‘Not AIPAC’s Guy’
The Michigan Senate Democratic primary debate between progressive Abdul El-Sayed and centrist Haley Stevens got heated, while Donald Trump played victim in Turkey, and the U.S struck Iran yet again.
🚨 Breaking: President Donald Trump cast doubt on the interim agreement with Iran after he called the ceasefire “over” and said dealing with Tehran was a waste of time. The comments followed U.S. strikes on Iran in what the U.S. said was a response to Iranian attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump, however, said he would allow negotiations to continue.
Good morning, friends. Prem here. Last night, I watched the Michigan Democratic Senate primary debate between Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens so you didn’t have to. (I promise I have other evening hobbies…) Here, I’ll take you through some highlights, and focus on an element of the race that is starting to crystallize… one I recommend you all pay attention to in the weeks ahead.
Today’s ‘First Draft’ also looks at the lowlights of Donald Trump’s arrival in Turkey for the NATO summit, which coincided with an all-too predictable return to strike and counter-strike in the war with Iran. Let’s get into it.
El-Sayed vs. Stevens, on the Debate Stage
With Mallory McMorrow’s departure from the Michigan Democratic Senate primary, the race has become a showdown between Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens. On Tuesday, the two debated. It was an instructive conversation, in the final month of the campaign. In particular, the debate showcased one very puzzling, even revealing strategy the Chuck Schumer- and AIPAC-backed Stevens is pursuing.
Onstage in Grand Rapids, the two candidates duked it out in a similar format: El-Sayed frequently argued any given issue could not be solved without being freed from corporate or outside interests. He then attacked Stevens for being the recipient of donations from such interests, such as Big Tech companies contributing to the AI data center boom. Stevens would retort with podium-pounding refrains, saying she had “the receipts,” or defaulting to a repeated suggestion that El-Sayed was only trying to “go viral” or “shouting into a bullhorn about problems.”
Early on, questions about the U.S. relationship with Israel dominated the conversation.