Jon Greenberg, staff writer for Politifact, breaks down some of the rhetoric from the left and the right around the GOP tax reform bill.
Chris Ruddy of Newsmax claimed that the GOP bill would bring in $3 trillion of offshore funds back into the economy from large U.S. corporations receiving a tax cut overseas. But just how true is this? Politifact has rated the statement half true. Greenberg notes that while corporations are receiving a reduction in overseas taxes, 45% of the $3 trillion made overseas is already in the U.S.
Greenberg also weighs in on House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's statement that the GOP bill would "sabotage" the healthcare of 13 million Americans. Greenberg details just what happens when the individual mandate is repealed. He explains that the repeal of the individual mandate will cause healthy people to leave the marketplace, which will cause costs to go up for those that are sick. That means some of those people won't be able to afford health insurance anymore. Politifact's overall rating of Pelosi's statement: half true.
Markets opened slightly higher to kick off the final trading week of the year as investors continue to watch the Omicron variant in the U.S. Sean O'Hara, President, Pacer ETFs joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss what drove early market activity.
Carlo and Baker kick off the weirdest week of the year with all the news you missed over the holiday weekend, including calls for the CDC to shorten its isolation window as Omicron sweeps through the country.
Former professional tennis player Patrick McEnroe joined Cheddar to discuss the troubling issues surrounding player Peng Shuai who appeared potentially to have been silenced following her social media post accusing former Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault. Shuai's subsequent disappearance, reappearance, and apparent retraction of the accusation in an interview only added to worries. "When this happened, all of us in the tennis community were very concerned. And, by the way, another thing Peng said in this interview was that she doesn't speak very good English," McEnroe noted. "Well I can assure you, she speaks darn good English, 'cause I spoke to her on many occasions over the last 15 years."
Universities like UCLA, Yale, and Duke have announced they're implementing remote learning amid the COVID omicron variant surge, despite President Biden recommending that K-12 schools should continue in-person education. Jared C. Bass, senior director for Higher Education at American Progress, joined Cheddar to break down what institutions of higher education might be considering differently. "I think some universities are allowing periods of a bit of a respite to allow students to get testing and make sure when they do return back to campus that they're healthy," he noted.
The S&P closed at a record at the major markets ended Thursday's session higher for a third straight day. Adam Coons, Portfolio Manager at Winthrop Capital Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he discusses what has investors feeling jolly before Christmas, and gifts investors with winning buying opportunities entering 2022.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments on President Joe Biden's vaccine mandates for large companies and health care workers on January 7, 2022. The mandates will remain in place until then.
Carlo and Baker cover the heartening news on the Covid front ahead of the holiday, plus President Biden punting student loan repayments again, a new space telescope and Love, Hate, Ate: Christmas Eve Eve Edition!