Prison Policy Initiative Podcasts

John Sloan III, co-lead organizer with Black Lives Matter Detroit and founding member of The Detroit Safety Team, and Greg Bowens, a political and communications consultant, join Stephen to discuss the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols by police in Memphis. Then, state Senator Stephanie Chang stops by to discuss legislative proposals aimed at improving…

Professor Reuben Miller returns to the program to discuss his award, the ongoing challenges of those returning from prison, and what reforms he thinks are happening to the criminal justice system.By WDET FM

Bridge Michigan's Ron French joins the show to discuss what a new AI program, ChatGPT, is and how it's impacting Michigan schools. Then, Washington Post reporter Will Oremus discusses what the AI program does, and how AI is quickly changing.By WDET FM

Gongwer News Service executive director Zach Gorchow and Detroit Free Press state politics and government editor Emily Lawler join the show to preview Governor Gretchen Whitmer's State of the State address. Then, State Sen. Ruth Johnson stops by to discuss her views on what Republicans should prioritize this term, the common ground her party has wi…

Jamon Jordan, the City of Detroit’s official historian, Nicole Trujillo-Pagan, an associate professor of Sociology at Wayne State University, and Cary Junior II, an audio producer and podcast host, formerly with the Detroit Free Press, join the show to discuss the eternal question of what it means to be a Detroiter, why we care, and how these quest…

Wayne State University Law School associate professor Jalila Jefferson-Bullock joins the show to discuss how involuntary manslaughter charges work in our society in the wake of the prosecutor's decision to charge Alec Baldwin following the accidental shooting and death occurring on the set of "Rust." Then, Stephanie Hartwell, the Dean of Wayne Stat…

Washington Post reporter Jacob Bogage stops by to discuss why America is once again pressing against the Federal debt ceiling, and how Congress is responding to the issue. Then, Brookings Institute economist Wendy Edelberg joins the show to discuss all things debt ceiling including, how the federal debt limit works, why it's important to Americans,…

Nick Austin sits in for Stephen Henderson to cover the meteoric rise of sports and online betting, beginning with Vox correspondent Emily Stewart, discussing her piece “Sports betting: Pretty fun, probably terrible,” to discover what's behind the trends nationwide. Then, Bridge Michigan reporter Lauren Gibbons joins the show to discuss how sports a…

Detroit City Council president pro tem James Tate joins the show to discuss city council's goals in licensing recreational marijuana use as retail sales began for the first time this month. Then, Al Williams, president of "DaCut" recreational and medicinal marijuana dispensary, stops by to discuss his experiences with the start of recreational cann…

Former police officer and Colby College professor of sociology Neil Gross joins the show to discuss his experience as a police officer and research into how to change it for the better, as highlighted in his new book “Walk The Walk: How Three Police Chiefs Defied the Odds and Changed Cop Culture."

Dr. Randal Jelks, professor of African and African American Studies and American Studies at the University of Kansas and author of the book “Letters to Martin: Meditations on Democracy in Black America,” joins the show to discuss MLK's legacy. Then, Detroit Today re-airs King's Walk to Freedom speech performed in Detroit on June 23, 1963, the precu…

Education reporter Lori Higgins and new state board of education president Pamela Pugh join the program to discuss how Michigan K-12 students are doing, and the priorities of the state education board. And Rick Pluta discusses the agenda of the state legislature.By WDET FM

President and CEO of the Metro Detroit Black Business Alliance, Charity Dean, joins the show to discuss her views on why and how the I-375 reconstruction project should work to reduce racial wealth gaps. Then, Peniel Joseph, founding director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at the LBJ School of Public Policy at the University of T…

Michigan Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein recently criticized his newest colleague, Justice Kyra Harris Bolden, for hiring a clerk who had been incarcerated. That clerk, Pete Martel, had served 14 years after robbing a Flint-area store and shooting at police officers. Once Bernstein made his criticism public, Martel resigned from the positio…

Last month, Wayne State University announced its plan to create the Detroit Center for Black Studies as part of its efforts to prioritize faculty and research centered on the Black experience. The university will recruit and hire 30 new humanities faculty, made possible by a $6 million grant from the Mellon Foundation. Wayne State University presid…

We finally got a break from the incessant voting for Speaker of the House over the weekend, and Kevin McCarthy will now lead the chamber for, well, at least a little bit. But the strange circumstances that produced his speakership will have implications for his ability to get things done. And it’s also entirely possible he won’t last very long in t…

Stephen Henderson hosts a new BridgeDetroit podcast recorded at WDET called "What Had Happened Was," exploring how Detroit lost Black representation in Congress. Shri Thanedar moved to Detroit just two years ago and was immediately elected to represent the city in the Michigan Legislature. He beat nine African American candidates in the 2022 congre…

Stephen Henderson hosts a new BridgeDetroit podcast recorded at WDET called "What Had Happened Was," exploring how Detroit lost Black representation in Congress. Rashida Tlaib grew up in Detroit, and policy-wise, probably embodies Black Detroit politics more than any other elected official. But she's not African American — she's Palestinian and Mus…

Stephen Henderson hosts a new BridgeDetroit podcast recorded at WDET called "What Had Happened Was," exploring how Detroit lost Black representation in Congress. Wayne County Executive Warren Evans — Detroit’s top ranking Black public official — saw the likely difficulty electing a Black candidate in the redrawn congressional districts, and tried t…

Stephen Henderson hosts a new BridgeDetroit podcast recorded at WDET called "What Had Happened Was," exploring how Detroit lost Black representation in Congress. Since the late 1970s, Detroiters have had a particular preference for sending Black womenfolk to represent them in Congress. Portia Roberson, CEO of FOCUS:HOPE, and a former Obama administ…

Stephen Henderson hosts a new BridgeDetroit podcast recorded at WDET called "What Had Happened Was," exploring how Detroit lost Black representation in Congress. In the series premiere, Stephen takes a look at how it happened, and has a conversation with State Sen. Adam Hollier, the Black candidate who came closest to winning, about why Black repre…

Sen. Debbie Stabenow talks about why she's not running for re-election and her legacy. Then, a Republican and Democratic Party strategist join the show to discuss who may run for the Senate seat in 2024.By WDET FM

American football is a tremendous source of entertainment and a key part of our culture - but we were reminded again this week of the extreme danger the game poses to those who play following the traumatic injury sustained by Buffalo Bills wide defensive back Damar Hamlin. Patrick Hruby, deputy editor at Washingtonian magazine and author of the Hre…

Detroit Free Press reporter Dave Boucher stops by to discuss some of the new laws taking effect in the state in 2023. Then, the University of Michigan's newest president Santa Ono joins the show to discuss the university, the role it plays within the state, and his vision for the school's future.

When the 118th U.S. Congress begins its session today, for the first time in nearly 70 years, Detroit will not have at least one African American representing the city in Washington. But what does this change mean in a city like Detroit, the nation’s blackest big city?Bridge Detroit's Catherine Kelly and Orlando Bailey join Stephen to discuss their…

DP+ executive director of strategic communications Bill Nowling, Outlier Media executive director Candice Fortman, and WDET's Culture Shift host Ryan Patrick Hooper join Stephen to air their grievances with 2022 as part of Detroit Today's annual Festivus tradition.

Racheal and Gerrard Allen discuss why they started a business and nonprofit in the suburbs for a diverse range of workers and business owners. Then, Sharlonda Buckman-Davis shares her journey of becoming an advocate for students in Detroit public schools.By WDET FM

Nolan Finley, Detroit News editorial page editor, joins Stephen to discuss how he sees conservatism and the Republican party from here in Michigan, and how sees right wing politics differing from the left.

Brookings Institution scholar Richard Reeves joins Nick Austin to discuss his new book on why working and middle class boys and men are struggling along lines of health, education and work, and why that negatively affects women, too.By WDET FM

Anna Sale, host of the Death, Sex and Money podcast, sits down with Nick Austin to discuss the podcast's new series on estrangement, what it means to cut ties with people and how to build something new.By WDET FM

Known for their support of free markets and free thinking, libertarians haven’t cracked very far into the political infrastructure as winners. They have historically been key to the coalitional success of the Republican Party, but where do they fit now with the rise of Trumpism? Shikha Dalmia, visiting fellow with George Mason University’s Mercatus…

Vox contributor Emily Stewart and Unchained” podcast host Laura Shin join the show to discuss the implosion of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, the arrest of its former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, and what it means for our economy.

MLive political reporter Jordyn Hermani and Michigan Public Radio Network senior state Capitol correspondent Rick Pluta stop by to discuss why the lame duck session in the Michigan legislature was particularly uneventful, and the upcoming term in Lansing. Then, state senator Adam Hollier joins the show to discuss a proposal aimed at replacing a sta…

Do you think America’s system of government is broken? With mounting gridlock and extremism between the parties, many are dissatisfied…but how did we get here and what are the solutions? Lee Drutman, a senior fellow in the Political Reform program at New America and author of the book “Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop: The Case for Multiparty Democ…

First, Andy Smarick, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, joins the show to discuss his ideas education, civil society, and the principles of American conservatism. Then, Rafael Mangual, head of research for the Policing and Public Safety Initiative at the Manhattan Institute, stops by to discuss the research and ideas behind his recent book “…

Former gubernatorial candidate and former executive director of the Detroit Health Department Dr. Abdul El-Sayed joins the show to discuss his new appointment as health director of Wayne County beginning in March 2023.

What happens in one state could be an example for nearby states - or so the idea went, once upon a time...but with the deep polarization gripping our nation, is that even possible anymore? First, Jake Grumbach joins the show to discuss his book "Laboratories Against Democracy," and how our nationalized politics have changed the way states create la…

Detroit News reporter Craig Mauger and Michigan Public Radio Network correspondent Rick Pulta stop by to the discuss the relationship between a lobbying firm and former state house speaker Lee Chatfield, including the attorney general's investigation and why it has Lansing concerned. This, Washington Post reporter Azi Paybarah joins the show to dis…

Outlier Media journalist Candice Fortman joins Stephen and Nick on Detroit Today to discuss what's going on with Twitter, and why so many people are leaving the platform.By WDET FM

State Sen. Ed McBroom from the Upper Peninsula and state Rep. Steve Carra from Three Rivers discusses what conservativism means to them and where the Republican Party is going. This is all part of our new series on Republicans entitled, "GOP '23: Where the Party At?"By WDET FM

Congressman Andy Levin (D) and Thomson Reuters correspondent David Shepardson join the show to discuss the latest involving the labor dispute between railroad companies and workers, including the issues between the parties and how the federal government may intervene. Then, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy stops by to discuss her office's efforts…

Nick Austin steps in for Stephen to discuss why Michigan's population is declining, what that means for the state and how to reverse the trend with University of Michigan economist Don Grimes. Then, Dr. Matthew Sims of Corewell Health East joins the show to talk about increasing RSV infections in the state.…

Rana Foroohar, global business columnist and an associate editor at the Financial Times, and author of “Homecoming: The Path to Prosperity in a Post Global World,” joins the show to discuss why she believe the future of America's economy should be local and how globalization has affected the modern worker.…

State Sen. Jeremy Moss discusses his view of the changing politics in Oakland County, and what Democrats want to accomplish while holding a majority in the state legislature. Then, two redistricting commissioners explore what went right and wrong about Michigan's new political maps.By WDET FM

What are you cooking for Thanksgiving? What have been some Thanksgiving day disasters of the past? WDET music hosts Rob Reinhart and Ann Delisi join Detroit Today to discuss Thanksgiving day traditions and past mistakes that were made.By WDET FM

A new DTE rate increase will go into effect, but it’s not what was anticipated for consumers.DTE had wanted an additional $388 million — an increase of 8.8% for households — in annual revenue to maintain the energy grid. But they didn’t get it. They were allowed a rate increase of less than 1 percent from a decision made by the Michigan Public Serv…

Apologies are hard. It’s not fun to admit wrongdoing and commit to a different set of actions. American representatives and presidents, particularly, rarely apologize while holding office. But that’s not for lack of mistakes that American leaders have made recently or deeper in the country’s collective past.Other countries expect their leaders to a…

Detroit Future City CEO Anika Goss and the Kresge Foundation's Detroit program managing director Wendy Jackson join the show to discuss the recently released "Detroit Reinvestment Index" survey tracking local and national perceptions of Detroit and its economic growth since 2013. Then, ACLU staff attorney Mark Fancher stops by to discuss the Michig…

The last time Democrats had control of the legislature and governor’s office — about 40 years ago — they kind of messed things up. Dealing with enormous unemployment numbers and a state budget carrying a deficit, they immediately raised taxes. But this didn’t work out so well for them, as they lost their majority in the legislature after Governor J…

First, State rep. Joe Tate joins the show to talk about his historic moment being the first African American speaker of the state House, and what Democrats plan to do with their new majority. Then, Koby Levin of Chalkbeat Detroit discusses why absentee rates are such a problem for Detroit public schools and Michigan schools around the state.…