A number of universities are worried about funding cuts that are coming from the Trump administration. That includes those in Michigan. 

Wayne State University, the University of Michigan, and Michigan State University collaborate — sharing research and attracting businesses to their campuses. Late last month, Michigan Tech joined the re-branded group that’s now called Research Universities for Michigan. 

At the 2025 Mackinac Policy Conference, presidents from three of the four schools spoke with WDET’s Russ McNamara: MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz, Michigan Tech President Rick Koubec and Wayne State President Kimberly Andrews Espy. 

This isn’t the only way schools are collaborating. Although it’s not yet supported by administrative leadership, faculty at many Big Ten universities are advocating for their respective leadership to sign a NATO-like agreement. It would allow the universities to share attorneys and pool financial resources in case President Donald Trump’s administration targets one of them. 

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

Detroit, like many parts of the country, is facing a housing crisis. 

Over half of renters in the city are cost-burdened, spending more than 30% of their income on housing. 

Meanwhile, the number of homeless children in Detroit reached a record high last year, with 455 kids experiencing homelessness.

In her new book, “And Housing for All: The Fight to End Homelessness in America,” Maria Foscarinis says homelessness is the outcome of calculated political choices. She says these decisions have entrenched poverty and made stable housing unattainable. 

Foscarinis is an attorney and advocate who’s spent decades fighting for housing justice. She joined The Metro to discuss what it’s going to take to shift America’s approach to housing and treat it as a human right.

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From 1965 to 2017, John Conyers Jr.  dedicated his life to serving all people and creating new pathways for Black Americans, even serving in the Korean War.

He was a vocal supporter of the Civil Rights Movement, and also marched alongside Martin Luther King Jr. During his time in Congress, Conyers was a founding member of the Black Caucus and was instrumental in solidifying Martin Luther King Jr Day as a federal holiday. 

His son, John Conyers III, recently published a biography of his late father titled “My Father’s House: An Ode to America’s Longest-Serving Black Congressman.” He joined The Metro to share more about the book, and his father's life and legacy.

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Local nonprofit Sidewalk Detroit has been supporting the community through artistic initiatives for more than a decade.

The organization's 10th annual Sidewalk Festival is taking place Aug. 1-2, at Eliza Howell Park. The biannual arts and culture celebration features a mixture of music, dance, performance art, interactive installations, and community-driven workshops deeply rooted in social justice.

Sidewalk Detroit also offers an "Earth Futures Fellowship" as part of the festival, which supports local artists who are focused on environmental justice and community action initiatives.

This year, Earth Futures is introducing a storm water education campaign, including multiple hands-on learning opportunities about rainwater collection and remediation, access to clean water in urban environments and more.

To talk more about this year's festival and fellowship, Sidewalk Detroit's 2025 Artist in Residence, Maya Davis, and Program Director Augusta Morrison joined The Metro.

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Many arts organizations across the state of Michigan are struggling to balance their budgets after the Trump administration’s recent blows to federal grant funding.

That includes the Michigan Shakespeare Festival, which recently canceled its 30th season due to "a perfect storm of events," including disappearing grants, donors pulling back and lower-than-expected ticket sales, according to the festival's website.

Janice L. Blixt , producing artistic director for the Michigan Shakespeare Festival, joined The Metro to discuss the organization's future and how they're navigating uncertain times.

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

Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline has been fueling debate for decades. 

It carries millions of gallons of crude oil and natural gas liquids each day from Superior, Wisconsin to Sarnia, Ontario. A critical segment of this pipeline lies exposed on the lakebed of the Straits of Mackinac. 

It’s a location University of Michigan scientists call the “worst possible place” for an oil spill. That’s because of strong currents that could rapidly spread contaminants across the Great Lakes. 

Now, Enbridge wants to build a $500 million dollar tunnel deep under the lakebed to shield the pipeline, prevent an oil spill, and repair aging infrastructure. A new environmental report from the Army Corps of Engineers says it will likely accomplish these things. 

But that would come at a cost. Habitats could be destroyed, wildlife disrupted, and tribal rights threatened.

Meanwhile, legal fights continue. Michigan’s governor and Indigenous communities want Line 5 shut down, citing environmental and treaty violations. 

Enbridge insists federal law protects the pipeline.

The Army Corps of Engineers is asking people to weigh in on its new report about the tunnel project through the end of the month. 

So, it’s a good time to ask: is this tunnel a safe solution or a continuation of something that violates indigenous rights and threatens the environment? 

Andrew Buchsbaum, an expert on environmental law at the University of Michigan, has been part of the movement to stop Line 5. He joined The Metro  to discuss the new report.

The Metro invited an Enbridge spokesperson to discuss Line 5 and its proposed oil tunnel, but didn't hear back before the show's air date.

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The Detroit Office of Arts Culture and Entrepreneurship appointed its first Composer Laureate in December, Patrick Prouty.

Embracing his role as an advocate for and representative of Detroit’s musical heritage, he’s also working to inspire a new generation of musicians to live and create in the city. 

Producer Cary Junior II spoke to Prouty about how he plans to keep Detroit musicians in Detroit, his career, music and more on today’s episode of The Metro. 

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John McElroy is a thought leader in the auto industry. He currently broadcasts three radio segments on WWJ, writes a blog for Auto Blog and a monthly column for Wards Auto.

Speaking with WDET News Director Jerome Vaughn at the 2025 Mackinac Policy Conference on Mackinac Island, McElroy warned that the industry is at “a near breaking point, particularly in Michigan."

"There is a host of things that is hitting the industry all at once, and unprecedented in history," he said. "So it's something where I think we need much greater leadership than what we're seeing right now within the industry itself — from our elected leaders as well — because we've seen the U.S. auto industry shrink tremendously over the last couple of decades, and without the proper policies and procedures coming in place, we're in danger of losing a whole lot more."

McElroy says the price of cars is too high, tariffs are hurting the market, and the electric vehicle transition has stalled. 

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D.L. Holmes was the athletic director, track and cross-country coach at Wayne State University from 1917 to 1958. In a time when segregation in sports was the norm, Holmes coached athletes of all races, a radical act. He coached three Olympians, one gold medalist and 11 All-Americans.

Holmes, a beloved mentor known for nurturing hidden talent, was instrumental in nine national championship wins and four world record holders.

In his new book, "Coach of Champions," Troy author Keith D. Wunderlich tells the story of Coach Holmes through team member interviews and "historically informed narratives." Wunderlich is Holmes' grandson and a former sprinter.

He joined The Metro to talk about the book and Holmes' legacy in Detroit and beyond.

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For many people — especially younger generations — recreational reading has become less common in recent years.

According to data from the University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future Survey of high schoolers, the amount of 12th grade students who read six or more books for fun have dropped steeply from the 1970s through 2022, while the number of students who haven't read any books for fun increased significantly.

Today on The Metro, we were joined by Everett Pine and WDET's own Jeff Milo from the Ferndale Area District Library to share the many ways to help encourage a love of reading among younger generations. They also spoke about the library’s 2025 Summer Reading Program, which kicks off this Saturday, June 7, with a Kickoff Party and Sign-Up Spree from noon to 4 p.m.

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