Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) Calls Proposal to Arm Teachers a "Distraction"
Congressman Ted Deutch (D-FL) represents Parkland, Florida and the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. He joins Cheddar to discuss the state of gun control reform as Congress returns to Capitol Hill. He thinks proposals to arm teachers distract from more meaningful gun control legislation.
The Congressman says teachers don't sign up to be deputy sheriffs, but rather to teach. He reacts to the revelation that the Broward County Sheriff's Department received 23 calls about the school shooter. Deutch calls this yet another "blow" to the Parkland community.
Sheriff Scott Israel is facing increased pressure to resign in light of new information about the volume of warnings about the perpetrator. Congressman Deutch says it's imperative that the Sheriff complete his investigation quickly. He also responds to calls for a boycott of Florida's Spring Break economy until gun control is passed.
California Governor Gavin Newsom is projected to keep his job. Around two-thirds of the votes have been reported, and roughly 64% of those votes are in favor of keeping Newsom as their governor.
Daniel Strauss, senior political correspondent at The New Republic, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss more about what Newsom's win means to both political parties moving into Midterm elections season.
The Department of Justice is suing Texas over the state's new abortion law that prohibits abortions after six weeks, well before many women even know they're pregnant. The lawsuit argues the law is unconstitutional under long-standing Supreme Court precedent. It was filed last week in federal court in Texas, but could go all the way to the high court within weeks. Josh Blackman, a constitutional law professor at South Texas College of Law Houston, discusses the DOJ lawsuit and what it could mean for other abortion laws across the country.
26 states have now fully vaccinated more than half of their population with Vermont, Connecticut, and Massachusetts fully vaccinating at least two-thirds of their residents. These three states are among the ones with the lowest new Covid-19 cases per capita, but in states with low vaccination rates, hospitals are filling up again.
Dr. Rob Davidson, ER doctor and executive director of Committee to Protect Health Care, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss more.
The Biden Administration has officially extended a ban on a Trump-era policy that prohibits traveling with a U.S. passport to North Korea. The extension is expected to last until August 2022. The ban was initially enforced after the death of Otto Warmbier, who entered a vegetative state while in North Korean custody. Advocates against the ban argue that it has caused crippling impacts on Korean Americans who have not been able to reunite with their families back home. Senior Fellow at The Foundation For Defense of Democracies Anthony Ruggiero joined Cheddar's News Wrap to discuss more.
