Rep Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI): The Democratic Party Needs Change
Alabama is a deeply red state, but Democrats snagged their first Senate seat in two decades this week, when Doug Jones beat out former State Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore. But the highly controversial win is a sign that Democrats need to return to their core values, one congresswoman told Cheddar.
“[The Party] for years now has become more beholden to the elite powerful few and special interest, rather than actually representing the broad Democratic values that exist in the grassroots across the country,” Rep Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), told Cheddar.
Many politicians called constituents to go out and vote during this election, particularly because Moore was accused of predatory behavior with women and minors. Notwithstanding, during the elections President Donald Trump called on to constituents to go out and vote for Moore. Pundits also considered this election important because Republicans held the Senate majority with 52 seats, and this win gives Democrats some leverage ahead of elections in the coming year.
Gabbard, however, gives credit to the American people for Jones’ win and not the Democratic party.
“What you see are people saying my vote matters, my vote will make a difference,” she said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/rep-tulsi-gabbard-d-hi-net-neutrality-decision-will-hurt-the-small-guy).
A second Starbucks location in the U.S. has officially voted to unionize. On Monday, the National Labor Relations Board announced workers at the Starbucks store located in the Buffalo, NY suburb of Cheektowaga voted 15-9 in favor of being represented by Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union. The New York Times reports votes were tallied in December but remained inconclusive as the union challenged the ballots of several employees it said did not work at the store. A Starbucks spokesperson has said that it may appeal the labor board's decision, which comes as several other Starbucks stores across the country are also pushing to form a union. Danka Dragic, shift supervisor for the second Starbucks store in the country to unionize, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Earlier today, Minnesota Republican Representative, Tom Emmer, introduced a bill that would prevent the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency directly to American consumers. According to the Congressman from Minnesota, requiring Americans to open a fed account to access a digital currency, would "put the Fed on insidious path akin to China's digital authoritarianism." Rep. Tom Emmer joined Cheddar's None of The Above to discuss more.
Sixteen of the country's most prestigious universities have been hit with a lawsuit claiming those schools illegally conspired to eliminate competitive financial aid offers for students. Just some of the schools mentioned include Yale, Brown, Columbia, UPenn, and Cornell. Author of "Who Gets In and Why" and Professor of practice at Arizona State University, Jeff Selingo, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Navient, a major student loan collecting company, agreed to cancel $1.7 billion in debt owed by more than 66,000 borrowers across the U.S. and pay over $140 million in other penalties to settle allegations of abusive lending practices.
The recently expired child tax credit helped a wide swathe of families throughout the U.S. Megan Pratz looks into the impact the payments had, and how the end of the program will have a drastic effect on families that could still use the help with child care.
The Supreme Court has stopped the Biden administration from enforcing a requirement that employees at large businesses be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing and wear a mask on the job.
Buckingham Palace says that Prince Andrew’s honorary military titles and royal patronages have been returned to Queen Elizabeth II with her “approval and agreement.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has apologized for attending a garden party during Britain’s first coronavirus lockdown, but brushed aside opposition demands that he resign for breaching the rules his own government had imposed on the nation.
