: Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., U.S. 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidate speaks to the media and supporters outside a polling location at Canfield Center on Tuesday, March 10, 2020 in Dearborn Heights, MI. (Photo by Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont spoke at length about the need to defeat Donald Trump and discussed his campaign today after falling behind in another set of Democratic primaries on Tuesday but did not announce his intention to drop out of the contest.
While he cited that he appeared to be losing the race on the issue of electability, Sanders also stated that he felt his campaign was winning the ideological debate. He then directed several questions and challenges on healthcare, climate change, and mass incarceration to his rival former Vice President Joe Biden leading up to the Sunday debate in Arizona.
Biden, the only other remaining candidate aside from Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (far removed in the delegate count) took what looks to be a commanding lead in delegates following victories in Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, and Idaho, while Sanders won the North Dakota caucus.
The results from the primary in Washington state still show Biden and Sanders nack-in-neck with 67 percent of precincts reporting as of this report.
Sanders, the social democrat who carried the banner, along with Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, of what was considered the "progressive" side of the Democratic party, showed signs of leading the race early on among a still-large group of candidates. After a close race with former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg in Iowa for its caucus delegates, Sanders racked up wins in New Hampshire and Nevada.
But things would change after Biden garnered a dramatic and lopsided victory in South Carolina's primary. From there, other members of the "moderate" wing of the party, Pete Buttigieg and Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, dropped out, both endorsing Biden before Super Tuesday.
The Super Tuesday primary day featured the largest share of delegates to date, and while Sanders pulled off a victory in the largest prize of California, and wins in Colorado, Utah, and his own Vermont, Biden's momentum grabbed the lion's share of delegates throughout the Southeast, Minnesota, and Oklahoma.
The primary will conclude with the nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from July 13 to 16.
Student loan debt continues to be a major concern for tens of millions of Americans who collectively owe about $1.7 trillion. Black college students often take on larger amounts of student debt in order to pay for a higher education. In turn, they are more likely to struggle post-graduation with repaying their debt, creating a racial wealth gap divide. Andre Perry, senior fellow at Brookings Institution joined All Hands to help break down the black student debt crisis.
After two NYPD officers were killed with an illegal gun, President Biden made a trip to New York City to speak on the issue of gun violence fed by the "iron pipeline" of illegal firearms that make their way from the South to the Big Apple. Kris Brown, the president of the gun violence prevention organization Brady United, joined Cheddar to discuss what this visit from the president could mean for the future of gun laws in America. "He's asked Congress to pass things like expanding the Brady background check system, but with the filibuster a barrier to so much action right now in the Congress, he's looking at solutions that involve funding at the federal level and really involve enforcement."
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.
