• Gov Whitmer’s approach to recent disagreements with the Trump administration.
• Potential cellphone bans in classrooms gets bipartisan support.

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Although Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and President Donald Trump have found some areas of common ground this year, Whitmer recently outlined key disagreements at the Detroit Auto Show, including opposition to Trump’s tariff strategy and the presence of ICE in Minneapolis. This week on MichMash, WDET’s Cheyna Roth and Gongwer News Service’s Alethia Kasben discuss what Whitmer’s comments could signal about future relations with the Trump administration.

Whitmer called some Trump administration actions “an abuse of power,” adding, “I think it is a very serious and scary moment in this country. I appreciate those who are raising their voices. I worry about the people out there just trying to do the right thing.”

Roth said Whitmer’s remarks could hint at political ambitions after her term as governor ends. She also noted that much of Whitmer’s outreach to the Trump administration has focused on maintaining cooperation in Michigan’s best interest.

Later in the episode, Oakland Schools Superintendent Kenneth Gutman discusses proposed legislation that would ban cell phones in classrooms. Gutman supports the measure, saying it benefits students. “There are exceptions, and safety is one of them, but in general, do we need cell phones in classrooms? We do not. They are a distraction.”

If the legislation passes, Michigan would join states including Indiana, Louisiana, New York, and Ohio in banning cell phones in classrooms.

• More from WDET: The Metro: Should cellphones be restricted in Michigan schools? Whitmer on dealmaking with Trump: ‘I will fight back when I need to’

The Trump administration wants American museums to be less critical of the nation’s history.

Yesterday, the Smithsonian Institution submitted documents about upcoming exhibitions and programming to the White House for a review of “improper ideology.”

Since last year, President Trump has been pressuring the Smithsonian Institution to celebrate American exceptionalism, and not to focus so much on the ugliest parts of American history, like the institution of slavery.

What the president does next remains to be seen, but the effort to censor and rewrite history and culture raises important questions about American culture and history.

Though museums are suddenly politicized spaces, they’re among the most trusted institutions in America, according to a survey by the American Alliance of Museums.

Devon Akmon, director of the Michigan State University Museum, argues that museums have an opportunity and responsibility to model the ways people can think and listen together.

He joined The Metro to discuss the implications of President Trump’s pressure campaign on the Smithsonian and cultural institutions in America.

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

More stories from The Metro

The Detroit Auto Show officially begins Wednesday as the event’s media and industry days get underway.  Hundreds of journalists from around the world are in town to see the latest offering from Detroit’s automakers and other manufacturers.  

Detroit Auto Dealers Association executive director Sam Klemet says this year’s show will be unlike any other in recent history. “It’s one thing to look into the rearview mirror of what has been.  That kind of takes your eyes off the road ahead.  I think that people who come to the 2026 show will have a very different, positive engaged experience that we haven’t had in a number of years.  So, I think it will be a show that really resets the tone of what the Detroit Auto Show is all about.” 

The charity preview takes place on Friday evening.  The show opens to the public on Saturday and runs through Jan. 25 at Huntington Place in Detroit. 

Additional headlines for Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026

NACTOY awards announced 

The 2026 North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year awards were announced today.  A group of 50 automotive journalists rate the vehicles on several criteria, including design, safety, technology and performance.  

The 2026 Car of the Year is the Dodge Charger.  The Truck of the Year is the Ford Maverick Lobo.  And the Utility Vehicle of the Year is the Hyundai Palisade. 

Trump speaks to Detroit Economic Club 

President Trump traveled to Detroit Tuesday to connect with the auto industry.  He toured the Ford Rouge plant in Dearborn and talked with company leaders before heading into the city to speak to members of the Detroit Economic Club at the Motor City Casino.  

During his wide-ranging remarks, the president touted the strength of the economy and claimed that affordability is a “fake word”. He also made allegations of rigged elections and called for stronger voter identification requirements. 

Trump protests shadow Econ Club event 

Hundreds of demonstrators showed up outside of the Motor City Casino Tuesday to protest against President Trump and his administration’s policies, particularly those involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  

The protest was peaceful, but Detroit Police did arrest a couple of people for failing to move when ordered to do so. 

Detroit casino revenue surpasses $1 billion 

Detroit’s three casinos earned more than $1.2 billion in revenue last year, according to numbers released by the Michigan Gaming Control Board Tuesday.  Nearly 80% of that came from slot machines. 

The three casinos are reporting lower revenues for December.  The gaming houses brought in $105.1 million last month.  That’s down more than 5% from December 2024.  MGM Grand held nearly half of the city’s gaming market at 49%.  Motor City controlled 29 % and Hollywood Casino at Greektown held 22% of the market.  

The three casinos paid $12.4 million in taxes and wagering agreement fees to the City of Detroit last month.  They paid another $8.4 million in taxes to the State of Michigan in December. 

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

While President Trump was inside Motor City Casino on Tuesday, protesters outside were braving the elements and aggression by the Detroit Police Department.

A group of demonstrators marched from Cass Park in front of the Masonic Temple and to the sidewalk in front of the casino at the corner of Temple and Grand River Avenue.

After being allowed to peacefully assemble for a few minutes, Detroit Police forced protesters down Grand River to a less visible location on the casino’s west side at Trumbull Ave and Elm Street.

A Detroit Police officer – who would not give his name, only the numbers 168 – threatened protesters and members of the press with arrest if they did not move. At least two protesters were arrested.

What the protesters have to say

Sarah Reed of Farmington Hills carried an inverted American flag – a symbol of distress. She stood in front of the advancing officers in an act of defiance.

Reed was surprised by their aggression. “It’s a public sidewalk, and if you and I were there this evening, this morning, before any of this, they’d have no issue with us being on the sidewalk,” Reed said.

Reed, the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, said she wants the president to resign. But she had a message for Democrats too. “Get off your asses and fight,” Reed said.

Troy resident Jake Malacos used his lunch hour to protest. He says he was happy to be around protesters because a show of solidarity is good for the community.

As for why he was picketing: “Well, the corruption from the Trump administration. The brutality. The murder of Renee Good. Most of the policies that he’s putting out are pretty rough for me,” Malacos said.

Once DPD had pushed the protesters to the designated 1st Amendment area on Trumbull, about 1,000 protesters marched to Detroit Public Safety.

Officially, Detroit Police do not work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but they do share office space.

Tuesday marks the fifth anniversary of the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.  A large group protesting the results of the 2020 election— claiming Joe Biden’s win was fraudulent—broke into the capitol building, destroying property, assaulting officers, and threatening elected officials. 

The events of January 6 resulted in several deaths and over a thousand arrests.

President Donald Trump pardoned most insurrectionists when reentering office in the past year, saying that the Biden administration over-prosecuted the group.

Melissa Nann-Burke was the Washington Bureau Chief for the Detroit News at that time of the insurrection.  She was working in the House chamber on January 6 and witnessed events from the inside. 

She spoke with WDET’s Jake Neher about it later that week on MichMash.

President Trump claimed overnight that the United States carried out airstrikes in Venezuela and “captured” President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, following a series of explosions and fires reported around Caracas in the early hours of the morning.

In a post on Truth Social published early Saturday morning, Trump said the U.S. had “successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro,” adding that Maduro and his wife had been “captured” and flown out of the country. Trump said the operation was conducted “in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement” and announced a news conference for 11 a.m. EST at Mar-a-Lago.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York on drug, arms and conspiracy charges.

“They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts,” she said.

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