As the Senate trial on the impeachment of President Donald Trump got underway Tuesday, Democrats and Republicans began by facing off first on procedural matters. Democrats angled to admit new witnesses and documents during the Senate trial, while Republicans seem to be largely willing to follow the rules of the Clinton impeachment which allowed Senators to decide that issue later on.
A CNN poll out this weekend noted 69 percent of Americans want Senators to allow new witness testimony.
"I wish the Democrats would have subpoenaed witnesses. They didn't do that," said GOP National Spokesperson Liz Harrington. "They didn't do their job."
Although she said Democrats should have subpoenaed witnesses like the whistleblower and former National Security Adviser John Bolton, the House did notably issue subpoenas to officials like Energy Secretary Rick Perry, acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who all denied them. Bolton's attorney reportedly threatened to fight a subpoena initially, but he recently said he will testify if subpoenaed for the Senate trial.
A CNN poll also found that 51 percent of people say Trump should be convicted and removed from office, although Harrington noted, "We've seen plenty of polling that supports the position that American voters should decide who our president is, not partisans in the House of Representatives."
She also called the impeachment inquiry an attempt by Democrats to get a president they don't like out of office, a common argument from Trump's supporters. The Democratic case, she said, is not "about evidence or facts or witnesses."
After Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released a four-page set of ground rules for the trial Monday night, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said they seemed "designed by President Trump, for President Trump."
"It appears Leader McConnell decided to go along with the president's desire to cover up," said Schumer.
McConnell has said he is taking cues from the rules set forth in the 1999 Clinton impeachment trial. However, in that case, all witnesses had already been deposed and Clinton had provided the House with relevant documents before the Senate trial had begun in earnest. This time, Trump used executive privilege to block key witnesses from testifying and refused to turn over requested documents to the House.
Some progress was made Tuesday as Democrats and Republicans tried to come to an agreement on rules. McConnell agreed to extend the amount of time both sides have to present their cases from two days to three and agreed to allow evidence from the House hearings to be automatically entered into the record.
However, Senate Republicans struck down Schumer's amendment to subpoena documents the White House refused to turn over during the House investigation.
Trump is accused of withholding $400 million in aid from Ukraine in order to pressure the country's president to publicly announce that the Ukrainian government would launch investigations into political rival former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter and attempting to obstruct the investigation into the matter. He was impeached by the House of Representatives last month.
Tim Davis, Partner and Executive Managing Director at Steward Partners, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he discusses what activity we could expect to see from the crypto market this week as the Fed decision approaches, the prices of Bitcoin and Ether struggle to find a spark, and the industry continues to digest President Biden's executive order on crypto.
Russia may be asking China for help with its war in Ukraine, according to several reports citing unnamed U.S. officials. Russia is reportedly calling on its ally for military and economic assistance, in an attempt to avoid punishment from sanctions imposed by the U.S., Europe, and Asia, which have hammered Russia's economy. Chinese and Russian officials denied the reports. Meanwhile, top U.S. and Chinese officials are meeting today, with both countries confirming the conflict in Ukraine will be the meeting's main topic. Edward Wong, diplomatic correspondent for the New York Times, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
A Ukrainian drone company is using its technology to help defend its home nation during the ongoing war with Russia. Valerii Iakovenko, co-founder and CEO of DroneUA, joined Cheddar News to discuss its efforts to help against the invasion. "These drones can be used to do strikes more precise and even cheap drones, even simple technologies can help to make a defensive possibilities more precise," he said.
Following the Texas Supreme Court's decision to end further challenges against the latest abortion restrictions, Texas saw a 60 percent decrease in abortions performed in the state — with an exodus of patients seeking care in other parts of the country. President, and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Alexis McGill Johnson, joined Cheddar News at South by Southwest 2022 to discuss the impact of the court's ruling on reproductive health care in the Lone Star State and beyond.
Damian Mason, farm owner, agricultural economist and author of "Food Fear" joined Cheddar News to talk about how the Russian invasion of Ukraine is putting pressure on commodities, which could lead to a 20 percent price hike according to the United Nations. “Russia and Ukraine are responsible for about 35 percent of exports, 35 percent of grain exports, specifically wheat,” said Mason. He also added, "You've got Russia saying, 'we're going to hoard and hold back our wheat,' which of course crimps global supply, and you've got Ukraine that maybe won't even get harvested."
In order to qualify for one of the coveted first retail licenses in New York's adult-use cannabis program, you'll have to have a conviction on cannabis-related charges or have an immediate family member who does. It's part of the latest effort by New York lawmakers to create a diverse and inclusive industry — but some advocates still have reservations. Amber Littlejohn, the executive director of the Minority Cannabis Business Association, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss. "We definitely applaud the state of new york, but ultimately the devil will be in the details as to whether or not this actually works out to create equity in the cannabis industry," she said.
David Daley, senior fellow for FairVote, joins Cheddar News to discuss the Supreme Court denying the GOP's challenge to congressional maps in North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
