*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).
Russian lawmakers have given President Vladimir Putin a military force authorization in Ukraine, and President Biden has described Putin's announcement declaring the independence of two provinces within Ukraine and his subsequent deployment of peacekeepers as tantamount to "invasion. David Tafuri, a former Obama campaign foreign policy advisor and Bush State Department official, joined Cheddar News to discuss. "The Ukrainian military occupies more than 70 percent of those provinces still," Tafuri said, noting Putin alleged having a responsibility to defend those regions. "This would put Ukrainian forces and Russian forces right at each other engaged. And that might be how the war starts."
The major indexes ended Tuesday's session sharply lower due to escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Bill Stone, Chief Investment Officer at The Glenview Trust Company, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he reminds viewers that Wall Street doesn't like uncertainty, and more of the recent losses are due to geopolitics than inflation.
Karim Hijazi, CEO of Prevailion, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says that crypto's decentralized nature will pose obstacles for the FBI's new crypto unit, but it will also make progress with items such as managing fraudulent exchanges.
The Retail Industry Leaders Association released a report alleging the safety risks, economic losses, and potential job losses they link to a surge in shoplifting crimes in the United States. Lisa LaBruno, senior EVP of retail operations at the trade organization, joined Cheddar News to discuss the impact of websites that allow for the resale of unverified goods and passing the INFORM Consumers Act to stamp it out. “We need to hold the online marketplaces accountable for being a favored venue for criminals to resell stolen product," LaBruno said. "And that is exactly what the INFORM Act is designed to do."
The East-West faceoff over Ukraine has escalated dramatically, with Russian lawmakers authorizing President Vladimir Putin to use military force outside his country and President Biden and European leaders responding by slapping sanctions on Russian oligarchs and banks.
Stocks closed broadly lower Tuesday after Russia sent forces into Ukraine’s eastern region and the U.S., European Union and U.K. responded with economic sanctions.
President Biden says he’s “convinced” that Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to launch a further invasion of Ukraine, saying Friday he has “reason to believe” it will occur in the "coming days."
