MAGA Bingo and Questions of Loyalty: 5 Michigan Senate Debate Takeaways

© Pool photo by Robin Buckson


© Pool photo by Robin Buckson


© Nick Hagen for The New York Times; Emily Elconin for The New York Times


© Zbigniew Bzdak for The New York Times

DTE Energy, among the US’s biggest utilities, is requesting approval to build two new gas plants to meet datacenter demand
Michigan utility customers may pay $6.4bn for two new gas plants to meet datacenter demand, drawing outrage from residents.
The potential burden on ratepayers, especially residential customers, is a microcosm of similar tensions nationwide, highlighting how the utility industry benefits from unchecked datacenter growth.
Continue reading...
© Photograph: UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

© Photograph: UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

© Photograph: UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Against a backdrop of rising Islamophobia, Michigan Senate hopeful has challenged premise of repeated questions on Muslim Brotherhood, Israel and faith
As a candidate positioned at the center of what researchers say are the worst Islamophobic attacks seen since the aftermath of 9/11, many would expect Abdul El-Sayed to simply defend himself and move on.
Instead, the Democratic candidate for US Senate in Michigan has repeatedly demanded those who question his positions on Israel, the Muslim Brotherhood and his faith, explain the premise of their inquiry. Rather than let others put his loyalties on trial, he has tried to put their assumptions on trial.
Continue reading...
© Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

© Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

© Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images


© Pool photo by Paul Sancya

Timmy Teepell’s firm paid $250,000 by America Next, which has been trying to gin up ‘organic’ opposition to El-Sayed
The man who attempted to ambush the Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed with a question about his supposed allegiance to the Muslim Brotherhood – which El-Sayed parlayed into a viral clip for his campaign – is the son of a political operator who recently received $250,000 for “canvassing and influencer marketing” against El-Sayed, the Guardian has learned.
In the now-famous exchange, a man – first identified by the Handbasket as Thomas “Tommy” Teepell – asked El-Sayed if he would “disavow” the Muslim Brotherhood. El-Sayed said he would, but then asked: “What are you implying? Do you assume that I wouldn’t?” What followed was a five-minute exchange that has drawn over 50m views across several social media platforms, in which El-Sayed queries the man about the guarantees of religious freedom in the constitution.
Continue reading...
© Photograph: Katie McTiernan/Anadolu/Getty Images

© Photograph: Katie McTiernan/Anadolu/Getty Images

© Photograph: Katie McTiernan/Anadolu/Getty Images


© Zbigniew Bzdak for The New York Times

Thomas Teepell, who worked for Republican senator, demanded El-Sayed disavow Muslim Brotherhood
A man who heckled the Democratic candidate for Senate Abdul El-Sayed and demanded he disavow the Muslim Brotherhood at a Michigan town hall is a former aide to the Republican senator Josh Hawley, according to congressional staff records.
At the event on Saturday, an attender who gave his name only as “Tommy” shouted from the crowd, asking whether El-Sayed would disavow the movement. El-Sayed answered: “Sure, yeah, absolutely,” then turned the question around, asking whether the man assumed he wouldn’t.
Continue reading...
© Photograph: Katie McTiernan/Anadolu/Getty Images

© Photograph: Katie McTiernan/Anadolu/Getty Images

© Photograph: Katie McTiernan/Anadolu/Getty Images

Jan Crawford had praised man who asked Democratic candidate whether he would disavow Muslim Brotherhood
CBS’s chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford has apologized for and deleted a social media post praising a man who questioned Democratic Michigan US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed about the Muslim Brotherhood during a town hall on Saturday.
On Sunday, Crawford, who initially joined CBS in 2009, wrote on X: “Earlier, I tweeted a video from an Abdul El-Sayed town hall. I deleted that tweet because it was a violation of CBS News standards. I apologize.”
Continue reading...
© Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: AFP/Getty Images


© Shane Goldmacher/The New York Times


© Zbigniew Bzdak for The New York Times

El Niño will likely shift weather patterns to bring more rain, but much snow still isn’t forecast for the northern states
Winter in the United States looks like it will generally be wetter and warmer, but not necessarily snowier, according to the federal government’s seasonal outlook and other meteorologists’ forecasts. You can thank or blame El Niño.
El Niño is likely to shift weather patterns to bring more moisture, but with it higher temperatures. That should help erase persistent western drought, but it is unlikely to make northern snow-lovers happy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) said on Thursday.
Continue reading...
© Photograph: Selcuk Acar/Anadolu/Getty Images

© Photograph: Selcuk Acar/Anadolu/Getty Images

© Photograph: Selcuk Acar/Anadolu/Getty Images


© Ashley Wu/The New York Times


© The New York Times


© Nick Hagen for The New York Times


© The New York Times


© Nick Hagen for The New York Times