The FBI put out its 2025 crime numbers this month, and they show the largest year-to-year decline in violent crime rates since estimations began in 1936. Robbery fell 18.5%. Murder dropped by 18 percent — that rate is now tied with 1955 for the lowest ever recorded in this country.

Detroit is part of that trend. The city ended last year with the lowest number of homicides since 1965. Carjackings dropped 46 percent.

What nobody fully agrees on is why. Detroit police credit a mix of strategies: More officers, a different approach to mental health calls, and community violence intervention — those are programs staffed by people from the neighborhoods where the shooting happens.

Andy Arena spent 24 years in the FBI and ran its Detroit division. He now leads the Detroit Crime Commission. He spoke about why violent crime is declining with host Robyn Vincent.

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Dr. Abdul El-Sayed ran the health departments of both Detroit and Wayne County. Three weeks ago he won a U.S. Senate primary by roughly 15,000 votes statewide, and lost Detroit by nearly 2-1.

Seven miles away in Dearborn and Hamtramck, he took 78 and 82%, respectively.

In Detroit, fewer people voted in this primary than in 2016: About 98,000, which is down from 126,000.

So the question in front of him now isn’t only whether Detroit residents will vote for him — it’s whether Detroit residents will turn out to vote.

Bishop James Williams is founder and senior pastor of Spirit and Truth Christian Ministries, and second vice president of the Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit and Vicinity— a group that supported Dr. El-Sayed during the primary. He joined host Robyn Vincent to speak about what his congregants make of the U.S. Senate race, and how their political preferences have been shifting.

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A week ago, the Dearborn City Council moved its meeting to the public library because they expected a crowd. Police were outside in riot gear. Wayne County sent officers on horses. By the next morning, 22 people had been arrested from across Michigan, and from as far as New York and Tennessee.

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud told the council his own daughter didn’t go to daycare that day. Some businesses stayed closed. Sports practices were rescheduled.

What brought all this on was a man with a megaphone who told the council that Muslims had come here to steal, and that their time in this country was running short.

Jake Lang doesn’t hold office. But his words are not far from the ones spoken by people who do. Three weeks ago, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary. Within hours, a sitting U.S. Senator called him a terrorist. A sitting congresswoman called every Muslim holding public office in America “a Trojan horse.”

Last year, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, logged over 8,600 complaints nationwide, more than in any year since the group started counting in 1996. In Michigan, the chapter recorded nearly 500 — also a record, up 25% from the year before. These are complaints people brought to an advocacy group, not hate crimes confirmed by police. But they’re climbing, and they have been for three years running.

Amy Doukoure is the lead staff attorney for CAIR-Michigan, a nonprofit dedicated to combatting anti-Muslim hate locally. She spoke with host Robyn Vincent about why anti-Muslim hate is rising, and what can be done to stop it.

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What should we make of the climate movement’s accomplishments over the last decade?

On one side, the Inflation Reduction Act and Chips and Science Act helped distribute clean energy across the country. Those policies dropped solar prices — 90% over the last decade. Battery storage costs fell by the same amount from 2010 to 2020. 

But the Green New Deal never passed, and many Republicans in Michigan and across the U.S. are against a clean energy transition. President Donald Trump has consistently said climate change isn’t real and the world continues to warm at a rapid clip. 

Jay Inslee has been at the center of the climate movement. He was governor of Washington for three terms, and a presidential candidate in 2020 when he pushed Democrats to take climate change more seriously. 

What does he make of our climate politics today? And where should the climate movement go next?

The Metro’s Sam Corey recently spoke with Inslee when he was in town stumping for Jocelyn Benson in her bid for governor.

The Metro has reached out multiple times to the campaign for Republican John James for governor. They have not yet given us a time when the candidate is available to join us.

A few notes about this conversation:

Inslee mentioned a Washington ballot measure on climate that won 62 percent of the vote. That was a 2024 vote on whether to scrap the state’s climate program — the one that makes big polluters pay for what they emit. Voters chose to keep it.

He also cited a Washington vote on electric school buses. That wasn’t a ballot measure — it was a bill, passed by the Legislature in 2024.

He said President Trump’s White House construction and renovation projects will cost $800 million. According to Reuters, those projects are now more than $900 million.

Inslee said that 80% of rural voters supported a clean energy ballot initiative in Washington. We could not verify that.

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This has been a hard moment for many Jewish people. Antisemitism has been on the rise, and Americans’ views of Israel are now mostly negative. 

Those are big changes. And they’re translating into political shifts. 

It’s unknown how a majority of liberal Jewish residents voted during the Democratic Senate Primary. But a lot of older Jews are unsure of how to vote now that Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is the Democratic nominee. Do they support him or do they vote for Republican Mike Rogers?

This question carries weight beyond the election itself. It represents larger quandaries about what it means to be Jewish, about what antisemitism actually is, and about whether one can feel warmth toward Israel while being critical of its government.

Andy Levin organized for unions and served as president of his synagogue before running for office. His uncle, Carl Levin, served 36 years in the U.S. Senate, and his father, Sander Levin, served 36 in the House of Representatives. Andy Levin won his father’s seat in 2018 and held it for four years. Then redistricting put him in a primary against Congresswoman Haley Stevens. A super PAC tied to AIPAC spent more than $4 million to beat him, and it worked.

Levin spoke with host Robyn Vincent about why he’s supporting El-Sayed, and why many Jewish Metro Detroiters are struggling in this political moment.

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In November, Ann Arbor voters will decide whether their city should build its own electric utility and stop buying power from DTE. A group funded by DTE is suing to stop the vote.

The man likely to be Ann Arbor’s next mayor wants the city to take over.

Yousef Rabhi is a Democratic Socialist. He beat 12-year incumbent Chris Taylor by 10 points — over the endorsements of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin — in a primary that was part of a bigger progressive wave.

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed won the U.S. Senate nomination. State Rep. Donavan McKinney beat a sitting congressman. Abbas Alawieh will likely be the first Arab American in the Michigan Senate.

Rabhi is a sitting Washtenaw County commissioner who spent six years in the state House. He spoke with host Robyn Vincent about why he ran for mayor, and how he wants to govern the city as a self-declared outsider.

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“Terrorist.” “Trojan horse.” “Terrorist sympathizer.”

These are the words top Republican officials have used to describe Muslim Americans in public office since Dr. Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary two weeks ago. That’s following specific instructions from President Donald Trump about what Republicans should say to win the midterms.

In the days after El-Sayed’s win, anti-Muslim hate targeting him online rose twenty-fold. That’s according to the Center for the Study of Organized Hate. Researchers who track this say the language itself has shifted: from calling Muslims a terror threat to calling them a threat to civilization. 

Last night, that rhetoric arrived in Dearborn. Self-described anti-Islamic activist Jake Lang and Detroit pastor Lorenzo Sewell came to the city with a promised pig roast, timed to the city council meeting — which had been moved to the Henry Ford Centennial Library over safety concerns. Police made 22 arrests.

Photos by Isaiah Lopez, WDET

Jake Lang’s demonstration comes a week after an Alaska man was federally charged for threatening to kill Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud.

The mayor has been answering this with something other than anger. Host Robyn Vincent spoke with Hammoud about what that message is, and how he’s working to keep Dearborn residents safe.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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The Gordie Howe International Bridge includes a mile and a half of cable and steel stretching across the Detroit River. The architect calls it a work of public art. It can be seen from around the city.

On the American side sits Delray and parts of Southwest Detroit — neighborhoods that have long sat in the shadow of heavy industry.

The bridge was constructed in Delray for a reason: The area had a lot of vacant, publicly owned land available at low prices. Many residents didn’t want it there. Once it was clear the bridge was coming, they organized, and negotiated a $45 million community benefits agreement, including home repairs, new windows and air systems, and a buyout for those who wanted to leave.

The Metro is asking: When a billion dollar project lands on a neighborhood that spent decades being overlooked — can it actually leave the people who live there better off? 

Paul Draus is a sociologist at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. He’s been tracking how folks near the Gordie Howe International Bridge have been affected by its construction. He spoke with host Robyn Vincent.

One note: Professor Draus worked with a community park that received a donation from the bridge authority for a public sculpture a few years back.

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It’s said that all politics is local. But these days, that doesn’t appear to be so true. Instead, a lot of it is national because that’s where the drama is — much of it at the hands of President Donald Trump. 

The Republicans who disagree with the president are more likely to lose during an election year. 

That’s why Trump’s endorsements for U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers and gubernatorial candidate John James matter so much. But who are these candidates outside of Trump’s endorsement? What do they stand for? And, what do they need to do to win come November?

Dennis Darnoi is the founder of Densar Consulting, based in Farmington. He often promotes Republican candidates. Darnoi spoke with host Robyn Vincent about the Republicans advancing to the general election in both the Senate and governor’s race.

Editor’s note: Our guest mischaracterized Abdul El-Sayed’s work on medical debt. As Wayne County health director, El-Sayed launched a program that set aside $7 million to erase up to $700 million in debt for 300,000 residents, buying it from providers at a bulk discount. Bridge Michigan reported in June that about $57.4 million has been settled so far, for roughly 83,000 residents, and that El-Sayed has overstated the program’s results on the campaign trail. The program is still active. Our guest also referred to a “$40 trillion budget deficit.” That figure describes the national debt, which is approaching $40 trillion. The federal deficit for fiscal year 2026 is projected at roughly $2 trillion.

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Wayne County residents overwhelmingly approved a millage that ensures everyone pays into the suburban public transit system, known as SMART. 

One of the people who led the effort to pass the millage is Megan Owens. She’s the director of Transit Riders United. That organization has been advocating for public transit expansion in Metro Detroit for 25 years.

Owens joined The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent to discuss Wayne County’s transit millage, and what it would take to create more expansive, connected public transit in the region. 

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Ever since President Donald Trump won a second term, Democrats have been arguing with each other about the same two questions: What is this party for, and who gets to lead it?

The insurgents have been winning across the country. But the big question is whether economic populist candidates, who run on platforms aimed at minimizing the influence of big money, can win in Michigan. Progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed won the Senate Democratic primary, and Donovan McKinney beat sitting Congressmember Shri Thanedar. But important races still haven’t been called, and the general election may not be easy for all the progressive candidates. 

Branden Snyder is the state director of the Working Families Party. His group endorsed economic populist candidates up and down the ballot. He spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent.

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Michigan primaries usually come and go with most people not voting. They’re low-profile elections in August, and turnout tends to land somewhere around a quarter of registered voters. 

Last night was different.

Over 1.5 million ballots were counted in the Democratic Senate primary alone. That’s more than any non-presidential Democratic primary in this state going back to at least 1998.

That race, between Congresswoman Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed, is the most expensive Democratic Senate primary in history. El-Sayed won the primary.

Other progressive candidates won their races too: Donovan McKinney won the Democratic nomination for the 13th District seat in the U.S. House against incumbent Shri Thanedar, and Abbas Alawieh won the primary for Michigan senate in the 2nd District. 

Zach Gorchow is president of Gongwer News Service of Michigan and has covered state politics for a long time. He spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent about how this election shook out, and what it may mean come November.

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Since the pandemic, overdose deaths are continuing to decline in Michigan. The number is dropping quickly in Metro Detroit. 

There are a lot of possible explanations for the decline. Narcan is more readily available, the state has turned toward a harm-reduction approach, and the pandemic, when people were cooped up inside, is further in the rearview mirror. 

Peer recovery coaches are also a big reason for the reduction. That work received significantly more money from the state in recent years.

What does it look like to create intimacy with someone struggling with addiction, and to help them recover?

Pepper Catt is a peer recovery coach with the Alliance of Coalitions for Healthy Communities. That’s a Troy nonprofit. She spoke about all this with The Metro’s Sam Corey. 

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Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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This week, Governor Whitmer signed a law that doubles the cap on a state tax break for big development projects — from $1.6 billion to $3.2 billion. The Renaissance Center plan had been stuck for more than a year waiting on it, because the program was nearly tapped out. Now the math works.

Dan Gilbert’s company puts in about a billion dollars. General Motors puts in 250 million. The public covers the rest. Detroit’s Downtown Development Authority has already approved $75 million, and the state tax break comes on top of that — though nobody has yet said what it’s worth. It can run for 30 years.

Michael Griffie is vice president and Detroit metro leader at AECOM, a global engineering and design firm. AECOM isn’t involved in the RenCen project, but has worked on riverfront redevelopments elsewhere. He joined Robyn Vincent to make the case for what the plan could do.

Later in the show, a different view. Dylan Wegela is a Democratic state representative from Garden City who refuses corporate donations. Last year he voted no more often than anyone else in the Michigan House — 204 times. He voted no on this law, too. He told Vincent why he thinks taxpayers are getting a raw deal.

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The sound of music and engines is synonymous with summer in metro Detroit. But that noise, specifically the kind generated by modified cars, has been aggravating some people. 

Residents near Woodward have been complaining about cars being too loud, which has prompted legislators to push for a crackdown on motorists. So, what’s in their legislation? And, could it hurt car culture in the Motor City?

Natalie Price is a Democratic state representative. Her district includes Berkley, Huntington Woods and Birmingham. She spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent.

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Wildfire smoke at times last week made Detroit’s air quality the worst in the world — that’s in a place that consistently gets terrible grades for heavy pollution.

So, how is our health impacted by poor air quality?

Dr. Garen Wolff is an allergy and immunology physician at the Detroit Medical Center. She says people with asthma are having to use inhalers too often.  

“It should be (used) less than twice a week, but when we have poor air quality for long periods of time, I have patients using their rescue inhaler every day and that’s not healthy for the lungs to do,” says Wolff.

Dr. Wolff spoke with The Metro’s Robyn Vincent about the health consequences of breathing smoke-filled air.  

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Over the past four months, northern Michigan has experienced a series of extreme weather events.

In March, an ice storm caused tens of thousands of utility customers to lose power. In April, record-breaking precipitation caused rivers and lakes to flood, ripping apart roads. Now, smoke from Canadian and Minnesota wildfires has been creating air quality alerts. 

Before the smoke blew to metro Detroit, it hit northern Michigan first, choking that part of the state with a blanket of smoke. 

Climate change is affecting everyone, but effects can very depending on the location. What are things like for residents of northern Michigan? And, how are they preparing for future extreme weather events?

Vivian La is a climate solutions reporter for Interlochen Public Radio and Grist. She spoke about the northern Michiganders trying to adapt to climate change — and those who are trying to maintain the status quo — with The Metro’s Sam Corey.

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Many Michiganders feel powerless over their own electrical power. That’s because, despite approved rate hikes, when a storm hits the power can be out for days before utility companies like Consumers Energy and DTE Energy are able to restore it. 

But while many are disappointed with the performance of Michigan’s utility companies, some regulators point to progress as outage time has decreased by about 23% since 2019. 

How are Michigan’s utility companies held accountable for their actions? And, what kinds of improvements are taking root?

Dan Scripps is the chair of the Michigan Public Service Commission, which regulates DTE Energy. He says the utility’s performance has been improving. 

“Last year… DTE for the first time in at least 25 years… was actually in the top quarter of utilities when you consider performance across the whole year.” 

Scripps joined host Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss what is being done to restore and upgrade the state’s aging grid. 

DTE is a financial supporter of WDET. Our newsroom observes a clear boundary between funders and editorial content, and we do not serve the agendas of those who support us. 

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After President Donald Trump took the country to war and raised costs, many Republicans are finding it difficult to campaign in this election season. 

While the sitting president’s party often performs poorly in midterm elections, the trend seems likely to continue this year.

In general-election polls, Democrat Jocelyn Benson holds the lead. But in politics, anything can happen. Last week, two debates spotlighted the active Republican candidates for governor: Congressman John James, Mike Cox, and Perry Johnson. Who are they, and what do their campaigns reveal about the Republican Party in Michigan?

Andrea Bitely is the founder and principal of Bitely Communications, a Lansing‑based public‑affairs firm. She spoke with The Metro’s Robyn Vincent about the stories the Republican candidates are telling, and why they signal significant changes to the party. 

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