The number of COVID-19 cases is hitting a record high all across the U.S., suggesting the second coronavirus wave is underway. President-elect Joe Biden said fighting the pandemic will be his top order of business, but with his inauguration more than two months away, there is concern the fight against the virus could be insurmountable by then.
Among those vying for immediate action to be taken is Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif. 7th District), who worked as a doctor before he was elected to Congress.
"We all know the outcome of this presidential election. I would hope the career scientists and others at the FDA, at the CDC, would start working with the Biden administration. And you're seeing some of that messaging change a little bit, but Donald Trump's unpredictable," Bera told Cheddar.
It's not just Americans' health at stake; it is also the health of the U.S. economy Bera is concerned about. Last week 709,000 Americans applied for first-time unemployment benefits. While that number better than expected, jobless claims are still exceedingly high across the U.S., a sign that relief for Americans should remain a priority, Bera said.
"I don't think we can wait until January 20th. I think we've got to get something done in this Congress, in the lame-duck session," he continued.
Getting the Vaccine Out
The California congressman suggested that the Biden administration will provide a "180-degrees difference" when it comes to strategizing the country's way out of the pandemic and will be led by science. Still, he believes there will be difficulty in distributing a vaccine once it becomes widely available.
"This is going to be a major logistical lift here in terms of how you get that out there, particularly if it is the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine because of the cold storage issues. They have to be kept at very cold temperatures," he explained.
When it comes to distributing the vaccine, Bera said workers on the frontlines of the pandemic, those at high risk of infection, and people in the hardest-hit communities should be tended to first.
With the holidays just weeks away, the pandemic is only expected to worsen and until a vaccine is ready, Bera said Americans must do their part and move responsibly.
"Everyone really should take the caution, wear a mask, avoid big gatherings, particularly big indoor gatherings," he said.
The government should also prepare the public for a vaccine, if and when it becomes available. "Between now and when that vaccine's available, let's have positive messaging and reassure the public that the science is going to drive when that vaccine is ready," he said
Andrew Cuomo is reportedly planning his comeback. According to the Wall Street Journal, the former New York governor and his aides are considering how to make his first public appearance since he abruptly resigned last August amid sexual harassment allegations. Jake Lahut, politics reporter for Insider, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss Cuomo's potential return to politics.
The pressure is on for UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson - after his closest aides handed in their resignations this week.
It comes after a report found that 16 parties had taken place at Downing Street while Covid lockdown protocols were in place in the region. Ari Aramesh, Attorney & National Security/Foreign Policy Analyst joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
President Biden has ordered about 3,000 U.S. troops to Eastern Europe as Russia refuses to back off its pressure on Ukraine. The deployments to Poland, Germany, and Romania are a show of support to NATO allies concerned about a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine. This is in addition to the 8,500 troops put on high alert. David Tafuri, former Obama campaign foreign policy advisor and former State Department official, joined Cheddar to discuss what this move means for U.S.-Russia relations.
After tennis player Peng Shuai made an explicit sexual assault allegation toward a former Chinese government official, she disappeared from the public eye. Her recent reappearance with the IOC alongside a Chinese Olympic committee official raised eyebrows and renewed concerns for her safety. Asian affairs expert Gordon Chang, author of "The Coming Collapse of China," joined Wake Up With Cheddar to discuss Peng Shuai's retraction and the various human rights controversies swirling at the Beijing games. "It's clear that the IOC was working with Beijing to make sure that she did not express herself freely," Chang said. "So really this is the IOC being complicit in these mechanisms of control over Peng."
The opening ceremony of the 2022 winter Olympics has kicked off at the Beijing national stadium. 150,000 spectators are in attendance for the games inside the 'closed loop' system separating Olympic personnel from the public. Cheddar News spoke with Brian Cazenueve, Sports Illustrated contributor, to share the highlights you may have missed and much more.
The Biden Administration is set to revise federal rules to address potential security risks from foreign-owned apps, mainly Tiktok. This comes after the White House opted not to pursue a forced shutdown of the Chinese-owned video sharing platform. Under these new rules, federal oversight would be expanded to explicitly include apps that could be used by foreign adversaries to steal or otherwise obtain data. Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Craig Singleton, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Although this week's weather is predicted to be less severe than the 2021 storm, Texans are preparing for the worst - stocking up on supplies and emptying shelves in grocery stores, once again. Some Texans still have not recovered from last year's tragedy, and are heading into the next few weeks with anxiety for what's to come. Leslie Beyer, CEO of the Houston-based energy workforce & technology council, joins Cheddar News to discuss if the Texas grid will fail again.
Student loan debt continues to be a major concern for tens of millions of Americans who collectively owe about $1.7 trillion. Black college students often take on larger amounts of student debt in order to pay for a higher education. In turn, they are more likely to struggle post-graduation with repaying their debt, creating a racial wealth gap divide. Andre Perry, senior fellow at Brookings Institution joined All Hands to help break down the black student debt crisis.
After two NYPD officers were killed with an illegal gun, President Biden made a trip to New York City to speak on the issue of gun violence fed by the "iron pipeline" of illegal firearms that make their way from the South to the Big Apple. Kris Brown, the president of the gun violence prevention organization Brady United, joined Cheddar to discuss what this visit from the president could mean for the future of gun laws in America. "He's asked Congress to pass things like expanding the Brady background check system, but with the filibuster a barrier to so much action right now in the Congress, he's looking at solutions that involve funding at the federal level and really involve enforcement."
