Rep. Rouda Wants to Hit Ground Running on Wage Growth, Climate Change After Flipping GOP Seat
*By Justin Chermol and Carlo Versano*
Rep. Harley Rouda, the newly elected Democrat from California's 48th district, doesn't want to waste any time getting legislation to the floor that will stimulate wage growth, which showed better-than-expected strength in Friday's blowout jobs report but remains a concern for economists.
The freshman congressman, who flipped the seat held by 15-term GOP Rep. Dana Rohrabacher in the Republican bastion of Orange County, Calif., is concerned with the lack of income growth among American workers. Rouda intends to sponsor the Small Business Innovation Act, which will amend small business laws and allow federal agencies to dedicate money for research and grants to develop new products and technology. The [bill](https://twitter.com/RepHarley/status/1080967950385983488) is still in its inception, but Rouda said the goal is to help drive job growth.
"Everybody on both sides of the aisle supports small business's growth and development," he said.
Although Rouda is coming into Congress ready to work, the United States remains in the midst of a partial government shutdown, the fourth longest in U.S. history.
"It's unfortunate for the American public that we even have the Trump shutdown," said Rouda. He went on to echo a line repeated by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.): "His failure to do what our public wants, what our citizens deserve, is simply a temper-tantrum of the president."
The former Republican-turned-Democrat comes from a district that was swept from wildfires last year and represents nearly 80 percent of Orange County's expansive Pacific coastline. He said he intends to stake out ground on climate change initiatives, which will be a priority for Democrats in the House.
"This isn't an issue that just affects my district," he said. "It affects the entire world."
While other members of the Democratic freshman class have been dubbed the face of the new Congress, Rouda's traditional conservative looks aren't likely to attract the same attention. But Rouda expressed enthusiasm about the diversity on display Thursday as new Democratic representatives were sworn into office.
"That's exactly what our country needs is diversity in the House of the people to represent the people across our country," Rouda said. "It was a stark distinction between the two sides of that House yesterday and I'm very proud how the Democratic Party has embraced diversity at all levels, especially in the House of the people."
But Rouda differs from some of his progressive colleagues who are already calling for Trump's ouster, including fellow freshman, Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), who made waves by saying on the night of her swearing-in: "We’re gonna go in there and we’re gonna impeach the motherf**ker."
Another California Democrat, Rep. Brad Sherman, has already [introduced articles of impeachment](https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-congress-impeachment-20190103-story.html). Asked by Cheddar's Megan Pratz whether impeachment talk was distracting from the shutdown, Sherman said no, and that "impeachment is on the table."
Rouda, however, demurred on whether he would call for Trump's impeachment, saying he wanted to give the Mueller investigation time to wrap up.
"We need continue to let him have that process," Rouda said. "And take appropriate action if the conclusion suggests we have to."
With contradictory reports about Russian troops pulling back or being added to the border with Ukraine and the expulsion of a U.S. diplomat from Russia, tensions in the region appear to be escalating. Jack Detsch, a Pentagon and national security reporter for Foreign Policy, joined Cheddar News to break down the situation. "Certainly a different tone out of Moscow today and a different tone out of the West. Even as the Kremlin has made the case that troops are moving back, the U.S. is saying that is certainly not the case with the satellite imagery that we have pouring in," he said.
New York City's famous subway system is currently facing scrutiny after several recent attacks on platforms. Now, local leaders in the Big Apple are calling on the MTA. To step in and take action.
Tensions in Ukraine continue to rise. According to NATO and U.S. officials, Russian troops are still being built up despite Moscow's claims of de-escalation. However, Ukraine does not believe the troops are enough to mount an invasion. The government in Kyiv has also reported several cyber attacks against its defense agencies and banks which is the largest attack in the country's history. Foreign Affairs Reporter based in Ukrain, Terrell Starr, joined Cheddar to discuss more
A Senate bill unveiled on Wednesday looks to tackleonline safety for children by regulating Big Tech and social media platforms to deter users from content that can harm their mental health. Irene Ly, a policy counsel for the age-based ratings and review organization Common Sense Media, joined Cheddar News to break down the potential of the Kids Online Safety Act. "We can't be imposing such a big burden on parents to be doing it all on theirselves," Ly said. "I think you also have to keep in mind that parents often didn't grow up with social media, so they don't understand what it's like to be addicted to social media or really understand how they work."
The Federal Reserve minutes from its January meeting are indicating it's sticking to an interest rate hike in March, but what does the report coupled with ongoing inflation mean for investors going forward? Scott Brown, a market strategist at LPL Financial, joined Cheddar News to break down the minutes and talk about how investors might navigate the rest of the year. "it seems like the market is kind of inclined to trade off these headlines, really, through the first half of the year," he said. "And then, oh, don't forget, we've got midterm elections, which always tend to add a little bit of volatility in the second half of the year." Brown noted that the path forward for stock investors in 2022 would be "rockier" than last year.
Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) have introduced a new bill to afford greater protection to minors on social media. The genesis of the Kids Online Safety Act came from a Facebook whistleblower case exposing the harm apps can have on the mental health of young girls.
The Chinese government brought the sitcom "Friends" back to its streaming services. However, it had instances of LGBTQ+ references left out, after the series had been banned on Chinese streaming platforms for years.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared a national public order emergency as a 'last resort' to restore order after protests have significantly disrupted daily life and impacted the local economy since the protests began. It is the first time in 50 years a Canadian government has taken this type of action. Myah Ward, breaking news reporter at Politico, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
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.
