Meet Dr. Abdul El-Sayed

By Darlene Mitchell August 13, 2026 August 13, 2026 2026 Election, Disease, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, Facebook, Health Care, Human Rights, Israel, Medical, Public Health, Race/Ethnicity, Social Issues

Meet Dr. Abdul El-Sayed

By William Jones

From Public Health Official to Candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed has carved out a career that has moved in and out of medicine, public health, and politics. Now at 41, the handsome and articulate Michigan doctor and former public health practitioner is center stage in a pivotal moment in U. S. politics. El-Sayed has defeated a popular moderate Democratic challenger in the primary, and will face former U.S. Representative, Mike Rogers, a Republican, in the November. general election. El-Sayed’s progressive message is being tested in one of the nation’s most closely watched swing states. Personally he is already facing bigoted slurs from the political right. Islamophobia, is alive and well, in the good ‘ol US of A. The vehement attacks by the GOP, have some Democrats worried that El-Sayed may cost them their dream of taking back both the House and the Senate in November.

Michigan Roots and a Public-Service Path Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed was born October 31, 1984, in Rochester Hills, a suburb of Detroit, MI. His parents were Egyptian immigrants. His mother, Fatten Elkomy, a nurse practitioner, his father, Mohamed, was a PhD candidate at Wayne State University. After his parents divorce, Abdul was raised by his father and his stepmother, Jackie, both engineers. El-Sayed grew up going to public schools where he was socially active and played sports. According to his campaign bio his family was deeply connected to public service. After high school, Abdul, went on to study at the University of Michigan, graduating with high honors in biology and political science.

Family Life Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is married to Dr. Sarah Jukaku, a psychiatrist. They met at the University of Michigan and married in 2006 and have shared the last 20 years together. The couple have two beautiful and talented daughters. He jokingly refers to himself as “girl dad.”

Impressive Credentials After graduation from the University of Michigan he was accepted to Columbia University’s Medical School. In his second year at Columbia he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and attended Oxford where he received a Doctorate in Public Health. When his time at Oxford was finished he returned to Columbia and completed his medical training. As time passed, he grew more interested in how communities are affected by sickness and disease, rather than the individual response. This change in perspective led him into epidemiology, public health policy, and government.

Building a Career in Public Health El-Sayed garnered nation wide recognition when he was named Executive Director of the Detroit Health Department at the youthful age of 30. His activities focused on improving health initiatives, the environment’s threat to health, and the intervention of health programs for children and families. While Executive Director of the Detroit Health Department he learned that the health of the community is much more than doctors and hospitals. He soon came to understand how conditions in the home, family income, clean water and air, are all factors that affect the overall health of the community. Dr. El-Sayed left the Detroit Health Department in February of 2017. During his tenure he was designated ‘Public Official of the Year’ by the Michigan League of Conservation Voters and ‘Policy Innovator’ by the Carnegie Council.

Keeping Busy After leaving the Detroit Health Department Dr. El-Sayed launched an unsuccessful campaign for Governor of Michigan in 2018, finishing second in the Democratic primary, losing to powerhouse and future governor, Gretchen Whitmer. After his primary loss he refocused; writing several books on public health, hosting the podcast America Dissected, and serving as the director of Wayne County’s Department of Health, Human, and Veteran Services from 2023 until 2025. The themes from his first campaign remained largely unchanged as he persisted in his call for a bigger government role in health care and economic security for all.

A Senate Campaign Built From the Ground Up Dr. El-Sayed had decided to run for the U.S. Senate in April 2025 when Democratic Sen. Gary Peters announced that he would not seek re-election and then immediately threw his support behind centrist Democrat, Haley Stevens, the U.S. Rep. from Michigan’s 11th District. Dr. El-Sayed’s campaign had started out small but with Peter’s decision not to run for re-election, Dr. El-Sayed began an aggressive campaign against the “establishment” and went on an all out statewide push for the nomination. El-Sayed visited 110 cities, held over 500 events, and developed a volunteer network of more than 12,000. He campaigned on a progressive platform of Medicare for All, economic affordability, campaign-finance reform; and notably, loud and clear opposition to the seemingly unlimited U.S. military aid to Israel. Dr. El-Sayed is identified with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens is identified as a moderate. Reuters described the battle as one for the party’s “ideological direction.”

The General Election Test Winning the primary gave El-Sayed an opportunity, but it also means that he now faces a far greater challenge. There’s still plenty of political room left in Michigan, and Republican Mike Rogers has solid national support, and a huge bank balance as he readies for the general election. Now El-Sayed must win over voters who are unlikely to be in the progressive camp who might not see their everyday concerns addressed by his ideas. Cost of health care, wages, housing, and government trust are likely to continue to be key topics with voters. He will also continue to be a figure of interest in Israeli politics here in the United States as the Muslim voice against the genocide in Gaza.

Building Bridges El-Sayed immediately after his victory went to work to show party unity; assuring the public that after the contentious primary campaign the Democrats were united against Trump and his billionaire allies; understanding that all of the voters who had supported Stevens now had to be shown his was a winning candidacy. The AP reported that El-Sayed spoke by phone with former President Barack Obama and hoped he would campaign with him. The defeated Stevens embraced El-Sayed in her concession speech and encouraged all Democrats, Independents, and disillusioned Republicans to support him. The action was a clear sign that the Democrats want to show a united front to the Republicans and their massive financial war chest. As for the Republicans they are already declaring the good doctor to be everything from a “communist” to a “9-11 advocate.”

A Career Reaching Its Biggest Test As you can see it’s been no straight trajectory to the top of the political ranks for Dr. El-Sayed. His backers find a man who understands that policy decisions impact the lives of ordinary families and who won’t be afraid to challenge the status quo. Some prognosticators think his progressive views in a multi-racial battleground state may not be what is needed. The next stage of the campaign will be influenced by these opposing perspectives. November will reveal the direction this country is headed. The Senate race is wide open. It is likely to be a barometer for what we can expect in 2028.

References: The internet

Photo from Dr. Abdul El-Sayed’s Facebook website

No comments

Editorial: Foot Stomping Mad

By Darlene Mitchell August 10, 2026 August 10, 2026 2026 Election, Abortion, anti-MAGA, Asian Issues, Bill of Rights, Black and Brown Issues, Climate Crisis, Demonstrations and Protests, Donald J. Trump, Elon Musk, Ethics, Freedom of the Press, Human Rights, ICE, Immigration, Journalism, Neo-Nazis, Progressivism, Race/Ethnicity, Second Amendment, Social Issues, Trumpism, U.S. Supreme Court, Voter Suppression, White Supremacy Movement, Women's Rights

Editorial:

Stomping My Feet and Screaming Profanities

Editorial:

Stomping My Feet, and Screaming Profanities

By D. S. Mitchell

What the Hell?

What the hell is going on in this country? From the moment I open my eyes in the morning till I close them at night, I am besieged by anger and hate; from every direction. It comes via my cell phone, Facebook and Tik-Tok, texts and emails, the cable TV pundits, from family, neighbors, and co-workers. It never stops. Truthfully, it has me all amped up, like most of the country, I guess; consumed with outrage at one group or another. All the vitriol has me in a bat swinging mood, and it’s an ‘effen big bat.

Makes no Sense

The mindless call for civil war is however, unsettling. Anyone with a high school education understands that war, civil or otherwise, destroys economies and communities. The American civil war killed 620,000 men, some believe the death toll might have been as high as 850,000 and lasted four devastating years, before slavery was formally abolished in the United States. My God, is that something anybody in their right mind wants. I know; I don’t. Countries currently experiencing active civil wars or major internal armed conflicts include Myanmar, Yemen, Sudan, Syria and Somalia. Each of these conflicts have different origins, but the commonality is they are fighting for political control. People die, all because the political forces in the country were so desperate for total power they chose to pick up guns and in some cases support one man rule, no matter how flawed the man.

Orange Blimp

A couple of nights ago, August 7, 2026, MS-NOW was showing clips from a recent Trump interview. ‘The Boss’ was in typical form, ranting and haranguing, taking full control of the interview. The language was reminiscent of the 1930’s and Nazi Germany, using recycled slurs but instead of Jews and Gypsies, Trump’s modern day “undesirables” are Blacks, Muslims, and Latinos. Tomorrow it could be you. In Trump’s mind, “undesirables” is anyone, anywhere, at any time, who opposes him. Ask Comey, Jack Smith, and others who “dear leader” has designated for prosecution. Watch out, any of us could be next.

Trump’s Promises Can’t Be Ignored

Trump’s promise to institutionalize judges and prosecutors, imprison migrants, execute generals, eliminate the civil service, and suspend the Constitution; should make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. ‘Cuz he’s working real hard at all of it. The activity of ICE on the streets of American cities is alarming. Killing American citizens without investigation or prosecution. Trump’s future SS? The Justice Department is in shambles, led by a corrupt AG who will prosecute a house fly if the melon head tells him to. Conditions at ICE prisons for undocumented aliens and their American born children is alarming. Where does it stop? That’s a good question; because the way it looks right now the orange demagogue is tightening his grip on all the levers of power. The band of crack pots and corrupt grifters that have filled Trump’s second administration, have only one necessary qualification for employment and that is they say ‘yes’ to whatever ‘The Boss’ demands, no matter how crazy or illegal.

Outrageous

Every ethical journalist in this country is calling out Trump for his outrageous conduct and disgusting recent rhetoric. Free speech be damned, this demented extremist is firing up his followers to violence. The mango menace is no longer just a bad joke, but rather a clear and present danger to the Republic. This man is an immediate threat to our already Donnie disabled democracy. Trump and Mitch McConnell packed the Supreme Court, creating a dangerous situation at the top of the Judicial Branch. With an autocrat at the top of the Executive Branch, Trump would have control of 2/3rds of the government. With the Insurrection Act to back his authority, Trump would assume control of the military. Coup complete. This is a total possibility folks, I know many folks have put January 6th, 2021, behind them but that was just a test run, I believe.

What Say You?

Do you want control of your own body?

Do you want religious freedom?

Do you want the right to read anything you choose?

Do you want the right to marry who you love?

Do you support ease of voting?

Do you support reasonable gun laws?

Do you support universal health care?

Do you support the overturning of Citizens United (taking dark money out of politics)?

Do you support a minimum living wage?

Do you support term limits and ethics rules for the Supreme Court?

Do you support family leave?

Do you support affordable federal housing programs?

So, Now What?

If your answer was yes, to any of the above questions, please support Democrats up and down the ballot in 2026-28 and forward. Don’t listen to the PAC lies from Musk and the big money interests. Reach in your pocket and start sending in money; $5, $20, $50, anything you can spare. Next, and this is really important also, pick up the phone and call the Democratic Party office in your town and find out how you can help. Just because you’ve voted Republican since Nixon doesn’t mean you need to continue to support a political party that now supports, a national ban on abortion, a white Christian national government, book banning, voter suppression, and an originalist interpretation of the 2nd amendment, tax support for billionaires and . The view of the future can be bright, but Trump’s view of our future is dark and desperate. I choose bright, not dark. How about you?

No comments

Blatant, Spit in Your Face, Corruption From Trump, Inc.

By Darlene Mitchell August 8, 2026 August 8, 2026 Donald J. Trump, Lies and Corruption, Lobbyists, Money Laundering, U.S. Supreme Court

Blatant, Spit in Your Face, Corruption From Trump, Inc.

Editor: Donald Trump is convinced that he and his family… and his cronies, can get away with the money and no one will stop him. I think he’s misjudged the situation; at least I hope so. We will find out in about 85 days whether all the dark money and corruption will keep the MAGA’s in office. The only thing I believe that can end this unimaginable corruption is an enormous voter turn out. A turn out so big and impressive for the Democrats that there won’t be but a handful of GOP/MAGA legislators left in office. They stopped Viktor Orban in Hungary and we can stop Trump, but it will take a dramatic tsunami of opposition to him to make it happen. If you are not registered to vote, get off your ass and get signed up, we will need every disgusted, ashamed, humiliated and outraged citizen to vote- Calamity, aka D.S. Mitchell

By William Jones

It seems most administrations face accusations of some level of corruption. But few have had the scale that has been tied to Donald Trump’s second term. Since January 2025, nonpartisan trackers, congressional investigators, and journalists have documented a pattern that can no longer be ignored. Several government benefits including appointments, contracts, dropped investigations, pardons, and policy decisions all flowing toward the President and his family alongside his donors and allies. Still, there are many defenders of the administration who insist this is ordinary political discretion, or even a crackdown on fraud committed by others. In truth, the volume and consistency of the cases below suggest something more deep-rooted and against the political culture of this great nation. Voters deserve a clear account of what has actually been documented, and what remains contested.

1) Family Business and Conflicts of Interest

The hallmark of corruption allegations involves members of the President’s own family profiting from decisions made inside his administration. Reports show his first term senior adviser, and son in-in-law, Jared Kushner, reportedly sought to raise more than five billion dollars for his private equity firm from Gulf governments, including Saudi Arabia, while simultaneously serving as a key U.S. envoy to the region, a dual role that watchdogs say blurs the line between diplomacy and personal enrichment. Separately, reporting has tied a six-hundred-twenty-million-dollar Pentagon loan for a small manufacturing startup to intervention from a senior trade adviser, arriving only months after a venture capital firm run by Donald Trump Jr. took a stake in that same company. The U.S. Air Force has also signed a contract with a drone manufacturer backed by Trump Jr. and brother Eric. Taken individually, any one of these could be coincidence. Taken together, critics argue they describe a pattern in which proximity to the President’s family has become a predictable path to federal money.

2) Donor Access and Pay-to-Play Appointments

Nonpartisan trackers such as the Campaign Legal Center have catalogued dozens of instances in which political donations or financial arrangements appear to have shaped major personnel and policy decisions; including Cabinet and ambassadorial appointments, pardons and commutations, and the dropping of federal investigations. One case that drew particular attention involved a bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario; the President moved to block a competing bridge from opening, a decision that came within hours of its owner making a million-dollar donation tied to securing a meeting with the Commerce Secretary. In another instance, at least twenty Cabinet members are reported to have directed more than thirty million dollars toward efforts that personally benefited the President through political donations, property spending, stock holdings, and contributions to Trump-aligned funds. Congress has also opened a probe into more than sixty million dollars in corporate payments to the President’s planned presidential library, after the original fund was dissolved and the money’s destination became unclear.

3) Regulators and Enforcement Bending to Financial Interests

A third pattern involves officials responsible for oversight instead holding financial stakes in the industries they regulate. The acting Attorney General reportedly ordered the termination of several crypto-related investigations while personally holding hundreds of thousands of dollars in crypto investments. The FAA Administrator held millions of dollars in an airline’s stock for months after taking office. And a top aide to the Homeland Security Secretary has been accused of soliciting kickbacks from a federal contractor, the private prison operator GEO Group, in exchange for contract growth. Even routine government spending has drawn scrutiny; a no-bid contract to clean the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool went to a firm tied to a longtime presidential supporter, and the pool has since turned green with algae. Meanwhile, taxpayers are now reported to be covering roughly half the cost of a new White House ballroom, despite earlier assurances that private donors would foot the entire bill. And if it was totally donor built what favors would be doled out? The stench is unimaginable.

4) Legal Settlements That Benefit the President Personally

Perhaps most striking is a reported settlement in which the President dropped a lawsuit against the federal government in exchange for the Justice Department establishing a fund of roughly $1.8 billion, described by the administration as compensation for ‘victims of lawfare.’ Government watchdogs have called the arrangement a use of federal legal machinery for personal financial benefit. Separately, dozens of former federal judges have signed court filings describing a related proposed IRS settlement as corrupting the judicial process itself, and Senate Judiciary Committee members have opened a records-preservation inquiry into how that deal was reached. These are not routine legal outcomes. They are settlements negotiated by an administration the President himself controls, resolving disputes in which he is both the plaintiff and the defendant. One judge, called the whole action a “fraud against the court.”

Why Has There Been No Criminal Conviction?

This remains one of the big questions. There have been congressional inquiries, administration disputes, and even watchdog reports, but none has led to criminal convictions. The White House itself has pointed to its own Task Force to Eliminate Fraud. Its reports uncovers billions of dollars in fraudulent government contracts, benefit claims, and pandemic-era loans, and frames itself as the party rooting out corruption rather than committing it. Republican officials argue that personnel and policy decisions fall within a President’s normal discretion, that donor-funded ambassadorships and access have a long bipartisan history in American politics, and that much of the criticism, including a newly proposed ‘Anti-Corruption Bureau’ from Senate Democrats is itself politically timed ahead of the midterm elections. Americans should weigh the documented pattern above against that defense, and against the fact that discretion, poor judgment, and criminal corruption are not always the same thing, even when they look similar from the outside.

To Conclude

Democracy depends on public confidence that government decisions are made in the public interest rather than for private gain. Whether or not any individual case here ultimately results in prosecution, the sheer accumulation of documented conflicts including family enrichment, donor access, regulators with financial stakes, and self-benefiting legal settlements has pushed corruption concerns into the center of the national conversation in a way rarely seen in modern American politics. Congress, the courts, and the voters each have a role in demanding transparency and accountability, regardless of party.

Reference Links

https://campaignlegal.org/document/tracking-trump-administrations-most-corrupt-transactions

https://www.murphy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/murphy-details-unprecedented-corruption-of-trump-white-house-over-the-last-500-days

https://represent.us/trump-corruption-tracker/

https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/resources/human-rights/2026-march/trump-administrations-rampant-pay-to-play-corruption-threatens-our-democracy/

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/epic-corruption-plain-sight

https://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/news/release/whitehouse-renews-probe-into-cop-beaters-slush-fund-and-trump-family-tax-fraud-amnesty-deal/

https://www.ms.now/news/schumer-anti-corruption-agency-trump

https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/05/trump-administrations-full-scale-war-on-fraud/

No comments

Since “He” Returned to Office

By Darlene Mitchell August 2, 2026 August 2, 2026 Update

Since “He” Returned to Office;

It’s Been a Real Horror Show

Since “He” Returned to Office;

It’s Been a Real Horror Show

Editor: Sometimes You Need a Little Repetition

By Cate Rees-Hessel

Cataclysm In Progress…

Trump had a disastrous first term with not just COVID, but a slew of irresponsible mistakes and corruption. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had a mess to clean up, but four years later, for reasons so many of us can not fathom, Trump won both the popular vote and the electoral college vote and is once again in the Oval Office. The 250th anniversary of our nation was barely celebrated because the maniac clown is destroying our economy right along with our government and our democracy. Please for the good of the country vote blue across the board in November. It’s imperative we regain control of the House and Senate to stop him and his oligarchs. Here is a short list of things he has done since his frightening return to power:

That damn ballroom desecration