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.
Carlo and Baker cover the heartening news on the Covid front ahead of the holiday, plus President Biden punting student loan repayments again, a new space telescope and Love, Hate, Ate: Christmas Eve Eve Edition!
This year's worldwide semiconductor shortage limited the supply of everything from new cars to smartphones; and now, many in the chip industry expect the shortage to continue deep into 2022, and maybe even 2023. Semiconductor senior research analyst for Robert W. Baird & Co., Tristan Gerra, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
The airline industry says it is contending with staff shortages that threaten to hamper operations amid the COVID resurgence, andDelta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian called on the CDC to revise its guidance for vaccinated workers who test positive from a 10-day quarantine to just five. Chuck Liberman, chief investment officer and managing partner at Advisors Capital Management LLC, joined Cheddar to talk about the current guidance on isolation and why he believes the omicron variant calls for more relaxed guidance given its reportedly mild symptoms.
Schools are shutting down in droves as the highly contagious omicron variant surges across the country. Denisha Merriweather, director of public relations and content marketing at the American Federation for Children, an advocacy organization for vouchers and tax credits for school choice, joined Cheddar's "Opening Bell" to discuss the impact of remote learning on children. She argued that school districts have to be more proactive about the steps they are taking to engage students, and if they are unable to form better teaching methods, parents should be able to find alternative schools.
The boys discuss President Biden's plans to send out free rapid tests as the testing supply chain starts to buckle ahead of the holidays. Also, why aren't Americans having more babies, and The Matrix returns.
With the Build Back Better plan essentially out of the picture, economists are highlighting what the country might lose without the provisions designed to strengthen it. Among other things, this includes no more monthly payments for tens of millions of families, no universal Pre-K for 6 million children a year, and no billions of dollars in tax incentives for climate initiatives. Grace Segers, staff writer for The New Republic, joined Cheddar to discuss the various impacts on the economy without President Biden's spending bill.
Electric vehicle companies took a tumble Monday after Senator Joe Manchin killed Biden's 'Build Back Better' plan. Shares of Tesla, Lucid, and Rivian all fell rapidly as the plan had included significant incentives for the growing EV sector. Rich Steinberg, former executive at Nissan, BMW and Electrify America joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Michael Robinson, Chief Technology Strategist at Money Map Press, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he explains why small and mid-cap stocks heating up during Tuesday's session is a very good sign for a stock market that ended the day's session sharply higher.
