On Hand

A Michigan Supreme Court is considering who has the rights of a frozen embryo created using in-vitro fertilization after a couple gets divorced. The case involves Sarah and David Markiewicz who turned to egg donation and IVF to have children. Since 2019, the couple has been at odds on what would happen to their remaining embryo and after five years of legal battles the state's highest court is deciding on the matter. 

GUESTS:

• Bonsitu Kitaba, a deputy legal director at the American Liberties Union of Michigan, co-author of an amicus brief filed in support of David Markiewicz.
• Ben Carpenter, associate Professor of Law at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. Carpenter’s scholarship on the effects of assisted reproductive technologies in estate planning and family law has been widely cited in Sarah Markiewicz' court filings. 

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Some public finance experts worry that the unpredictability of President Donald Trump’s tariff policy will dampen consumer spending, putting state revenue generated by sales tax at risk. With consumer sentiment on the decline, some wonder if Michigander will continue to support state and local budgets through spending. 

GUEST:

• Kevin Bain, senior strategist for climate and project finance at Public Sector Consultants; former director of strategy for the city of Detroit

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A new study from the University of Michigan suggests that rethinking how lithium ion batteries are manufactured could fix some of the key concerns keeping potential electric vehicle buyers on the sidelines.

GUEST:

• Neil Dasgupta, associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering at the University of Michigan

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The Trump administation has revoked visas of hundreds of international students across the nation.  

An unspecified number of students at Michigan State University and Central Michigan University have had their visas revoked. 

Two students at Grand Valley State University, four at Wayne State, one at Eastern Michigan University, and twelve enrolled students and ten graduates of the University of Michigan have also been affected. 

The reasons are not clear. The Trump administration says it’s focused on students who are – in the words of Secretary Marco Rubio — “Hamas supporters." 

Today we’re going to talk about the crackdown on campus speech, and other ways the Trump administration has silenced voices of dissent opposing the war in Gaza.

GUEST:

• Huwaida Arraf is an attorney who has done legal work representing some of the students who protested Israel’s war in Gaza on the U-M campus.

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At 19, Michigan writer Lauren Roberts self-published her debut YA novel Powerless. Now, a few years later, Roberts is one of romantasy's biggest stars. We talked to Roberts about how she turned her passion for reading romantasy into a full-fledged literary career writing it.

GUEST:

Lauren Roberts, author of the Powerless series. The third and final installment in the series--titled Fearless--hit shelves April 8. 

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Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

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President Donald Trump recently described tariffs as a bitter medicine that, the president says, will lead to fairer trade between the U.S. and other countries. But for Michigan’s auto industry, the poison might be in the dose. On this episode, why the impact of global tariffs is likely to hit Michigan automakers particularly hard. 

GUEST: 

Glenn Stevens, executive director of MichAuto

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If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work.

Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

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The University of Michigan recently announced it would be rolling back its DEI programs on campus. The move has been met with pushback from staff and students, but its not the first time the university's policies on race and equity have been met with ire. On today's episode, we talk with one historian about UM’s confrontation with issues of race and equity on campus over the decades, including as the poster child of affirmative action policies, and as the center of two losses before the U.S. Supreme Court over those policies.  

GUEST: 

Matthew Johnson, associate professor of history at Washington and Jefferson College and author of Undermining Racial Justice: How One University Embraced Inclusion and Inequality

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If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work.

Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

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A conversation with Patrick Lyoya's father. The younger Lyoya was killed three years ago by a Grand Rapids police officer during a traffic stop. Lyoya was unarmed, and the officer is awaiting trial for Patrick's murder.

GUEST:

Peter Lyoya, Patrick's father

Thomas Lyoya, Patrick's brother and the translator for his father, who speaks Swahili, during this conversation

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The Trump administration is slashing funding for all sorts of programs and departments - funding that was guaranteed to many departments, institutions, and individuals. Today we hear about the cuts that are being felt, and the legal battle to preserve the funding streams.

GUESTS:

Kate Wells, Michigan Public

Izzy Ross Interlochen Public Radio

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Detroit's Charles H. Wright Museum is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a special exhibition honoring the life and work of Dr. Charles Harold Wright himself. Kevin Davidson, the museum's Director of Design and Fabrication, was hired by Wright. He joined us for an inside look at the exhibition. 

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If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work.

Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions

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