Abdul El-Sayed defies $60 Million campaign against him, wins Michigan Democratic Senate Primary

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  By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj | Kurdish Policy Analysis Despite massive spending by outside groups and high-profile endorsements for his opponent, Abdul El-Sayed secured a decisive Democratic Senate primary victory and now heads into a closely watched November showdown. Abdul El-Sayed has scored one of the most closely watched political upsets of the 2026 election cycle, defeating Representative Haley Stevens in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary despite facing more than $60 million in outside spending , much of it from pro-Israel political groups. The victory marks a significant breakthrough for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and sets up a high-stakes general election contest against Republican Mike Rogers in November. El-Sayed's campaign prevailed even after Stevens received late endorsements from Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and influential national Democrats, including Representative James Clyburn . Those endorsements failed to reverse momentum behind El-S...
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US military 'setting conditions' to clear mines from Strait of Hormuz

 April 11 (Kurdish Policy Analysis) - The U.S. military said on Saturday that it had started “setting conditions" for clearing mines in the Strait of ‌Hormuz, with two U.S. warships passing through the key waterway.

In a ‌post on X, the U.S. Central Command said the USS Frank Peterson and USS Michael Murphy ​transited the Strait of Hormuz "as part of a broader mission to ensure the strait is fully clear of sea mines previously laid by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps."

"Today, we began the process of establishing a new passage and we ‌will share this safe pathway ⁠with the maritime industry soon to encourage the free flow of commerce," Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of Central Command, ⁠said in a statement.

Earlier on Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump posted on social media that the United States military has started to clear the Strait of ​Hormuz nL1N40T08R, ​and that all of Iran's minelaying ships ​have been sunk.

"We're now starting ‌the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, adding that "all 28" of Iran's "mine dropper boats are also lying at the bottom of the sea."

Trump has repeatedly said that American forces have destroyed Iran's navy and air force while crippling its ballistic missile and ‌nuclear programs.

But fear of Iranian attacks on ​shipping over the past several weeks has effectively ​closed the Strait of Hormuz, ​a critical conduit for global oil supplies. Throttling the strait ‌has disrupted global energy markets.

U.S. gasoline ​prices have spiked even though most of the oil that flows through the waterway does not go to the United States.

Representatives from the U.S. and Iran ​began talks hosted ‌by Pakistan in Islamabad on Saturday amid a fragile ceasefire in ​the conflict.

#StraitOfHormuz #USIran #GulfCrisis #OilShock #MaritimeSecurity #MiddleEast #EnergyCrisis #Geopolitics #USNavy #Iran


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