“[Trump] would win right now because the Democrats have not succeeded in making this election a referendum on Trump,” longtime Republican and political strategist Rick Wilson told Cheddar on the eve of another sort of referendum — the president’s impeachment trial.
Wilson, who recently published a book “Running Against the Devil: A Plot to Save America From Trump — and Democrats From Themselves,” said voters “don’t care about a 600-page healthcare plan,” and need something like President Barack Obama’s campaign promise of “Hope” and “Change.”
He said he opposes Trump because Trump is not a conservative, an opinion he explicated in a New York Times article last month, along with three others who have worked for and supported Republicans, including White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway’s husband George Conway, the day before the president was impeached. The four men announced the “Lincoln Project,” which they explained will “highlight our country’s story and values, and its people’s sacrifices and obligations.”
Though Wilson said he is not “trying to pick the Democrat’s nominee” he thinks Joe Biden has the most viability “for all his flaws.”
As the Senate heads to trial this week, Wilson said the GOP remains allegiant to Trump because “they’re terrified of him.” “About a third of them are true believers,” he conjectures, while he said a third are “opportunists, hustlers, guys who are trying to build their email lists and become Fox News stars” and the final third “just live in absolute fear of [Trump’s] Twitter feed.”
Toby Fricker, the chief of communications for UNICEF, joined Cheddar News to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine as the Russian invasion continues, displacing at least five million refugees from their home country. "The situation for children is horrific when you have to leave your home. I mean, that's traumatic for any child anywhere, but being forced to run for your life literally is really horrific to think about that," he said.
Laurence Tribe, a professor of constitutional law at Harvard University, joined Cheddar News to talk about the legal underpinnings of the ruling to lift the federal travel mask mandate. "Judge Mizelle decided that she would issue a nationwide injunction, which she and other conservatives have criticized in the past," he said. "That didn't stop her from doing it this time. She did it by just wiping away the CDC's rule, and she did it, have to say, in an opinion that was, well, I'll be honest, really stupid."
Marijuana legalization has spread across the country in recent years, and the number of Americans in support of legalization is at an all-time high. Andrew Bowden, CEO of the premium cannabis brand Item 9 Labs, joined Cheddar to break down the inner workings of the industry and how the industry can grow from here.
After a nationwide mask mandate for travel was struck down by a federal judge, Dr. Sampson Davis, an ER physician and bestselling author, joined Cheddar News to talk about the ramifications. "We are at a place where we are going to have to wait and see, unfortunately," he said. "The good news is that we're coming off a celebration of spring break, Easter, Passover, and we'll see what happens. But right now I'm not seeing a spike and people come into the hospital are truly sick. However, I'm still seeing people test positive for COVID."
Chris Vecchio, senior strategist at DailyFX, says the James Bullard and the Fed's bark may be louder than its bite when it comes to potential rate hikes in May. Investors brushed off any causes for concerns during Tuesday's session, which led to stocks ending the day sharply higher.
Catching you up on what you need to know on April 19, 2022, with a federal judge voiding mask mandates on public transportation, updates from the Russia and Ukraine war, Mac Miller’s drug dealer sentenced for involvement in the rapper's death, and more.
A federal judge’s decision to strike down a national mask mandate was met with cheers on some airplanes but also concern about whether it’s really time to end the order sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic.
