The Metro

The skies over Southeast Michigan have been thick with smoke due to over 200 wildfires burning in Canada. Fire officials have classified roughly half of those as "out of control." 

These fires come with many consequences. They have led to thousands of evacuations, with people leaving their homes under duress. The fires have also released vast plumes of smoke, degrading air quality across the American Midwest.

Health experts warn that wildfire smoke poses risks not just to vulnerable groups, but to everyone. Fine particulate matter in the smoke can enter the lungs and bloodstream, leading to serious health issues. 

To discuss the health impacts of wildfire smoke and the broader implications for public health, Dr. Omer Awan joined The Metro.

Cass Community Social Services had its first food pantries open during the Great Depression and is now under the leadership of executive director Rev. Faith Fowler. During her time, she has expanded services, bringing in new resources and broader support.

Iron Chef Detroit was created last year as an annual fundraiser for Cass Community Social Services. This Thursday, Iron Chef Detroit 2 will showcase two Cass Corridor chefs during a head-to-head culinary competition at Eastern Market.

Rev. Faith Fowler is on The Metro today  to talk about Iron Chef 2’s goal of “fighting poverty, creating opportunity, and building community” as well as the support Cass Community Social Services provides for Detroit.

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

Iron Chef Detroit was created last year, with the goal to establish an annual fundraiser for Cass Community Social Services. This Thursday, Iron Chef Detroit 2 will showcase two Cass Corridor chefs during the culinary competition at the Eastern Market.

Chef Anthony Lombardo, winner of the first Iron Chef Detroit, and Chef Andy Hollyday- Executive Chef and Partner at Selden Standard-  join us on The Metro today to tell us more about their game plans for the upcoming competition.

After serving in office for more than a decade, Mike Duggan is in his final term as mayor of Detroit. That has led to a crowded mayoral race, with nine people formally entering to have their names appear on the August primary ballot. Two candidates will advance to the November general election.

Whoever becomes Detroit’s next mayor will have a number of issues to tackle and one of them is transit. The city’s bus and streetcar systems are in need of upgrades. Meanwhile, Southeast Michigan as a whole still lacks a truly regional transit system.

With so many candidates in the race and so many topics to cover, Detroiters are eager to know where they stand on transit. A nonprofit called Transportation Riders United hosted a forum last week, giving each candidate a chance to discuss how they would address transit issues if elected.

Today on The Metro, WDET reporter Alex McLenon joins us to talk about the hour-long forum. The discussion included how DDOT has reimagined its service plans. The department spends a significant amount of time and money training and paying drivers, yet many of those drivers leave for higher wages at SMART after completing their certification.

President Trump is taking direct aim at NPR and PBS—threatening to cut a billion-dollar lifeline from America's public airwaves. He claims public media is biased and is pushing Congress to eliminate $1.1 billion in federal funding, with a vote expected this week.

Free speech advocates warn the stakes are high. Without this funding, millions could lose access to trusted news, emergency alerts, and a platform for civic engagement. Experts say this move echoes the slow erosion of press freedom seen in countries like Hungary, Turkey, and Venezuela.

Victor Pickard, a media scholar at the University of Pennsylvania, joins The Metro today to explain why weakening public media weakens democracy.

Last month, then University of Michigan President Santa Ono announced his resignation from the college after accepting a role leading the University of Florida.

But despite the University of Florida's Board of Trustees voting unanimously to approve Ono as the school’s 14th president, the Florida Board of Governors — which oversees the state’s universities — voted against it, reversing the decision.

David Jesse, a senior writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education, joined The Metro to discuss this unprecedented reversal and the political motivation behind it. 

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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