With the Democratic National Convention set to kick off next week, former Vice President Joe Biden will announce his running mate in the coming days, Paige Hill, surrogate communications director for the campaign, told Cheddar.
"There are a number of diverse, dynamic, incredibly highly qualified women in this process and we will be lucky to announce very soon who will be joining us," she said.
Biden committed to selecting a woman as his running mate back in March and his shortlist reportedly includes Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), and former National Security Advisor Susan Rice.
When it comes to defending Biden's pick against impending attacks from the Trump administration, Hill said the campaign's focus will be to remind voters of the future VP's "hard work."
"Whoever she is, we are going to support her and make it clear she has worked very hard to get to where she is," Hill explained.
While Milwaukee was set to be the home of this year's convention, the coronavirus pandemic has forced the nominating ceremony online. Hill said the campaign is taking the move in stride and is excited about Biden's chance to reach voters who otherwise might "not have felt part of a party convention before."
"You won't need a floor pass to experience the biggest moments up close," she noted. "We are going to reach folks where they are, talking about the issue they most care about right now."
Biden is expected to accept the nomination for president from his home state of Delaware.
As the DNC is set to take off a week before the RNC, Hill said the focus isn't on worrying about Republicans replicating their virtual conference, it's about rallying behind the person they believe will lead the U.S. out of a grim state.
"A convention of hope and leadership and for a leader that will unite us on day one," she stated.
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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.
