Retired NASCAR driver Danica Patrick had to race back to the U.S. as the coronavirus pandemic began to spread.
Patrick and her partner, NFL star quarterback Aaron Rodgers, were vacationing in Peru when the coronavirus pandemic began to escalate and, like many Americans overseas, they had to rush back before the South American nation -- including its airports -- started shutting down.
“Whenever you’re on vacation you’re not really expecting to have to go home in an emergency and, to be honest, it really accelerated when we were there,” Patrick said. “We got back just in time, and if we hadn’t gotten back, we would be down there for, I’m sure, a month or two.”
The sports world, along with the rest of the world, has been halted by stay-at-home orders to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The retired racecar driver said the time at home has shown how much people enjoy having a community around them.
“I recognize, in all of this going on, that we yearn for interaction. For human interaction, for contact, for community. So, I don’t think there will never be a time where communities have not come together,” Patrick said.
As the brand ambassador for, and investor in, Beam CBD, Patrick suggested cannabidiol products may be able help during this stressful time and namechecked one of her favorite products called Dream, a powder blend she uses to help her sleep during her travels.
“I was going from Paris to LAX on a direct flight, which is a really long flight, and I took the Dream product,” she said. “I took the individual packet, and I put hot water in it, and I fell asleep for eight hours.”
Illinois State Senator Robert Martwick joins Cheddar News to discuss the new bill he co-sponsored allowing students in the state to take 5 mental health days without a doctor's note.
Jared C. Bass, senior director for Higher Education at the Center for American Progress, joins Cheddar News to discuss how schools are navigating the Omicron variant.
Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of the advocacy group GLAAD, joined Cheddar to discuss the organization's Accelerating Acceptance report that examines how welcoming the general public is toward members of the LGBTQ+ community. Ellis noted that while visibility and representation is up in media, video games, and on social media, it has conversely opened the door for increased targeted harassment on the street, particularly for transgender and gender non-conforming people. "I go to the school board meetings, I hear the homophobia and the transphobia in-person, in real-time, and so, we're seeing that more and more at the local level across the country," Ellis said. "And we're going to see that play out in the midterm elections, especially the local elections."
Steve Patton, EY Americas Mobility Sector Leader, joins Cheddar News to discuss what can be done to speed up the adoption of EVs, and how infrastructure can be scaled up to support this transition.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is ramping up a civil investigation into The Trump Organization. The AG's office has subpoenaed Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. They have refused to comply with the subpoenas. Bradley Moss, national security attorney, joins Cheddar News to discuss the next steps in this investigation.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has officially reduced the 110-year prison sentence of truck driver Rogel Aguilera-Mederos to 10 years, calling the initial lengthy sentence “unjust.” Dan Gilleon, constitutional attorney at Gilleon Law Firm APC, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
LG announced its latest cooking appliances including its ThinQ Recipe service. The app allows people to choose from up to 10,000 recipes and have the ingredients delivered to their doorstep. LG Electronics executive Brandt Varner joins Cheddar News to talk about the products.
Former Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams was sworn in as the newest Mayor of New York City. Adams is now expected to work on a number of issues such as crime and coronavirus. Erin Durkin,, reporter at PoliticoNY, joins Cheddar News to discuss more.
