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.
Americans continue to feel the pain at the pump as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, joined Cheddar News to discuss how prices are being affected by the war and how much worse it could potentially get for drivers. "It's obviously a fluid situation. In one field today, I might feel differently in a half hour. But for now, I think we could see the national average realistically go somewhere into the mid $4 range, maybe $4.40 to $4.65 based on what we're seeing," he said.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has entered its 12th day following what Ukrainian authorities described as increased shelling of encircled cities and another failed attempt to evacuate civilians from the port city of Mariupol.
Gasoline prices are pushing even farther above $4 a gallon, the highest price that American motorists have faced since July 2008, as calls grow to ban imports of Russian oil.
Jay Hatfield, Chief Investment Officer at ICAP, believes a lot of the bad news regarding the fighting in Ukraine and Fed is already priced into the market and looming uncertainty factored into Friday's movement. However, he also believes the upcoming Fed decision will be good news for Wall Street.
News of Russian forces taking control of a Ukrainian after artillery bombardment of a nuclear power plant raised concerns this week. Nuclear policy expert and Quincy Institute Distinguished Fellow Joe Cirincione joined Cheddar News to discuss the implications for a potential disaster. “I’m with the director general of the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency. He says that he is extremely concerned, and that this Russian attack is a severe risk and that Russia clearly violated the fundamental principle of preserving the integrity of nuclear power plants," Cirincione said.
Amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, major businesses from BP to Big Tech like Apple have been pausing their business dealings with the invading nation. Brian Walker, chief strategy officer at commerce software company Bloomreach, joined Cheddar News to discuss how some companies are showing support for Ukraine and what this could mean for consumers. "Whether it be impacts on energy or operational costs, shipping and logistics, or frankly impacts on the financial services industry, these will have long term implications on retail prices," he said.
About 678,000 jobs were created in February, hundreds of thousands more than predicted, according to the latest Labor Department report, showing a broad economic recovery despite inflation woes. Heather Boushey, member of the Council of Economic Advisers for President Biden, joined Cheddar News to talk about the employment figures. "This really shows that the economy is now more resilient because of the tools that we have in place," Boushey said. "So I'm optimistic that we'll be able to weather future storms."
Ramit Varma, Independent candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, joins Cheddar News to discuss the race and how he plans to tackle critical issues in the California city.
