.By Mary Clare Jalonick and Eric Tucker
Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., stepped aside as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday after the FBI served a search warrant for his phone as part of an ongoing insider-trading investigation tied to the coronavirus pandemic.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced the move, saying he and Burr had agreed it was in the Senate's best interests.
FBI officials showed up at Burr's home with the warrant on Wednesday, marking a significant escalation into the Justice Department's investigation into whether Burr broke the law with a well-timed sale of stocks before the coronavirus caused markets to plummet,
The Justice Department declined to comment. His attorney did not respond to phone and email messages, but said last month that the law is clear that any senator can participate in stock market trading based on public information "as Sen. Burr did."
South Florida's agriculture community is in tremendous economic pain. The open markets and opportunities afforded to Mexico in the NAFTA era steadily put farmers out of business in the region of pristine farmland between Miami and the Florida Keys. J.D. Durkin writes about meeting with those struggling farmers as news of a would-be pipe bomber dominated the news cycle just miles away.
With just a day remaining until Election Day, the president of EMILY's List is feeling confident that the millions of dollars her organization spent on pro-choice Democratic women running for office will pay off, thanks to a strong early voting turnout. "Often in midterm elections, we do see a bigger drop-off by women voters, particularly younger women voters, in midterms," Stephanie Schriock said Monday in an interview on Cheddar. "I'm not seeing any of that drop-off."
Robin Koval, CEO and president of the Truth Initiative, believes that until government effectively regulates the sale of e-cigarettes, teenagers will continue to get addicted to nicotine. And that makes popular vape brands like JUUL no different from Big Tobacco, in her mind.
Rumors are flying that Amazon has narrowed down its list of HQ2 contenders. The tech giant is reportedly looking closely at Crystal City, Virginia; Dallas, Texas; and New York City. Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son breaks his silence about the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Plus, former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci joins Cheddar to talk Trump, miterms, and his new book.
Chris Hurst was a news anchor in Roanoke, Va., in 2015 when his girlfriend, fellow journalist Alison Parker, was shot and killed live on-air. That defining tragedy launched Hurst's career in politics, taking him to the Virginia General Assembly.
For full interview, [click here] (https://cms.cheddar.com/videos/VmlkZW8tMjYwNTY=).
Lime, the popular electric scooter company, is offering its users two free rides on Election Day. Emily Warren, senior director of policy and public affairs at Lime, said the mobility provider wants to reduce the transportation barriers that make it hard to vote.
A progressive, not a moderate, agenda will help Democrats mobilize young voters and win elections, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a candidate for New York's 14th Congressional District, told Cheddar Monday. "There are actually progressive, rising stars all over the country in the least likely places," Ocasio-Cortez said, pointing to congressional candidate Richard Ojeda of West Virginia as one example.
Anthony Scaramucci said Donald Trump's divisive language on immigration is a narrow strategy to turn out his blue-collar base in this week's midterm elections, but whether it will work remains to be seen. "He's tapping on the hot buttons of his base," said the former White House Director of Communications. "We're going to have to see if it makes sense or not." Scaramucci discussed President Trump's campaign strategy leading into the midterm elections with Cheddar on Monday, along with his new book, "Trump, the Blue-Collar President."
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know.
Apple shares plunged after the company reported mixed results in its most recent quarter. Georgia's race for governor is getting heated as midterms are just days away. And Katie Harbath, global politics and government outreach director at Facebook, tells Cheddar how the social media network is cracking down on misinformation ahead of the election.
