Kamala Harris May Offer a 'Different Face' for American Voters
*By Brian Henry*
Now that Kamala Harris, a freshman senator and recent entrant to national politics, has joined the already-crowded 2020 race for president, political watchers are eager for clues about her ability to maneuver a high-stakes election. But Senator 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.
"When you look at her AG career, she was sort of a mix of being bold and yet cautious and innovative," Garofoli told Cheddar.
One of her biggest victories came during the mortgage crisis. Harris pulled California out of the nationwide mortgage settlement talks.
"That was a gutsy move for a first term attorney general, California ended up with $20 billion dollars," Garofoli said.
As Attorney General, Garofoli said Harris also took a unique approach to criminal justice reform.
"She's offered implicit bias training at the Department of Justice and she focused on things like truancy issues. Most criminals are dropouts and she said, 'let's examine the root cause of this.'"
That victory aside, Harris has been criticized for neglecting to use the power of her office to investigate police shootings in California, and leaving it up to the locals instead.
Should she clinch the nomination, Harris will likely face questions over her record as San Francisco's District Attorney.
Harris, who opposed capitol punishment, chose not to pursue the death penalty after a police officer was shot in the line of duty by a gang member.
"There was a lot of blow back from law enforcement," Garfoli said. "You know President Trump is going to go after this one day one."
Even still, Harris' background gives her a distinct advantage over her progressive opponents.
"She's half-Indian American and her father was born and raised in Jamaica. She's the child of immigrants. She's a different face for voters, not just for Democratic voters but for all American voters."
Plans to add affordable housing to a development in Yellow Springs, Ohio, were squashed after comedian Dave Chappelle and other community members spoke out against the project. Chappelle threatened to pull the plug on his local comedy club and restaurant projects if the development had been approved.
David Tafuri, Former Obama Campaign Foreign Policy Advisor & Former State Department Official, joined Cheddar News to break down the latest geopolitical stories from Beijing, amid China's human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims and yet another Russian doping scandal.
Dr. Jennifer Haythe of Columbia University's Irving Medical Center, joined Wake Up With Cheddar to discuss the latest with the pandemic, as the debate over child safety rages amid low vaccination rates and states easing school mask mandates.
David Nelson, Chief Strategist at Belpointe, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says that Wednesday's market movement shows a rotation back into the industries that were hit hard in January, but says his eyes are firmly fixed on the January CPI data set to be released Thursday.
Russia is preparing alongside Belarus for reportedly one of the largest joint military exercises ever held. Some analysts are concerned this could be a disguise for a real attack, while the Kremlin contends that the exercise is meant to confront potential "unprecedented security threats." Christian Whiton, a former State Department senior advisor, joined Cheddar News to break down the still tense situation. "While it could of course be a prelude to invasion, it seems like the Biden administration is signaling that if you look at Europeans, the Germans and Macron … who just met with Putin, they seem to be thinking that maybe this is a show of force by Russia intended at political intimidation, not actual invasion," said Whiton.
Truckers in Canada have blockaded the Ambassador Bridge, the busiest border crossing between Canada and the U.S. protesting a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Cheddar News spoke with Samir Kapadia, head of trade practice at the Vogal Group, about how this impacts trade between the two countries.
New York City is not only dealing with the ongoing pandemic, it’s also facing a surge in crime. President Biden recently traveled to New York to meet with the city’s new mayor, Eric Adams, to discuss the rise in crime and gun violence.
The president praised Mayor Adams' crimefighting agenda and unveiled a new federal initiative to curb the flow of illegal weapons from the south. Josefa Velásquez, Senior Reporter for THE CITY, joined Cheddar's Fast Forward to talk about how the mayor is battling this increase in crime in his first weeks in office.
The Democratic governors of New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, and Oregon say they will lift mask requirements for schools in the coming weeks, reflecting a nationwide shift away from restrictions. Cheddar News speaks with internist Dr. Vivek Cherian whether it's safe to relax the regulation.
