*By Carlo Versano*
The president's denying the deaths of an estimated 3,000 Americans from a hurricane ー just as millions more seek shelter from another storm ー hasn't sat well, even with members of his own party.
Republicans running in competitive races in Florida found themselves rebuking Donald Trump's false claim Thursday that Puerto Rico's death toll from Hurricane Maria was fabricated by Democrats to make the president look bad.
There are major implications for the party, said GOP consultant Rick Wilson, author of "Everything Trump Touches Dies".
Trump "just put a bullet in Rick Scott's Senate campaign," he said Thursday in an interview on Cheddar.
Scott, the Florida Governor now vying for Democratic incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson's seat, wasted no time distancing himself from Trump on this issue, [tweeting](https://twitter.com/ScottforFlorida/status/1040265322270474242) on Thursday, "I disagree with @POTUS," adding that he's seen the devastation first hand.
Meanwhile, Ron DeSantis, Florida's Republican nominee for Governor and one of the most unabashedly pro-Trump candidates in the country ー he recently ran an [ad](https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/07/31/ron-desantis-campaign-ad-florida-candidate-orig-mss.cnn) showing him reading "The Art of the Deal" to his infant son ー released a [statement](https://twitter.com/CHeathWFTV/status/1040256381801123840) saying he “doesn’t believe any loss of life has been inflated.”
Florida is home to thousands of Maria evacuees and a large Puerto Rican population that might take issue with the president insisting their friends and relatives didn't actually die, said Wilson.
Trump's inability to project empathy ー whether it's for storm victims or a Senator he disagrees with ー is one issue behind the latest erosion in his poll numbers and an "ever shrinking base," Wilson added.
Indeed, Thursday's comments, which FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver unequivocally [called] (https://twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/1040246573689659392?s=20) "the worst thing he's ever tweeted," appears to be a bridge too far to cross for even some of Trump's most ardent backers ー two months before a crucial election, at that.
Projecting empathy and leadership ahead of a hurricane "is a lay-up," Wilson said.
"You can never rely on Donald Trump to get out of his own way."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/president-trump-stirs-up-storm-with-controversial-hurricane-comments).
U.S. stocks closed Friday at session lows after May CPI data showed inflation in the U.S. has not peaked and is still rising rapidly. For the week, the S&P fell 5.06%, the Dow lost 4.58%, and the Nasdaq dropped 5.60%, marking the worst week since January for all three major indexes. Mike Zigmont, Head of Trading and Research at Harvest Volatility Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Benefits brokerage, Nava Benefits, raised $40 million in a Series B round. Nava says it's on a mission to fix healthcare, one benefits plan at a time. The startup is working to bring benefits to small business that are normally available to only Fortune 500 companies. Brandon Weber, Co-Founder and CEO of Nava Benefits, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
The House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 riots on Capitol Hill held its first primetime hearing on Thursday. Cheddar News speaks with legal analyst Tracy Pearson, who breaks down the biggest takeaways.
Fuel and oil prices have risen almost 17 percent since May, making the national gas prices reach nearly $5 a gallon. Andrew Lipow from consulting firm Lipow Oil Associates joined Cheddar News to discuss the future of gas prices. "The biggest issue on the oil market is really events that are beyond our control, which is what is happening over in Europe," he said, regarding the ongoing Russia Ukraine war. Lipow also said he predicted gas prices to hit $5.05 and that he's focused on the Biden administration's overtures in repairing a relationship with Saudi Arabia.
March For Our Lives will be returning this weekend to Washington, DC, in the wake of the recent mass shooting seen throughout the country. Marchers include Yolanda Renee King, the only granddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr. She joined Cheddar News to discuss the importance of the march and activism in general. "I just think that it's so important to have these rallies because we need to demand to our leaders and politicians that they pass legislation and that and we actually need to see action," she said.
Erika Alexander and Whitney Dow, directors of 'The Big Payback,' join Cheddar News to discuss their new film, 'The Big Payback.' It premieres Saturday, June 11 at the Tribeca Festival.
President Biden proposed a new rule that would add 500,000 chargers for electric vehicles nationwide. The proposal comes amid the rapid shift to EVs with dozens of automakers announcing plans for all-electric fleets within the next decade. But with the new surge will the U.S. have the proper infrastructure to keep up? Scott Painter, founder and CEO of Autonomy.com joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss. "I really think the idea of standardization is a big deal. Standardization certainly makes it much better for everybody to be able to get a charge when they need one," he said.
The House select committee investigating the January 6th riots on Capitol Hill is opening its landmark series of public hearings. Cheddar News speaks with Mike Sozan, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress who explains how to follow the hearings and what to expect.
