Why One Republican Congressman Says We Should Purge The FBI
Taking on the credibility of the FBI has become increasingly common in the Trump era, but one Congressman took it to a new level this week. In an interview on MSNBC, Rep. Francis Rooney (R-FL) said that the FBI and Department of Justice should be purged of anti-Trump bureaucrats.
Jack Hunter, Editor at Rare Politics, discusses why Rep. Rooney's comments are concerning. Hunter says it echoes authoritarian rhetoric, which has been on the rise in recent years.
Hunter also discusses what is likely to be on the Republican political agenda in 2018. Despite Speaker Paul Ryan's goal of reforming entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid, it's unlikely that will make the list. Many Republican Senators and Congressmen say they plan to take on infrastructure reform next. Republicans will officially decide on their policy agenda at their annual conference in West Virginia at the end of January.
U.S. weekly jobless claims rose to 362,000 for the week ending September 25th, higher than the 335,000 economists had expected. This figure is also slightly higher than the 351,000 reported a week earlier. Louis Cordone, Senior Vice President of Data Strategy at AST joined Wake Up with Cheddar to discuss.
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been found guilty of illegal campaign financing linked to his 2012 bid for reelection after $54 million was spent on fake invoices. Sarkozy was sentenced to one year in prison.
The Senate passed a stopgap funding bill that will finance the government through December 3. The bill now moves onto the House where it is expected to pass as well.
On Monday, the FBI unveiled a report showing a 30 percent increase in homicides in 2020. Cheddar's Chloe Aiello looks into the bureau's numbers that show a steep increase in gun violence amid the growing pandemic.
