As the Senate enters a new phase of President Donald Trump's impeachment, Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) tells Cheddar he sees three things on trial: the U.S. Senate's reputation, the president's behavior, and the American system of justice.
Fifty-three senators in the 116th Senate hold law degrees and will be able to draw upon that knowledge when they enter the chamber to debate the merits of the articles of impeachment.
Kaine and Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), the highest-ranking Latino member in Congress, both told reporters Wednesday that they have been able to use their legal training and experience as practicing attorneys during the trial.
Some of the Republicans expected to break party rank to vote in favor of hearing witnesses hold law degrees too. Senators Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) hold law degrees from Harvard University and New York University, respectively. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) worked as an attorney for nearly a decade before joining the Senate.
Before going home to Richmond last weekend, Kaine told Cheddar he viewed the impeachment as putting the president's conduct is on trial along with the capability of the Senate. But after going home and speaking to people at gas stations and grocery stores, he found that the public sees this as a trial of our justice system. "I had thought of it more as the Senate's reputation or what the president's behavior was, but people were talking to me this weekend about that," said Kaine.
"A lot of people in this country have real questions about whether our justice system delivers impartial justice. Does our justice system deliver impartial justice?" he asked. "Or is there a different system for the rich and powerful folks?"
Though Kaine said he hadn't yet brought that point up to his Republican colleagues, he told Cheddar he plans to during the deliberation period about calling witnesses. Senators will have four hours to debate the question of witnesses or documents before voting, which is expected on Friday.
"That's certainly something I'm going to share with them," the senator stated.
During today's press conference, Kaine emphasized that "not once in 17 years did I ever have a trial where there were no witnesses or documents," and he believed that the American people would be able to discern between what a trial is and isn't. However, he told reporters that if no witnesses are called, it will support the "cynicism and anxiety about our system of justice" many Americans might be feeling.
Later today House Republicans will grill Snap, Tiktok and Youtube on how their products affect the mental health of teenagers. It comes after a report revealed that Facebook's photo sharing platform, Instagram, can be harmful to teen's mental health. Rishi Bharwani, Director of Partnerships and Policy, Accountable Tech joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
As the White House and Congressional leaders work towards finalizing the legislative framework of the Build Back Better budget deal, paid family leave, one of the hallmarks of President Joe Biden's Social Safety Net agenda, still stands in flux. Molly Day, Executive Director, Paid Leave for the U.S. joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss why the finalization of this bill is imperative.
Marjorie Mesidor, Esq., Partner, Phillips and Associates, PLLC and Dr. Anthony Santela, professor of health administration and university covid coordinator at the University of New Haven join J.D. Durkin and None Of The Above to talk about the expected fallout from New York City's vaccine mandate.
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Carlo and Baker cover the big races to watch on this off-cycle Election Day, the concrete pledges starting to come out of COP26, Jeffrey Epstein keeps causing CEOs to lose their jobs, and Ryan Murphy's TV hit that wasn't.
The Dow, S&P, and Nasdaq begin November by not only ending Monday's session higher but with a record close as well. Melissa Armo, Founder and Owner of The Stock Swoosh, has her eye on major economic storylines and joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss what role the news could play on Wall Street.
The UN climate change conference kicked off on Sunday with about 120 world leaders and delegates gathering in Glasgow, Scotland this week, as experts continue to warn about the harms of heightened emissions and the effects on climate change. The topic of ESG investing is expected to be a top priority at the summit. Jefferies global head of ESG and sustainability research Aniket Shah joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Gifted and talented education programs in schools throughout the United States are falling under greater scrutiny as the race and class divide in the programs remain wide. Marcia Gentry, a professor of educational studies and the director of the Gifted Education Research and Resource Institute at Purdue University, joined Cheddar to weigh in on if advanced tracking for students can also be equitable for lower income students and students of color.
The Supreme Court is now weighing in on one of the nation's most restrictive abortion laws. The Texas law, which was enacted on September 1, bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. In addition, it allows any private citizen to sue anyone who helps a woman get an abortion. Jimmy Hoover, Supreme Court Editor-At-Large at Law360, joined Cheddar News to discuss more.
