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.
With a government shutdown five days away, Congress is moving into crisis mode as Speaker Kevin McCarthy faces an insurgency from hard-right Republicans eager to slash spending even if it means curtailing federal services for millions of Americans.
Rep. Andy Kim of New Jersey announced on Saturday that he will run against Sen. Robert Menendez in the state’s Democratic primary for Senate next year, saying he feels compelled to run against the three-term senator after he and his wife were indicted on sweeping corruption charges.