The Young Turks CEO on Trey Gowdy's Resignation: "It's Huge"
House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy became the latest Republican to say he’s leaving politics.
Cenk Uygur, the CEO of The Young Turks, called the recent trend “unprecedented.”
"That means their poll numbers are disastrous. They think 2018 is going to be a landslide and a complete wipeout," Uygur told Cheddar.
Gowdy, a Republican from South Carolina, said in a tweet Wednesday that he wouldn’t run for re-election in the 2018 midterms and would instead return to the justice system.
His decision carries even more importance considering his position on the Oversight Committee, which has not yet completed its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The previous Chair, Jason Chaffetz, stepped down in June.
"It would be shocking if it was a coincidence that everybody in Oversight is now saying, ‘I gotta get the hell out of there,’" Uygur said.
The loss of Gowdy comes as the GOP is increasingly at odds over how to work with the Trump administration. Some Republicans in Congress are trying to rein him in while others are standing behind him. Uygur speculates this sentiment has motivated Republicans to step down.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/young-turks-founder-cenk-uygur-weighs-in-on-rep-trey-gowdys-retirement).
A new report by the Foreign Correspondents Club of China warns that press freedom in the most populous country in the world is declining at an alarming speed. Cheddar News speaks with Steven Butler, Asia Program Coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists, about the hardships journalists face in China.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C. 1st District) joined Cheddar to discuss her cannabis legalization bill, the States Reform Act, and the prospects for gaining bipartisan support for a bill that has garnered the endorsement of e-commerce giant Amazon. This legislation is supported by businesses large and small, Amazon obviously being the most recent and largest business to support it," Mace said. "They don't want to sell pot. But what it does do is it affects their working employment pool." She stated that 10 percent of eligible new hires for Amazon are affected by restrictive marijuana laws. The representative also explained that the bill leaves equity provisions up to the states rather than mandating them on a federal level.
After a number of tragic subway incidents, the MTA is facing increased pressure to install subway platform screens to help prevent injury or death. However, according to an earlier report from the MTA, installing these prevented measures isn't feasible. New York City Council Member Keith Powers, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Across the country, states are working to redraw their congressional lines in what is often known as gerrymandering. These news lines are expected to determine the balance of power between Democrats and Republicans within the next decade. Senior Counsel for the Brennan Center's Democracy Program, Michael Li, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
The state of California is officially planning to close its death row in the next two years. That state's governor Democrat Gavin Newsom says the plan is now to move all condemned inmates to other prisons and turn it into, as he calls it, a positive healing environment. Former U. S. Assistant Attorney and Legal Analyst, David Katz, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Anthony Saccaro, Founder and President of Providence Financial, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he elaborates on why he is excited that the market is beginning to rebound and believes February has the potential to be a good month after a turbulent January.
Cryptocurrency is expected to become a part of our daily lives — but what sort of environmental impact does it have? As the U.S. becomes the crypto mining capital of the world, climate advocates are worried about mining companies reopening old coal plants, using massive amounts of energy, wasteful hardware, and more. Congressional Democrats led by Senator Elizabeth Warren are demanding answers from mining firms about their electricity use and waste levels. John Belizaire, CEO of Soluna Computing, joins Cheddar Climate to discuss the congressional letters, how crypto mining can become a green industry, and more.
The Supreme Court will reconsider race-based affirmative action in college admissions. The court will examine admissions policies at Harvard University and The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, which count the race of applicants as a factor in admissions. The court has upheld affirmative action policies in the past, saying it helps to create more diverse student bodies. However, the conservative Supreme Court could be skeptical and even possibly hostile to such policies. Nick Anderson, Higher Education Writer, Washington Post joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.