So far, California has sued the Trump administration at least 50 times, challenging the federal government on everything from health care access for minorities to the slashing of asbestos reporting requirements.
Yet, the steadfast opposition to Washington is not based solely in the courts, according to California's Secretary of State Alex Padilla.
The state's so-called "resistance" strategy, Padilla said, is rooted in a three-pronged approach: legislation, legal challenges, and civil society organization.
"California has stood up to a lot of what this administration has represented," Padilla told Cheddar on Thursday, adding that the state is especially willing to fight what is antithetical to "Californian values."
Just last week, the Golden State targeted President Trump's taxes, passing a law that would require presidential candidates to release their tax returns in order to be included on the state's primary election ballot.
"We've seen — among so many precedents broken by this administration — a failure to disclose potential conflicts of interests," Padilla said.
During the 2016 election, Trump refused to release his tax returns — upending a longstanding norm. The White House has since resisted several attempts from congressional Democrats to obtain the president's taxes and examine financial holdings for possible fraud and foreign entanglements.
"If the federal government can't force the issue but California can, then we're going to try to do that," added Padilla.
The Trump administration sued the state in response, arguing that the law violates the First Amendment and restricts voting rights. Seemingly anticipating the challenge, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, defended the law's constitutionality last week, saying that the state "is well within its constitutional right to include" the requirement.
On Wednesday, California Republican Chairwoman Jessica Patterson slammed the law, arguing that it "attacks the heart" of the constitution.
"It is a tactic by the left to make sure that the Republican turnout, which is usually dictated by the top of the ticket, is lower than normal," Patterson added in an interview with Cheddar.
Since the 2016 election, which U.S. intelligence agencies have repeatedly said was plagued with misinformation and foreign interference, California has also taken control of its own election security — an issue that has largely stalled at the federal level in the Republican-controlled Senate.
The state allocated over $130 million in the budget last year to replace aging voting machines and conducted a state-wide assessment of security apparatuses and firewall protections. California also implemented additional testing standards for new voting systems and a requirement that every ballot must have a paper trail.
"We are doing anything and everything it takes to ensure the integrity and security of the election," Padilla said on Thursday. "Securing the election is one thing, making sure that we don't fall prey to misinformation or disinformation campaigns is an equal challenge."
In 2016, California voted overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton, who won the state by more than 4 million votes. The state is also home to several prominent Trump critics, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Gov. Newsom, and 2020 Democratic candidates Sen. Kamala Harris and Tom Steyer, the billionaire businessman and founder of Need to Impeach.
Yet the animus is seemingly mutual, with Trump repeatedly attacking California and its major cities since taking office. It was more than 400 days into his presidential term before he stepped foot in California — the longest delay of any modern president to visit the most populous state in the nation.
The U.S. has put more than 8,000 American troops on high alert for possible deployment to Eastern Europe as the West prepares for a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine. With Russia building up more than 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border, concerns over the country's behavior are mounting. Joel Rubin, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and President of the Washington Strategy Group, joined Cheddar to discuss what this means for U.S.-Russia relations, and where the conflict might be heading next.
As the midterm election looms, things aren't looking too promising for President Joe Biden. One year into his term as president, Biden is facing one of the lowest approval ratings of any modern-day president, threatening his party's control of the House in 2022. Brian Bennett, Senior White House Correspondent for TIME, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
A full one year into his term as President of The United States, President Biden addressed the nation on Wednesday, facing questions on everything from inflation to chip shortages and covid-19. As Biden enters his second year in office, he is facing one of the lowest approval ratings of any modern-day president. Kate Davidson, Reporter, POLITICO joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
"Barbara Lee: Speaking Truth to Power" is the story of how the longtime House Democrat became, as she Is known to some, as "the Conscience of Congress." The film also
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Earlier this month, New York City experienced one of the deadliest fires it has seen in decades. 17 people lost their lives in the Fordham section of the Bronx. This was due to a faulty space heater which reportedly began on the lower floor of the 120 unit building. Thanks to the F. D. N. Y. And heroic neighbors, many were able to get out in time. Unfortunately, the toxic smoke surged upwards through a safety door. Now, many advocates say negligence by policymakers and landlords has led to the deaths in black and brown communities from fires that honestly could have been preventable. Legislative Director of Citizen Action of New York, Rebecca Garrard, and the Chair of Journalism and New Media Studies at St. Joseph's College Theodore Hamm, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
The Supreme Court has declined to order the Texas Abortion case back to the original trial judge for further proceedings. Essentially if Texas abortion providers were able to get their case back to the lower court., It would have greatly helped the group move against the law. However, this decision is likely to prolong the case legal battle. Professor and Author of "The Turnaway Study: Ten Years, a Thousand Women, and the Consequences of Having — Or Being Denied — An Abortion", Diane Foster, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
The Supreme Court rejected yet another bid by abortion providers to block Texas's law - which bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. This is the fourth time that advocates have tried and failed to block the most restrictive abortion ban in the country. Leah Litman, assistant professor of law at The University of Michigan and co-host of the "Strict Scrutiny" podcast, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
As the standoff between the U.S. and its allies continues with Russia over its possible designs to invade Ukraine, President Biden held a video conference call with European leadership and had 8,500 American troops put on high alert. Jamil Jaffer, a former associate White House counsel for the Bush Administration, joined Cheddar to discuss his views on the escalating crisis in Eastern Europe.
