President Trump Says He's Not Firing Robert Mueller
Despite reports to the contrary, President Trump told reporters he is not firing Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Independent Journal Review's Jason Howerton joins Cheddar to consider the investigation's future. The President went on the record after Democrats in congress began to suggest that Mueller's days were numbered.
Howerton says he thinks the increased criticism from the Trump administration will help speed up the investigation. The president's lawyers claim the special counsel used illegal tactics to acquire transition documents. Howerton is skeptical about whether these claims put the probe in true jeopardy.
We also look ahead to the homestretch for the GOP tax plan. Lawmakers hope to put the bill to a vote early this week, clearing the way for a budget resolution by week's end to avoid a government shutdown. Howerton stresses the magnitude of the potential victory to the Republican party.
The Supreme Court will be hearing arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health on Wednesday over a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks. Jimmy Hoover, the Supreme Court editor-at-large for Law360, joined Cheddar to break down the momentous legal fight. "This is the biggest abortion case at the Supreme Court in 30 years," he said. "It is a … a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade."
Matt Peron, Director of Research at Janus Henderson Investors, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he breaks down the factors leading to today's market slide and says there's more to it than Fed Chair Jerome Powell's comments about speeding up tapering efforts.
Walmart CEO Dough McMillon praised the Biden administration's efforts to ease supply chain constraints after the company saw a 26 percent jump in shipments over the last month. President Joe Biden had announced back in October that California ports would operate on a 24/7 basis.
Jill and Carlo cover the latest developments with the Omicron variant that are spooking markets once again. Twitter's @Jack is leaving, SCOTUS takes up abortion rights and the world has a brand new republic.
The Biden Administration is set to buy 10 million courses of Pfizer's Covid pill if it gains emergency use authorization from the FDA. With this purchase, the U.S. will receive more than 13 million courses of antiviral pills aimed at treating Covid and reducing severe illness and death. Pfizer's pill has been shown to reduce risk of hospitalization and death by 89 percent, proving it could be a key tool in the fight against the pandemic. Dr. Soumi Eachempati, Co-Founder, CEO & CMO of Cleared4, joined Cheddar News to discuss.
The Build Back Better Act has been at the center of endless negotiations and debate, ultimately landing as a nearly $1.8 trillion plan. One of the highlights is $170 billion dollars for affordable housing, making history as the largest investment in the sector to date. Eliza Collins, politics reporter for The Wall Street Journal, joins Cheddar News to break down the bill.
The Biden Administration is releasing 50 million barrels of oil from the U.S. oil reserves in hopes of easing soaring gas prices. Vijay Vaitheeswaran, Global Energy and Climate Innovation Editor at the Economist, joined Cheddar to discuss.
