Cheddar's special post State of the Union show is a wrap-up of President Trump's big night: what were the highlights, what was the reaction, and most importantly, what's next for the GOP?
In his first official State of the Union address, President Trump said the country is strong, and that now is the beginning of a "new American moment." He touted tax reform success and a surging stock market. Republicans cheered, while most Democrats remained seated. Congressman Joe Kennedy III gave the official Democratic response, rallying Americans unhappy with President Trump's harsh rhetoric.
On Capitol Hill, Cheddar's J.D. Durkin spoke with numerous Democratic lawmakers moments after the speech, including Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Rep. Donald McEachin (D-VA). He asked each of them how they view the state of America right now.
Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) said President Trump gave a "great speech," but Democrats are against his personality, and therefore, his policies.
The former White House communications director gave a profane interview to The New Yorker that essentially led to his firing. "I got bagged inappropriately," Anthony Scaramucci told Cheddar's J.D. Durkin.
The former White House Communications Director, who was fired in after a brief 11-day tenure last year, tells Cheddar that both the Deputy Attorney General and Special Counsel Robert Mueller are fair and principled men.
Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House Communications Director, told Cheddar's J.D. Durkin that the fall out around Dr. Ronny Jackson's nomination for Secretary of Veteran's Affairs is purely partisan politics.
Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci said the President should "get out more," because his direct appeals to his base via on-air interviews is what they love about him. His comments came after Trump gave a wide-ranging interview to Fox News, in which he admitted, after previous denials, that his personal attorney Michael Cohen dealt with adult film actress Stormy Daniels for him.
Since Russia banned the encrypted messaging service last week, Google and Amazon have also been dragged into the fight. This comes at a time when Telegram is considering an ICO and has already raised a total of $1.7 billion, making it the biggest potential coin offering in history.
Weeks after President Trump took office, he issued the first travel ban restricting entry into the U.S. for people from some majority-Muslim countries. Since then, after backlash and appeals, Trump has put out two more versions of the directive and now the Supreme Court is deciding whether or not the ban is Constitutional.
More and more politicians are throwing their weight behind legalizing marijuana, now seeing it as more of a "political opportunity" than a liability. That, in part, is driven by pressure from voters, says Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for Marijuana Laws.
Cook County Commissioner John Fritchey, who holds a medical marijuana card, says the drug's ability to relieve pain makes it a much more effective way to combat opioid addiction. “Why would we continue, in light of the crisis that we have, to prescribe opioids for pain relief?” Fritchey told Cheddar Tuesday.
The legislator has been vocal about getting his medical marijuana card in hopes of getting rid of the stigma around the drug, he told Cheddar. Fritchey is also pushing to legalize recreational use of the cannabis in Illinois and says it should be uses as a tool to fight the opioid crisis.
The Agriculture Department's proposed Farm Bill will kick millions of people off of benefits and take free breakfast and lunches away from hundreds of thousands of kids, says the Democrat from Massachusetts. The new legislation could go to a vote in May.
