Seven presidential hopefuls will gather this evening at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles for the sixth Democratic debate, and a senior advisor to Sen. Bernie Sanders told Cheddar he does not expect Donald Trump's impeachment to change the rhetoric of the field tonight.
"I think there will be a question about it because it's so fresh and we're coming off the heels of this big day that happened in Washington, DC, but people here at this debate, especially Senator Bernie Sanders are going to stay focused on his core issues… We're going to talk about the brick and mortar issues that have propelled Bernie Sanders to the top in the California polls," Chuck Rocha said.
Sanders surged in a California poll last week. California, which votes on Super Tuesday, promises almost 500 delegates, yielding influence over the presidential primary's ultimate result. In 2016, Sanders trailed in California to Hillary Clinton, who later claimed the Democratic nomination.
California's decision to move its primary up for the 2020 race this year from June to March makes its outcome even more significant. The Golden State has a more diverse population than Iowa and New Hampshire, which vote in February, and will have the largest number of delegates at next summer's Democratic convention.
Rocha thinks the Vermont senator's appeal to young, diverse voters will help propel him to the nomination. "We have such huge support among young people of color," he said. Only one non-white candidate, entrepreneur Andrew Yang, will be on the stage tonight and recent Quinnipiac polls put Yang fourth in the demographic group under 35, which Sanders leads.
"It's time for the working families of this country to have a voice… that's what we stand for and that's what Senator Sanders will continue to stand for," Rocha said.
Following the surprising big beat on estimates for the January jobs report, William M. Rodgers III, vice president and director of the Institute for Economic Equity at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, joined Cheddar News to break down the data. “We ended 2021 with a strong crescendo to a recovery that had taken hold, and we started 2022 in good fashion." He also discussed the dueling pressures of wage growth and inflation.
Jessica Mason Pieklo, senior vice president and executive editor of the Rewired News Group and co-host of the podcast. "Boom! Lawyered," joins Cheddar Politics to discuss Justice Stephen Breyer's retirement, legacy and potential replacement on the Supreme Court.
The Biden administration delivered a temporary win for student loan borrowers this year by extending the moratorium on federal payments for a few more months. That moratorium is coming to an end on May 1st and borrowers will again have their monthly loan payment plopped in their lap.
Stephanie Vanderslice, a creative writing professor paying off debt through the Parent Plus program, and Mike Pierce, executive director of the Student Borrower Protection Center, join Cheddar Politics to discuss.
2022 was already going to be a big year for the Supreme Court. We have decisions on major issues like abortion and gun rights on the way. Then, Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement and that set up a major confirmation fight for later this year. Amy Howe, co-founder of SCOTUSblog, joins Cheddar Politics to discuss.
The Labor Department released a better-than-expected report of 467,000 jobs added in January. Heather Boushey, Council of Economic Advisers Member for President Biden, joined Cheddar to tout the administration's handling of the economy amid the pandemic and the upward revisions for the previous month. "It also shows that, because of the revisions, the economy was stronger over the past couple of months," she said. "I don't think that this can be said enough, but economic forecasting during an historic pandemic is extremely difficult." Boushey also addressed issues involving wage growth versus the rapid rise of inflation.
The Labor Department's January jobs report showed 467,000 jobs were added, compared to the 150,000 that were projected, a sign that employment is continuign to return to pre-pandemic levels. Lindsey Piegza, chief economist at investment bank Stifel, joined Cheddar to break down the report, noting the big gains but adding a note of caution. "Remember, even with this morning's stellar report, we're still millions below that level that we had reached prior to the onset of COVID-19," she said." Yes, we are recapturing jobs. We still have further ground that needs to be made before we can talk about reaching that previous peak." Piegza also discussed the role of the Federal Reserve going forward as the employment figures turn more positive.
As President Biden's poll numbers fall with Black voters, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass. 7th District) joined Cheddar to discuss what she feels could help the embattled administration: deliver on policies. Pressley pointed to stalled legislation such as new voting rights laws and Build Back Betters and canceling student loan debt, which would go a long way to improving his standing with Black constituents. "President Biden has the authority and the power to alleviate this burden, which would also help in closing the racial wealth gap, and he can do it by executive action with the stroke of a pen," she said. "And it doesn't require one vote from Congress. So, the Biden administration just needs to deliver to Black America in a tangible and impactful way."
