Senator Al Franken Resigns While Citing The Irony That Donald Trump Remains President
In a speech on the Senate Floor this morning, Senator Al Franken (D-MN) tendered his resignation. This came after a number of Democratic Senators called on Franken to resign, following mutual accusations of sexual misconduct by multiple women. Senator Franken's decision could have rippling effects on the ongoing policy battle over tax reform.
Jack Holmes, Associate Editor at Esquire, explains the impact Senator Franken's decision could have in the Senate. Until Minnesota holds a special election next November, it is likely the Lieutenant Governor will take Senator Franken's place. When November 2018 rolls around, Minnesotans will go to the polls not only to elect Senator Franken's long-term replacement, but also to vote on Minnesota's other Senate seat currently held by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D).
Holmes also weighs in on the controversy surrounding Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore. In Senator Franken's resignation speech, he cited the irony that he was resigning while Roy Moore had the full support of the Republican Party, despite being accused of child molestation.
Pfizer has asked the FDA to expand authorization of COVID booster shots for all adults. The agency is expected to grant the request in the coming weeks, allowing vaccinated Americans as young as 18 to get boosted before the holidays. Dr. Bayo Curry-Winchell, Regional Clinical Director at Carbon Health, joined Cheddar to discuss.
The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit to block Penguin Random House from acquiring its rival Simon & Schuster. The DOJ hopes this will block the merger, which it says would ultimately hurt authors and consumers nationwide. Barry C. Lynn, executive director of the Open Markets Institute, joined Cheddar to explain what the lawsuit signals about the Biden administration's approach to cracking down on antitrust, and why Amazon might be next.
The major markets took a breather Tuesday, with the Dow, S&P, Nasdaq, and Russell 2000 all finishing lower after notching record closes on Monday. Rhys Williams, Chief Strategist at Spouting Rock Asset Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he provides his biggest takeaways from the day's activity.
The U.S. economy added 531,000 jobs in the month of October, painting a better picture of the economy that analysts had expected. Jared Bernstein, Council of Economic Advisers Member for President Biden joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Election Day 2021 is in the books, and it wasn't a pretty picture for Democrats. Governor Phil Murphy narrowly won re-election in New Jersey and Republican Glenn Youngkin upset Democrat Terry McAuliffe in Virginia, with many other disappointing losses for the left. Meridith McGraw, national correspondent for Politico, breaks down the key takeaways from this year as the nation looks ahead to the 2022 midterms.
Markets opened higher to kick off the week as investors continue to digest the better-than-expected jobs report, which showed 531,000 new jobs created in October. Ken Johnson, CFA, Investment Strategy Analyst joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to break down his early market insights.
Almost 2 years into the pandemic, supply chain woes continue to wreak havoc on our everyday lives.
From groceries to chip shortages, both consumers and retailers are feeling the strain with prices only climbing as a result. Data intelligence company Morning Consult is out with its U.S. Economic Outlook for November revealing just how much of a threat these hold-ups could pose to the greater economic recovery. John Leer, Chief Economist at Morning Consult joined Cheddar's Opening Bell.
After many years and at least two presidents hoping to overhaul America's infrastructure, congress finally came to an agreement. The House passed the bipartisan infrastructure bill late Friday, receiving thirteen republican votes but failing to earn votes from the six progressive squad members. Joseph Zeballos-Roig, Economics Reporter at Insider joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the economic impact of the bill.
