How Michael Wolff Wrote His Bombshell White House Tell-All
The White House is demanding Michael Wolff not publish his upcoming tell-all "Fire and Fury." Axios' Alayna Treene joins Cheddar to break down the story that's turning the political and media worlds on their heads. She reveals whether she thinks the cease-and-desist letter counts as an admission that the contents of the book are true.
Next, we dive into the controversial media critic's background and history with the president. Despite critics complaints that Wolff's accounts are inaccurate, Axios reports he has dozens of hours of recordings to support claims made in his book. Despite shooting to number one on Amazon's top-sellers list, Treene discusses whether she thinks the White House's legal efforts will be successful in blocking the book's release.
Despite being attacked by President Trump, Steve Bannon is standing by his former boss. The Breitbart chairman had nothing but kind words to say about the president on his radio show, Thursday. Treene weighs the odds of whether Bannon will consider running for president in 2020.
California Governor Gavin Newsom is projected to keep his job. Around two-thirds of the votes have been reported, and roughly 64% of those votes are in favor of keeping Newsom as their governor.
Daniel Strauss, senior political correspondent at The New Republic, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss more about what Newsom's win means to both political parties moving into Midterm elections season.
The Department of Justice is suing Texas over the state's new abortion law that prohibits abortions after six weeks, well before many women even know they're pregnant. The lawsuit argues the law is unconstitutional under long-standing Supreme Court precedent. It was filed last week in federal court in Texas, but could go all the way to the high court within weeks. Josh Blackman, a constitutional law professor at South Texas College of Law Houston, discusses the DOJ lawsuit and what it could mean for other abortion laws across the country.
26 states have now fully vaccinated more than half of their population with Vermont, Connecticut, and Massachusetts fully vaccinating at least two-thirds of their residents. These three states are among the ones with the lowest new Covid-19 cases per capita, but in states with low vaccination rates, hospitals are filling up again.
Dr. Rob Davidson, ER doctor and executive director of Committee to Protect Health Care, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss more.
The Biden Administration has officially extended a ban on a Trump-era policy that prohibits traveling with a U.S. passport to North Korea. The extension is expected to last until August 2022. The ban was initially enforced after the death of Otto Warmbier, who entered a vegetative state while in North Korean custody. Advocates against the ban argue that it has caused crippling impacts on Korean Americans who have not been able to reunite with their families back home. Senior Fellow at The Foundation For Defense of Democracies Anthony Ruggiero joined Cheddar's News Wrap to discuss more.
