recommendations changing at CDC, FDA

This follows a series of major changes to federal vaccine recommendations and guidelines, made under the leadership of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Kennedy is a vaccine skeptic and his views are becoming policy at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) both of which are under his supervision.

These changes include loosening recommendations for infants and toddlers regarding hepatitis B, chickenpox, measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR).

At the FDA, Vinay Prasad, the chief medical officer and head of evaluation and testing, issued a statement forecasting a more time and cost-intensive process for new vaccine approvals. Members of the medical community including former FDA officials, have shared concerns for public health, saying the proposed changes would make thoroughly tested and safe annual vaccines like the flu shot too expensive and time consuming to adapt to new versions of the virus.

Guests:

• Dr. Teena Chopra is a professor of infectious diseases and Assistant Dean of professional development in the School of Medicine at Wayne State University .
• Kate Guzman  is Oakland County’s health officer.

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Somewhere between the psychedelic 1960s and the arrival of punk in the late 1970s, Detroit had a unique imprint on American music with an avant-garde, noise rock scene. Destroy All Monsters was an influential band and art collective at the time.

Their sound was radical, experimental, and noisy.

The band was formed in Ann Arbor in the early 1970s by Cary Loren, Mike Kelly, Jim Shaw and Niagra.

The group’s influence on art and music in Detroit is being recognized with a retrospective at Cranbrook Art Museum called “Mythic Chaos: 50 Years of Destroy All Monsters.” Also on display through March is a sister exhibition, “Noise, Vision, and Ruins” at the Detroit Public Library, Main Branch and curated by Cary Loren. 

Both exhibitions are open through March.

The Metro’s David Leins spoke Loren about the group’s origins, and what to expect from the exhibitions.

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