On the heels of President Trump's speech at the RNC from the White House, thousands descended on the capital today to commemorate the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington.
Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, said that in the midst of social unrest and senseless violence, the march is about emphasizing the importance of voting in this year's presidential election.
"We want to make sure that we use this moment to pause, to re-energize, to focus on marching to the polls in November," Johnson told Cheddar.
While many are expected to show up to the march in-person, organizers are also taking the event online for those unable to attend or who prefer to stay away from crowds amid the pandemic.
Meanwhile, as President Trump continues to wage a war against the mail-in voting process, Johnson and the NAACP are looking for the government to restore the "stripped" Voting Rights Act.
"In order for this democracy to truly work, we must allow access to the ballot box and unfortunately, we have reduced the administration of elections to a partisan consideration," Johnson said.
As the issue of policing in America hangs in the backdrop of the march's mission, Johnson said it is an issue that has to be addressed. When it comes to policies regarding policing, there has to be a process for accountability, he continued, stating that it's imperative other services receive the funding needed so that police are not required to serve functions for which they are not trained.
"We have to take a serious look at the budget of police to make sure we're not asking officers to serve the role of mental health providers; to serve the role of anything else other than policing," Johnson said.
For Johnson, it's all about leveling the playing field and making policing in the U.S. uniform across the country.
"Some of the wealthiest communities across this country see a really robust preventive program in place. Low income areas and areas where African Americans are being patrolled — we don't have enough preventive measures so things will not escalate as we've seen over the recent few months," he explained.
A bipartisan group of 43 representatives joined forces in a letter to President Joe Biden to remind the executive branch that it must seek the approval of Congress before authorizing a war — whether or not its in Ukraine as Russia continues its invasion. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore. 4th District) led the effort and joined Cheddar News Wrap to explain. "It's time for Congress to get back the authority, which is vested to us in the constitution, not in the executive branch," he said. "The president. once we're at war, we speak with one voice with the commander in chief. But before that, it's up to the American people and Congress whether or not we're going to become engaged in a war."
Chris Konstantinos, Chief Investment Strategist at RiverFront Investment Group, explains why he remains encouraged about the S&P and the state of the market despite the major indexes closing mostly lower on Monday.
President Joe Biden will be delivering his first State of the Union address on Tuesday night, and with so many issues from Ukraine to inflation, everyone will be focused on what he might say. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y. 11th District) joined Cheddar News to discuss what she thinks the president should address. "I think what he hasn't done yet is go after the gas, the oil, the minerals, the mining industries, that is incredibly important," she said. "There's still some banks there that are not sanctioned. He needs to go after all the banks, but I also think that providing the equipment that Ukraine needs to continue to protect its capital and its country are incredibly important."
As Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, one of its few big allies remaining appears to be China. Gordon Chang, Asian affairs expert and author of "The Coming Collapse of China," joined Cheddar News to discuss what might be behind China's support for Putin's current strategy. “I think China is looking at what Putin did yesterday, which is to raise his nuclear forces on a higher alert level,” Chang stated, “If they see that Putin gets away with his nuclear threats, which he's been making over the last three or four days, then I'm sure that Beijing is going to ramp up its threats as well, and it could ramp them up against any number of different countries with which it perceives it has a problem with"
Joel Rubin, president of the Washington Strategy Group and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, joins Cheddar News to discuss the Russia-Ukraine tensions and the new sanctions President Biden placed on Russia.
Officials from Ukraine and Russia have begun meeting along the Belarus border to discuss a potential end to the ongoing invasion, even as the fighting continues to drag on. Rep. Al Green (D-Texas 9th District) joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, what to expect from President Joe Biden's State of The Union Address, and the nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court. "I'm still hopeful, and I hope that Mr. Putin will understand that he has united the world against him," Green said of the new round of peace talks.
Within hours of Russia's first attack on Ukraine, President Joe Biden addressed the nation by stating that the White House will impose wider sanctions on Russian banks. These sanctions could result in damage to the Russian economy. Host of "Oh My World" on Youtube and Former Spokesperson for the U. S. Mission to the U. N. Hagar Chemali, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
