More Republican lawmakers are showing their support for President-elect Joe Biden. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) both called for the Biden transition to begin. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) congratulated Biden, saying in a statement, "President Trump has exhausted all plausible legal options to challenge the result of the presidential race in Pennsylvania."
Lincoln Project co-founder Jennifer Horn told Cheddar on Monday that these decisions, while important, should have happened two weeks ago. "Make no mistake there are no heroes in the Republican Party today."
"The Republican Party has unfortunately abandoned any sense of character or integrity when it comes to this election," Horn said.
The Lincoln Project is a PAC formed by current and former Republican heavyweights against President Donald Trump and the current direction of the GOP.
The group is now turning its attention to Georgia where two crucial Senate races are in runoffs that could tip the scale for the Senate majority. While Republican candidates may worry about doing anything to alienate Trump's supporters before those elections, Horn said, "We also have to remember that Georgia is a very high bar for Democrats to win. It's going to be an extremely difficult race. [That] does not mean at all that it's impossible."
Looking beyond Georgia or even the day Trump leaves office, Horn and the Lincoln Project's work will be far from over. Trump has fundamentally altered the Republican Party, she said, giving it a rock-solid foundation, despite the controversial platform that earned it. Under Trump, Horn noted that the GOP has become "a party that is as close to authoritarianism as we have ever seen in the history of our country." She expects a day of reckoning for the party and says eventually the party will have to make a choice.
"At some point, if the Republican Party wants to be a serious, influential, leading voice in American politics, they're going to have to eventually choose between Trumpism and democracy, Trumpism and America, Trumpism and the Constitution."
Horn is familiar with the inner workings of the GOP, having worked as the chair of the New Hampshire Republican Party in 2013 before she left and helped launch the Lincoln Project. She has repeatedly called for Republicans to stand up against the president but acknowledges that many are afraid to anger his powerful supporters.
"There is no path that I can see for the Republican Party going forward unless they are willing to fully denounce both the damage that Donald Trump has caused in this country and the role that they have played in allowing that to happen," Horn added. "I don't see them doing that anytime soon."
The House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 riots on Capitol Hill held its first primetime hearing on Thursday. Cheddar News speaks with legal analyst Tracy Pearson, who breaks down the biggest takeaways.
Fuel and oil prices have risen almost 17 percent since May, making the national gas prices reach nearly $5 a gallon. Andrew Lipow from consulting firm Lipow Oil Associates joined Cheddar News to discuss the future of gas prices. "The biggest issue on the oil market is really events that are beyond our control, which is what is happening over in Europe," he said, regarding the ongoing Russia Ukraine war. Lipow also said he predicted gas prices to hit $5.05 and that he's focused on the Biden administration's overtures in repairing a relationship with Saudi Arabia.
March For Our Lives will be returning this weekend to Washington, DC, in the wake of the recent mass shooting seen throughout the country. Marchers include Yolanda Renee King, the only granddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr. She joined Cheddar News to discuss the importance of the march and activism in general. "I just think that it's so important to have these rallies because we need to demand to our leaders and politicians that they pass legislation and that and we actually need to see action," she said.
Erika Alexander and Whitney Dow, directors of 'The Big Payback,' join Cheddar News to discuss their new film, 'The Big Payback.' It premieres Saturday, June 11 at the Tribeca Festival.
President Biden proposed a new rule that would add 500,000 chargers for electric vehicles nationwide. The proposal comes amid the rapid shift to EVs with dozens of automakers announcing plans for all-electric fleets within the next decade. But with the new surge will the U.S. have the proper infrastructure to keep up? Scott Painter, founder and CEO of Autonomy.com joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss. "I really think the idea of standardization is a big deal. Standardization certainly makes it much better for everybody to be able to get a charge when they need one," he said.
The House select committee investigating the January 6th riots on Capitol Hill is opening its landmark series of public hearings. Cheddar News speaks with Mike Sozan, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress who explains how to follow the hearings and what to expect.
Claudia Rosenbaum, freelance reporter for Vanity Fair, joins Cheddar Politics to discuss the race for Los Angeles mayor.
Rick Caruso, a billionaire real estate developer, forced a runoff with the longtime Democratic Rep. Karen Bass, who had been the favorite in the race until an ad blitz from Caruso leaning on the city's issues with crime and homelessness.
Survivors of Larry Nassar, including Olympian Simone Biles, are seeking $1 billion in damages from the FBI due to its failure to investigate the former gymnastics team doctor convicted of committing years of serial sexual abuse of minors. Jack Queen, a senior reporter at Law360, joined Cheddar News to break down the legal grounds of this case. "This is one of the biggest black eyes that the Bureau has faced in generations, quite frankly, and the FBI has taken full responsibility and admitted that it completely botched this investigation," he said. "So, there's a lot of pressure to settle."
