Tax Reform, the Budget, and Sexual Politics in Washington
Nick Johnston, Editor in Chief at Axios, and Nate Madden, CRTV's Congressional Correspondent, give a preview of the upcoming weeks in Washington, including a discussion about the women accusing President Trump of assault and the future of tax reform and budget agreements.
Johnston weighs in on whether President Trump will face the same repercussions that other men in powerful positions have faced in recent weeks over accusations of sexual harassment and assault. Three of the president's accusers spoke out Monday about their allegations.
Madden discusses the pressures the GOP faces to pass a piece of legislation before year's end, blaming the failure of healthcare reform on Congress as a whole, rather than on the President's administration.
We discuss the issues around the budget that are up for debate, including everything from funding Planned Parenthood to immigration to the border wall with Mexico. Nick does not think there will be a shutdown because neither party will want to deal with the fallout.
We also talk Roy Moore, as the Alabama Senate race comes to a close, with Nick noting how profound it is that an Alabama Senate race is competitive.
David Levine, elections integrity fellow with Alliance for Securing Democracy, joins Cheddar News to discuss Politico's bombshell finding revealing the RNC's plan to contest the elections.
A survey by the BMO Real Financial Progress Index found that 25 percent of Americans are pulling back on retirement contributions to offset the cost of inflation. This comes as market volatility reduced retirement savings with the S&P 500 shedding more than 12 percent this year alone.
As abortion rights take center stage in courts around the country, so do discussions about reproductive health. Signs and social media posts say things like "protect women's rights" and "her body, her choice," leaving others who need and receive abortions completely out of the picture. The potential end to Roe v. Wade would impact far more people and facilities than you may think. Cheddar News' Baker Machado breaks it all down.
Arkansas is planning to reshape itself by putting a strong emphasis on technology through computer science in the classroom. Governor Asa Hutchinson joined Cheddar News Buffa to discuss the state's efforts to promote itself as a future tech hub. “It gives young people such a huge opportunity for success," he noted. The term-limited governor also touched on the issue of gun ownership, offering up the idea of possibly raising the age limit to obtain rifles like the AR-15 to 21 instead of 18 as it currently stands.
The dating app Bumble has sponsored bills and pushed lawmakers to criminalize the online practice of sending unsolicited nudes or “cyberflashing." Payton Iheme, Bumble's head of public policy for the Americas, joined Cheddar News to discuss why the app was going after the harassing behavior beyond its own platform. "Now, while we went to work internally in the company, and we created something called private detector to automatically blur those images so the user can decide if they want to see them, there's nothing for the rest of the internet," she said. "And so that's why we went to work with these laws."
Constituent service platform Indigov recently raised $25 million in a Series B funding round. Indigov bills itself as a constituent relationship management tool that helps elected officials improve the way they organize, respond to, and engage those they serve. The startup's services are being used by federal, state, and local governments across the country, including the U.S. House of Representatives. Alex Kouts, founder & CEO of Indigov, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
