Stateside Daily Archive

Late last week, President Joe Biden signed an executive order directing the US Department of Agriculture to increase food stamp benefits for millions of Americans. The action comes as more Michiganders are struggling to pay for basic necessities like housing and food during the pandemic. So how do we get food on the table for folks—both right now and in a post-COVID world? On today’s e...

Every year, the Library of Michigan puts out their list of Michigan Notable Books, featuring books that are about or set in Michigan or written by Michigan authors.  These lists always have a nice Zeitgeist-y feel in addition to being great reads. Today we're talking about some favorites on the list. So if the opening weeks of 2021 have you ready to dive under a blanket with a book for the re...

President Joe Biden signed a stack of executive orders on his first day in the Oval Office, kicking off his agenda in the White House. Included in that stack was an end to the Trump-era travel ban on several Muslim-populated countries. The so-called Muslim Travel Ban. And a temporary halt of deportations.  GUESTS:  Ali Harb is a political reporter with the Middle East Eye. Maria Ibarra i...

In a flurry of pardons and commutations in President Donald Trump’s last hours in office, one name in particular stuck out to Detroiters: their former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick . On today’s episode, we’ll talk to a longtime Detroit journalist about the mark Kilpatrick and his conviction left on the city and what might be next now that he’s a free man.   GUEST: Chastity Pr...

Many Americans watched in horror as rioters stormed the US Capitol on Jan 6. That includes immigrants to this country. That day, many of them saw the same kind of political instability they came here to escape. Today, voices and sentiments from immigrants in the Detroit area on the insurrection at the Capitol, and some of their hopes for the inauguration.  GUEST: Beenish Ahmed, Michigan Radio...

Martin Luther King's time at the Detroit Walk to Freedom in June of 1963 came several months before the famous March on Washington. And yet, this was the place where people would first hear some of the language and themes that would power the iconic "I Have a Dream" speech, and galvanize the nation for change. GUEST:  Ken Coleman, Detroit journalist and author of On This Day: African-American...

Detroit’s Martin Solis, a Tejano music pioneer, never recorded any of his songs. Or at least that’s what most people thought. Now Third Man Records (Jack White’s label) is releasing some of those recordings. On Today’s episode we’ll talk about the legacy of Martin Solis and his band Los Primos. GUESTS: Frank Solis, son of Martin Solis Eddie Gillis, Third Man Pressing...

Today, former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and several people in his administration face criminal charges for their parts in the Flint Water Crisis. On today’s episode, we’ll talk about the legal case against the former state officials and what it might mean to Flint residents who have been waiting for justice for nearly seven years.  GUESTS:  Noah Hall is a professor of law...

Now that teachers are eligible for COVID-19 vaccines, Governor Gretchen Whitmer says she wants schools to start offering in-person learning for students by March. But that depends on those vaccines actually getting to educators. On today’s episode, we’ll talk to a reporter about how quickly that might actually happen. You’ll also hear from teachers themselves about what this year...

On today's episodes, you'll hear about the latest developments with Enbridge’s controversial Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. Plus, environmentalists worry ballast water rule changes put the Great Lakes at risk of more invasive species.  GUESTS: Lester Graham, Michigan Radio reporter  Marc Smith, Policy Director National Wildlife Federation Stateside theme music is by 14...

Michigan is one of just a handful of states that doesn’t restrict guns in their statehouses. But in the wake of violent riots in D.C. last week, that’s changing. Today, the Michigan Capitol Commission voted to ban the open carry of firearms in the statehouse. The proposal did not address concealed pistols. But it’s still a huge move for a state that has been very resistant to ban...

When Donald Trump told that crowd to go march on the Capitol saying they needed to show strength, he set off an unprecedented chain of events. It’s led us to a moment in which just about everyone has had to make a decision: what’s the appropriate response to all this?  On today’s episode, we’ll talk about US Education Secretary Betsy DeVos's resignation and also put th...

President Donald Trump has spent months stoking outrage among his supporters with false claims about election fraud. Yesterday, that anger exploded in a terrifying and chaotic scene at the U.S. Capitol. A mob of pro-Trump extremists breached police and stormed into the House and Senate chambers. On today’s episode, we’ll talk to a Democratic congressman who was in those chambers and a...

In a year marked by contentious partisan divisions, maybe the one thing Michigan Republicans and Democrats seem to agree on is criminal justice reform. Governor Whitmer earlier this week signed into a bipartisan package of major criminal justice reforms that addressed issues like mandatory minimum and penalties for driving on a suspended license. Meanwhile, Washtenaw County became the first in the...

The state of Michigan has begun distributing COVID-19 vaccines, and frontline health workers and residents of long-term care facilities are first up to receive the vaccination. That’s based on federal and state guidance, which has designated a number of phases for vaccine distribution to particular populations of individuals. Though it’s still early in the rollout process, Michigan is...

Whether you took a holiday break from the news or stayed glued to Twitter all through December, it’s hard not to be compelled by what’s playing out among the nation’s Republican elected officials in this first week of 2021. Dozens of congressional Republicans—including many in Michigan—have decided to contest the 2020 presidential election results. That’s despit...

Michigan faves Tanya Blount and Michael Trotter’s band, The War and Treaty released a stunning new album on Rounder Records this year, called Hearts Town. It’s a ravishing mix of musical styles, soul, R&B, along with some callbacks to the Great American Songbook. The Trotters’ interpretive skills are in high gear, as they work with finesse and passion through songs reflecting...

Sitting down with a book has been such an incredible gift this past year, and there’s been a lot of good releases from Michigan authors in 2020. To give us some direction for our post-holiday bookstore shopping, we checked in with writer and critic Keith Taylor. He talked to us about his favorite Michigan reads from 2020 and some of his own recent work, too.  GUEST:  Keith Taylor,...

It’s been a lean season for Michigan’s wine industry. A big part of the state’s wine culture are tasting rooms, and it has been hard to adapt them to fit within COVID restrictions. You can’t exactly spit into a bucket with a mask on. On this episode, we’ll talk to the owner, winemaker, and brewer of a Michigan winery about how he’s trying to adapt to a new reali...

Like the rest of Michigan’s musical community, singer-songwriter May Erlewine is dealing with prohibitions on live shows, even gathering with other groups of musicians. She's already put out one well reviewed album this year, but May is never one to shirk from a challenge. She surprised her fans with a brand new holiday album recently, titled A Simple Phrase, that includes her takes on some...

In so many ways, 2020 has been completely unprecedented. Multiple COVID-19 vaccines have been developed and given FDA authorization in record times. And now, comes the job of getting those vaccines to Americans. And, it turns out, there is precedent for this kind of a mass inoculation campaign: the polio vaccine . On today’s episode, we’ll talk to a medical historian about the parallel...

There’s this phrase that gets tossed around newsrooms when a bunch of stories drop in a single day—that it’s like drinking from a firehose. Covering political news in Michigan in 2020 has been a hydrant for a five-alarm fire Every. Single. Day. From “fix the damn roads,” to a plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer, to a global pandemic, to the presidential election,...

The COVID-19 public health crisis—which was especially devastating in Black-majority cities—ran headlong into months of protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd. Has there been a day this year where we haven’t been reminded about how differently society treats Black Americans? It was against this backdrop that Stephen Henderson hosted conversations about race, week...

After months of negotiation, congressional leaders say they could vote on a COVID-19 relief package before the end of the year. The compromise comes at a critical time. Federal unemployment benefits are set to expire before the end of the year, leaving millions of Americans without a way to pay their bills. Bipartisan congressional workgroups are trying to get to a compromise and pass something to...

News broke on Tuesday that former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm is President-elect Joe Biden’s expected pick for energy secretary. She has close ties to Biden from their time working on the Big Three bailout together. She’s also an outspoken advocate about the need to support vehicle makers’ transition into a green future—a goal that Biden shares. This episode, we&rsq...