Axios Detroit

June 10, 2025
Welcome to Tuesday! It's a Kendrick kind of day. Lamar is in town for his Detroit show at Ford Field with SZA tonight.
- On a Motor City note: Kendrick's latest album, "GNX," is named after Buick's Grand National Experimental — once hailed as the "raddest muscle car of the '80s" by Jalopnik. Buick is owned by Detroit-based GM.
🎧 Sounds like: "Squabble Up," Kendrick Lamar
☀️ Today's weather: Mostly sunny, with a high in the mid-70s.
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Today's newsletter is 920 words — a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: What to know about anti-Trump protests in Michigan
Protesters are taking to the streets nationwide, including across Michigan, in what organizers expect will be the largest single-day rally against President Trump since the start of his second administration.
Why it matters: The widespread movement will run counter to Trump's multimillion-dollar military parade in D.C. on Saturday.
- "No Kings is a nationwide day of defiance," organizers wrote. "From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we're taking action to reject authoritarianism."
- More than 100 pro-democracy advocacy groups are partnering to organize the No Kings events.

What they're saying: "Donald Trump wants tanks in the street and a made-for-TV display of dominance for his birthday," the No Kings website said.
- "A spectacle meant to look like strength. But real power isn't staged in Washington. It rises up everywhere else."
By the numbers: Millions of people are estimated to protest in more than 1,500 cities across all 50 states and Puerto Rico, organizers said.
Zoom in: A No Kings rally and march are planned for 1–4pm at Clark Park in Detroit, with food, music and speeches, including from U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib.
- Events are also planned in about 10 other cities in Metro Detroit, including Dearborn, Ferndale, Novi and Romeo. Times vary.
Context: Trump proposed a military parade on his 79th birthday and the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary as a show of U.S. military might.
- The Army predicts it will spend $25 to $45 million on the plan, an estimate that doesn't include Secret Service or law enforcement.
- D.C. is not known for having military parades, but Trump has been vying for one since his first term.
- "When the president came into office on Jan. 20, he made it clear that he wanted to ... feature the United States Army as the first branch of the United States military to be constituted of the American republic," Ambassador Monica Crowley, chief of protocol of the United States, told Axios.
Yes, but: There will be no organized protest in Washington, D.C.
- "We want to create contrast, not conflict," said Leah Greenberg, co-executive director of Indivisible, one of the partner groups.
2. Sambas, Crocs among most-faked shoes
New sneakers are a great way to freshen up your summer wardrobe, but beware counterfeiters, especially if you're shopping online.
Why it matters: Through its product verification process, StockX — the Detroit-based online marketplace specializing in shoes, apparel, collectibles and other items — rejected more than 370,000 products valued at nearly $74 million, per the company's new Brand Protection & Customer Trust Report.
Zoom in: The shoes that counterfeiters are targeting aren't necessarily the most rare or valuable — they're pretty common shoes that retail for about $100.
- The Adidas Campus 00s, in black, and Adidas Samba OG, in white and black, took the top two spots for the most counterfeited sneakers on StockX.
- The Crocs Classic Clog Lightning McQueen was also among the most faked.
How it works: All orders that don't ship directly from a StockX-verified seller go through the company's verification process, which involves a combination of product knowledge, market data and technology, such as embedded RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags that can be scanned.
What's next: The company plans to strengthen law enforcement partnerships and relationships with brands to further combat counterfeiting.
3. The Grapevine: You heard it here
👀 An Indigenous collective interested in buying vacant property on the city's west side is questioning why the Detroit Land Bank Authority raised its price by nearly 2000% after the group expressed interest.
- A land bank spokesperson said the property was repriced routinely to reflect market conditions, independent of the collective's inquiry. (BridgeDetroit)
🎤 A new hip-hop festival is planned for Juneteenth at Hart Plaza with performances from local rappers Icewear Vezzo, Payroll, Sada Baby and more. (Metro Times)
🏈 The Michigan Panthers will play the DC Defenders in the UFL championship game at The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis on Saturday at 8pm.
- The Panthers, who won the inaugural league championship in 1983, will be playing for their second title. (MLive)
4. Michigan's Fortune 500 companies

Michigan was home to 15 of the country's top-grossing companies last year — many of them tied to the auto industry — according to the 2025 Fortune 500 list released this month.
Why it matters: Fortune 500 companies boost the state's economy, influence policy priorities and power job growth.
Michigan's top-ranked companies, by fiscal year 2024 revenue, are:
18. General Motors (Detroit): $187.4 billion — up 1 spot from last year.
19. Ford (Dearborn): $185 billion — down 2 spots.
103. Dow (Midland): $43 billion — down 4.
141. Penske Automotive Group (Bloomfield Hills): $30.5 billion — up 5.
189. Lear (Southfield): $23.3 billion — down 15.
Zoom in: Other top-500 companies in Metro Detroit include Ally Financial (255), BorgWarner (307), DTE Energy (337) and Autoliv (407).
The intrigue: Dan Gilbert's Rocket Companies jumped 127 spots but remains outside the Fortune 500 at number 619, with $5.4 billion in revenue.
The big picture: Walmart topped the magazine's annual list for the 13th straight year. Amazon, UnitedHealth Group, Apple and CVS Health round out the top five.
- Together, the top 500 pulled in $1.87 trillion in profits — up 10% from last year and a record in dollar terms, per Fortune.
5. Better gorilla access
The Detroit Zoo is celebrating completion of changes to its Great Apes of Harambee habitat home to gorillas and chimpanzees.
- The updates include larger outdoor viewing areas for more immersive viewing of the apes, infrastructure improvements, better direction markers and signs and better accessibility.
Our picks:
🐀 Joe is appalled that his Ann Arbor Huron River Rats didn't make the Free Press' esteemed list of the 12 of the most unique Michigan high school mascots.
🤩 Annalise is pretty sure she'd rock a pair of the fake Lightning McQueen Crocs.
Edited by Chloe Gonzales.
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