Democrats look forward after progressive El-Sayed victory in Michigan | First Thing
Abdul El-Sayed is latest leftwing candidate to capture nomination for November’s midterm elections. Plus: gender parity in Latin America’s city of cycling
Good morning.
The progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed has won the Democratic primary for the US Senate in Michigan. Despite many backing his opponent, Haley Stevens, in the race, leading Democrats are now uniting behind the former public health official with the goal of retaking control of the chamber in November’s midterm elections.
“Democrats are united by a common purpose: putting a check on Donald Trump by defeating his Republican enablers and taking back the Senate. We look forward to working with Abdul and Democrats across Michigan to win this seat in November,” the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, and Kirsten Gillibrand, who chairs the Democratic Senate campaign arm, said in a joint statement.
What does El-Sayed’s victory mean for the Democratic party? Though a contentious general election, in a battleground state, awaits, his rise could serve as a revision to the political establishment’s prior playbook of requiring candidates to run from the center in swing-state politics.
What do the Democrats need to retake the Senate? Republicans currently control the chamber with 53 lawmakers. The easiest path for Democrats to take back the Senate requires holding on to their seats in Michigan and Georgia while ousting Republicans from blue state Maine as well as three other red states.
Senate confirms Trump pick Erica Schwartz as new CDC director
In a rare win for the Trump administration after a string of failed attempts to fill senior health posts, Erica Schwartz was confirmed by the US Senate as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As Donald Trump’s third pick to run the CDC, Schwartz will take the reins of the agency amid public concern over an outbreak of cyclosporiasis and Robert F Kennedy Jr’s hesitancy towards vaccines.
What was the vote? Schwartz was confirmed by a 51-44 vote that broke largely along party lines, with Tim Kaine of Virginia the sole Democrat to support her nomination.
Israeli strike that killed journalist in Lebanon was war crime, say rights groups
Investigations from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Legal Agenda have determined that Israel deliberately and directly attacked the Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil and her colleague Zeinab Faraj in April, with apparent knowledge that they were civilians. Deliberate attacks on civilians is a war crime. Khalil, 42, was killed while Faraj, 21, was injured.
What has Israel said about the attack? Israel said it “regrets any harm caused to journalists” and that the journalists were killed “as part of a series of events” during which two Hezbollah military operatives were killed.
How many journalists have been killed in this conflict? Israel has killed at least 15 journalists in Lebanon and 210 in Gaza since 2023, according to the UN human rights office.
In other news …
Senior Democrats have accused Donald Trump’s administration of giving a green light to violent Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank with policies that began with Trump rescinding sanctions on his first day in office.
Nato is working to get Ukraine the air defences it “urgently needs”, its secretary general has said, after Kyiv failed to shoot down a single Russian missile in an attack on Wednesday.
Donald Trump’s legal team is pushing to block a court order that would grant the BBC access to the president’s financial records, as part of his multibillion-dollar lawsuit against the British broadcaster.
The Cambridge professor Jason Arday, accused of plagiarism and embellishment, has resigned after the university announced he was to face new investigations into his qualifications and career.
Stat of the day: 90% of US adults listed groceries and food costs as their top cost-of-living concern
A new survey found that a majority of Americans agree that the rising cost of living is a significant barrier to achieving a better life. According to a new survey of more than 30,000 adults from across the country spanning generations and economic classes, 60% of respondents said they wanted greater financial security but 40% described themselves as either “getting by but financially vulnerable” or “struggling to meet basic needs”.
The Filter recommends: 32 things worth buying from Nordstrom’s anniversary sale
Nordstrom’s annual sale, which runs until 9 August, includes more than 22,000 items across home, fashion, beauty, travel and more. The Filter crew has sifted through all of them to find the 32 deals they endorse, on top brands ranging from Le Creuset to Ray-Ban.
Don’t miss this: Black college gymnasts in a divided South
Gymnast Nyla Aquino is one of the University of Georgia’s brightest stars, leading her team to a resurgent sixth-place finish at the 2026 NCAA championships. But she and other Black athletes competing in the Southeastern Conference are striving to make their mark in a region of historical anti-Black prejudices, in a time when diversity, equity and inclusion programs and voting rights are under attack. “No matter how well I do, someone’s going to be racist,” she said.
…or this: Achieving gender parity in Latin America’s city of cycling
While Bogotá records nearly 900,000 bicycle trips each day – more than any other city in Latin America – less than a third of cycling journeys are taken by women. City officials are looking to change that.
“Many older women come here because they were never allowed to ride a bicycle as girls,” said Sergio Prieto, who helps to oversee Bogotá’s Bike School. “They were told bikes were for men, that women shouldn’t be riding them. Here, those barriers and stereotypes are left behind.”
Climate check: How the human-driven climate crisis fuels Canada’s deadly wildfires
A new study conducted by World Weather Attribution found that the human-driven climate crisis amplified the conditions that led to fires blazing across Canada. Burning coal, oil and gas has overheated the planet and caused climate-influenced conditions to occur every two to six years in the Northwest Territories and every six to 15 years in Ontario. There are 700 fires burning in Canada at present.
Last Thing: How well do you know the latest dating terms?
Fresh dating trends seem to emerge every week in this age of app-based romance. Some terms such as “ghosting” or “catfishing” have become part of the modern parlance. But how familiar are you with other dating trends? Take this quiz and find out.
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