As the House prepares to vote on a resolution today that would limit the president's ability to engage with Iran under the 1973 War Powers Act, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said there was "plenty of precedence" to support President Trump's authorization of a drone strike on January 3 that killed top Iranian commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
On Wednesday, Grassley's Republican colleagues Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) blasted the president's long-awaited and delayed briefing on the killing.
"Don't get hung up on whether or not we had a proper briefing, which I think we did have a very proper briefing," Grassley told Cheddar Thursday. "Don't get that mixed up with the legality of what happened."
Lee called the briefing, which came five days after the airstrike was carried out, "probably the worst briefing I've seen, at least on a military issue, in the nine years I've served in the United States Senate." He said senators were told they could not dissent or debate, lest division within the government sends a signal of weakness to the Iranians.
He said briefers were asked repeatedly, "What, if anything, would trigger the need for the administration to come back to Congress" for a declaration of war or authorization of military force, to which one of the briefers indicated, essentially, "I'm sure we could think of something."
Grassley said when President Barack Obama had ordered the killing of Osama bin Laden, senators were also not told of the plan prior to the move, though bin Laden was considered an enemy combatant whereas Soleimani was a member of a state government. The Trump administration has said it ordered the strike because Soleimani was "actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region," but has continued to refrain from explaining the intelligence, despite repeated criticism from lawmakers.
In a press conference Thursday, the president focused on Soleimani's violent history, calling him a "monster" who was the "big roadside bomb guy," though Soleimani was a top official in Iran. Other targeted killings carried out by the United States, like that of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in October 2019, have struck at extremist leaders without state affiliations.
Many lawmakers argue the president needed Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) from Congress before the strike. On Thursday, Trump seemed to offer some additional information, saying "We did this because they were looking to blow up our embassy. We also did it for reasons that were very obvious." President Trump also said he had just approved new sanctions with details forthcoming.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi addressed the dispute over AUMF and the strike against Soleimani during her regular weekly press conference on Thursday.
"The argument would be made that, putting the shoe on the other foot, if the United States had a high-level, maybe second most important person in the country, assassinated, wherever, the U.S. might consider that an assault on our country and the Iranians might as well, even though this took place at the Iraqi airport," she said. "It's foggy."
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.
A new analysis reveals that for more than two decades, the West has been the driest it has ever been since 800 A.D. The drought which began in 2000 has brought more devastating wildfires and draining water reserves well below healthy levels. Climate Scientists and Adjunct Associate Research Scientist at Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University,Benjamin Cook, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
