The front-runner in Michigan’s messy Democratic primary has repeatedly said he never called for defunding the police, but unearthed interviews and video from years earlier tell a different story. 

Abdul El-Sayed, who is running for the Democratic nomination in Michigan against Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., has been adamant throughout his push for the Senate that he never wanted to strip tax dollars from police departments, going so far as to say he deleted old tweets embracing the ideology.

But in a video for the University of Michigan published five years ago titled, «Systemic Racism as a Public Health Issue,» El-Sayed argued that funding police and their use of force was a facet of systemic racism and constituted a public health issue.

DEMOCRATS’ CIVIL WAR HEADS TO MICHIGAN, WHERE PROGRESSIVES FACE BIGGEST TEST YET IN HIGH-STAKES SENATE SHOWDOWN

«Why are we investing so much in people with guns and less in people with the means of being able to invest in young folks, empower folks through their livelihoods, and empower them to live their best lives?» El-Sayed questioned.

«Do police really need to use guns? Do we need as much of a police force?» he continued. «And so, if we ask ourselves about how we spend money in the public, where that money goes, where it comes from, we need to make a lot better decisions about investing in the things that root out poverty, rather than investing in policing poverty.» 

The video follows a report from CNN that found during the height of the «defund the police» movement in 2020, El-Sayed leaned into it.

During an interview with Detroit Public Radio from June 2020, El-Sayed argued that he never directly called to «defund the police,» but he contended that the principles behind the movement were difficult to express online in a tweet.

MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE CONFRONTED REPEATEDLY OVER ISRAEL’S RIGHT TO EXIST, DEFUNDING THE POLICE

«So, you’ll note, I didn’t say ‘defund the police,’ I just described what needed to be done,» El-Sayed said. «And I do think we need to be really focused on describing or explaining rather than sort of hedging on one side or the other behind a hashtag.»

«Defunding the police is disinvesting in the means of incarcerating someone or killing them on the streets and investing more in the means of educating and empowering and engaging communities with the means of being able to take on systemic poverty that we’ve allowed to fester in too many communities.»

El-Sayed tried to pitch his stance as «refunding» the police to ensure taxpayer dollars don’t flow to «buy war materiel to wage war in our streets.»

«What we call that is, to me, less important than what we do on the problems on the ground,» he said at the time.

DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE CALLED FOR MASS RELEASE OF CRIMINALS DURING PRISON ABOLITION WEBINAR

Chicago police officers patrol downtown on Aug. 26, 2025, in Chicago. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Roxie Richner, a campaign spokesperson for El-Sayed, said in a statement to Fox News Digital that he worked closely with law enforcement during his time as director of Health, Human, and Veterans Services for Wayne County, Michigan, and that «as hands-on experience always allows, his perspective has become more nuanced.»

«One simple word has never been enough to fully explain the reforms we need for a challenge as complex as our criminal legal system,» she said.

«Just as he did in Wayne County in 2023, Abdul believes we need to improve law enforcement recruitment, retention, and retirement funding so that law enforcement officers come from the communities they serve,» Richner continued. «He also believes we must reject militarized policing, pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, and opt for community violence intervention, behavioral health response, and improvements in public health to reduce violence and protect the lives of communities and law enforcement alike.»

Still, El-Sayed has sought to clean up his position on the matter as he runs ahead in one of the most consequential races of the 2026 midterm cycle. 

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He and Stevens are vying to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., for a seat Republicans are hungry to flip.

And more broadly, El-Sayed is part of the progressive wave that is flooding into the Democratic Party, sporting endorsements from progressive heavyweights like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

The candidate, however, can’t seem to shake off his posts and interviews from years ago despite this support.

Just last week during an interview with CNN’s Kasie Hunt, El-Sayed was pressed on his old posts and shot back that he «deleted all the tweets, because I didn’t want them to be taken out of context like this.»

He chalked up the issue to «clickbait in D.C.»

«I think this debate about 2020 and the ways that tweets are going to play are really nice on CNN if you want to get clicks,» El-Sayed said. «They’re not that effective, and nobody really asks me about them on the streets or in communities in Michigan.»

Los precios mundiales del petróleo se dispararon más de 6% este miércoles después de que el presidente estadounidense, Donald Trump, afirmara que el acuerdo de cese el fuego con Irán “se terminó”, tras una nueva escalada de ataques en Medio Oriente que reavivó el temor a una crisis energética global.

El barril de referencia internacional Brent avanzó 7%, hasta los USD 79,35, mientras que el contrato estadounidense West Texas Intermediate (WTI) subió 6,5%, hasta los USD 75,04 por barril. Ambos contratos habían retrocedido en las últimas semanas desde picos que superaron los USD 100, a niveles cercanos a los previos al estallido de la guerra con Irán, a fines de febrero.

Estados Unidos lanzó una ofensiva contra el régimen de Teherán luego de que fuerzas iraníes atacaran tres embarcaciones en el estrecho de Ormuz, la vía marítima por la que transita cerca de una quinta parte del petróleo y gas natural que se comercializa a nivel mundial.

“Para mí, creo que se terminó”, respondió Trump al ser consultado sobre el estado del cese el fuego, al margen de la cumbre de la OTAN que se celebra en Ankara, Turquía, aunque aclaró que permitirá que continúen las negociaciones. “Es solo una pérdida de tiempo tratar con ellos”, agregó el mandatario.

Los principales índices de Wall Street recortaban parte de sus pérdidas respecto de la apertura, aunque se mantenían en terreno negativo. El Dow Jones cedía 1,19%, hasta los 52.295,99 puntos. El S&P 500 retrocedía 0,49%, hasta los 7.467,28 puntos, mientras que el Nasdaq Composite, de fuerte peso tecnológico, perdía 0,26%, a 25.750,64 puntos. El índice de volatilidad VIX saltaba 8,5%, hasta los 17,50 puntos.

El repunte del crudo también presionó al mercado de bonos: el rendimiento de los Treasury a 10 años avanzaba 1,32%, hasta 4,589%, mientras que el bono a 30 años subía a 5,08%. Analistas advirtieron que los inventarios estadounidenses en la Reserva Estratégica de Petróleo cayeron a su nivel más bajo desde 1983, lo que deja a los mercados más expuestos ante eventuales shocks de oferta.

La atención de los inversores también se centra en la publicación, esta tarde, de las minutas de la última reunión de la Reserva Federal, la primera bajo la presidencia de Kevin Warsh. Según datos de futuros de tasas, los operadores elevaron a 85% las probabilidades de una suba de tasas para diciembre, frente al 80% del martes, mientras que las apuestas para una suba en la reunión de octubre pasaron de 70% a 75%.

En Europa, las pérdidas se profundizaron respecto de la apertura. El DAX alemán perdía 2,21%, hasta los 24.901,24 puntos, y el CAC 40 de París caía 2,26%, a 8.245,52 unidades. El FTSE 100 británico bajaba 1,67%, hasta los 10.487,89 puntos, y el EURO STOXX 50 retrocedía 1,87%.

En la región asiática, el Nikkei 225 de Tokio se hundía 2,1%, hasta los 66.819,05 puntos, mientras que el Kospi surcoreano se desplomaba 5,4%, a 7.246,79 unidades, arrastrado por la venta masiva de acciones tecnológicas vinculadas a la inteligencia artificial, como Samsung Electronics y SK Hynix. Samsung caía 6,3% este miércoles, tras retroceder cerca de 7% la jornada anterior, pese a haber proyectado un salto de más de 1.800% en su beneficio operativo por la demanda de chips de IA. SK Hynix, por su parte, perdía 5,7%.

En contraste, la Bolsa de Hong Kong subía 3%, hasta los 24.199,46 puntos, impulsada en parte por un salto de más de 13% en las acciones de la firma china de inteligencia artificial Zhipu. El índice Shanghai Composite cedía 0,5%, a 3.970,88 puntos, y el Taiex de Taiwán avanzaba 0,6%.

Analistas del mercado señalaron que la escalada geopolítica se combina con una creciente preocupación por las valuaciones del sector tecnológico y de inteligencia artificial, que en las últimas semanas venía concentrando la atención de los inversores. En el mercado cambiario, el dólar se fortaleció frente al euro y se mantuvo cerca de mínimos de 40 años frente al yen japonés.

En el marco del acuerdo provisional para poner fin a la guerra, Irán y Estados Unidos habían pactado permitir el paso de buques por el estrecho sin cobro de tasas durante 60 días. Sin embargo, Teherán insistió en controlar las rutas de navegación y advirtió que más adelante cobraría tarifas de tránsito, lo que alteraría décadas de prácticas establecidas en la vía marítima.

Los buques atacados el martes navegaban por una ruta cercana a la costa de Omán, distinta de la autorizada por el régimen iraní. Según el Centro de Operaciones de Comercio Marítimo del Reino Unido, un petrolero resultó alcanzado y se incendió frente a las costas omaníes; la televisión estatal iraní sostuvo que el buque de gas natural licuado fue atacado tras ignorar advertencias, sin reivindicar el hecho de manera directa. Otras dos embarcaciones sufrieron daños menores y continuaron navegando. El vocero de la Cancillería de Qatar, Majed al-Ansari, calificó de “acto inaceptable” el ataque al petrolero qatarí Al Rekayyat y responsabilizó legalmente a Irán.

(Con información de AFP, AP y Reuters)

Greenland is «not for sale,» Denmark’s prime minister said Wednesday, vowing to defend the Danish territory after President Donald Trump again said the United States should control the Arctic island for NATO defense.

Denmark is «ready to defend every inch of NATO including our own territory,» Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, adding she would call on NATO allies to honor their commitment to defend each other.

«We hope that all, including all allies, will respect the Greenland people’s right for self-determination,» she continued. «And we are sovereign states and we need everybody to respect our territorial integrity and our sovereignty.

«Greenland is of course not for sale.»

TRUMP MAKES FRESH GREENLAND PLAY AFTER XI TALKS AS CHINA’S ARCTIC AMBITIONS LOOM

Trump continues to stress Greenland «is very important» for the U.S. but not for Denmark, declaring, «We need it for protection of the world, not just the United States.»

Also, Denmark is coming up short in its support for Greenland, which remains a strategic target for both Russia and China.

«That’s what hurt my relationship with NATO,» Trump said Tuesday of the refusal to grant his request for annexation of the strategic land.

«Denmark doesn’t spend money to really help Greenland, but it’s an important part for the United States. And it’s surrounded by China ships and Russian ships.»

GREENLAND TALKS ON ‘GOOD TRAJECTORY,’ WHITE HOUSE SAYS AMID TRUMP TAKEOVER PUSH

Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issued a defiant message against President Donald Trump’s designs on Greenland at the 2026 NATO Leaders Summit on Wednesday in Ankara, Turkey. (Serdar Ozsoy/Getty Images)

For global security, Greenland «should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark,» Trump added.

«They wouldn’t go along with it,» Trump lamented. «And with all the money we spend to help them with Russia. And we don’t have to spend any money, we could remove all of our soldiers out of Europe because, as you probably noticed, Europe is a very different place than it was 20 years ago. A lot different.»

Greenland is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark, a NATO ally. Trump’s push for U.S. control has repeatedly angered Danish and Greenlandic officials, who have insisted the island’s future should be decided by its people.

Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir also weighed in Wednesday, saying Greenland’s people «do not wish to be a part of the United States» and urging NATO leaders to stay focused on Russia.

TRUMP CALLS OUT NATO AHEAD OF SUMMIT, CALLING IT ‘RIDICULOUS’ FOR US TO PERSIST ON ‘ONE SIDED PATH’

NATO Secretary Gen. Mark Rutte attempts to assure President Donald Trump on Wednesday in a news conference that allies are increasing their financial commitments so Europe’s defense is not all on the U.S. taxpayers. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The dispute injected a tense territorial confrontation into a summit already shaped by Trump’s demands that allies spend more on defense and take greater responsibility for Europe’s security as the U.S. shifts its focus.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte sought to emphasize the alliance’s recent defense spending increases, telling Trump that European allies and Canada had made major new commitments.

«I would argue that without you in this chair, this would not have happened,» Rutte told Trump. «Grab the win. It’s there.»

Trump, however, continued criticizing allies over both Greenland and Iran, where he ordered overnight U.S. strikes after attacks on merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Rutte backed the U.S. strikes, telling Trump they were «absolutely necessary.»

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The NATO summit is also expected to address Ukraine’s war against Russia, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pressing allies for deeper support and renewed consideration of Ukraine’s bid to join the alliance.

But Trump’s comments on Greenland underscored a growing challenge for NATO leaders: projecting unity against outside threats while managing disputes inside the alliance itself.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.