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.
David Daley, senior fellow for FairVote, joins Cheddar News to discuss the Supreme Court denying the GOP's challenge to congressional maps in North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
With the Russian invasion of Ukraine raging on, millions have turned to TikTok to stay up-to-date on the latest developments and get a first-hand look. The social media platform has been so prominent that the war has been dubbed "the first TikTok war" by many publications — and even the White House has taken notice. The Biden administration held a virtual briefing with 30 social media creators to discuss their role in communicating to their followers by countering what it deems as being misinformation. Ellie Zeiler, an 18-year-old TikTok star who attended the briefing, joined Cheddar to talk about the conference and her responsibilities as a social media creator. "How could you not be a little nervous or scared when you're getting your information and media all from this app? But also then you think back to, I guess, when media was changing between newspapers and TV, and I'm sure people were nervous about that too," she said. "So the fact is, is that people do really look to Tiktok and social media for their news."
U.S. markets closed the day at session lows as the Dow marked its fifth straight week of losses. Investors continue to weigh inflation and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and growing economic risk factors. George Seay, CEO of Annandale Capital, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
U.S. stocks ended Thursday's session lower as new CPI data show inflation continues to rise and the Russia-Ukraine war continues. Philip Palumbo, founder, CEO, & Chief Investment Officer of Palumbo Wealth Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
It's been an eventful past few weeks for the WNBA. One of the league's top players, Brittney Griner, remains in Russian custody after being detained at an airport last month. The league is also dealing with a scandal after fining a team for providing charter flights to their players. Emily Caron, sports business reporter for Sportico, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
School nutrition experts warn that millions of children could go hungry as soon as this summer, after Congress excluded waivers that would extend universal lunch for children in school from the $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill. Cheddar News speaks with Jessica Gould, chair of the public policy and legislation committee at the School Nutrition Association, about the issue.
The ongoing semiconductor chip shortage has been impacting everything from the purchase of cars to smartphones. Deputy Commerce Secretary Don Graves spoke with Cheddar about the Biden administration's efforts to combat the issue and if the current crisis in Ukraine will have any impact on the global supply chain problems for semiconductors. "We're working very closely with all of our partners and allies around the globe, just as we have on the export controls and sanctions that we've applied to Russia to deal with that needless aggression," he said. "We're also working with them on the challenges of raw materials for a range of industries, including the semiconductor industry. We believe that we are going to be able to meet the demand for the for the near term."
