After months of fiery tweets, partisan language, and closed-door and public testimonies from dozens of witnesses, Donald Trump has become the third president to ever be impeached by the House of Representatives.
"Last night was historic," Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif. 43rd District) told Cheddar a day after the House voted in favor of two articles of impeachment, straight down party lines.
Historic, it was.
In an America starkly divided in national politics and a presidential election less than a year away, Trump will now hit the campaign trail to seek re-election as an impeached president. Never before has this been done.
Now the Republican-controlled Senate awaits the articles of impeachment so it can play its role — holding the impeachment trial.
Democrats, like Waters, are concerned that a GOP-majority Senate, run by Leader Mitch McConnell is allying itself with the president.
"They are going to do whatever they need to do to support the president," said Waters, who chairs the House Financial Services Committee.
While Democrats have argued the president engaged in quid pro quo by halting military aid to Ukraine in an effort to get President Volodymyr Zelensky to announce an investigation into 2020 hopeful former Vice President Joe Biden, Republicans have largely argued against the process.
"The Republicans had no substantive defense. They did not talk about why this president shouldn't be impeached," Waters said.
She also added, "Some of the arguments [Republicans] made were ridiculous. To get on the Floor of Congress and liken him to Jesus Christ? And have a moment of silence?"
Waters was referring to Rep. Barry Loudermilk's (R-Ga. 11th District) floor speech, where he compared the impeachment vote to that of the trial of Jesus: "When Jesus was falsely accused of treason, Pontius Pilate gave Jesus the opportunity to face his accusers,"
"During that sham trial, Pontius Pilate afforded more rights to Jesus than Democrats have afforded this president in this process," Loudermilk stated.
Throughout this process, Republican have also noted that some Democrats have been calling for impeachment since his election.
Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga. 9th District), one of the most vocal opponents in the conference against impeachment, stated in his opening remarks Wednesday, "One of our members, Ms. Tlaib, said on the night she was sworn in, 'We're going to impeach…' Well, you know the rest. In May of 2019, Al Green said, 'I'm concerned if we don't impeach the president, he'll get reelected.' That is probably the most prescient thing said by the majority in the last year, is they said, 'We can't beat him if we don't impeach him.'"
Collins, using Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich. 13th District) and Rep. Al Green (D-Texas 9th District) as examples, argued that because the Democrats lost the election in 2016, they never gave Trump a real shot at the presidency. Now he, and the Republican Party, say the Democrats are using impeachment to get him out of office before the upcoming election.
As early as May of 2017, Waters called for the impeachment of Trump. Two years later, she stands by that decision.
"When people say I started early, I started early to learn more about this president. I started early to understand why he acted the way he does, I started early to determine that there was nothing presidential about him," she said Thursday.
U.S. officials spoke to Russian leaders for nearly eight hours earlier this week, in hopes of reducing tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Russia forced the west to the negotiating table by massing 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border, sparking fears of an invasion, and then submitted a set of demands which the west rejected. Joel Rubin, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State & President at Washington Strategy Group explains what the rest of the week might look like, and why other European nations may be on the side of the U.S.
Chicago schools opened their doors again following a dispute between the teachers union and the city over as the omicron variant continues to surge, but the safety issues they fought over weren't just limited to the Windy City. Dr. Bayo Curry-Winchell, family medicine and urgent care doctor, joined Cheddar in discussing concerns of parents, teachers, and students as schools try to operate amid COVID and noted what she's been observing as the number of infections among children rises. "I am seeing them contract the illness from so many different aspects," she said. "It could be from a fellow classmate. It could be from a parent. All of those things really play in the effect of transmission as well as contracting the illness."
Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) is looking for clarification about a federal standard regarding THC impairment while driving. "I think in terms of marijuana, the fact that it's still a Schedule 1 narcotic — it's treated the same as heroin and cocaine — it means that we can't get standards developed," he said about the lack of cohesive regulations. The lawmaker also explained his previous opposition to cannabis legalization in Colorado when he was governor and why his position changed.
With Martin Luther King Jr. Day fast approaching, Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C. 6th District), the House Majority Whip, talked about the importance of honoring the iconic civil rights activist. "As we consider the life and celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., let's think about who and what we are as a country, and whether or not we're going to give up on the ideals of this country or continue to press forward," he said. Clyburn also discussed the push for new voting legislation, the For the People Act and the John Lewis Act, as well as the fate of the Senate filibuster.
One year after the attack on Capitol Hill, America is still deeply divided and politically broken. Zoe Tillman, senior reporter for BuzzFeed News, breaks down President Biden's remarks on January 6, and why the country disagrees on its views over the violent insurrection.
While the pandemic caused financial troubles for many, the unique circumstances of the last two years proved helpful to many Americans. Whether it was the federal government's stimulus checks, expanded unemployment insurance, or general lockdowns, recent data reveals that the covid-19 pandemic helped many reach financial security. Neale Godfrey, Financial Expert and New York Times #1 Best Selling Author joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
U.S. markets opened higher despite red-hot inflation data which showed the highest surge in nearly 40 years. Jon Maier, CIO, GlobalX ETFs joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss this historic report.
Meta's request to have a Federal Trade Commission antitrust lawsuit dismissed was rejected by a federal judge. Prosecutors presented enough evidence in their latest filing to go forward with the case accusing the tech giant of operating a social networking monopoly through Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Covid cases have started to spike again across the nation, and this time they seem to be hitting some of our youngest and most vulnerable - school-aged children. School districts across the nation - including the country's largest public school system in New York City- are all grappling with what to do as teachers and students alike continue to miss school in droves.
Katie Honan, reporter for the New York City-based non profit news organization, The City explains how educational leaders across the country are handling covid demands from both teachers and parents alike.
Last week, the Supreme Court began here to hear arguments on two of the President's COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The vaccine or testing requirement for employees of large businesses, as well as the vaccine mandate for health care providers who get funding through either Medicare or Medicaid. The justices in DC will ultimately decide whether or not federal agencies even have the authority to issue these types of mandates. Editor at large of employment at Law 360, Vin Gurrieri, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
