Within the hallways of the U.S. Capitol, there is growing confidence by GOP Senators that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell can whip his caucus to block a vote on witnesses Friday.
While returning to the chamber after a short break Thursday, Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) told Cheddar he's "feeling good" about tomorrow's expected vote.
Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told reporters during the break that Republicans have the "momentum" to move to end the trial tomorrow without witnesses. "If we're able to say no [to witnesses] and go right to final judgment, we'd move in that direction and stay here until that work is decided and completed Friday evening. That's where all the momentum is now."
Still up for debate is what, exactly, happens, if the Republicans vote to end the debate on witnesses quickly.
Meanwhile, back in the chamber, lead impeachment manager Adam Schiff said witness depositions could be limited to just one week and said that the trial should not be rushed just because the State of the Union is Tuesday.
After the break, Senators asked two bipartisan questions, both of which were from senators who may still be undecided on the issue of whether to allow witnesses. First, Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) asked the defense team if the president would assure them that private citizens would not be directed to conduct foreign policy unless formally designated by the president and the State Department.
Murkowski and Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) submitted the second bipartisan question, asking if any action a president takes is inherently political and where the line is between permissible political actions and impeachable political actions.
In President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial, there was only one bipartisan question asked, which Sen. Collins had signed onto at the time.
As the partial government shutdown enters its sixth week, it's up to moderates on both sides of the aisle to compromise on a solution to reopen the government, even if it means giving President Trump a partial victory on border funds, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) told Cheddar. "Let me be clear, I'm willing to support more border security," the Virginia Democrat told Cheddar's J.D. Durkin on Wednesday. "But we ought to do it without these lives being held in hostage. Let's get the government open, even if it's for a few weeks, to let us negotiate."
It was an urgent warning from a group of professionals not known for a proclivity to scare the public. "In our risk averse industry, we cannot even calculate the level of risk currently at play, nor predict the point at which the entire system will break. It is unprecedented," the statement read in part. It was issued jointly on Wednesday, from the unions representing America's air-traffic controllers, pilots, and flight attendants.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019.
He's known as the "Trump of the Tropics." Brazil's new president, Jair Bolsonaro, may grab headlines for his far-right, populist rhetoric and positions ー he's staunchly anti-gay, anti-abortion, anti-affirmative action, and anti-drug decriminalization ーbut he differs from President Trump in one major respect, which is currently on display at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Now that Kamala Harris, a freshman Sen. and recent entrant to national politics, has joined the already-crowded 2020 race for president, spectators are eager for clues about her ability to maneuver a high-stakes election. But Sen. Harris has minimal experience on the national stage ー so her track record in California as an Attorney General will be essential evidence to Democratic voters. "Her list of legislative accomplishments is rather thin," said Joe Garofoli, senior political writer at the San Francisco Chronicle.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday Jan. 23, 2019.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019.
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
As the government shutdown enters a historic 28th day, one group has emerged as one of the hardest hit by the political conflict: the often-maligned face of airport security, Transportation Security Administration officers. “It’s unfortunate that it had to take something like this for people to respect what we do, but it is what it is right now, unfortunately,” Frank Del Valle told Cheddar.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.
