California Sen. Kamala Harris and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg are the most formidable of the two dozen Democratic presidential candidates, according to Anthony Scaramucci.
Harris is a “very gifted person ... she has a very good track record to run on,” Scaramucci told Cheddar on Tuesday, noting the she has the ability to rebuild the coalition of voters that elected President Obama.
Better known as the Mooch, Scaramucci also praised Buttigieg’s calculated approach to politics and his sober responses to attacks from President Trump.
Buttigieg has “never once taken President Trump’s bait,” Scaramucci said. “The more successful way to counteract some of the president’s media onslaught and his deft skills at criticizing people is not necessarily go in the mud with him.”
He said that a presidential ticket with Harris and Buttigieg — or Buttigieg and Harris — was a winning strategy. “I’m not a democratic strategist but I would go in that direction,” he said.
Scaramucci is a prominent New York investment banker and the founder of Skybridge Capital. He also served a brief stint as White House Communications Director in 2017, which gave him what he called an “11-day PhD” on Washington culture. His tenure was cut extremely short after he gave an interview to The New Yorker in which he criticized other members of the administration with expletives and derogatory language.
Scaramucci added that Democrats do better in elections with younger nominees — a reality that does not bode well for former Vice President Joe Biden despite his strong polling numbers.
“If they go with Joe Biden … the president will be able to run against his 50 years of sedimentary record inside the Washington establishment,” he said.
Scaramucci also lauded Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s fundraising capabilities and impressive staffing in key states, but predicted that she would lose in a general election against Trump.
“She just has the wrong ideas and the wrong policy solutions for where the American people are right now,” he said.
President Biden and Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell meet at the White House today for the first time since Powell's renomination to the position. The President and the Fed Chair discussed the economy and historically high inflation, as new data shows inflation may be cooling slightly. Morning Consult economic analyst Jesse Wheeler joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss how the Biden administration at the U.S. central bank can work together to combat soaring prices for American consumers.
In the second part of Cheddar's talk with Governor Asa Hutchinson, the Republican from Arkansas discussed his state's abortion trigger law and the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Texas law that would prevent social media platform moderation currently being held up by the U.S. Supreme Court, and rumors of his 2024 presidential run. "I did go to New Hampshire. I am testing the waters out there, so no decision at this point. But we're looking at it," he said, noting that if former President Donald Trump runs, it would not affect his own decision.
Cheddar Politics looks at the ongoing efforts to pass meaningful gun safety laws in both Chambers of Congress following multiple mass shootings. Lisa Hagen, senior political reporter for U.S. News and World Report, helps break down why Senators are hopeful that a modest bipartisan gun safety package might be able to overcome a filibuster.
Join Cheddar News as we break down the top headlines this morning including updates on the Tulsa medical center shooting, Johnny Depp V. Amber Heard verdict, and Democrats push for gun control reform.
After two subway shootings in two months and the more recent mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, Mayor Eric Adams is calling for gun detection scanners to be installed in New York City subways. The tech would be similar to that used in sporting arenas, however, experts note multiple difficulties with such a setup including the need for nearby human operators.
Catching you up on what you need to know on Wednesday, June 1, 2022, House lawmakers hold an emergency hearing on gun control measures in the wake of the Uvalde shooting, the Supreme Court temporarily blocks Texas' law stopping social media moderation, and the James Webb Space Telescope gets a new mission.
With the baby formula in the United States surging to an out-of-stock rate of 70 percent, the FDA has given Abbott permission to reopen its Michigan plant amid the crisis and authorized foreign imports. Professor Peter Pitts, a former FDA associate commissioner and current president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, joined Cheddar News to discuss the ongoing shortage and its wide impact. “As difficult as things is in urban areas, they’re even worse in small communities and tribal areas where parents can't just go to the next store on the corner," he said. Pitts also noted that the Abbott factory was a "disaster" prior to its shutdown and that it would have been "regulatory malpractice" to have left it open.
Cheddar's Megan Pratz reports from the ground in Uvalde, Texas where the community's grief and frustration with lawmakers and police officers grows as more details emerge.
