President Trump addressed questions from reporters Wednesday following a news conference with Norway's Prime Minister. PolitiFact Staff Writer Jon Greenberg fact-checks the comments from politicians surrounding the immigration debate.
One of the big themes in all of the government spending discussions coming up involves Trump's plan for a border wall. The Department of Homeland Security estimates the real cost between $21 and $22 billion. "Frankly until you have a design you don't know," says Greenberg.
Back in July Attorney General Jeff Sessions cited a study by the University of California that found crime was higher in sanctuary cities. PolitiFact rates this statement as mostly false. "The reality is the authors of that study said no, you can't say that because you can't draw strong conclusions," says Greenberg.
Cheddar's Chloe Aiello has our cannabis year-in-review, breaking down how several states legalized adult recreational use and greenlit medicinal use in 2021. She noted that while a cannabis legalization and decriminalization bill was introduced in Congress this year, potential FDA involvement in the industry, as well as a 25 percent excise tax, killed any chance the bill had of moving forward. Aiello also speculated that some form of cannabis reform could be rolled out in 2022, as the midterm elections draw closer.
Jim Worden, Chief Investment Officer at Wealth Consulting Group, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says the period between Christmas and New Year's is difficult to predict due to a lack of institutional volume, with the Omicron variant adding even more uncertainty on Wall Street.
Prices at the pump this year reached a seven-year high, and a new forecast from GasBuddy shared with CNN predicts that gas prices will only continue to rise in 2022 and that the national average could even reach $4.00 a gallon; however, analysts at GasBuddy say anything could happen when it comes to gas prices in the future, as the pandemic has made it difficult to make any predictions about the economy. Consumer Energy Alliance federal policy advisor Michael Zehr joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
David Stryzewski, CEO of Sound Planning Group, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says that some of the major stock positions are getting the most lift to the upside as the major indexes climb higher to begin the week.
