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Abdul El-Sayed’s Republican opponent directly pitches Democrats, hoping to capitalize after divisive primary

By CNN

(CNN) — Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee for Senate in Michigan, is stepping up his efforts to appeal to Democrats after their party picked progressive Abdul El-Sayed as their standard-bearer in the battleground race.

In a new video first shared with CNN, Rogers speaks directly to camera to make his case to Democrats disappointed with the outcome of their Tuesday primary. El-Sayed, a former public health official, defeated Rep. Haley Stevens by 1 percentage point after a contentious primary that left hard feelings among supporters of both candidates.

“If you’re among the majority of Democratic voters who woke up on Wednesday feeling, well, hopeless because the person who won does not represent your values, well, just know, there is still hope,” Rogers says. “Michigan deserves a senator who is ready to sit with you, hear from you and represent you.”

Democratic leaders from Washington to Michigan have quickly rallied behind El-Sayed, though Republicans are hoping to emphasize on lingering divisions from the bruising primary. Stevens has already endorsed El-Sayed, and the two hugged at a unity event Thursday. Both have also criticized Rogers and have emphasized stressed the importance of Democrats retaining the seat in November.

In the video, Rogers sits beside his wife, Kristi, and appeals to a handful of voting blocs in particular, such as young people who want more affordable housing. He tells them they “have a home with” his campaign and promises to work hard to earn their support.

El-Sayed has also made a bipartisan pitch. In his victory speech Wednesday, he invited people to join his campaign “if you supported me or you did not support me, if you voted for Vice President [Kamala] Harris in 2024 or you voted for Donald Trump.”

At the same time, El-Sayed has not held back against Rogers, calling him beholden to corporate interests and a candidate who has sought to “lick every single boot Donald Trump owns.”

The issue of the US-Israel relationship was one of the main sources of friction in the Democratic primary. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee spent more than $30 million through its super PAC to go after El-Sayed, a sharp critic of Israel. After he won, the group said its members “remain determined to ensure that voters reject Dr. El-Sayed and his radical anti-Israel agenda in November.”

Rogers doesn’t directly reference Jewish voters in the video but echoes criticisms he has already made over El-Sayed campaigning with Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who previously said America “deserved” the September 11 attacks, a comment for which Piker has since apologized.

“And to the vast majority of people across Michigan who do not want to throw their support behind a campaign filled with anger, divisiveness, calls for violence and views that are out of touch with your values, well, you have a home with us,” Rogers says.

Democrats are set to continue their unification efforts with a rally Friday in Detroit headlined by former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who lives in Michigan.

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What to know about Candida auris, a fungus contaminating healthcare spaces

By CNN
(CNN) — Cases of Candida auris, a fungus found in healthcare facilities, are rising rapidly this year, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.As of July 25, 3,437 clinical cases in 27 states have been reported, CDC data shows. The agency recorded 4,290 clinical cases in all of last year.C. auris is primarily a concern for people who are hospitalized. The total number of clinical cases has been increasing since its detection in the US in 2016, the CDC says. The rate has slowed in recent years, but it still remains a “critical public health threat.”What is Candida auris, and how does it spread?Candida auris is a yeast, a specific type of fungus, that spreads through contact with contaminated objects and people, according to Dr. Graham Snyder, medical director of infection prevention and hospital epidemiology at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.A common characteristic, Snyder said, is its ability to spread and remain in healthcare settings, including nursing facilities and hospitals, as it can resist certain cleaning products. It more seriously affects people who have underlying conditions.“We quickly learned that Candida auris is very good at sticking around in the environment — and that’s not true for all types of pathogens or germs that may be spread through the environment — so we pay extra special attention when we know somebody has Candida auris to making sure that we clean and disinfect the environment,” Snyder said.The first case of C. auris was detected in Japan in 2009; the first case in the United States was detected in 2016, according to the CDC. The agency characterizes C. auris as an “urgent threat,” as it is often multidrug-resistant, meaning certain strains can be resistant to all three classes of antifungal medications used to treat fungal infections.What happens when people get it?There are two ways people can have C. auris, said Dr. Scott Roberts, an associate professor of infection prevention at Yale University. The first, colonization, occurs when the fungi appear on a person’s skin, and it’s asymptomatic most of the time. The second, infection, happens when it enters the body through a break in the skin.C. auris can be detected via a swab of the armpit or groin area.“Most of the time, the infections occur through bloodstream infection. There’s some entry into the skin somewhere; maybe your immune system’s not as good as it should be. You can’t fight it off, and you lead to a big infection,” Roberts said.Although this year’s case count may sound alarming, Dr. Nitipong Permpalung, director of mycology research at Johns Hopkins University, noted that there has also been an increase in screening that differentiates between those who are colonized with C. auris and those who are infected, which could account for some of the rising numbers.“We need to understand that ‘OK, this is a positive screening test, and this is through clinical case, and go from there,’ but I understand the concern. But we need to get some more data, and we need to work on the research in this area to improve the care,” Permpalung said.Dr. Ilan Schwartz, an associate professor of medicine at Duke University, said the fungi can cause symptoms like fever, low blood pressure or a high heart rate, as well as a dangerous condition called sepsis, when it enters the bloodstream. Because it spreads more often in healthcare settings, Schwartz said, it primarily affects people who have other health conditions.Like many germs that can be potentially deadly “in the right circumstance,” Schwartz said, infections can become serious and can be deadly in vulnerable patients, such as those undergoing chemotherapy, recovering from surgery or taking antibiotics.“Generally, these are going to be in patients who are already hospitalized and who are being monitored, and so the healthcare team should be well aware already if patients are showing signs of a general infection, so I don’t think that it’s something individuals need to be vigilant about,” Schwartz said.Awareness at the forefrontRoberts said people who are hospitalized or living in other medical settings should watch for symptoms of sepsis, including fever, high heart rate and low blood pressure.The most important thing people can do if their doctor detects the fungi, Roberts said, is to notify those they live with or those who are around them in a care facility. In addition, focus on washing hands and not sharing medical equipment before it is disinfected.Although C. auris continues to spread, hospitals and nursing homes can screen people to identify the fungi and potentially isolate them as an infection prevention practice, Roberts said.“I just have low confidence every facility can do that, or even right now we don’t even know how big a problem it is because a lot of places are not testing for this or don’t have the lab capability to even identify it,” Roberts said.Roberts noted that once the fungi has colonized a person, treatment generally focuses on any symptoms that develop.“There’s unfortunately not much to do,” Roberts said. “It’s moreso just awareness that it is on the scan or that it is there in that room.”The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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