In New York's June primary, Jamaal Bowman, an educator from the NYC suburbs running an unabashedly progressive insurgent campaign appeared to topple Rep. Eliot Engel, a 16-term incumbent, for the Democratic nomination in the state's 16th Congressional district, though Engel is now suing to challenge the validity of mail-in ballots.
Bowman told Cheddar on Thursday that he's "not worried at all" about the suit, noting that as more absentee ballots are counted, his vote count is actually widening and the delta is now about 13,000 votes.
"We want every vote to be counted as well," Bowman said. "We're very comfortable with where we are."
As Bowman seems likely to be heading to Congress — NY-16 is about as blue a district as there is and the Democratic nominee is expected to coast to victory in November — he says it's critical that the U.S. pandemic response takes a less "top-down" approach when it comes to vexing problems like whether or not to open schools in the fall.
Bowman, a middle school principal by vocation, said: "We are not ready to open schools, because we have not brought the full resources of the federal government to bear." He called on officials to get serious about "innovative" ways to safely reopen, from prioritizing alternative spaces for learning to redesigned ventilation systems in school buildings. But right now, there are "too many unanswered questions" to safely reopen, he said.
The presumptive nominee also said he'd give President Trump a grade of "less than zero" for his response to the racial unrest and protests that have gripped the nation since the death of George Floyd.
"President Trump is a racist. He is a fascist. And he wants to maintain an order of white supremacy," Bowman stated.
Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer and Republican Rep. Peter King publicly called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to hold a vote on a bipartisan background check legislation, just days after two back-to-back mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton killed over 30 people.
Congressman Matt Gaetz told Cheddar Monday that a focus on mental health is the answer to stop domestic-based gun violence, not gun control or background checks.
A full transcript of President Trump's statement from the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House on Monday morning addressing the mass shootings that took place over the weekend.
President Trump denounced white supremacy and called for a bipartisan effort to combat gun violence on Monday, two days after back-to-back mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio killed nearly 30 people and shocked the nation. He did not propose any major overhaul to gun control legislation.
President Trump announced a deal with the European Union on Friday that will nearly triple the amount of U.S. beef exported to Europe in the coming years. The hike in U.S. beef exports to the EU will boost the industry’s sales in Europe from $150 million to an estimated $420 million annually.
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
Stock markets worldwide tumbled on Friday following President Trump’s announcement that the U.S. will impose tariffs on $300 billion worth of Chinese imports. Trade groups across industries also came out in fierce opposition to the move, which is the latest escalation in the now years-long trade dispute between the U.S. and China.
The U.S. is escalating the enduring trade war with China with a new round of 10 percent tariffs that will be imposed on $300 billion worth of Chinese imports, President Trump announced Thursday.
The candidate from Hawaii doubled-down on her criticism of the California Senator regarding her record on criminal justice policies like the death penalty and marijuana prosecution.
On Thursday, four major progressive groups announced they will team up this month to use their collective force to put more pressure on lawmakers to open formal impeachment proceedings against President Trump.
