As Americans anxiously await the final results of the election, all eyes are on six states that are still tallying up mail-in ballots. Arizona, a state that both the Associated Press and Fox News called Tuesday in favor of former Vice President Joe Biden, is still facing pressure from residents and the president who have questioned the validity of the counting process.
Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs said the state's priority right now is to be as transparent with the counting process as possible and to protect poll workers.
A group of Trump supporters gathered at the Maricopa County election center to protest overnight. Demonstrations have sparked nationwide as Americans have split, with some demanding states count all ballots and others calling for them to stop the process.
"These folks have been working hard around the clock to get their job done, which is counting all the ballots, and so, these protesters are really a distraction. They are calling for the county to count all the ballots and that's exactly what we're doing," Hobbs told Cheddar.
"Our tabulation process is really transparent. There's observers allowed in, although I think they, maybe, sent those people home yesterday out of concerns for safety; but there's cameras in every tabulation center," Hobbs explained. "Anyone can go to any of our counties' election websites, look for that link, and watch it from wherever they are to see that process as it happens."
Today, voters can expect a significant update in tallied ballots around 7 p.m. MST, Hobbs said, as Maricopa County becomes the focal point of the state's race. With about 450,000 ballots remaining, the count in Arizona is expected to wrap up some time this weekend.
But as The Trump administration continues to follow through on a promise to contest the election process in court, Hobbs said that based on the president's failed lawsuit in states like Georgia, the president should want counting to continue in the state given that the margin between the candidates is so narrow.
With Biden leading by just under 70,000 votes, the once red state is slowly experiencing a shift — one that Hobbs said has been years in the making.
"We've seen shifting demographics for the last 10 years in our state and there's been pushes from a lot of organizations, party-related progressive groups or otherwise, to really engage those new folks to Arizona, those changing demographic folks, and those changing demographics to be engaged, to register to vote and to vote, and it's been 10 years of doing that," the secretary noted.
Following the surprising big beat on estimates for the January jobs report, William M. Rodgers III, vice president and director of the Institute for Economic Equity at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, joined Cheddar News to break down the data. “We ended 2021 with a strong crescendo to a recovery that had taken hold, and we started 2022 in good fashion." He also discussed the dueling pressures of wage growth and inflation.
Jessica Mason Pieklo, senior vice president and executive editor of the Rewired News Group and co-host of the podcast. "Boom! Lawyered," joins Cheddar Politics to discuss Justice Stephen Breyer's retirement, legacy and potential replacement on the Supreme Court.
The Biden administration delivered a temporary win for student loan borrowers this year by extending the moratorium on federal payments for a few more months. That moratorium is coming to an end on May 1st and borrowers will again have their monthly loan payment plopped in their lap.
Stephanie Vanderslice, a creative writing professor paying off debt through the Parent Plus program, and Mike Pierce, executive director of the Student Borrower Protection Center, join Cheddar Politics to discuss.
2022 was already going to be a big year for the Supreme Court. We have decisions on major issues like abortion and gun rights on the way. Then, Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement and that set up a major confirmation fight for later this year. Amy Howe, co-founder of SCOTUSblog, joins Cheddar Politics to discuss.
The Labor Department released a better-than-expected report of 467,000 jobs added in January. Heather Boushey, Council of Economic Advisers Member for President Biden, joined Cheddar to tout the administration's handling of the economy amid the pandemic and the upward revisions for the previous month. "It also shows that, because of the revisions, the economy was stronger over the past couple of months," she said. "I don't think that this can be said enough, but economic forecasting during an historic pandemic is extremely difficult." Boushey also addressed issues involving wage growth versus the rapid rise of inflation.
The Labor Department's January jobs report showed 467,000 jobs were added, compared to the 150,000 that were projected, a sign that employment is continuign to return to pre-pandemic levels. Lindsey Piegza, chief economist at investment bank Stifel, joined Cheddar to break down the report, noting the big gains but adding a note of caution. "Remember, even with this morning's stellar report, we're still millions below that level that we had reached prior to the onset of COVID-19," she said." Yes, we are recapturing jobs. We still have further ground that needs to be made before we can talk about reaching that previous peak." Piegza also discussed the role of the Federal Reserve going forward as the employment figures turn more positive.
As President Biden's poll numbers fall with Black voters, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass. 7th District) joined Cheddar to discuss what she feels could help the embattled administration: deliver on policies. Pressley pointed to stalled legislation such as new voting rights laws and Build Back Betters and canceling student loan debt, which would go a long way to improving his standing with Black constituents. "President Biden has the authority and the power to alleviate this burden, which would also help in closing the racial wealth gap, and he can do it by executive action with the stroke of a pen," she said. "And it doesn't require one vote from Congress. So, the Biden administration just needs to deliver to Black America in a tangible and impactful way."
