On the morning after the House of Representatives approved two articles of impeachment against Donald Trump, making him the third president to be charged with committing high crimes and misdemeanors, a former secretary of defense said he's worried that if the U.S doesn't stand strong for its principles, foreign adversaries may cross a line.
"I don't know how much terrorists pay attention to [impeachment proceedings] but to the extent, internal turmoil and, obviously, division in our country suggests to others that we will not stand strong with friends, we won't stand strong for our interests our principles… that's dangerous," former Obama administration Secretary of Defense Ash Carter told Cheddar Thursday. That invites leaders like Russia's Vladimir Putin, North Korea's Kim Jong Un, or China's Xi Jinping "to walk across the line," he said.
Carter, who spent 37 years inside the Pentagon, said what keeps him up at night is that "we're not keeping a position in the world where our friends will stick with us and our enemies, or potential enemies, know they better not mess around with us."
When asked if the president was a threat to national security, Carter said "I certainly would not advise him to sit alone with Vladimir Putin," referencing Trump's affinity for meeting with his Russian counterpart privately, which has happened more than 15 times since he assumed the office in 2017. "[Putin] is, first and foremost, a KGB guy. You always have to remember that's the mindset. So, he's very good at manipulation. And I do worry about any president, but especially President Trump does seem susceptible, when he gets in a room with someone, to want to please them."
Markets opened slightly higher to kick off the final trading week of the year as investors continue to watch the Omicron variant in the U.S. Sean O'Hara, President, Pacer ETFs joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss what drove early market activity.
Carlo and Baker kick off the weirdest week of the year with all the news you missed over the holiday weekend, including calls for the CDC to shorten its isolation window as Omicron sweeps through the country.
Former professional tennis player Patrick McEnroe joined Cheddar to discuss the troubling issues surrounding player Peng Shuai who appeared potentially to have been silenced following her social media post accusing former Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault. Shuai's subsequent disappearance, reappearance, and apparent retraction of the accusation in an interview only added to worries. "When this happened, all of us in the tennis community were very concerned. And, by the way, another thing Peng said in this interview was that she doesn't speak very good English," McEnroe noted. "Well I can assure you, she speaks darn good English, 'cause I spoke to her on many occasions over the last 15 years."
Universities like UCLA, Yale, and Duke have announced they're implementing remote learning amid the COVID omicron variant surge, despite President Biden recommending that K-12 schools should continue in-person education. Jared C. Bass, senior director for Higher Education at American Progress, joined Cheddar to break down what institutions of higher education might be considering differently. "I think some universities are allowing periods of a bit of a respite to allow students to get testing and make sure when they do return back to campus that they're healthy," he noted.
The S&P closed at a record at the major markets ended Thursday's session higher for a third straight day. Adam Coons, Portfolio Manager at Winthrop Capital Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he discusses what has investors feeling jolly before Christmas, and gifts investors with winning buying opportunities entering 2022.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments on President Joe Biden's vaccine mandates for large companies and health care workers on January 7, 2022. The mandates will remain in place until then.
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.
