Attempted Bombings Appear to Target Prominent Liberals, Media
*By Carlo Versano*
The explosive device sent to CNN in New York was an "effort to terrorize," said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Investigators at a press conference described the device as an apparent "live" pipe bomb. Officials fielded questions in front of the Time Warner Center, which houses CNN's New York studios and was partially evacuated Wednesday morning when the mailroom discovered the suspicious package. There was an unknown white powder that came with the device, which was undergoing testing, officials said.
Police officers were in the mailroom at the time because of the apparent bombs also sent to prominent Democrats over the last two days, including former President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and George Soros. NYPD Deputy Commissioner John Miller said officers were there to instruct mail handlers on what to do if they saw something suspicious.
N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said his office had also received a device Wednesday, though he did not elaborate on whether it was connected.
CNN reported the package it received was addressed to former CIA Chief John Brennan, with an address that comes up on Google ($GOOGL) for CNN's N.Y. bureau but is not its official address. Brennan does not work for CNN but has appeared on air making sharply critical comments of the Trump administration.
The network also reported that another device was sent to former A.G. Eric Holder, though the address was incorrect and it was returned to sender. That device had a return address of Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the former Democratic congresswoman from Florida. It was unclear whether a separate suspicious package reported at her office was, in fact, the Holder package being returned.
Yet another suspicious device was intercepted by Capitol Hill police that was addressed to Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), ABC News reported.
James O'Neill, the NYPD commissioner, said at least some of the devices had consistent packaging, and that given the targets, the possibility that they were part of a single politically motivated attack was "of concern."
The White House said in a statement on Wednesday: "These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
President Trump, speaking at an event on the opioid epidemic, condemned "political violence of any kind" and said "in these times we have to unify."
He did not mention CNN.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed into law a bill that strips Disney World of its special self-governing status. This came after Disney spoke out against Florida's so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, some saying in retaliation of that. Ben Means, Professor of Law and the John T. Campbell Chair in Business and Professional Ethics at the University of South Carolina School of Law, breaks down how the new law might impact Disney’s business moving forward.
Catching you up on what you need to know on April 27, 2022, with Tesla stocks absorbing an initial hit following Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter, Russia pausing its natural gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 mission taking off, and more.
Russia and the United States have exchanged prisoners. Russia released a Marine veteran jailed in Moscow while the U.S. released a convicted Russian drug trafficker serving a prison sentence in Connecticut.
President Biden wants to repeal a Trump-era policy called Title 42, which makes it harder for migrants to seek asylum. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the administration from letting this happen. Cheddar News is joined by Maria Pabon, Dean Brian Bromberger Distinguished Professor of Law at Loyola University, to discuss.
Politico's Defense Reporter Paul McLeary joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the significance of cabinet members Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's recent trip to Ukraine, and to break down how the U.S. is furthering its support for the besieged nation as Russian aggression intensifies.
Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, the White House announced. That's underscoring the persistence of the highly contagious virus even as the U.S. eases restrictions in a bid to revert to pre-pandemic normalcy.
Catching you up on what you need to know on April 26, 2022, with Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter for $44 billion, Russia warning of a possible threat of World War III, the FDA approving a COVID treatment for children under 12, and more.
The Supreme Court is taking on the case of Joseph Kennedy, who was fired from his job as Bremerton High School assistant coach in Washington for his post-match prayers that were joined by students. Rachel Laser, President and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, joins Cheddar News to explain the possible implications of a ruling.
Student loans are affecting about 46 million Americans across the country, adding up to nearly $1.7 trillion of debt total. President Biden has announced a handful of actions designed to bring millions of borrowers a step closer to debt forgiveness. Katie Lobosco, writer for CNN Politics, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
