While the first presidential debate has been widely deemed a disaster and raised questions about the remaining scheduled political bouts, Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) said that former Vice President Joe Biden should still gear up for the long haul.
However, Menendez called on the Commission on Presidential Debates to make some serious changes before the next scheduled rounds. Wednesday afternoon, the Commission announced it will rethink conditions of debates moving forward.
"I think there should be debates but there has to be a different system in which the moderator has to have some control because otherwise the American people get nothing and the nation is further humiliated," he told Cheddar.
"I thought the debate was a national disgrace," Menendez added, placing most of the blame on Trump's incessant interruptions during Biden's responses.
The Democratic senator has long been critical of the president but more so recently, taking him to task on the Senate floor over his reported tax payments of $750 in 2016 and 2017. Menendez said it is absolutely an issue that the American people are concerned about.
"I think no one is happy to pay taxes but they are certainly extremely unhappy when the president of the country pays nothing and they pay more than their fair share," he said.
Menendez also raised questions about the vast amount of debt the president reportedly holds and whether the lenders are foreign entities. "The American people deserve to know that. Several national security experts say that raises a serious national security question."
Like many of his fellow Democrats, Menedez also opposes Trump's nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court, calling it a direct threat to the election and an unfair process to the American people.
"Millions of people are voting already. They should have a say in who nominates the next Supreme Court justice by virtue of being elected as president," he explained.
As more people use mail-in ballots in light of the coronavirus pandemic, Trump continues to undermine the legitimacy of the process, potentially setting up a Supreme Court battle that could decide the outcome of the election, but Menedez said that in America, "the people decide the election, not some justice on the Supreme Court."
"If this, in fact, nomination does come up for a vote, which it should not before the election, then I certainly would not be voting for her," Menedez said.
He also pointed to Barrett's position critical of the Supreme Court decision that upheld the Affordable Care Act and her potential ability to dismantle the national health care law as reasons to consider voting against her appointment to the bench.
While there wasn't much to celebrate following last night's debate, Menendez said currently he is enjoying Hispanic Heritage Month.
"Hispanic Heritage Month is important because it is a celebration of the contributions of a community that has had a history in our country since before the founding of the nation," he noted. "The largest minority, fastest-growing in the nation, a trillion-dollar domestic marketplace that comes from the community; and so, these are all the elements that we celebrate at this time every year."
Born to Cuban immigrant parents, who fled to New York City and later relocated to Union City, N.J. in the 1950s, Menendez said the values instilled in him as a young man by his parents carved the path he's currently on, ultimately leading him to become just the sixth Latino person to be elected to the U.S. Senate.
A new analysis reveals that for more than two decades, the West has been the driest it has ever been since 800 A.D. The drought which began in 2000 has brought more devastating wildfires and draining water reserves well below healthy levels. Climate Scientists and Adjunct Associate Research Scientist at Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University,Benjamin Cook, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Inflation remains hot as the January PPI has increased by 1 percent, twice what analysts had been expecting with a jump of 9.7 over the year. Beth Ann Bovino, the U.S. chief economist, for S&P Global Ratings, joined Cheddar News to discuss the rapid pace of inflation alongside higher wages, predicting the Federal Reserve will act quickly and forcefully this year. "They haven't changed their forecast, yet, that's gonna come out soon. But we expect that a March rate hike is basically pretty much baked in the cake," she said. "We think six rate hikes in total for 2022."
For black history month, Cheddar is highlighting black business leaders who are driving the need for representation forward. On February 10, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce hosted an event called 'Developing the Black-Owned Business Ecosystem.' The virtual event was organized under the lobbying group's two initiatives -- the Equality of Opportunity Initiative, and the Coalition to Back Black Businesses. The event highlighted the developments needed to develop more black-owned businesses in the U.S. Dr. Anthony Wilbon, Dean of the School of Business at Howard University, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss his experience as a speaker at the event.
A newly declassified letter by senators Ron Wyden and Martin Heinrich claimed the CIA. has been conducting a Secret Surveillance Program which has been collecting a bulk of data from American citizens. The letter which was written in April of 2021 urges the CIA to come clean about the kind of data it collects and how many Americans have been impacted. According to these two senators, the program did not have the safeguards of congressional oversight.
Art Hogan, Chief Market Strategist at National Securities, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says investors are taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to the situation between Russia and the Ukraine and elaborates on the impact higher oil prices stemming from the conflict would have on the market.
Last week, Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee, wrote a a letter airing concerns that the CIA is collecting the data of American citizens without their consent. The lawmakers fear that the program might be exploiting private data. Morgan Wright, the chief security advisor at cybersecurity firm SentinelOne, joined Cheddar News to discuss the ramifications of the letter. "We don't have all the dots in one place to connect them," said Wright, cautioning against jumping to conclusions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that diplomacy is still possible, while U.S. officials warn that an attack on Ukraine is imminent. Cheddar News speaks with James Astill, Washington bureau chief of The Economist on the latest developments in Eastern Europe.
As the number of Russian troops rose to 130,000 along its Ukrainian border, hopes for a diplomatic solution remain among world leaders. Jason McMann, head of geopolitical risk analysis at Morning Consult, joined Cheddar News to break down the fluid situation. "We saw signs pointing towards an increase in tensions between Ukraine and Russia, whereas today we're seeing some signs that the Russian government may be willing to continue down a path of diplomatic negotiations to try and find some sort of non-military solution," he said.
