In his first public remarks following the U.S. assassination on Iran's Major General Qassem Soleimani, President Donald Trump said the killing was an act intended to "stop a war. We did not take action to start a war."
"The world is a safer place without these monsters," Trump said, noting there had been an imminent threat to Americans in the region.
The president ordered the airstrike in Baghdad that killed Soleimani, one of the top Iranian military officials, and several others. However, on Friday Democrats quickly decried the president's failure to notify Congress and the bipartisan 'Gang of Eight' before making the decision to escalate tensions with the Middle Eastern power.
Meanwhile, Republicans have said this was a necessary action to deter the defiant nation from further aggression against the U.S.
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis. 8th District), who serves on the House Armed Services Committee told Cheddar "You don't always have the luxury of being able to notify Congress," although he noted it is better to do so, when possible.
In the past, "when we have stepped up and said 'We are the superpower here,' we were able to convince them" to back down, Gallagher said. He called today's move a defensive action and said Iran usually backs down when "confronted with a credible American threat."
However, in the immediate aftermath of Soleimani's death, Iran did not appear to be backing down, as the nation's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei quickly promised severe revenge for the drone strike.
Soleimani, who led the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, played a large role in Iranian policy, which made him a target for years, but both presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama opted not to escalate tensions by ordering a strike against him. Soleimani bolstered Shiite influence in the region, supported Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and was behind hundreds of American deaths in Iraq. He and four other Iranian officials were designated as terrorists in 2011.
After Iranians took to the streets to protest and the country's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei promised retaliation, the Pentagon announced it will send 3,500 more U.S. troops to the region, further complicating the situation in the Middle East only months after the president vowed to bring home troops from Syria and Iraq. The U.S. said Soleimani was planning attacks on Americans in the region.
Democratic and Republican responses have been divided.
Speaking in front of an audience in Anamosa, Iowa on Friday, Democratic presidential contender Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said "Trump promised to end endless wars. Tragically, his actions now put us on the path to another war." Democrats have said the move was both imprudent and done without Congressional approval.
On the Senate floor, Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) noted the president failed to notify the top Congressional leaders usually briefed on military actions. However, Senator Lindsay Graham (R-S.C), who is not a member of the group, said the president did brief him during his trip to Florida. "I appreciate being brought into the orbit. I really appreciate President Trump letting the world know you cannot kill an American without impunity," Graham said on Fox & Friends.
The Supreme Court will reconsider race-based affirmative action in college admissions. The court will examine admissions policies at Harvard University and The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, which count the race of applicants as a factor in admissions. The court has upheld affirmative action policies in the past, saying it helps to create more diverse student bodies. However, the conservative Supreme Court could be skeptical and even possibly hostile to such policies. Nick Anderson, Higher Education Writer, Washington Post joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Stephanie Akin, Politics Reporter for CQ Roll Call, breaks down
Senator Manchin's donation pool, and highlights what this support means for the conservative Democrat as well as the Republican party.
The global oil benchmark surpassed $90 for the first time in more than seven years. This comes as growing tensions between Russia and Ukraine add to concerns about the already-tight market. Jay Hatfield, Chief Investment Officer at ICAP, joined Cheddar to discuss what this benchmark means for the oil industry, and what might happen if Russia does invade its neighbor.
With the Beijing Winter Olympics set to get underway on Friday, Dan Wolken, a national columnist for USA Today, joined Cheddar News to break down the big storylines as the pandemic and international conflicts threaten to cast a cloud over the event that is aspirationally seen as a beacon of international cooperation. Wolken noted specific issues over cybersecurity for visiting athletes and disputes over human rights leading to a diplomatic boycott have been making waves even before the opening ceremony. "So you've got sort of these barbs going back and forth already between the Americans and the Chinese, and things haven't even started yet," he said. "We don't even know what's going to happen once the games start and people actually start winning medals."
We are a week away from the 2022 Beijing Olympics, and China has already faced a host of problems leading up to the opening ceremony of the Beijing games. DJ Peterson, president of Longview Global Advisors, joins Cheddar News to discuss the many concerns and controversies surrounding the event.
In 2021, QAnon, the community which traffics in conspiracy theories saw a rapid growth in its numbers. As a result of vaccine rollouts, a number of conspiracies surrounding them also began to circulate which then led to the rise of "Anti-Vaxxers". As a result, the QAnon and anti-vax communities have become increasingly intertwined and the results could be costing lives. Senior Researcher at Media Matters Alex Kaplan, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Supreme Court Justice Breyer has announced that he will officially retire from his post. He has served as the senior member of the more liberal wing in recent years. Now his retirement puts pressure on President Biden to decide on who will replace Breyer. Attorney and Media Editor at SCOTUS blog Katie Barlow, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
A long awaited report in the UK looking into the alleged parties held at 10 Downing Street during lockdown finds a culture of excessive drinking and a "failure of leadership" in Boris Johnson's government. Cheddar News speaks with international journalist Thomas Cole, who is closely monitoring latest developments.
