INTERNACIONAL
Dem Senate hopeful’s ‘physician’ campaign pitch under fire after license records reveal key gaps
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has repeatedly described himself as a «physician» on the campaign trail and in public biographies, despite records showing he has never held a medical license in Michigan or New York.
Much of El-Sayed’s campaign has focused on his medical credentials, particularly his purported experience as a physician. While El-Sayed does have a medical degree, public records in New York and Michigan examined by Politico indicate that he’s never held a license to practice medicine.
New York state law prohibits individuals who lack medical licenses from identifying themselves as «physicians,» a title El-Sayed claimed on at least two occasions while in the state. Michigan law also bars individuals from working «to induce the belief» that they are licensed to practice medicine.
El-Sayed’s hands-on medical experience was limited to a four-week clinical rotation he completed after finishing medical school. In a 2022 podcast, he described the experience as «cosplaying [as] a doctor,» Politico reported.
MICHIGAN DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE CLAIMS ISRAEL ‘JUST AS EVIL’ AS HAMAS
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., stands with Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed after speaking at Mumford High School on May 3, 2026 in Detroit, Mich. (Sarah Rice/Getty Images)
«The perception in Michigan is that he is, at least at one point in his life, a licensed physician,» Chris Dewitt, a Michigan Democratic strategist, told Politico. «That apparently is not the case, and it blows up a big part of his campaign.»
El-Sayed has repeatedly told the public that he is a physician.
During a debate held by the Council of Baptist Pastors in April, for instance, El-Sayed referred to himself as «a physician and epidemiologist.» When Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., referred to El-Sayed as a «physician» in 2025, he did not correct the senator. In June, the Senate candidate included a picture of himself dressed in a doctor’s coat attached to a fundraising appeal.
«Rather than this being a gotcha attack, this is Dr. El-Sayed’s origin story — one that Michiganders are familiar with,» El-Sayed spokesperson Roxie Richner told Fox News Digital when asked about his medical credentials.
«Dr. El-Sayed has spoken extensively about his experiences in medical school that led him first to public health and then to public service,» Richner continued. «He has spent his career improving healthcare for Michiganders through innovative, sweeping public health programs, including the elimination of up to $700 million in medical debt, increased access to Narcan, and built a state-of-the-art air quality monitoring network.»
U.S. Senate candidate from Michigan Abdul El-Sayed has been endorsed by Bernie Sanders and has embraced comparisons to Zohran Mamdani. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
BERNIE SANDERS CAMPAIGNS WITH CONTROVERSIAL MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE
As of Thursday, El-Sayed still refers to himself in his LinkedIn bio as a «physician and epidemiologist.» He also holds a PhD in public health from the University of Oxford, according to his biographies.
«It’s a weird thing to hang your hat on in terms of a biographical detail if you never actually practiced medicine,» Michigan Democratic consultant Adrian Hemond told Politico. «It’s not as though he hasn’t done anything with all of the fancy education that he got like running public health programming for Wayne County and for the city of Detroit. And so maybe you would lean into that, as opposed to giving people the impression that you may have practiced medicine before.»
SANDERS-ENDORSED SENATE CANDIDATE KNOCKED FOR ALLEGED FLIP-FLOP TO ‘HAVE IT BOTH WAYS’ ON KEY ISSUE
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed poses for a portrait in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (Evan Cobb for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
El-Sayed’s Democratic primary rivals have also seized on the scrutiny. State Sen. Mallory McMorrow’s campaign, which is competing against El-Sayed for the Democratic nomination, accused him of overstating the medical credentials he has made central to his Senate bid.
«Abdul El-Sayed has made his supposed medical credentials a centerpiece of his campaign, but the truth is he never held a medical license, never did his residency, never passed his boards, and never practiced medicine independently,» campaign spokesperson Jackson Boaz told Fox News Digital. «If Michigan voters can’t trust El-Sayed to be honest about something that is so central to his entire rationale for running, how can they trust him to be honest about what he’d do as a United States Senator?»
This isn’t the first time El-Sayed’s medical experience has been called into question.
INTERNET ERUPTS OVER ‘DISQUALIFYING’ LEAKED AUDIO FROM DEMOCRAT IN KEY SENATE RACE DISCUSSING KHAMENEI’S DEATH
Sen. Bernie Sanders participates in a coronavirus public health roundtable with Dr. Alison Galvani and Dr. Abdul El-Sayed in Detroit, Mich., on March 9, 2020, ahead of the state’s primary election. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Crain’s Detroit Business published a piece in 2018 holding El-Sayed’s claim of being a physician against his lack of a medical license.
«I think there’s a lot of ways that one serves as a physician. And I think the work that I have done and I continue to do is true to the core and the ethos of medicine,» El-Sayed told Crain’s Detroit Business at the time. «And when I took my Hippocratic Oath, that is still an oath that I use to guide my work today. I’m a physician because I have an MD, but I’m also a physician because of the work that I’ve dedicated my career to.»
El-Sayed has stated that he chose politics over medicine because he believes poverty is the root cause of many of the health problems in the United States.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Critics of El-Sayed have seized on the recent reports.
«Michigan’s Democrat Senate primary is such a mess that the guy cosplaying as an Egyptian citizen and licensed physician is still beating Chuck Schumer’s handpicked candidate,» NRSC Regional press secretary Samantha Cantrell told the Washington Examiner.
michigan, health care executive, chuck schumer, bernie sanders, democrats elections, senate elections
Experts weigh in on Taiwan, Iran tensions amid US-China summit
During the U.S.-China Summit, experts discuss U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and President Xi’s veiled threats. Analysts evaluate President Donald Trump’s strategy, noting how U.S. foreign policy shifts regarding Iran and the Western Hemisphere impact China’s global standing. The panel debates who holds the stronger hand, assessing economic and military leverage in the geopolitical relationship.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a stark warning to President Donald Trump that Taiwan could trigger «clashes and even conflicts» between the world’s two superpowers, injecting a note of potential confrontation into an otherwise upbeat summit in Beijing.
«President Xi stressed to President Trump that the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-U.S. relations. If it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability. Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy,» Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said following the meeting.
The White House, however, downplayed the exchange, with a senior administration official telling Fox News Digital that «both sides reiterated their long-stated stance on the issue and everyone understands each other’s position.»
Trump struck a notably warm tone in his public remarks, predicting a «fantastic future together» and praising Xi as «a great leader» as the two leaders opened talks focused heavily on trade, investment and economic cooperation.
TRUMP HEADS TO BEIJING FOR HIGH-STAKES XI TALKS AS TAIWAN TENSIONS, TRADE DISPUTES TEST US STRENGTH
US President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with China’s President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14, 2026. (Kenny HOLSTON / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
«In fact, the longest relationship of our two countries that any president and president has had,» Trump said. «We’ve had a fantastic relationship. We’ve gotten along.»
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., blasted Trump following the meeting, accusing him of failing to respond forcefully to Xi’s warning.
«Just hours in, and Xi Jinping has already threatened to, quote, collide or even clash, unquote, with the United States if we continue our support for Taiwan. Trump apparently didn’t say anything in response. He was just mute,» Schumer said. «For the sake of democracy and the stability of the global economy. Trump must not sell out Taiwan. Trump must also safeguard the interests of American workers, families and businesses.»
RUBIO SAYS COMMITMENT TO TAIWAN WON’T CHANGE AMID TRADE TALKS WITH CHINA
The exchange underscores how Taiwan — long the most sensitive and potentially explosive issue in U.S.-China relations — is re-emerging as a central fault line, even as both sides seek to project stability and focus publicly on trade and economic cooperation.
Analysts had warned ahead of the summit that the best-case scenario for Taiwan would be for the issue to stay off the agenda entirely, amid concerns Beijing could try to extract concessions or shape U.S. policy language behind closed doors.
A U.S.-made MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile is launched during a live-fire exercise at the Chiupeng missile base in Pingtung County, Taiwan, on Aug. 20, 2024. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump himself had suggested before the summit that U.S. arms sales to Taiwan could come up during discussions with Xi. He told reporters earlier this week, «I’m going to have that discussion with President Xi.»
TRUMP ADMIN ANNOUNCES $11B TAIWAN ARMS SALES DEAL
That prospect alarmed some national security analysts, who warned against allowing Taiwan to become part of a broader U.S.-China negotiation over trade or other strategic issues.
«Taiwan needs to stay off the menu,» retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said during a media briefing ahead of the summit. «If they’re on the menu and it’s about foreign military sales, it’s bad. If it’s on the menu and it’s about some kind of reimagining our statements, that would be worse.»
Experts say even subtle shifts in wording could carry significant consequences. A change from the longstanding U.S. position that it «does not support» Taiwan independence to language stating it «opposes» it, for example, could be seized on by Beijing to bolster its claims over the self-governing island.
For decades, U.S. policy has walked a careful line — formally recognizing Beijing as the government of China under the «One China» policy, while maintaining unofficial relations with Taiwan and providing it with defensive weapons under the Taiwan Relations Act. Washington has also deliberately kept its military response ambiguous, a strategy known as «strategic ambiguity,» aimed at deterring both a Chinese invasion and a unilateral declaration of independence by Taiwan.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te inspects a live-fire shooting training exercise in Hsinchu County, Taiwan, on July 10, 2025. (Chiang Ying-ying/AP Photo)
After the summit, however, Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to minimize the Taiwan portion of the talks, saying U.S. arms sales to Taiwan «did not feature prominently» in the discussions and insisting longstanding U.S. policy remained unchanged.
Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu reiterated Beijing’s longstanding position in a statement to Fox News Digital, calling Taiwan «an inalienable part of China’s territory» and warning that China would «never promise to renounce the use of force» against «Taiwan independence» separatist activities.
«The DPP authorities’ obstinate pursuit of their separatist agenda is the root cause undermining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,» Liu said.
Despite the tensions surrounding Taiwan, the public tone of the summit remained cordial, with both leaders emphasizing cooperation and economic ties.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Xi told Trump that «China and the United States both stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation,» adding that the two countries «should be partners, not rivals.»
Trump arrived in Beijing accompanied by a delegation of top American executives, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, and Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, underscoring the administration’s focus on trade and investment even as geopolitical tensions simmer beneath the surface.
taiwan, donald trump, xi jinping, trade, geopolitics, politics
INTERNACIONAL
Cuba dice ahora que está dispuesta a escuchar «las características» de la oferta de EE.UU. de US$ 100 millones en ayuda
El canciller cubano, Bruno Rodríguez, afirmó este jueves que desde la isla están «dispuestos a escuchar las características del ofrecimiento y la manera en que se materializaría» la oferta de 100 millones de dólares en «asistencia humanitaria directa al pueblo cubano» que reiteró EE.UU.
«Por primera vez, el gobierno de EE.UU. formaliza de manera pública, mediante un comunicado del Departamento de Estado, un ofrecimiento de ayuda a Cuba valorado en 100 millones de dólares», reconoció el jefe de la diplomacia cubana en sus redes sociales.
Rodríguez dijo que «estamos dispuestos a escuchar las características del ofrecimiento y la manera en que se materializaría», pero señaló que esperan, «sea libre de maniobras políticas e intentos de aprovechar las carencias y el dolor de un pueblo bajo asedio».
El Departamento de Estado de EE.UU. anunció en un comunicado este miércoles que reiteraba su oferta de 100 millones de dólares en «asistencia humanitaria directa al pueblo cubano, la cual sería distribuida en coordinación con la Iglesia Católica y otras organizaciones humanitarias independientes y confiables».
El comunicado señala que la decisión de recibir esa asistencia recae ahora en el Gobierno cubano, que debe elegir entre «aceptar la oferta o rechazar una ayuda vital y crucial» para la isla.
El jefe de la diplomacia cubana, calificó a su vez de «incongruencia la aparente generosidad de parte de quien somete al pueblo cubano a un castigo colectivo por medio de la guerra económica»; pero indicó que «el gobierno cubano no tiene como práctica rechazar ayuda extranjera».
Igualmente señaló que «sigue sin aclararse si será ayuda en efectivo o material, y si se destinará a las necesidades más urgentes del momento para el pueblo, como combustibles, alimentos y medicinas».
Aclaró que «tampoco (el Gobierno cubano) tiene inconvenientes en trabajar con la Iglesia Católica, con cuyo esfuerzo de cooperación tiene una experiencia larga y positiva de trabajo conjunto».
«La mejor ayuda que en este y en cualquier momento podría dar el gobierno de los EE.UU. al noble pueblo cubano es desescalar las medidas del bloqueo energético, económico, comercial y financiero, recrudecido como nunca antes en los últimos meses, lo cual afecta severamente a todos los sectores de la economía y sociedad cubana», reiteró Rodríguez.
El secretario de Estado de Estados Unidos, Marco Rubio, había insistido la pasada semana durante una rueda de prensa en su visita a Roma para reunirse con el papa León XIV, en que EE.UU. ha proporcionado «seis millones de dólares en ayuda humanitaria, distribuida por Cáritas, la agencia de la Iglesia católica».
En ese momento, dijo que la Administración del presidente de EE.UU. Donald Trump, estaba dispuesta a «hacer más» e informó que se habían «ofrecido al régimen 100 millones de dólares en ayuda humanitaria», pero señaló que hasta ahora el Gobierno cubano no había aceptado distribuirla.
Bruno Rodríguez, calificó esa oferta de «fábula» y dijo que «hace falta gran cinismo para pronunciar, sin vergüenza, una declaración de supuesta ayuda de modo tan mendaz».
EE.UU. presiona al gobierno de la isla desde enero pasado, para que introduzca reformas económicas y políticas. Como parte de esa escalada impuso un bloqueo petrolero que ha agudizado notablemente la crisis estructural que ya arrastraba el país; y sanciones reforzadas contra sectores vitales de la economía.
La oferta de ayuda, que el departamento de Estado reiteró el miércoles, está sobre la mesa desde hace tiempo en el marco de negociaciones debajo de la mesa, desde que Nicolás Maduro fue eyectado del poder en Venezuela, y todo apuntaba a que el siguiente en la lista podría ser Miguel Díaz Canel en La Habana.
Al partir a China, Donald Trump dijo que no habrá ataque a la isla (aunque en ocasiones lo sugirió) y por el contrario dijo que el país «está fundido, pide ayuda y hablaremos».
Medios estadounidenses han filtrado una supuesta lista de demandas de Washington a La Habana a cambio de la ayuda, con la economía y los presos políticos como prioridades, algo que Cuba rechaza.
Con información de agencias
INTERNACIONAL
Ship seized off coast of UAE near Strait of Hormuz may have been ‘floating armory’: report
Ship SEIZED near UAE coast, UK military says
Iranian forces seized a vessel 38 nautical miles off the UAE coast early Thursday, a brazen provocation occurring just as President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met in Beijing discussing key issues like the Strait of Hormuz.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A ship was seized off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday morning, the British military reported.
The ship was boarded and «taken by unauthorized personnel» while it was roughly 38 nautical miles northeast of the United Arab Emirates’ oil export terminal Fujairah, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported Thursday.
UKMTO spotted the ship heading toward Iranian territorial waters after the seizure, it reported Thursday.
British authorities did not release information on who the ship belonged to or who seized it. Despite the lack of official corroboration, the BBC reported that the Honduras-flagged Hui Chuan was seized in the Strait on Thursday.
CARGO SHIP ATTACKED BY SMALL CRAFT NEAR STRAIT OF HORMUZ, UK MARITIME AGENCY SAYS
Ships are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on May 4. A report on May 15 said a ship was seized off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and is being brought toward Iranian waters. (Amirhossein Khorgooei/ISNA/AFP)
Citing the risk-management company Vanguard, the BBC reported that the ship’s operators told Vanguard that the Hui Chuan was operating as a «floating armory» for ships in the Strait to defend themselves from pirates.
A container ship sits at anchor in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, as a motorboat passes in the foreground on May 2, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)
At least two other ships have already been seized in the Strait of Hormuz since February.
IRAN SAYS ITS SMALL SUBS DEPLOYED TO STRAIT OF HORMUZ AS EXPERT EXPLAINS THREAT: ‘VULNERABLE TO DETECTION’
A cargo ship sails in the Persian Gulf toward the Strait of Hormuz on April 22, 2026. (AP Photo)
In April, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seized the Panamanian-flagged MSC Francesca and the Epaminondes ships in the Strait.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News Digital contacted UKMTO and Vanguard for further information but did not immediately receive a response.
navy, middle east, counter terrorism, iran, united kingdom
Villa habló de Boca y dejó un mensaje que sacude al mundo xeneize
Santa Cruz: el fallo de la Corte le pone fin a la rebelión de los jueces K y la provincia busca salir del pantano jurídico
Senado: a pedido de aliados del oficialismo, volvió a comisión el acuerdo con los bonistas del 2001
El insólito blooper de una famosa periodista de TN que obligó un corte urgente por su ola de reacciones: “Yo me la comí”, disparó Lorena Maciel, haciendo reír a todos
Cómo es el plan para eliminar las retenciones al campo en tiempo récord
El festejo del Pupi Zanetti tras el nuevo título del Inter: «Hombres de verdad» y agradecimiento a la hinchada
Plan de Alfabetización, universidades, becas y salarios docentes: cuáles son los recortes que el Gobierno hizo en educación horas antes de la marcha
El Gobierno recortó $49.000 millones del presupuesto de Defensa y frenó la modernización militar
¡UNIVERSIDADES AL BORDE DEL ABISMO! El éxodo docente que el Gobierno no ve y el escándalo de las «cajas negras» que la oposición oculta
ALERTA ROJA POR HANTAVIRUS: ¿La nueva amenaza global? Por qué su incubación de 40 días podría superar el alcance del COVID-19
ECONOMIA2 días agoPlan de Alfabetización, universidades, becas y salarios docentes: cuáles son los recortes que el Gobierno hizo en educación horas antes de la marcha
- POLITICA2 días ago
El Gobierno recortó $49.000 millones del presupuesto de Defensa y frenó la modernización militar
- POLITICA2 días ago
¡UNIVERSIDADES AL BORDE DEL ABISMO! El éxodo docente que el Gobierno no ve y el escándalo de las «cajas negras» que la oposición oculta
