Why this program has bipartisan support from all corners of Michigan

Danielle North on women, power and who gets through the door

Michigan has a lot of women in power — a woman governor, a woman attorney general, and the first woman to lead Detroit was elected last year. So why does Detroit entrepreneur Danielle North say some of the hardest setbacks of her career didn't come from men? She joined The Metro's Robyn Vincent at the Mackinac Policy Conference to talk about scarcity, solidarity, and how to keep the door open for more women.

Jocelyn Benson on the cost of living, data centers and the race for governor

Michigan picks its next governor in November, and the Democratic frontrunner is Jocelyn Benson. Benson made her name as Secretary of State when she refused to overturn Michigan’s 2020 election [https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/12/06/protesters-jocelyn-bensons-home-after-dark-oppose-certification/3850654001/] — even when armed protesters showed up at her Detroit home while she decorated a Christmas tree with her four-year-old son. The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award [https://www.jfklibrary.org/events-and-awards/profile-in-courage-award/award-recipients/defending-democracy-2022/jocelyn-benson] followed. So did the Presidential Citizens Medal [https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2023/01/06/michigan-secretary-of-state-jocelyn-benson-receives-presidential-citizens-award/]. Now she wants to replace Gretchen Whitmer in a state that voted for Donald Trump just 18 months ago. Her path got easier last week when independent Mike Duggan dropped out [https://wdet.org/2026/05/21/detroit-evening-report-mike-duggan-drops-out-of-michigan-governors-race/], citing low poll numbers and fundraising struggles. It got harder when her own Democratic attorney general ruled she’d broken state campaign-finance law [https://michiganadvance.com/2025/05/19/ag-benson-gubernatorial-announcement-in-public-building-violated-campaign-finance-act/] launching her bid — and when the Trump Justice Department sued her for Michigan’s voter rolls [https://www.votebeat.org/2025/09/25/justice-department-sues-michigan-pennsylvania-voter-roll-request/]. The Metro’s Robyn Vincent had 15 minutes to find out what this all means.

Detroit lands a professional women’s hockey team in the league’s fourth season

A Professional Women's Hockey League team is coming to Detroit – a milestone that was inevitable. The hockey fans here are passionate, the championships are plentiful and the hockey history here is long. Considering the city’s deep connection to hockey, it’s fitting for Detroit to be one of four cities joining the PWHL in its fourth season. Maya Smith, [https://www.theixsports.com/author/maya-smith/] a journalist with the women's athletics platform The IX sports, joined the program to discuss how it happened.

Senator Elissa Slotkin says ‘economic basket of issues’ unites Democrats against Trump

Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin is one of the most closely watched politicians in her party right now. A former CIA analyst, she took three tours in Iraq alongside the military, and spent years in national security under both Republican and Democratic administrations before she ran for office. Then she won a House seat in a Trump-led district, followed by a Senate seat in a state President Trump carried. When her party needed someone to deliver the Democratic response to President Trump’s address to Congress, they picked her. She’s been called a centrist. A pragmatist. A rising star. She's also been called too cautious — not progressive enough, not tough enough — at a moment when many Democrats argue the party must get louder. The Metro's Robyn Vincent spoke with her at the Mackinac Policy Conference. Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand. Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-metro/id1730997591], Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/0y1cswPyZyeazJPW5kcPAd?si=0c1c82603b90431c], YouTube [https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLworqAnTKhKPbA1kgkkyRsK-b-7Xmq-jx&si=fulBjM3v4QQNSOJ7], or NPR [https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1231457328/the-metro] or wherever you get your podcasts.

New book captures Detroit’s summer spirit and asks who its outdoor spaces were really built for

"Black Summers" [https://wsupress.wayne.edu/9780814352243/] - a book about growing up in the urban outdoors -  is a compilation of writings from Detroiters. In it they detail what it’s like to experience a summer here. But it’s not just about playing tag at the park or barbeques on Belle Isle. The book balances the joys and freedoms that come with the season while remaining very aware of how our racial history at one point restricted it.  The 33 entries in the book range in their style and depth. Together they paint a picture of what it's like to be outside in Detroit. Desiree Cooper [https://www.descooper.com/] is the editor of the book. She joined the program to explain how she weaved these pieces together.