As the House considers a police reform bill just a day after Senate Democrats' blocked debate on GOP-backed version former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, hopes the moves inspire a new way of governing and policing.
"Getting profound and meaningful reform that actually changes the presumption of dangerousness, that is so often fatal to black lives, that is a big deal long in coming," Patrick told Cheddar.
The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020 calls for a massive overhaul of policy aimed at holding officers more accountable, including the revocation of qualified immunity and a prohibition on racial profiling. Although it is likely to pass in the House, Patrick noted the bill will face an uphill battle on the other side of Capitol Hill.
"I remain hopeful that Senate Republicans, who will see what the rest of us see, will decide to turn from using fear as a device to govern and will instead get to the business of actually governing," he explained.
The former governor said he does not expect Democrats to budge on police reform proposals because "folks want policy to matter where it touches people -- all people."
"There is an accumulated bad habit of doing something in the name of being able to waive a bill, without actually doing policy or making policy where it touches people," Patrick added.
Not only is the policing of Black Americans on Patrick's mind, but the former presidential hopeful is also concerned about tactics Republicans are using to silence minority groups as the November election inches closer.
"A concerted strategy of suppressing the vote, in particular, of Black and Brown people and young people, has been a strategy of the national Republican party for a long time," Patrick said.
The coronavirus pandemic is presenting a new challenge for Americans this election season, so Patrick suggested voters should "have a plan about how and when they will vote" no matter who their choice for president is.
2021 saw markets continue to be impacted by the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic -most recently in the form of the Omicron variant- in addition to the global supply chain shortage, and increased inflation. But it wasn't all bad news, as crypto soared throughout the year, and meme stocks continued to have a moment. With the year coming to a close, investors are keeping an eye out to see if they should expect more of the same in the new year. Chris Vecchio, Senior Analyst, at DailyFX tells us what market trends to be on the watch for in 2022.
Matt Hayden, vice president of govtech solutions at Exiger and a former assistant secretary of cyber at Department of Homeland Security, joined Cheddar to discuss the surprise phone call initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin to President Joe Biden, ahead of January security talks about the rising tensions over Ukraine. "We're hoping to hear that we're able to talk about the aggression and the leadup of the Ukrainian militarization," Hayden said. "But we're also looking to hear is how the Kremlin leveraged their talking points to try to test their negotiation stance with the United States leading into this January 10th meeting."
The No Surprises Act begins implementation on January 1, 2022. The legislation is meant to curb the practice of unexpected billing for care from providers the patient was unaware were out-of-network from their insurance. Patricia Kelmar, director of health care campaigns for U.S. PIRG joined Cheddar to describe the hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars charged to unsuspecting patients and how things will change under the new law. "If we are picking an in-network doctor and an in-network hospital, we should not see those added costs from anesthesiologists, radiologists, scrub-in surgeons," she said. "The other area it protects you is in air ambulances — not ground ambulances, unfortunately — but the helicopters or the airplanes you might need to transport you in an emergency situation."
President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladmir Putin are expected to have another conversation surrounding escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Ariel Cohen, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, joined Cheddar's Ken Buffa to discuss the ongoing tensions and why Putin's request for a conversation with Biden comes now. "This is very serious. This is the worst security crisis we had since the collapse of the Soviet Union," Cohen told Cheddar.
Stocks closed mixed on Wednesday, but two indexes - the Dow and the S&P 500 - ended the session with a new record. Akshata Bailkeri, Equity Analyst at Bruderman Asset Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where she says there is a consensus for robust consumer spreading in 2022, especially as the Omicron variant is proving to be milder than other COVID-19 strains.
