>>> FOR WEEKS RECENTLY THE
PRESIDENT WAS OBSESSED WITH
OREGON, SPECIFICALLY A CITY OF
PORTLAND, MAINLY BECAUSE A GROUP
OF PEOPLE PROTESTING OUTSIDE
PORTLAND’S FEDERAL COURTHOUSE.
SO HE MOBILIZED FORCES AND
TALKED ABOUT IT NONSTOP,
CONSTANTLY RATCHETING UP
TENSIONS BECAUSE HE SAW FEDERAL
INTERVENTION AS A POLITICAL
BENEFIT TO HIM.
BUT NOW AS OREGON BURNS, LIKE
REALLY BURNS WITH MORE THAN 30
FIRES RAGING ACROSS THE STATE,
CONSUMING MORE THAN A MILLION
ACRES, THE PRESIDENT IS SILENT.
40,000 HAVE EVACUATED.
HALF A MILLION ARE IN POTENTIAL
DANGER ZONES.
THAT’S MORE THAN 10% OF THE
STATE’S POPULATION.
GOVERNOR KATE BROWN SAID DOZENS
OF PEOPLE ARE MISSING AND TO
BRACE FOR A SIGNIFICANT DEATH
TOLL.
THE GOVERNOR SAID YESTERDAY SHE
REACHED OUT TO THE WHITE HOUSE
ON WEDNESDAY, BUT HASN’T HEARD
BACK.
WE KNOW WHAT THE PRESIDENT’S
ATTITUDE IS WHEN IT COMES TO
HELPING THE PARTS OF AMERICA
THAT DON’T VOTE FOR HIM.
HERE’S HOW THE CHIEF OF STAFF
DESCRIBED THE PRESIDENT’S
REACTION TO 2018’S DEVASTATING
WILD FIRES IN CALIFORNIA.
>> ON A PHONE CALL WITH THE
FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
AGENCY YOU TOLD THEM TO CUTOFF
THE MONEY.
HE TOLD US TO STOP GIVING MONEY
TO PEOPLE WHOSE HOUSES HAVE
BURNED DOWN FROM A WILD FIRE
BECAUSE HE WAS SO RAGEFUL THAT
PEOPLE IN THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA DIDN’T SUPPORT HIM
AND THAT POLITICALLY IT WASN’T A
BASE FOR HIM.
>> DESPITE THE PRESIDENT’S
ABSENCE OF LEADERSHIP, A NUMBER
OF PEOPLE WORKING VERY HARD,
AMONG THEM A DEMOCRAT OF OREGON
WHO JOINS ME NOW FROM AN
EVACUATION SITE.
SENATOR, THANK YOU FOR TAKING A
LITTLE TIME WITH US.
I WONDER IF YOU COULD JUST FIRST
JUST GIVE US AN UPDATE OF HOW
THINGS ARE IN YOUR STATE RIGHT
NOW.
>> CHRIS, I STARTED OUT ON THE
NORTHERN BORDER OF OREGON AND
PORTLAND.
BY THIS EVENING I WILL BE IN THE
SOUTHERN BORDER.
THROUGH THE ENTIRE STRETCH NORTH
TO SOUTH, 300 MILES, IT IS JUST
THIS ABSOLUTE FOG OF SMOKE.
AT TIMES YOU CAN’T SEE 100
YARDS.
AND TO HAVE SO MANY FIRES
BURNING AT THE SAME TIME RUNNING
DOWN THE CASCADE, THE VALLEYS,
IT ALMOST FEELS APOCALYPTIC.
>> KATE BROWN TALKED ABOUT
YESTERDAY IN HER UPDATE THE FACT
THAT THERE ARE SOME CONCRETE
NEEDS THE STATE NEEDS,
PARTICULARLY PEOPLE POWER THAT
YOU DON’T HAVE ENOUGH
FIREFIGHTERS RIGHT NOW.
ARE THERE CONCRETE THINGS THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CAN OR SHOULD
BE DOING RIGHT NOW THAT THEY ARE
NOT.
>> YES.
THE GOVERNOR HAD REACHED OUT AND
ASKED IF WE COULD GET THE FUNDS
FOR TRAINING AND TWO MORE TEAMS
OF 125 NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS.
AND GUT RESPONSE WAS THAT
WOULDN’T BE POSSIBLE.
MY TEAM SPENT YESTERDAY WORKING
THAT ISSUE.
WE DID GET THE FUNDING APPROVED.
BUT I’LL TELL YOU, HERE’S THE
CHALLENGE.
WITH SO MANY FIRES ACROSS THE
COUNTRY, THE TRAINERS ARE HARD
TO GET AND THE CREW CHIEFS ARE
HARD TO GET.
SO WE GOT THE MONEY, BUT WE
STILL GOT SOME WORK TO DO TO GET
THAT ADDITIONAL 250 NATIONAL
GUARD UP AND RUNNING.
>> SO I ALSO HAVE TO ASK ABOUT
HOW YOU’RE MANAGING THIS.
I SEE FOLKS BEHIND YOU.
YOU ARE IN AN OUT DOOR AREA.
OBVIOUSLY AIR QUALITY IS VERY
BAD, SO BEING OUTDOOR IS NOT
IDEAL, BUT WE’RE IN THE MIDST OF
A PANDEMIC.
HOW ARE YOU MANAGING, HOW IS THE
STATE MANAGING TO DEAL WITH THE
PEOPLE THAT ARE BEING EVACUATED?
>> WHAT THE STATE IS DOING IS
TRYING TO PUT EVERYONE INTO
HOTEL ROOMS.
SO IT IS A LOT OF HOTEL ROOMS
EMPTY BECAUSE OF THE COVID
CRISIS.
AND GETTING THAT DISTANCE -- I
DID VISIT A VERY, VERY LARGE
GOVERNMENT FACILITY TODAY THAT
HAS WIDELY SPACED CLOTS IN IT,
SO IT IS CONGREGATE CAPABILITY
THERE.
THEY CAN’T GET A HOTEL ROOM.
BUT BY AND LARGE, THEY’RE ABLE
TO GET FOLKS UNDERCOVER INTO
HOTEL ROOMS FOR RIGHT NOW.
IF THERE IS ANOTHER SURGE OF
REFUGEES FOR THE FIRE, EVACUEES,
THEN THAT WON’T BE POSSIBLE.
BUT FOR RIGHT NOW IT IS.
>> WHAT IS YOUR ANTICIPATION OF
THE TRAJECTORY OF THIS?
IS THE EXPECTATION NOW THAT THIS
IS GOING TO GROW AND GET WORSE?
I KNOW THERE WERE TWO FIRES IN
THE COUNTY THAT LOOK LIKE THEY
MIGHT THREATEN TO MERGE.
WHERE IS THIS GOING RIGHT NOW AS
BEST AS YOU AND THE EXPERTS CAN
TELL?
>> WELL, SO WE HAD THESE
TREMENDOUS WINDS COME UP LAST
MONDAY EVENING AND THEN ON
THROUGH TUESDAY AND PROBABLY
THROUGH WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY.
BUT BY THURSDAY NOON, YESTERDAY
NOON, THEY PRETTY MUCH STOPPED.
AND THE ANTICIPATION NOW IS
THINGS ARE COOLER.
THERE IS A LAYER THAT’S KEEPING
THINGS PRETTY QUIET AND WE’RE
EXPECTING THE WIND TO REVERSE
AND START RUNNING FROM WEST TO
EAST PUSHING THE FIRES OR
KEEPING THE FIRES AWAY FROM THE
POPULATION ZONES AS IT’S BEEN
APPROACHING.
SO HOPEFULLY IF THE WIND
CONDITIONS STAY AS IT HAS BEEN
THE LAST 24 HOURS, WE MIGHT BE
THROUGH THE WORST OF THE RAGING
FIRES COMING ROLLING DOWN THE
VALLEY.
>> AND THERE WERE SOME CONCERN
ABOUT PORTLAND.
IT SEEMS TO ME LIKE THAT’S --
PORTLAND HAS NEVER BEEN
EVACUATED FROM WILD FIRES
BEFORE.
THE LARGEST POPULATION CENTER IN
YOUR STATE.
IS THE EXPECTATION THAT IF THE
WINDS SHIFT IN THAT WAY THAT
PORTLAND WILL BE ABLE TO NOT
HAVE TO EVACUATE?
>> RIGHT NOW WE’RE THINKING
PORTLAND WILL BE FINE.
THE FIRE WAS APPROACHING TOWNS
ON THE SUBURBAN OUTLYING AREAS.
BUT THAT SEEMS TO HAVE CALMED
DOWN.
SO FOR RIGHT NOW WE’RE PRETTY
HOPEFUL.
>> I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT A
NEWS STORY.
THERE HAS BEEN A FEW NEWS
STORIES ABOUT THIS, ABOUT LOCAL
LAW ENFORCEMENT IN VARIOUS
COUNTIES IN OREGON HAVING TO
ISSUE NOTICES TO PEOPLE ABOUT A
VIRAL MEME THAT WAS GOING AROUND
THAT ANTIFA HAD SET THE FIRES OR
THEY WERE COMING TO LOOT.
THERE IS QUOTES FROM PEOPLE
SAYING THEY’RE NOT GOING TO
LEAVE BECAUSE I HAVE ALREADY
HEARD REPORTS THAT ANTIFA IS
COMING TO TOWN TO LOOT.
HOW MUCH OF AN ISSUE HAS THIS
BEEN AS FAR AS BEING ABLE TO
EVACUATE PEOPLE?
>> THAT VIRAL RUMOR WENT
EVERYWHERE.
AND IT WAS JUST SO REGRETFUL
THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE
SETTING UP THIS EFFORT TO
REALLIDY VID PEOPLE AGAINST EACH
OTHER IN THE MIDDLE OF A CRISIS
LIKE THIS.
WE HAD ASKED THE AUTHORITIES ANY
EVIDENCE OF ANY KIND OF
EXTREMIST GROUPS SETTING ANY OF
THESE FIRES.
THEIR ANSWER WAS ABSOLUTELY NO
EVIDENCE OF ANY KIND.
IT WAS A COMPLETE CONSPIRACY
THESIS THAT SOMEONE DECIDED TO
STIR PEOPLE UP, FUEL THE HEYATRE
AND DIVISION OVER THE WEB.
I’M GLAD THE LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCIES ARE SETTING THE RECORD
STRAIGHT.
>>> FINAL QUESTION FOR YOU.
YOU HAVE BEEN OUTSPOKEN ON
CLIMATE.
IT LOOKS LIKE WE MAY HAVE
ACTUALLY LOST YOU THERE, SENATOR
JEFF MERKLEY THERE.
I THINK WE HAVE YOU, SENATOR.
FINAL QUESTION ON SOMEONE WHO
HAS BEEN VERY OUTSPOKEN ON
CLIMATE, WHAT THIS URGENCY THAT
YOU FEEL IN THE WAKE OF THIS
WHEN YOU GO BACK TO WASHINGTON
ON THIS ISSUE.
>> OH.
THIS JUST PUTS AN EXPLANATION
POINT ON IT ALL.
WE HAVE SEEN THE SNOW PACK IN
THE CASCADES.
WE HAVE FIRES IN MARCH, ONES
THAT COME IN NOVEMBER.
IT IS AFFECTING THE FARMING, THE
FISHING, THE FORESTRY, SO THIS
IS NOT AN URBAN ISSUE VERSUS
RULE.
THIS IS LIKE ATTACKING THE
FOUNDATION OF THE RURAL ECONOMY.
IT IS AFFECTING THE QUALITY OF
LIFE OF THE OREGON WORLD.
WE HAVE TO ALL TEAM UP TOGETHER,
AND REALLY HAVE AN INCREDIBLY
ROBUST EFFORT TO PIVOT NEXT YEAR
IN 2021 HAVE A MASSIVE NATIONAL
EFFORT AND PUT AMERICA BACK IN
THE LEADERSHIP OF THE WORLD,
BRINGING THE REST OF THE WORLD
FORWARD.