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

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.

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.

Why Jennifer Granholm says our politics have gotten so much worse today

How much has politics changed in the last 20 years? That was a different time— a time before President Trump and MAGA, before the wealth gap continued expanding, before we were as polarized as we are today, and before algorithmic media took hold. But how different were things, really? What can we learn from that era of politics? And what are the things that we should be happy we’ve left behind? Jennifer Granholm was the governor of Michigan from 2003 to 2011. She was also the energy secretary under the Biden administration. She’s on Mackinac Island, and will be speaking at this year’s policy conference. She spoke with The Metro's Robyn Vincent.

Darryl DeAngelo Terrell's art makes space for Black gay life

Darryl DeAngelo Terrell is a multidisciplinary artist who uses photography, videography, and sound to illustrate Black liberation. Growing up gay in Detroit was, Terrell could not fully express themselves. They use art to envision a world that embraces every part of their being.  Terrell lives in New York now, but they are an extension of the Black LGBTQ+ community of Detroit.   Cary Junior II spoke to Terrell about how their artwork in its many forms is a tool for Black and queer liberation.