Why "Senator Mitt Romney" Would Be Trump's Worst Nightmare
The biggest political star of the new year is the hypothetical lawmaker, "Senator Mitt Romney." The Grio's Todd Johnson joins Cheddar to evaluate the former governor's chances if he chooses to run for Senator Orrin Hatch's (R-UT) seat. The managing editor thinks Romney's immense popularity in the state would be enough to carry him to a victory.
Then, we look back at the former GOP presidential candidate's relationship with President Trump. Johnson walks us through the frenemies' history, from their infamous Jean Georges dinner, to Romney calling the president a "phony" and a "fraud." We consider Hatch's decision to retire after the president asked him to remain in the Senate.
Finally, we recap two of the president's most-talked-about tweets. Johnson explains how the media can cover Trump's fake-news awards without promoting it as a legitimate awards show. Then, we put the president's North Korea "button" comments in the context of his larger foreign-policy approach.
The U.S. cannabis industry is on track to hit almost $25 billion in sales, according to New Frontier Data. Vivien Azer, managing director and senior research analyst at Cowen, and Russell Stanley, managing director and equity research at Beacon Securities Limited, join Cheddar News to give their predictions for the budding industry in 2022.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore. 3rd District), the co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, joined Cheddar's "Cannabiz" to discuss the state of marijuana legalization on the federal level as more states continue to greenlight medical and adult use. He stated that there couldn't be a better time to revise the old policies on marijuana with more than 90 percent of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, on board. "This tidal wave of support continues. There were five states that approved in the last general election, and I think, rather than one single event, it is this momentum and the demonstration of broad public support that is making the difference," Blumenauer said.
Megan Horneman, Director of Portfolio Strategy at Verdence Capital Advisors, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where she says there is some profit-taking ahead of the upcoming Fed meeting, and elaborates on some of the topics investors will be watching for more closely this week.
Rachel Bachman, senior sports reporter at the Wall Street Journal, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where she explains how U.S. athletes have been inserted into the middle of a political debate after the country declared a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing.
Lance Ippolito, Head Trader at the Future Of Wealth, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell where he discusses the factors that have contributed to the recent slide of major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether.