Members of the American public and lawmakers alike are demanding action after the unprecedented attack on the U.S. Capitol Wednesday that forced members of Congress into lockdown and delayed the counting of Electoral College votes. Congressman Seth Moulton (D-Mass. - 6th District) is among several lawmakers, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.- 12th District), calling for the removal of President Donald Trump from office for inciting the chaos that unfolded on Capitol Hill.
"What President Trump did was not only illegal, it was anti-democratic. It was un-American, and we need to show future generations of Americans and future presidents that they can't get away with this," Moulton told Cheddar.
For Moulton, the president is just one of several people culpable for fanning the flames of aggression that led to yesterday's attack on Congress. Though the congressman considers many of his GOP counterparts friends, he said, "they have blood on their hands" and should also be held accountable.
"At the end of the day, the domestic terrorists — and that's what they were, domestic terrorists, not protesters but domestic terrorists — who attacked our government outside the Capitol, breaking in and breaching the U.S. Capitol for the first time since the British in the War of 1812, those domestic terrorists outside the Capitol were supported and inspired by the lawless Republican lawmakers inside the Capitol who refused to respect the will of the American people," he said.
The Marine veteran who served as an infantry officer said two law enforcement breakdowns led to Wednesday's display: a lack of backup support for officers and a lack of competence displayed by members of the Capitol Police. "There are over 2,000 Capitol Police and yet, yesterday we saw them literally open barricades in some places for these protesters, taking selfies with these protesters, and fundamentally allowing them to overrun the Capitol," Moulton said.
While DC's National Guard will be mobilized for the next 30 days, Moulton said the president's refusal to activate the troops while the chaos was unfolding exposes a larger issue in the matter of the District of Columbia's lack of statehood.
"The president had no problem calling out the National Guard to put down peaceful protests this summer over Black Lives Matter but he did not want the National Guard called out against his own supporters," he said.
Though there are just under two weeks left of Trump's presidency, Moulton said impeaching the president has to be on the table to show that no one, not even the president, is above the law.
"Yesterday, he clearly broke the law, and he fundamentally violated his oath of office, which is to protect us Americans from all enemies, foreign and domestic," he added.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joined Cheddar's Michelle Castillo from South By Southwest to boost President Biden's bipartisan infrastructure legislation and talk about the big transportation issues of the day, including electric vehicle charging infrastructure and the future of public transit. "It means we have a huge wind at our back delivering on the kinds of transportation solutions that are going to define the 2020's 2030s, 2040s even," he said. "And that's what makes it exciting to come to South by Southwest and talk with some of the people who are following these technologies and ideas the most closely and talk about where we're headed." Buttigieg also touched on the "Don't Say Gay" legislation in Florida, noting that such legislative pushes were likely coming from politicians deflecting from lacking answers to pressing economic concerns, in his opinion.
Following President Biden's executive order that could lead toward regulating digital currency in the United States. Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J. 5th District), the congressman responsible for proposing a bill to regulate stablecoins, digital assets backed by fiat currencies, joined Cheddar News to discuss the bill. "I just want to make sure that we're doing everything we can to be helpful to encourage this innovation and growth here in the United States," he said.
European antitrust regulators gave Amazon approval for its MGM acquisition deal. Amazon expects MGM's collection of content will help it compete in the increasingly crowded world of streaming services.
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Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.) joined Cheddar News to talk about a range of topics including Sarah Bloom Raskin's recent withdrawal as a nominee to the Federal Reserve, the impact the Federal Reserve will have on inflation, and the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. "I think it's unfortunate she had to withdraw. I think she was very, very qualified for the position by everything she's done in her past, especially in the area of cyber," he said. "She would have been good to have on the Fed."
With a zero-covid policy in China, country officials are imposing lockdowns in the region in an attempt to control the spread. With China being home to about one-third of global manufacturing, these lockdowns are wreaking havoc on the already fragile supply chain, causing disruption to production of phones and cars alike. Suketu Gandhi, Supply Chain Partner at Kearney joined Cheddar's Azia Celestino to discuss.
Markets opened higher this morning as oil prices fall and investors await a decision from the Federal Reserve. Keith Fitz-Gerald, Chief Investment Officer, Fitz-Gerald Group joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has summoned the memory of Pearl Harbor and the Sept. 11 terror attacks in an impassioned video plea to Congress to send more help for Ukraine’s fight against Russia.
