*By Christian Smith*
It's an honor to receive former President Barack Obama's support for his Congressional bid, said Colin Allred, but really it's a recognition that the Texas Democrat has run a campaign that can win.
"We've built a grassroots movement of folks getting involved who haven't been involved before," Allred said in an interview Thursday with Cheddar. "It's kind of the legacy, I think, of President Obama's political brand, and I think that's what we're carrying forward here."
Allred is challenging Representative Pete Sessions, an eight-term incumbent, in Texas's 32nd congressional district north of Dallas. Sessions hasn't faced a Democratic opponent in a general election since 2014.
The Cook Political Report lists the race as a ["toss-up"](https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings) despite the 32nd district's R+5 PVI rating, which means it leans moderately Republican in presidential races, though voters there went for Hillary Clinton by one point in 2016.
That's a good sign for Allred, who is running to represent the area where he was born and raised. He was a stand-out football player at Hillcrest High School before going on to play linebacker at Baylor University and with the NFL's Tennessee Titans.
When his football career ended, Allred went to law school to become a civil rights attorney, and worked in the Obama Administration as a special assistant in the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of General Counsel.
Allred said that some of his former Hillcrest High teachers and coaches have been involved in his Congressional campaign, and their involvement is as important as Obama's endorsement in getting new voters to the polls in November.
"We're reaching out to Independents and Republicans who might feel like this version of the Republican party led by Donald Trump doesn't represent them," Allred said.
For more on this story, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/former-nfl-player-colin-allred-in-tight-congressional-race-with-16-year-incumbent-pete-sessions).
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joined Cheddar's Michelle Castillo from South By Southwest to boost President Biden's bipartisan infrastructure legislation and talk about the big transportation issues of the day, including electric vehicle charging infrastructure and the future of public transit. "It means we have a huge wind at our back delivering on the kinds of transportation solutions that are going to define the 2020's 2030s, 2040s even," he said. "And that's what makes it exciting to come to South by Southwest and talk with some of the people who are following these technologies and ideas the most closely and talk about where we're headed." Buttigieg also touched on the "Don't Say Gay" legislation in Florida, noting that such legislative pushes were likely coming from politicians deflecting from lacking answers to pressing economic concerns, in his opinion.
Following President Biden's executive order that could lead toward regulating digital currency in the United States. Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J. 5th District), the congressman responsible for proposing a bill to regulate stablecoins, digital assets backed by fiat currencies, joined Cheddar News to discuss the bill. "I just want to make sure that we're doing everything we can to be helpful to encourage this innovation and growth here in the United States," he said.
European antitrust regulators gave Amazon approval for its MGM acquisition deal. Amazon expects MGM's collection of content will help it compete in the increasingly crowded world of streaming services.
Lisa Whalen, managing director of automotive and mobility analysis at Morning Consult, joins Cheddar News to discuss Uber and Lyft's decision to enact price surcharges on riders.
Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.) joined Cheddar News to talk about a range of topics including Sarah Bloom Raskin's recent withdrawal as a nominee to the Federal Reserve, the impact the Federal Reserve will have on inflation, and the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. "I think it's unfortunate she had to withdraw. I think she was very, very qualified for the position by everything she's done in her past, especially in the area of cyber," he said. "She would have been good to have on the Fed."
With a zero-covid policy in China, country officials are imposing lockdowns in the region in an attempt to control the spread. With China being home to about one-third of global manufacturing, these lockdowns are wreaking havoc on the already fragile supply chain, causing disruption to production of phones and cars alike. Suketu Gandhi, Supply Chain Partner at Kearney joined Cheddar's Azia Celestino to discuss.
Markets opened higher this morning as oil prices fall and investors await a decision from the Federal Reserve. Keith Fitz-Gerald, Chief Investment Officer, Fitz-Gerald Group joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Catching you up on what you Need to Know on March 16, 2022, with updates on Ukraine and Russia, a container ship gets stuck in the Chesapeake Bay, Disney employees stage a walkout over the "Don't Say Gay" law in Florida, and NASA completes its first spacewalk of 2022.
With the Fed about to the announce a 25 basis point interest rate hike on Wednesday, what exactly does this mean for investors, consumers, and businesses?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has summoned the memory of Pearl Harbor and the Sept. 11 terror attacks in an impassioned video plea to Congress to send more help for Ukraine’s fight against Russia.
