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.
After President Trump spoke out about the Fed on Wednesday, Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY) told Cheddar that he believes the U.S. is headed towards a debt crisis, if spending isn't brought under control soon.
Larry Kudlow, chief economic adviser to the president, told Cheddar's J.D. Durkin the administration remains bullish on the economy ー and he noted that the tech sector in particular was up 50 percent since President Trump's election, "even with this correction."
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Aria Finger, CEO of DoSomething.org, is a Taylor Swift fan, and it has nothing to do with her music. Finger said the pop star's GOTV push is just what is needed to increase voter turnout among young people in November.
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With less than 10 days left until recreational marijuana is legal across Canada, Alyson Martin, co-founder of Cannabis Wire, explains how rollout will go. As for the future of legalization in the U.S., she says it's inevitable. "Young people might be the path to legalization," she said.
Utah is one of four states with a medical marijuana initiative on the ballot next month. But Republican State Senate President Wayne Niederhauser said so-called Prop 2 probably goes to far and a separate, bipartisan bill to legalize medical use with some restrictions, is a more measured approach.
UN Ambassador Nikki Haley has submitted her resignation to President Trump and will leave her post at the end of 2018.
The former South Carolina Governor has long been considered a presidential contender, but in a joint meeting with the president said she would not run in 2020.
Haley was a fierce protector of Trump's foreign policy doctrine at the UN since she was confirmed to the post soon after Trump took office.
The president said he'd name a replacement in two to three weeks.
The actor and comedian spoke to Cheddar about his new projects, which focus on race, mental health, and political issues in a wide-ranging interview.
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