*By Christian Smith*
Billionaire activist Tom Steyer is not apologizing for his campaign to impeach Donald Trump.
In an interview with Cheddar Monday, he dismissed criticism from certain Democrats that focusing on impeachment will energize the Republican base.
"Standing up for the Constitution and the American people" should be more important than campaign tactics, he said.
But Steyer is focused on both the immediate and the political long term.
If Democrats don't take back the House of Representatives next month, "this year is a failure," he said.
Otherwise, Steyer said, the thousands of hours and millions of dollars pumped into this election cycle will have been for nothing.
"We've just got to say that and own it," he said of acknowledging the urgency of the midterms for Democrats.
According to an August report, Steyer has poured more than $120 million into this election cycle primarily through his two political groups ー the "NextGen America" super PAC and the "Need to Impeach" campaign.
Steyer's game plan is to mobilize the millions of millennials who don't normally vote in an attempt to undermine President Trump, whom Steyer calls a "corrupt, lawless, and dangerous president."
NextGen America has spent millions of dollars engaging young voters in key battleground states like Florida. Millennials traditionally haven't shown up to vote in the same numbers as other generations, but Steyer isn't fazed.
"I am confident," Steyer said when asked whether he thought millennials would turn up at the polls.
To some, Steyer's well-oiled political machine might resemble the early outline of a possible 2020 campaign.
But the former hedge fund manager reiterated that his focus rests solely on the midterms ー at least for now.
"We are nose down through Nov. 6, 2018," Steyer said.
"I think anyone who is thinking about themselves instead of doing what's right and doing the work over the next two weeks, or over the past two months, really is missing the point."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/how-billionaire-tom-steyer-plans-to-mobilize-his-political-machine).
Two men who were active-duty members of the Marines Corps when they stormed the U.S. Capitol pleaded guilty on Monday to riot-related criminal charges.
The Human Rights Campaign, for the first time in its 40-year history, declared a state of emergency for the LGBTQ+ community as anti-LTBTQ+ sentiment is on the rise. Cheddar News explains.
The Biden administration has stopped taking mobile app appointments to admit asylum-seekers at a Texas border crossing that connects to a notoriously dangerous Mexican city after advocates warned U.S. authorities that migrants were being targeted there for extortion.
Donald Trump arrived in Florida on Monday ahead of a history-making federal court appearance on dozens of felony charges accusing him of illegally hoarding classified documents and thwarting the Justice Department's efforts to get them back.
The Supreme Court said Monday it won't review North Carolina's decision to stop issuing specialty license plates with the Confederate flag.
The Human Rights Campaign has declared a state of emergency for the lgbtq+ community. The unprecedented move comes after the passage of more than 75 anti-gay bills this year alone. Here with more is Cheddar News senior reporter Chloe Aiello.
President Joe Biden welcomed hundreds to the White House on Saturday for a delayed Pride Month celebration aimed at showing LGBTQ+ people that his administration has their back at a time when advocates are warning of a spike in discriminatory legislation, particularly aimed at the transgender community, sweeping through statehouses.
Silvio Berlusconi, the boastful billionaire media mogul who was Italy’s longest-serving premier despite scandals over his sex-fueled parties and allegations of corruption, died Monday. He was 86.
“Any consumer can tell you that online airline bookings are confusing enough," said William McGee, an aviation expert at the American Economic Liberties Project. "The last thing we need is to roll back an existing protection that provides effective transparency.”
Cheddar News checks in to see what to look out for Next Week on the Street as former president Donald Trump makes an appearance in federal court after being indicted. Investors will also keep an eye on the Federal Reserve meeting to see what comes out of that while earnings continue to pour in.
