The back and forth between Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, and President Donald Trump’s new economic adviser Larry Kudlow over sanctions on Russia Tuesday underscores the urgent need for the White House to overcome vast policy differences within the administration, says Jon Miller, White House correspondent for the conservative-leaning CRTV.
“They need to figure out how to get a singular message out there,” he told Cheddar Wednesday.
Haley said on Sunday the administration was set to impose sanctions on Russia for its role in Syria’s seven-year-long civil war. Days later, Kudlow denied that sanctions were on the table, saying on Fox News that Haley was just [“momentarily confused.”](https://twitter.com/GeoffRBennett/status/986285214803644423) The former South Carolina Governor hit back, reportedly saying in a statement, [“With all due respect, I don't get confused.”](https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/17/politics/nikki-haley-russia-sanctions/index.html) The tensions eased after Kudlow apologized to Haley hours later.
“I’m going to say that she’s the one who knows what she’s talking about in this instance,” said Miller. “She’s the one who’s calling the shots, and people seem to be coming behind her.”
Haley’s positions on a range of foreign policy issues have often clashed with the White House. She outwardly and persistently criticized the Kremlin on topics from the Syrian conflict, to Ukraine, to the 2016 presidential election, a sharp juxtaposition to Trump’s more demure approach to Russia.
“She’s a little more hawkish on issues in terms of foreign policy,” explained Miller. “She’s a little more outspoken. I think Trump has people around him who are trying to rein him in a bit.”
Kudlow’s attempt to undermine Haley may be a microcosm of an administration in perpetual chaos, with staffers often seeming to operate on completely different wavelengths. And that might be something that the president encourages, Miller said.
“The president has said he likes conflicting ideas. He says, ‘I like the conflict in my White House, I like different ideas happening.’”
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/gorsuchs-controversial-vote-haley-vs-trump-administration).
The Supreme Court will be hearing arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health on Wednesday over a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks. Jimmy Hoover, the Supreme Court editor-at-large for Law360, joined Cheddar to break down the momentous legal fight. "This is the biggest abortion case at the Supreme Court in 30 years," he said. "It is a … a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade."
Matt Peron, Director of Research at Janus Henderson Investors, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he breaks down the factors leading to today's market slide and says there's more to it than Fed Chair Jerome Powell's comments about speeding up tapering efforts.
Walmart CEO Dough McMillon praised the Biden administration's efforts to ease supply chain constraints after the company saw a 26 percent jump in shipments over the last month. President Joe Biden had announced back in October that California ports would operate on a 24/7 basis.
Jill and Carlo cover the latest developments with the Omicron variant that are spooking markets once again. Twitter's @Jack is leaving, SCOTUS takes up abortion rights and the world has a brand new republic.
The Biden Administration is set to buy 10 million courses of Pfizer's Covid pill if it gains emergency use authorization from the FDA. With this purchase, the U.S. will receive more than 13 million courses of antiviral pills aimed at treating Covid and reducing severe illness and death. Pfizer's pill has been shown to reduce risk of hospitalization and death by 89 percent, proving it could be a key tool in the fight against the pandemic. Dr. Soumi Eachempati, Co-Founder, CEO & CMO of Cleared4, joined Cheddar News to discuss.
The Build Back Better Act has been at the center of endless negotiations and debate, ultimately landing as a nearly $1.8 trillion plan. One of the highlights is $170 billion dollars for affordable housing, making history as the largest investment in the sector to date. Eliza Collins, politics reporter for The Wall Street Journal, joins Cheddar News to break down the bill.
The Biden Administration is releasing 50 million barrels of oil from the U.S. oil reserves in hopes of easing soaring gas prices. Vijay Vaitheeswaran, Global Energy and Climate Innovation Editor at the Economist, joined Cheddar to discuss.
