Twenty-six questions into day one of questioning, senators have largely directed inquiries to their own sides, assisting respective legal teams in poking holes in the opposition's case.
During the first break of the day, nearly three hours after questioning began, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) told Cheddar she plans to ask a question about absolute immunity. The president has argued he has absolute immunity to bar testimony, though a federal judge ruled in November that former White House counsel Don McGahn must obey a subpoena compelling him to testify. The judge wrote at the time "with respect to senior-level presidential aides, absolute immunity from compelled congressional process simply does not exist."
The president's defense team has repeatedly sought to portray the president as needing the freedom to speak candidly with his advisors. However, House Managers have emphasized the president is not able to exercise blanket immunity.
"Some of the questions were planned ahead, but you can always adjust them," Klobuchar said. "I have one question that I want to focus on, on the absolute immunity issue, but if it's fully asked, maybe I'll switch to another one. You're not bound into what your question is. And then there's other questions that I have — you'll see that Senator Whitehouse is going to ask one of them. He and I shared the same question so he's asking on his behalf and my behalf."
Throughout the first portion of today's session, some senators appeared to have pre-written questions on cards while others, like Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) exited the room to presumably discuss a question before posing one jointly. Others still, like Senators Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) seemed to have empty cards on their desks.
Senators must submit written questions to the Chief Justice and, alternating between parties, a Senator stands, asks Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to hear his or her question, and a high school page carries the card to Roberts, who is facing the Senators from the elevated seat usually reserved for the Vice President. At one point Roberts paused while attempting to read a question from Republicans, as it seemed he was having trouble reading the hand-written question.
The Senate Press Gallery sits above the Republican side of the chamber, which allows better access to see the Republican Senators than the Democrat officials.
Alan Dershowitz, an attorney for the defense who came to today's session to answer questions about his testimony earlier this week, said anything a sitting president does to stay in power is in the national interest, emphasizing a very expansive view of presidential power. Lead House Manager and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif 28th District) answered the final question of the early session pushing back against Dershowitz's argument and attempted to portray the president as believing himself to wield broad powers, accusing Trump of being a "president who identifies the state as being himself."
Tim Davis, Partner and Executive Managing Director at Steward Partners, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he discusses what activity we could expect to see from the crypto market this week as the Fed decision approaches, the prices of Bitcoin and Ether struggle to find a spark, and the industry continues to digest President Biden's executive order on crypto.
Russia may be asking China for help with its war in Ukraine, according to several reports citing unnamed U.S. officials. Russia is reportedly calling on its ally for military and economic assistance, in an attempt to avoid punishment from sanctions imposed by the U.S., Europe, and Asia, which have hammered Russia's economy. Chinese and Russian officials denied the reports. Meanwhile, top U.S. and Chinese officials are meeting today, with both countries confirming the conflict in Ukraine will be the meeting's main topic. Edward Wong, diplomatic correspondent for the New York Times, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
A Ukrainian drone company is using its technology to help defend its home nation during the ongoing war with Russia. Valerii Iakovenko, co-founder and CEO of DroneUA, joined Cheddar News to discuss its efforts to help against the invasion. "These drones can be used to do strikes more precise and even cheap drones, even simple technologies can help to make a defensive possibilities more precise," he said.
Following the Texas Supreme Court's decision to end further challenges against the latest abortion restrictions, Texas saw a 60 percent decrease in abortions performed in the state — with an exodus of patients seeking care in other parts of the country. President, and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Alexis McGill Johnson, joined Cheddar News at South by Southwest 2022 to discuss the impact of the court's ruling on reproductive health care in the Lone Star State and beyond.
Damian Mason, farm owner, agricultural economist and author of "Food Fear" joined Cheddar News to talk about how the Russian invasion of Ukraine is putting pressure on commodities, which could lead to a 20 percent price hike according to the United Nations. “Russia and Ukraine are responsible for about 35 percent of exports, 35 percent of grain exports, specifically wheat,” said Mason. He also added, "You've got Russia saying, 'we're going to hoard and hold back our wheat,' which of course crimps global supply, and you've got Ukraine that maybe won't even get harvested."
In order to qualify for one of the coveted first retail licenses in New York's adult-use cannabis program, you'll have to have a conviction on cannabis-related charges or have an immediate family member who does. It's part of the latest effort by New York lawmakers to create a diverse and inclusive industry — but some advocates still have reservations. Amber Littlejohn, the executive director of the Minority Cannabis Business Association, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss. "We definitely applaud the state of new york, but ultimately the devil will be in the details as to whether or not this actually works out to create equity in the cannabis industry," she said.
David Daley, senior fellow for FairVote, joins Cheddar News to discuss the Supreme Court denying the GOP's challenge to congressional maps in North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
