Bombing Suspect Charged, but National Nerves Remain Frayed
*By Carlo Versano*
After a week of political finger-pointing and frayed national nerves ahead of a major election, a Florida man is in custody on federal charges that he sent at least 13 live explosive devices to prominent former and current Democratic officials, a news organization, a Hollywood actor, and liberal donors.
The latest device was intercepted in California, en route to Tom Steyer, a Democratic donor who has spent millions advocating for Trump's impeachment.
Federal authorities announced the arrest of Cesar Sayoc, 56, of Aventura, Fla., at the end of a week that began with a crude pipe bomb being discovered in the mailbox of George Soros, a left-leaning philanthropist vilified by the right.
As more bombs were found ー from the leafy suburbs of New York City to sprawling mail sorting facilities in Delaware ー and buildings evacuated, it became clear that a serial bomber was using the U.S. postal service to harm opponents and critics of the president and instill fear in a country wracked by political polarization just under two weeks before a pivotal U.S. election.
"This is a law and order administration," said Attorney General Jeff Sessions, announcing the five counts against Sayoc, which include mailing explosives and making threats against former presidents.
"We will not tolerate such lawlessness," Sessions said. He added that Sayoc "appears to be a partisan."
FBI Director Christopher Wray said investigators were able to pull a fingerprint from one of the two devices mailed to Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), which, along with other pieces of DNA, matched Sayoc's DNA from a prior arrest. "Today's arrest doesn't mean we're out of the woods," Wray said, cautioning that more devices may still be undiscovered in the postal system.
Wray made a point of saying that the devices were "not hoax devices" but real explosives. He would not comment on whether any were "functional." It was unclear if Wray was reacting to President Trump, who earlier lamented that the "'Bomb' stuff," using quotations around "bomb," was hurting GOP momentum going into Election Day.
Conspiracy theories have flooded the internet positing that the mail bombs were a "false flag" operation. "False flag" believers, including some high-profile conservatives like Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter, have speculated that the mail bombs were sent by a Democratic sympathizer who wanted to villainize Republicans in the eyes of voters going to the polls.
At least one of them, Geraldo Rivera, backed down after hearing the charges against Sayoc on Friday afternoon: "Never mind; outsmarted myself in conjuring false flag operation designed to hurt @realDonaldTrump & #GOP," he wrote in a tweet. "Actual alleged perp 56-year old #CesarSayoc is apparently stereotype most media assumed: a middle-aged, rabid, extreme right winger w a troubled past & long criminal record."
Sayoc was arrested at an Autozone store in the Miami suburb of Plantation, Fla. Cheddar's J.D. Durkin was there and spoke to the manager of a nearby business who witnessed the arrest. Tom Fiore, the president of West Broward Community Management, told Durkin he knew it was tied to the nationwide manhunt when he saw members of the NYPD in Florida.
Erin Blake, a senior political reporter at the Washington Post who has been following the story all week, told Cheddar that "all the evidence seems to be pointing in the right direction." With the threat subsiding, Blake said, this is a good time to figure out "who we are as a country."
Sessions, Wray, and other federal authorities praised the coordinated response and investigation. Trump added his plaudits for law enforcement on Twitter, though Blake said he doubted the events would lead to much of a cooling off period in terms of the heated political rhetoric, adding, "The president has shown that he is not terribly chastened by this whole thing."
Following the surprising big beat on estimates for the January jobs report, William M. Rodgers III, vice president and director of the Institute for Economic Equity at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, joined Cheddar News to break down the data. “We ended 2021 with a strong crescendo to a recovery that had taken hold, and we started 2022 in good fashion." He also discussed the dueling pressures of wage growth and inflation.
Jessica Mason Pieklo, senior vice president and executive editor of the Rewired News Group and co-host of the podcast. "Boom! Lawyered," joins Cheddar Politics to discuss Justice Stephen Breyer's retirement, legacy and potential replacement on the Supreme Court.
The Biden administration delivered a temporary win for student loan borrowers this year by extending the moratorium on federal payments for a few more months. That moratorium is coming to an end on May 1st and borrowers will again have their monthly loan payment plopped in their lap.
Stephanie Vanderslice, a creative writing professor paying off debt through the Parent Plus program, and Mike Pierce, executive director of the Student Borrower Protection Center, join Cheddar Politics to discuss.
2022 was already going to be a big year for the Supreme Court. We have decisions on major issues like abortion and gun rights on the way. Then, Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement and that set up a major confirmation fight for later this year. Amy Howe, co-founder of SCOTUSblog, joins Cheddar Politics to discuss.
The Labor Department released a better-than-expected report of 467,000 jobs added in January. Heather Boushey, Council of Economic Advisers Member for President Biden, joined Cheddar to tout the administration's handling of the economy amid the pandemic and the upward revisions for the previous month. "It also shows that, because of the revisions, the economy was stronger over the past couple of months," she said. "I don't think that this can be said enough, but economic forecasting during an historic pandemic is extremely difficult." Boushey also addressed issues involving wage growth versus the rapid rise of inflation.
The Labor Department's January jobs report showed 467,000 jobs were added, compared to the 150,000 that were projected, a sign that employment is continuign to return to pre-pandemic levels. Lindsey Piegza, chief economist at investment bank Stifel, joined Cheddar to break down the report, noting the big gains but adding a note of caution. "Remember, even with this morning's stellar report, we're still millions below that level that we had reached prior to the onset of COVID-19," she said." Yes, we are recapturing jobs. We still have further ground that needs to be made before we can talk about reaching that previous peak." Piegza also discussed the role of the Federal Reserve going forward as the employment figures turn more positive.
As President Biden's poll numbers fall with Black voters, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass. 7th District) joined Cheddar to discuss what she feels could help the embattled administration: deliver on policies. Pressley pointed to stalled legislation such as new voting rights laws and Build Back Betters and canceling student loan debt, which would go a long way to improving his standing with Black constituents. "President Biden has the authority and the power to alleviate this burden, which would also help in closing the racial wealth gap, and he can do it by executive action with the stroke of a pen," she said. "And it doesn't require one vote from Congress. So, the Biden administration just needs to deliver to Black America in a tangible and impactful way."
