House Democrats have introduced a resolution to impeach President Donald Trump, charging him with "incitement of insurrection." For Congress, impeachment is typically the last resort against a president after all other avenues have been exhausted, according to Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif. 15th District), but he said as long as President Donald Trump remains in office, the country is at risk.
"The president is a threat to life and he is a threat to our democratic ideals," Swalwell told Cheddar.
Swalwell said that Trump's actions were more dangerous than those of other presidents who faced impeachment. "There have been prior presidents to have been impeached, or have come close to impeachment, but no one has ever endangered so many lives. And this president still has access to the nuclear codes."
The resolution comes after the House Democrats' attempt to urge Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th amendment was blocked by their GOP counterparts, some of whom are now calling for unification following last week's attack.
"I'm not going to be bullied by those who were accomplices to the attack on the Capitol. Those who are calling for unity and healing were the same ones who foolishly and falsely lead thousands to believe that they could overturn a peaceful election," Swalwell said. "Republicans and Democrats want to unite, but we have to separate ourselves from those who are responsible."
When it comes to those lawmakers who backed Trump's false claims that the November election was stolen, Swalwell stated that they have to be held responsible for their roles in the Capitol attack, even if that means expulsion from the body.
While House Majority Whip James Clyburn suggested that the House could delay sending impeachment articles to the Senate until after President-elect Joe Biden's first 100 days in office are complete, Swalwell noted that the body is capable of handling several issues at once and that letting this incident slide under the radar could set a negative precedent.
"The second we allow people to enable and inspire and radicalize others to take arms against the United States, that is the second we either go back in time to 1860 or we look like countries who we do not want to look like," he said.
Almost a decade after facing a parent's worst nightmare, the families of the young students killed in the Sandy Hook School shooting reached a settlement with gun manufacturer Remington, makers of the Bushmaster AR-15 used in the crime. David Pucino, deputy chief counsel, Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence joined Cheddar News to discuss the families' case and how its strategy brought about the legal settlement. "They built a really great case showing the way that Bushmaster developed its advertising to drive sales using those toxic messages.
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.
