Hey friends, Jer here.

As I'm writing this, we're coming up on a deadline of midnight that a large round of tariffs will be imposed on goods from 86 other countries, including 104% on China.

The bottom line is — whatever you think of the policies — the near-universal consensus is that prices are about to go way up on everything from groceries, to cars, to electronics.

Although we're looking at price increases in the hundreds of dollars for things like iPhones, making them wholly in the U.S. would push the price to around $3,500 each.

The stock market has taken a bath the last few days — losing about 12% of its value — and I know a lot of people are concerned about their retirement.

More than 60% of Americans have money in the market while we're getting into a trade war headed up by people who don't understand trade deficits.

Although I'm all for made in America (especially Detroit), the wistful looking in the rear view mirror that some do of our "good old days" of manufacturing isn't useful. Times and technology have changed. Yes, we should do more here; but how we're going about it seems reckless and ungrounded.

As we explored in our own episode about how tariffs will hit home in Michigan with two experts, the world is now forever interconnected.

🪧 On Saturday, thousands of people protested in Detroit in an action that spread from the Detroit Institute of Arts to Little Caesars Arena. Protests popped up in suburbs like Ferndale, Wyandotte, and across the nation.

So why are people hitting the streets? My Daily Detroit podcast colleague Norris Howard joined to talk about it on our show, including clips from people we talked to on Woodward Avenue. Listen on the website | Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify

Speaking of the podcast, I learned over the weekend that we're the number one local daily news podcast in America. Apple ranked us ahead of shows from New York City, Denver, Chicago, Portland, Los Angeles, D.C. and Dallas.

I'm not good at celebrating things, to be honest. My personality is to get up, grind, and make the next thing. We do work in Detroit.

I'll note all of the others have either venture capital, public radio, or legacy media behind them. But we have heart, and we have you. I am full of gratitude to you, our listeners and readers, for being there for us. And of course, to our supporting members on Patreon.

We're doing a studio open house and community conversation next Saturday, April 26. Come by our spot at TechTown and let's talk all things Detroit. It runs from 10a-1pm, and there will be coffee and good donuts. [Eventbrite]

What to know

🚗 Jeff Bezos has been secretly backing a Michigan-based EV startup called Slate Auto. The company, founded in 2022, wants to launch a $25,000 electric truck by 2026, targeting first-time car buyers. Unlike other EV startups that begin with luxury vehicles, Slate plans to start affordable while selling customizations and upgrades. Their headquarters are in Troy. [TechCrunch]

I think I may dive into this one on a future edition of the podcast. It's so wild it might just work — or at the very least, it's worth watching.

🚉 Passenger rail service could come back to near Detroit's Michigan Central Station by late 2028. A new transit hub and an eight-story parking deck with 1,300 spaces is being considered for land west of the historic building, potentially serving as a stop on a proposed Chicago-Detroit-Toronto line. [Crain's Detroit Business]

🏨 Downtown Detroit's elegant Siren Hotel faces legal troubles as Huntington Bank sues over an $8.1 million defaulted loan. The bank seeks to appoint a receiver for the 106-room boutique hotel in the historic Wurlitzer Building. [Freep]

💧 Detroit's free Stormwater Specialist Training program is tackling two challenges in the city of Detroit: Creating jobs and reducing flooding. The course teaches residents to install and maintain rain gardens - shallow planted areas that absorb rainwater and keep it out of sewers. At St. Suzanne alone, eight rain gardens now divert 600,000 gallons of water annually. [Outlier Media]

🏙️ Detroit's turnaround under Mayor Mike Duggan's leadership stands as one of America's great urban revival stories, says a new profile in Governing. [Governing Magazine]

He drives a "Detroit-made Jeep," probably assembled at the Jefferson Avenue plant on the east side.

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News Bites

🍸 “The Conservatory” has opened at 3444 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, adjacent to the AC Hotel Detroit at the Bonstelle. The glass-covered bar is part of the newly opened 154-room AC Hotel Detroit at the Bonstelle, the first of its brand in Southeast Michigan.

The Conservatory connects to the historic Bonstelle Playhouse, currently undergoing restoration and opening soon.

The Spanish-inspired spot offers traditional tapas and signature gin cocktails in a light-filled courtyard setting from 4p to midnight daily. There's also a European-style buffet breakfast from 7a to 11a.

👻 Grey Ghost's spin-off restaurant, opening this Summer in Ferndale, now has a name. Little Ghost will have a cotton candy pink and beet purple aesthetic. [Detroit News]

☕️ After six years on Woodward Heights in Ferndale, Drifter Coffee is moving to near Livernois and Fielding. The new spot will have a lounge and event space. [Indiegogo]

🚚 Temporarily closed since mid-February due to a burst pipe, Detroit Fleat in Ferndale is set to re-open Friday at 4p. [Instagram]

🥪 Open since 1955, Ernie's Market in Oak Park is celebrating their 70th year today (April 8). The corner deli is known for their well-stacked sandwiches — and of course, the charismatic Ernie Hassan who is behind the counter. [More]

Remember that you are somebody, and we'll talk soon.

-Jer

p.s. - Tonight's track is one I've known by heart since fourth grade (I perfomed it for a school project) — "We Didn't Start The Fire," by Billy Joel. Here's a complete list of references, including the merger of Studebaker-Packard, the discovery of a successful polio vaccine, noting the Edsel automobile being a no-go, and more.

Times are always changing. If we don't shape them how we want, someone else will.