Michigan Senate forum, September 15, 2026

Other ▶ 0:00

This is a special edition of The Pulse, the United States Senate debate. Live from our Fox 2 studio, here's Roop Raj.

Moderator ▶ 0:08

Good evening and welcome to Studio C. Less than two months until Election Day and all eyes, of course, are on the race for U.S. Senate in Michigan. Democrat Dr. Abdul El-Sayed squaring off against Republican Mike Rogers with control of Congress on the line. Now, if you watch The Pulse often, you've heard us say before this show is all about people, power and politics. Well, tonight is no different because public office and political power is not simply a position to be won. It is a trust to be earned and earning that trust means standing before the people answering their questions and defending the choices you would make in their name. And that's why debates matter no matter who the moderator is. So tonight we were hoping to hear from both Rogers and Al Sayed giving voters the full picture. Invitations went out August 5th, the day after the primary to both campaigns. Dr. Al Sayed's camp immediately agreed. Former Congressman Mike Rogers acknowledged the invite but didn't say whether he'd attend until this morning when he declined. He did agree to debates in Grand Rapids and another station in Detroit later on. Now, former Congressman Rogers changes his mind. His team is watching. We're leaving a podium open for him. And he's welcome to join us anytime in the next hour. That is not a prop. That is a working microphone that is ready to hear him out. And you can join in too. Just scan the QR code on your screen and text me your questions at 248-200-5042. You can ask your question and we'll ask it right here on Fox 2. Now, we're continuing to take questions from our studio audience as well. They're seated behind me, as you can tell. And obviously this is a very important day, an important night. Dr. El-Sayed is here. We wanna remind you that we are taking your questions right from our studio audience as well. All right, let's go ahead and get into it and get to our first question right now to Dr. Al Sayed. Thank you so much for joining us here tonight on The Pulse.

Abdul El-Sayed ▶ 2:00

Yeah, honored so much to be here. I'm grateful to you and honored to engage in what is a debate about where we ought to go as a state. I was never supposed to run for office. I wanted to be a doctor. I wanted to be a doctor so I could go 15 hours to my family's native Egypt or 15 minutes from where I grew up. Either way, I traveled 10 years difference in life expectancy. I went into public health when I realized that our healthcare system was often too interested in billing than healing. And it led me to a moment where I got to rebuild Detroit's health department, lead Wayne County's Department of Health, Human and Veteran Services. We eliminated medical debt, put Narcan in vending machines for free, put glasses on kids' faces. I'm running for US Senate simply because it just shouldn't be this hard. It shouldn't be this hard to afford a second bag of groceries, shouldn't be this hard to pay a rent, shouldn't be this hard in the richest, most powerful country in the world to see a doctor. And we're in a moment right now where too often the challenges we face have everything to do with the ways that politicians are bought off more interested in running 30 second ads from big corporations who fund them than actually having a conversation with the broader public. I think if he were here, he would tell you that this race is somehow about him or me. It's not. It's about you. It's about who respects you enough to take your questions and listen when you share what is frustrating you. Gas, groceries, the ability to see a doctor, whether or not your kids' schools are well-funded. Those are the things this race is about, have always been about. And those are the problems I hope to be able to take on as your next US Senator. I was looking forward to a good debate, but I would not miss the opportunity to answer questions from fellow Michiganders. And I'll finish here. Last week, Mike Rogers took the time to go to Dallas, Dallas, to give a speech at a convention held in the interest of Donald Trump. But he didn't have the time to spend an hour with us here in Detroit. And it tells you everything about who he is and what his priorities are. Dr.

Moderator ▶ 3:47

Al-Sayed, I want to begin with our first topic. It has to do with experience. You know, you talk often about what you want to do, what you've done in the past, both in the health department at Wayne County and in Detroit. When it comes to the kind of experience it takes to be a statesman, to be a U.S. senator, to travel through those hallowed chambers and to understand how to get things done with people you don't agree with, What makes you believe you have the skill set to actually embrace that talent quickly and move forward for the people of Michigan?

Moderator ▶ 5:55

Dr. Al-Sayed, respectfully, though, you talk a lot about the health issues that, of course, you've helped solve and get in front of and make sure that people had what they needed. But certainly you understand the depth of the kind of work that these senators do. You've talked to other people who have that job. You have to get along with other people, and you have to get along well with those who you disagree with. The tone of this campaign has been anything but civil. And the responsibility of making sure it's a civil conversation rests on the shoulders of both you and also Mike Rogers. Do you have any regrets about the tone of this campaign that could make people believe that perhaps you're not able to work with people who you disagree with?

Abdul El-Sayed ▶ 6:33

Well, look, when it comes to principle, I'm always gonna stand on principle. But I would love to have conversations with folks with whom we disagree. Civility is about how you engage with others. I'm here today to have a conversation about who we are and who we wanna be, what we want for our state. I showed up because civility starts with showing up and having a conversation. That obviously is not the choice that my opponent made. But I want us to think a little bit about where we go from here. Think a little bit about why things don't get done in the halls of DC. Too often it's not because people disagree, too often it's because the corporations who pay for campaigns can rig a system so that regardless of who wins, they're bought and paid for by the same corporations. DTE, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Big Tech, Big Pharma, all corporations who have donated to my opponent. So I'm actually interested in coming together to have a conversation, to reach past the politics that tells us that the only way to run campaigns is for corporations to come and buy and sell a politician to do their bidding anyway. I think Michiganders across the state are looking forward to that. And I'll finish here. I spent the last week, rather than being in Dallas, up and down the state having conversations in a town hall format where people get to ask their questions. Not everybody there agreed with me. Several of them said, look, I voted for Donald Trump multiple times. Why should I vote for you? But that's what civility starts with, the willingness to show up and answer questions. And that's exactly what I'm hoping to do alongside my colleagues so that we can get things done in the US Senate.

Moderator ▶ 7:56

In the spirit of that, Dr. Al Sayed, you can only talk about your own actions in this campaign, but specifically, There were not proud moments in this campaign between the two of you. There were moments that we wouldn't teach our high schoolers to act the way the two of you acted, talking about putting pads on and who likes football more. Whether who started it or who didn't, this conversation got downright, it devolved. into the kind of stuff that you see on Twitter only, but it was happening in real life. Do you regret that? Do you wish that the tone was a little bit different? And do you believe that you have a responsibility to set a good example for others?

Moderator ▶ 10:00

Well, Dr. El-Sayed, I know you don't like to talk about the Hasan-Piker relationship. And every time you're asked about it, you say it's not about that, it's about these other things. But apparently it is about this too, right? It can be about more than one thing. Two things can be true. People care about everything you spoke of, but they also care about this. In fact, our first text question, we've gotten many of them asking this. Can you completely 100% disavow offensive comments made by Hasan-Piker?

Abdul El-Sayed ▶ 10:00

Absolutely. Look, I take comments on their own terms. And when Hassan made these comments about Jewish Americans and Jewish Michiganders, I disavowed them entirely. But I do want to ask us a question. What is democracy for? Democracy is about addressing our differences Peaceably, that's what it's supposed to be for. And too often, the way that our politics happen is that we're told who we cannot talk to. The reason I talk to Hassan isn't because of Hassan, it's because of the 3 million people who pay attention to what he has to say. And I think it's important to be able to offer those folks a pathway back into our politics. I believe in a politics where we actually show up and talk to each other even if we disagree. It's the same reason that I went on Fox News, not a place famously who agrees with a lot of the things I believe in. I went on Jesse Waters of all places, had a 25 minute conversation about our differences. But that's what democracy is supposed to be about. So I've made a commitment this campaign to go everywhere and talk to everyone. And I resist the idea that we should play this cancel culture gotcha game that tells us who we can't talk to when democracy is about trying to build a coalition because you've went out and talked to as many people as possible. Doesn't mean you agree with everything that the person you're talking to says, but it does mean that you believe in the process of democracy that starts with talking again. That's why I'm here. But I think it's important for us to have the conversation and to answer the questions directly.

Moderator ▶ 11:51

But Dr. Al Sayed and to kind of directly ask the next question to you. You say that it's about building coalitions. It is. But there are some coalitions that people don't want to be a part of if you too closely associate with those who make remarks that could be considered dubious. And I'll give you an example. We know that Louis Farrakhan, who was a big supporter of Jesse Jackson in 1984. Jesse Jackson, the late Jackson, said, move out. Laura Loomer and Donald Trump, Ted Nugent and Mitt Romney, and then Donald Trump. And they had to not just disavow, but move away from these divisive characters. And you know, of course, former President Obama and Jeremiah Wright, he had to make a very clear message. Do you wish you could be a little more clear? Would you be a little more clear about trying to tell people that you don't agree and rubber stamp like you say Rogers does Trump, Hassan Piker? Well, Rube, I'll tell you this. You raised Mike Rogers and Donald Trump. Donald Trump is the President of the United States. Donald Trump's policies are the reason why you're paying so much more for gas. Donald Trump's policies are the reason why you can't afford your groceries. Donald Trump's policies are the ones that are ignoring the war in Iran he got us into so that he can focus more on the drapes in a ballroom that we shouldn't even be building. But Dr. Al-Saleh, would you disavow gas?

Abdul El-Sayed ▶ 12:41

Let me just finish the point. To equate... to equate a streamer in California with the actual president of the United States seems to me to be a bit of a false equivalency. But let me just answer your question directly. I will take every statement on its own terms. There are many, many things that he has said that I disagree with, that I have disavowed, whether it was his ridiculous comments about 9/11 or his more recent comments about Jewish Americans. I just think it's important for us to stop playing this game wherein you take a whole individual and pretend like they are the worst thing they've ever said. I remember back in 2020 where we talked about how caustic that cancel culture was. In fact, it was Republicans themselves, the very same people who want to make this race about a streamer in California who said exactly that. But we have to believe in our democratic process. We have to believe that we can talk about individual things that people have said on their own terms. Now, look, I understand that you're asking me the hard questions, but I also think it's important to realize that the individual who I'm running against did not have the respect to come here and to show you the respect enough of taking your hard questions. Didn't have the respect enough for the people in the city of Detroit and across Michigan who are watching right now to take their hard questions. So here's the thing you're going to get with me. I'll answer the hard questions. I will take every statement on its own terms and tell you what I think because I have the courage enough to actually show up and have the conversation that is supposed to be the substrate of our democracy. The other guy, he wants to do his campaigning in 30 second ads that make this campaign about anything and everything that is not what it is for you. Can you afford your gas? Can you afford your groceries? Can you see a doctor when you get sick? Does your kid's school look like it did 30 years ago or has it had the funding it needs to be able to thrive and give your kid a good education? And Dr. Alassie, I don't want to mention because it's the elephant in the room that, of course, Mike Rogers put out a release earlier today. The elephant's not in the room. The elephant you're speaking of, the elephant I'm speaking of, of course, the topic. of why he didn't come. He cited the moderator, me, because this format is different. And I will say, when you and Haley Steven stood here, we got in there, and we're going to continue to get in there. We're getting in there now to allow people to speak for three or four minutes and then go to the next topic. is not what in modern day debate should look like. We know that at Fox 2 and we're challenging that convention. And so we do of course regret that he's not here as well. We do have questions as another Fox 2 way of doing things to get questions from our audience and our first audience member, Chip, you have a question here on this Fox 2 Senate debate to Dr. Abdul Al Sayed. Go ahead.

Other ▶ 15:26

Good evening and thank you for showing up. Again, my name is Chip Clark. Up to this point, what would you assess as the biggest issue facing black men in Detroit? And what comprehensive policies are you supporting that show us as black men that we are a respected demographic of voters in this upcoming election? Thank you. Dr. El-Sayed.

Abdul El-Sayed ▶ 15:49

Mr. Clark, I really appreciate that question and thank you for asking it. I think it is the lack of opportunity because of disinvestment in predominantly black communities for a very long time. That disinvestment is the reason that I came back to the city of Detroit to rebuild Detroit's health department, to put glasses on kids' faces so they could see the blackboard and understand what was happening on the blackboard, to take on medical debt, to take on lead in schools. But right now, you're actually seeing it in multiple different ways. It shows up in the the way that we have not invested in affordable housing in communities. It shows up in the way that we do economic development, which too often means subsidies for the kind of big corporations that fund campaigns from people like Mike Rogers, rather than investment in revolving loans to empower would-be entrepreneurs to start businesses and be able to build those businesses out, build generational wealth in their own communities. it shows up in the fact that our schools are deeply underfunded. It's amazing that Detroit Public Schools was able to make an investment of $700 million, but there's still $1.7 billion behind when it comes to keeping up with where they ought to be. And right now we fund school infrastructure based on an outdated model, which is built on property taxes. Property tax is a function of property value. Property value is a function of racial residential redlining from the past that we port into the future. And that robs young children, future young black men from the opportunity of a great education that they deserve. It shows up in healthcare. Medicaid too often is the required healthcare option for folks with low income and Medicaid reimburses at about half the rate. And that's because of gutting from people like Mike Rogers and Donald Trump. So all of it works together in this morass which serves to take away opportunity from black men. We need to be investing in these communities, investing in affordable housing, investing in public schools, investing in healthcare, investing in revolving loan funds in ways that empower folks to be able to unlock the incredible potential that sits in our communities. And so I really, really appreciate the question and I hope that we get to work together to build those things so that six years from now, we look back and say we did something to take on the challenges that we face.

Moderator ▶ 18:03

Chip, thank you so much for your question. I do want to ask you about some of the Democrats, many of whom are in Detroit right now, who have some doubts about voting for you. As you know, there's a big push, and you can define big any which way you want, but there is certainly a pretty visible push for Democrats for Rodgers. And as you see that movement happen, you're seeing it on the front lawns of neighborhoods in Detroit. And yes, there are campaign stops, but there are real conversations happening with Detroiters that we've heard from who say they're going to go for Rodgers. How do you win back or try to win voters in the city of Detroit?

Moderator ▶ 21:00

I want to hit you with two questions that we think are really important that people are curious about as well. You talk about healthcare for all, Medicare for all. You know, that notion is attractive when you talk about all those people who need it. But what about the people who have private health insurance right now who worry about what they're going to how they're going to have to pay for this now in their taxes? We say put money back in the pockets as one of your slogans. But how do you do that when you're having to raise taxes to pay for Medicare?

Moderator ▶ 24:28

You believe you can convince other Democrats who are more moderate, centrist Democrats and Republicans to get the job done?

Abdul El-Sayed ▶ 24:34

I believe we can have a conversation as a society about why those voters should have a conversation with their elected officials. And yes, I'm really looking forward to continuing this conversation with my colleagues. I'll tell you this, I will support any healthcare legislation that increases healthcare coverage via public means and does not empower healthcare corporations. But I also, I'm not gonna make the mistake of saying that nibbling around the edges is the best we can do. If you think that at the end of the day, healthcare should be about the profits of big corporations, I'm not your guy. If you believe like me that healthcare should be about whether or not you can see a doctor more about healing than billing, then I think I might be. And I'll also tell you this, Right now in the United States Senate, there is not a Democratic doctor at all. Never been a public health official in its history. As you think about the challenges we face, maybe it'd be a good idea to hire somebody who actually understands this industry leading on behalf of the broader public who has not taken money from the corporations who benefit off the system.

Moderator ▶ 25:34

But when you raise those taxes, do you end up even kind of at that point when it looks like how much you have to pay and how much you, I mean, have you done the math and how much can you guarantee that?

Abdul El-Sayed ▶ 25:45

As you know, I wrote a whole book on this and folks are welcome to check it out. But let me just talk to you a little bit about the exchange. Right now, if you look at your W-2 paycheck, okay, you get paid every two weeks or four weeks. First, payment that goes off the top is FICA, Federal Insurance Collections Agency, that's Uncle Sam. And then after FICA is your health insurer, your private health insurer. They eat before your family eats. And we pay so much more than they do in other countries for healthcare that isn't there for you when you need it. Think about a deductible, think about a copay, all the money that comes out of your pocket. It's why we have $225 billion of medical debt. We are being nickel and dimed by corporations who exist specifically to hold our healthcare dollars and pay out as little as possible. We can do so much better than that. And so the amount of money that you end up paying for healthcare under Medicare for all is substantially lower. And I also believe that we should be taxing billionaires their wealth. Why? Because I care more that we provide things like childcare and healthcare and good schools and good roads than allowing a billionaire make their second billion. I don't think that's a crazy idea. And I think it's incumbent on us to be asking as a society, how is it that we invest in the things we actually need? And right now, people need health care.

Moderator ▶ 26:59

We've got to take a break, Dr. Al-Sayed. We're back on the other side of the break talking about courting Jewish voters and also talking about Israel. You're watching a special edition of The Pulse, the U.S. Senate debate, next here on Fox 2. Back now on this special edition of The Pulse, the United States Senate debate. A reminder, we're taking your questions via text. We're already above 1,000 questions that have come in. Our team is sifting through them right now. Just scan the QR code on your screen or text us at 248-200-5042 to ask your question. We're going to continue our conversation with Dr. Abdul Al-Sayed. We have a podium here. We told Mike Rogers and his team they were welcome to come here up until when the debate started. Frankly, they're welcome now as well, but obviously he has declined that invitation. I want to continue our conversation with the doctor talking specifically now about Israel. This has been obviously a topic that's very important to the whole country, to the whole world. And as US Senator, certainly you'd have a big voice in those hallowed chambers to talk about it. What are your thoughts on a two-state solution for Israel?

Moderator ▶ 32:19

I want to get to one of our text questions right now. This is actually from a libertarian U.S. Senate candidate who texted us. And she's asking, what are your plans to tackle prison overcrowding and homelessness? Two issues that plague our community right here at home.

Abdul El-Sayed ▶ 32:33

Well, I appreciate the Libertarian candidate has now participated more than the Republican candidate has in this debate. Now, look, I think it's really important for us to be thoughtful about how we solve these big society-wide problems. And on the one hand, I think it's important to recognize that when it comes to housing, housing is a housing problem. We have to build more housing. I actually think that the housing bill that just recently passed into law is a really great first step. I think there's a lot more we need to do around protecting the rights of renters through a renter bill of rights. And I think there's more we need to do about making sure that big tech that has enabled people with excess money to buy housing in our communities have to pay their fair share to building the housing we need. We do that and we actually have the opportunity to start solving our housing crisis. When it comes to prison overcrowding, I think it's really important for us to realize that the answer that we've had right now around private prisons has been extremely dangerous for everybody. I don't believe that you should be able to make money in this country as a contractor selling prison outcomes. I believe that we need to use that resource and it has to be fully public. And when we use that resource, we have to recognize that it has to be a public resource. I believe that it's really important to answer public safety problems with the things that we need. that sometimes is going to be a person with a gun. And if that is, it's going to be somebody ideally from the local community because we've invested in the kind of recruitment, retention and retirement we need. But we also need to be investing in things like community violence intervention, things like behavioral health response when somebody is having a mental health crisis, things that the Trump administration has defunded. And so I am for public safety. Everybody deserves to get home safely at night. But the challenge right now is that the Trump administration is leaving us less safe by taking away the kinds of things that actually can help to keep folks safe in the first place.

Moderator ▶ 34:16

- Before we get to our audience question, I wanna ask you a question about President Trump. When it comes to working with him, How do you plan on working with somebody who is of a personality, a political party that you just don't line with? Would you be able to sit in the room with President Trump and have an honest conversation without trading barbs and try to work towards a common goal?

Moderator ▶ 35:37

Do you think that it was a good idea for Governor Whitmer, not once, not twice, but three times to go to the White House, work with someone she's politically and diametrically opposed to, to get the work done?

Abdul El-Sayed ▶ 35:37

Well, look, she had her reasons for going. And I understand in public service that you don't really second guess the choices that somebody makes. She had clear goals. And when it came to her goals, she was able to achieve them. Like I said, he is the president of the United States. And if there's an opportunity to serve our state, I will talk to him and engage with him. And so, you know, it's not my place to judge Governor Whitmer and the choices she's made because I know that she was serving in good faith to try and secure key resources for Michiganders. But it is my job to remind folks that we have clear policy goals. If he wants to work with me on my policy goals, I'm all ears. If he thinks he's going to try to bend me to his policy goals, that's a different story. That's what Mike Rogers will be interested in doing.

Moderator ▶ 36:31

Well, Kayla has a question here on The Pulse, a member of our studio audience. Kayla, thanks for being here today. Go ahead.

Other ▶ 36:38

Thank you for showing up. I did want to ask, since you were mentioning gas prices, do you have any plan to alleviate gas prices?

Abdul El-Sayed ▶ 36:46

The simplest and most obvious is we should stop fighting a war in Iran. We should not be fighting in the first place. A big reason that our gas prices are so expensive is because this war has had one really big outcome. It's taught the Iranian regime that they have a chokehold on this place in the world that we hadn't heard of seven months ago, most of us, the Strait of Hormuz. Every single general, every single one could have told you that if we got into war with Iran, that was going to be the weak point and we don't have a plan to get out of it. But even beyond that, you know, you think about what is driving the price of gas. Too often you have a few corporations that dominate every single part of our economy and they're able to, in effect, have an oligopoly effect. against us. And when they have an oligopoly, they can collude around what those prices look like and we always end up paying more. What's also interesting is we end up working in different industries. And so when you have consolidation at the very top of any industry, if you work in that industry, they can collude to suppress your wage. It's why we can't seem to keep up with any of the skyrocketing prices. Our prices go up and our paychecks stay stagnant and we end up having to pay more for less. Dr.

Moderator ▶ 37:53

Alassane, I want to follow up with the gas prices here for a moment because The reason we have those high gas prices is because, as you say, the Strait of Hormuz and the continuing conflict in the war in Iran. Do you believe that Iran should have been left alone? And do you believe that they actually do pose a nuclear threat to the world as they continue to develop and enrich uranium on their land?

Moderator ▶ 39:42

But do you believe that Iran poses a threat to the world currently with their nuclear program?

Abdul El-Sayed ▶ 39:47

I believe that Donald Trump's choices around this war have made us less safe when it comes to the risk of nuclear proliferation. And that is a problem because we were at a steady state and he made us less safe. We should never have gone to that war. It was illegal. It was immoral. And it was wrong.

Moderator ▶ 40:01

We're there now. Do you finish the job and make sure that Iran doesn't get nukes?

Abdul El-Sayed ▶ 40:05

I think the best single thing we can do is try to play back for where we were at the JCPOA. They were open to an agreement. They had made an agreement. They were abiding by their agreement. And he tore it up because he was mad.

Moderator ▶ 40:19

Look, you talk a lot about the PACs and the super PACs with your opponent. I wanna ask you about funding when it comes to your own campaign. There have been questions that have been asked of us to make sure that we ask you, and I think it is important. There have been some folks who actually have gotten money from PACs fighting for Michigan. We understand there's a gentleman who has contributed to that PAC, I think to your campaign, $250,000. And one of the things that that gentleman does is make sure that he collects medical debt. And you've gone on the record to say that it's a shame that people have to go and pay off their medical debt.

Abdul El-Sayed ▶ 40:53

I'm just going to stop you there. That's actually not true. It's a different guy with the same name. A guy with the same name. It was corrected. You should go check the record.

Moderator ▶ 41:01

Well, I'll check the record. But what about all of these?

Abdul El-Sayed ▶ 41:04

And I'll just say this. Look, you know.

Moderator ▶ 41:06

What about the PACs, though? Are there any PACs where you're taking money currently?

Moderator ▶ 42:33

- Rogers has said that it's time for you to return money that you may have gotten from organizations like CARE, citing what he calls a dubious cloud over that. Is that something that you're thinking about doing, would be willing to do? And what do you have to say about that?

Moderator ▶ 44:10

debates Well, we should point out also that when you mentioned Donald Trump and the president and JD Vance, JD Vance is a father of the children to an Indian American daughter who came to this country. Usha Vance, the second lady, is an Indian woman who came to this country. So I think there is diversity amongst that party. I think the bottom line is you're saying there have been aspersions that have been made and that's something that you obviously take issue with as you should. Kayla has a question. Dr. Al-Sayed, what will you do to ensure teachers earn enough to survive? Because certainly right now, that is very much a crisis within that profession.

Abdul El-Sayed ▶ 44:44

Kayla, thank you so much for asking this question. I believe in public schools. I was a beneficiary of incredible public schools, and we are underfunding our public schools. We are asking teachers not just to be teachers. We're asking them to be nurses and janitors and social workers and mental health professionals. We're asking them to do so much because we have not funded what they need and what they deserve. I believe in a minimum wage for teachers. I believe in teacher tenure. I believe in investing in the paraprofessionals that allow teachers to be teachers and making sure that our kids have everything that they need to be able to be the learners that they need to be in our schools. I believe in funding the places that they work so that they don't look like they did 30 years ago. I believe in what it means to empower our teachers to be the professionals. And so we need more funding. Unlike Donald Trump and Mike Rogers who want to defund the Department of Education, I want to make sure that we're funding it. And I want to make sure that we're tying funding for the Department of Education to the Department of Defense. So if you want to give more money to war, you're going to give more money to schools too.

Moderator ▶ 45:46

- All right, Dr. Alassane, we have a question from one of our members of the studio audience. Charmaine, thanks for being here today.

Other ▶ 45:52

- Thank you for having me. Hello, Dr. Asayate. I'm a registered nurse, so my question is going to be about Senate Bill 1709, which would establish direct care to registered nurse patient staffing ratio requirements in hospitals. So I want to ask you, how will you work across the aisle to break through the Republican holdout, Senators, who are opposing this bill?

Moderator ▶ 47:28

Thank you Charmaine for your question. We have another text question as well and it is from another one of our Fox 2 viewers. It's just coming in. There it goes. How will you protect Michigan communities from data centers? Data centers, obviously a huge topic that has hands from the federal government all the way down to the local government. What would you do?

Abdul El-Sayed ▶ 47:46

You know, I'll tell you what, the first thing I would do is not benefit personally from owning stock in data center corporations. Mike Rogers, up to $2.6 million personally invested in corporations that would benefit from data centers. So maybe you start with just not making money off of them in the first place. But second, I've been very clear that we need a terms of engagement. It is absolutely necessary at the federal level that we pass public policy that does the following things. Number one, if it's going to make jobs, they better be good union jobs. Number two, you cannot raise our utility rates. Number three, you have to take some of the revenue that's created and improve our reliability because here in Michigan, we lose power every time the wind basically blows. Number four, you cannot touch our water at all. And number five, you have to have a good faith, well negotiated community benefits agreement. None of these shady backroom situations where you put local officials under non-disclosure agreements where they can't talk about it. It has to be public. And finally, all of this needs to be fully enforceable via fees, fines, and the ability to shut you down. I believe that that needs to be federal policy. And until we get that policy, I believe that we need local and state moratoriums to protect people. This cannot continue to be a race to the bottom. while the richest people in society make robots that could ultimately end humanity as they're now talking about, while the rest of us have to deal with these hulking data centers in our backyard, raising our utility rates and destroying our water. We can do better, it means regulation and we've needed that regulation yesterday, so the best we can do is have it tomorrow. Finally, we need people who aren't bought off by the corporations who are benefiting from this. And again, it really just goes back to that point. Money out of politics means we should not have corporations buying and selling politicians in ways that get them to look the other way, which is exactly what Mike Rogers would do. I wish he was here to talk about it. I really wish he was.

Moderator ▶ 49:31

Mike Rogers did say that he does believe in a moratorium.

Abdul El-Sayed ▶ 49:31

Yeah, yeah. Mike Rogers said he believes in a moratorium for one year at the state level. He's running to be a U.S. senator, and he fully understands that there is no possibility for him to actually enact that. So it's a dodge of a question. And he said that, after he was asked at one of a few press conferences he did by a journalist, had no answer, and then the next day they realized that they had to say something. So he said, "I think I want a one year moratorium."

Other ▶ 49:31

My question to you is like, why haven't you divested yourself from the corporations who benefit from the data centers they're building right now?

Moderator ▶ 50:07

How much of an uphill battle is this when you have obviously the battle with AI, the United States versus China right now, and the president, the Trump administration, and others, even in those chambers that you want to fill, senators who say, you know what? We gotta develop this technology. Let's find a way to move forward and not put a cap on it.

Moderator ▶ 51:58

Abdul, you talk about danger. Obviously, your opponent uses that word a lot when talking about you. You talk about the aspersions from a racial and ethnic background. But a lot of times they're talking about policy, the danger of engaging with someone who may be socialist. And I asked you here on this stage just a few months ago in July, whether you're a socialist. You said, I'm a capitalist who understands how capitalism works. But what about the DSA? They haven't endorsed you, but do you have deep alignments with value when it comes to what the DSA-- - You know, Rup,

Abdul El-Sayed ▶ 52:28

at the end of the day, I know I'm here to answer questions, but I'm just gonna tell you, I'm not a part of the organization. I don't know why you want to ask me those questions. -

Moderator ▶ 52:28

Well, I'm not asking if you're a part of it, but the support that they give you, right?

Moderator ▶ 54:42

questions What's the first thing you do when you get into office should you become a senator here in the US Senate? And what would that be in about 20 seconds?

Abdul El-Sayed ▶ 54:49

Work to get money out of politics, to end Citizens United. Corporations are not people. Their money is not speech. They should not be able to buy politicians. We need to end that. And then it's working to pass the PRO Act to make sure that we can organize unions every sector of American life. And finally, getting Medicare for all done so we free people from the risk.

Moderator ▶ 55:05

Thank you for your time here tonight. We thank you for joining us here. We want to thank you for joining us. on the special edition of The Pulse. Stay tuned here on Fox Local. We're taking you inside the spin room where Dr. Al Sayed will answer questions from the media. Scan the QR code or go to fox2detroit.com slash live. I'm Rupraj. As always, it was good to be with you.