WE DO THIS PROGRAM TO TALK ABOUT WHAT IS RIGHT AND WRONG IN
THE WORLD, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS WRONG IN OUR WORLD, HERE
IN THE UNITED STATES, IS HAPPENING IN NORTH DAKOTA.
PEOPLE ñ MOST NOTABLY TRIBES ñ IN NORTH DAKOTA ARE
PROTESTING WHAT IS BEING BUILT.
FIRSTLY WHAT IS BEING BUILT, AND
SECONDLY THAT IT IS BEING BUILT NEXT TO THEIR WATER SUPPLY,
IS BEING ENDANGERED.
THESE PROTESTERS, WHICH IS A NICE THING TO CALL WATER
PROTECTORS, ARE LITERALLY PROTECTING THEIR WATER.
AND LAST NIGHT, IN WHAT I WOULD SAY ONE OF ñ
IS ONE OF THE CLIMAXES IN THIS ENTIRE INTERACTION, THE
POLICE HAVE COME DOWN VERY HARD.
THEY CAME DOWN VERY HARD LAST NIGHT WITH WATER CANNONS,
WITH RUBBER BULLETS, TEAR GAS AND PEPPER SPRAY.
LET'S LOOK AT THE INTENSIFYING POLICE PRESENCE IN NORTH DAKOTA.
THIS IS A MEDIC.
SO BASICALLY WE HAVE WATER CANNONS THAT ARE AIMS
TOWARDS OUR WATER PROTECTORS, SO WE ARE HAVING SEVERE CASES
OF HYPOTHERMIA.
THEY ARE AIMING FOR PEOPLE'S HANDS.
I HAD ñ I TOOK ONE PATIENT THAT HAD THE SKIN SHOT OFF HIS
FINGERS, SO IT WAS DOWN TO THE BONE.
THEY ARE ALSO AIMING FOR THE HEADS.
THERE WAS ANOTHER BROTHER WHO GOT SHOT IN THE HEAD ñ
VIDEO BUFFERING ñ
AND WAS LOSING CONSCIOUSNESS.
IN THE HEAD BY RUBBER BULLETS ñ
VIDEO BUFFERING ñ
I KNOW WE'RE NOT THERE, BUT HE STATED STUFF FOR US.
IF YOU DIDN'T CATCH THAT IN THE BEGINNING, IT WAS A MEDIC
WHO IS TREATING SOME OF THE INJURIES.
UNAWARE OF THIS HAS BEEN MOST OF THE NATIONAL NEWS MEDIA.
I THINK MAYBE UNTIL LAST NIGHT, AND IN SOME LESSER SEEN PLACES,
AND IN THE REGULARITY IN THE PLACES THAT IT HADN'T BEEN
COVERED, AND THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE ELECTION AND THE
PRIORITIZATION OF SOMETHING LIKE THIS, THIS IS A REAL STORY
AND THIS IS AN US VERSUS THEM STORY THAT IS HAPPENING.
JIMMY, YOU FOLLOW THE STORY AND YOU'VE BEEN VOCAL ABOUT IT'S FOR
QUITE A WHILE ñ LONGER THAN MOST PEOPLE IN THE MEDIA ñ BUT, DO
YOU THINK IT HAS REACHED NOW A POINT WHERE, SOMETHING LIKE LAST
NIGHT HAD TO HAPPEN, UNFORTUNATELY, TO GET THE
ATTENTION OF PEOPLE IN THE MEDIA?
I'M SURPRISED IT HASN'T GOTTEN MORE ATTENTION, HONESTLY.
I HOPE THIS GETS IT.
THIS IS ALWAYS WHAT GETS IT MORE ATTENTION, BUT YOU KNOW,
I'M REALLY NOT HEARTENED BY IT.
OF COURSE THERE WAS GOING TO BE MORE VIOLENCE, BECAUSE THESE
PEOPLE ARE GOING AWAY AND THEY'RE GOING TO BUILD THAT
PIPELINE.
THEY ARE GOING UP AGAINST THE MOST POWERFUL INTERESTS IN
THE WORLD, AND NOW THEY HAVE THE POWER OF ARMED GOVERNMENT
BEHIND THEM.
PRESIDENT OBAMA PREVIOUSLY HAD SAID THAT THEY WERE LOOKING AT,
EITHER REROUTING PIPELINE, OR DOING DIFFERENT INSTRUCTION TO
CHANGE THE PIPELINE.
AND EMPOWERED, BY THE ELECTION OR NOT, THERE ARE PEOPLE
WHO ARE IN CHARGE OF THIS PIPELINE, WHO ARE BUILDING
THIS PIPELINE, WHO SAY NO, THIS IS GOING TO GO ON AS PLANNED.
DO WE KNOW IF THAT IS TRUE?
AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE CRITICIZED THE QUEST ñ
CHRIS ñ CRITICIZE THE PRESIDENT HAVE CRITICIZED HIM FOR NOT
TALKING ABOUT THIS, FOR NOT MAKING AN ISSUE OUT OF THIS.
IF HE WERE IN FACT BEHIND-THE-SCENES WORKING TO
REROUTE IT, AND DOING THE DIPLOMACY THAT HE HAS BEEN
GIVEN TO DO, RATHER THAN STANDING AND SPEAKING ABOUT
IT ON OCCASION, IS THAT POSSIBLE?
IS THAT ANYTHING IN THE WORKS STILL?
I HAVEN'T LEARNED ANYTHING ñ I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
JORDAN CHARITON HAS BEEN OUT THERE.
I HAVE ANYTHING, YOU KNOW FROM JORDAN TO WES.
JORDAN CHARITON IS A CORRESPONDENT, AND WES CLARK.
NO, TO ME THIS IS REMINISCENT OF OFFSITE ñ OF OCCUPY WALL STREET
WHEN OBAMA JUST LET IT HAPPEN, AND IN WISCONSIN WITH THE
TEACHERS UNION.
HE'S BEEN VERY SILENT ON IT.
WHEN HE TALKED ABOUT IT BEFORE, I SAID HE WAS VERY SLEEPY.
I THOUGHT HE HAS BEEN VERY QUIET ON IT, AND HE SAID HE WAS GONNA
GIVE IT A FEW WEEKS TO LET THINGS PLAY OUT AFTER BOTH
SIDES DEMONSTRATED NONVIOLENCE.
I GET SO, I DON'T EVEN WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS, WHEN I SAW IT
CAME OUT, THIS HURTS ME, BECAUSE I JUST KNOW HOW IT'S GOING
TO END UP, AND IT'S ENDING UP RIGHT NOW.
ALL THESE HARD STORIES ARE SO HARD TO TALK ABOUT.
CHARLES PIERCE, WHO WRITES FOR ESQUIRE, HE WROTE TODAY,
ACCORDING TO FOOTAGE THERE ARE POLICE ATROCITIES GOING ON
AT STANDING ROCK.
HE MADE REFERENCE TO EDMUND PETTUS BRIDGE.
VIDEO BUFFERING ñ
WHEN YOU ARE FIRING BULLETS AND USING A WATER CANNON, THAT FEELS
LIKE THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT MORE TO ME.
AND THAT'S GALVANIZING, I HOPE, BECAUSE IT JUST IS AN OBVIOUS
MOMENTS WHERE THE SITUATION ISN'T FAIR, AND WHEN THE
RESPONSE ñ AND WE NEED CAMERAS THERE, THAT'S THE THING.
AND YOU NEED COVERAGE.
WE ALL BEMOAN THE QUALITY OF CABLE NOTE ñ
OF CABLE NEWS JOURNALISM, AND WE SHOULD, BUT IT'S NOT
TOTALLY NERVOUS ñ IT'S NOT TOTALLY WORTHLESS.
REGULAR COVERAGE OF IT, I IMAGINE WOULD HELP.
OTHER COUNTRY STARTED PAYING ATTENTION WHEN THEY
ACTUALLY HAD TO FOOTAGE.
AT THAT TIME IT WAS PHOTOGRAPHS AND NEWSREELS.
AND IT WAS NEWS.
THAT WAS A BIGGER MOVEMENT.
IT WASN'T AS EASY TO DISMISS AS ñ
FIRST OF ALL, A LOT OF THINGS WORKED AGAINST PROTESTERS HERE.
ONE, THE BIGGEST ELECTION OF OUR LIFETIME, IN TERMS OF COVERAGE,
INTEREST, AND ITS MERE PLACEMENT.
THE AMERICAN SOUTH IS A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE GO, NOBODY GOES
INTO THIS PLACE.
IT'S REMOTE, THERE'S NO BIG MARKET NEARBY.
SO ALL OF THAT WORK AGAINST IT.
NOW THE ELECTION IS OVER, BUT HONESTLY THIS ñ
EVERYTHING THIS GUY DOES IS NEWS.
HIS WIFE AND KIDS ñ
HIS WIFE AND KID ARE GOING TO MOVE INTO THE WHITE HOUSE.
ALTHOUGH, IMAGINE IF BILL CLINTON WAS GOING TO MOVE
INTO THE WHITE HOUSE, IT WOULD BE THE TOP STORY.
BUT IT'S ALL GOING TO HAPPEN, AND WE ARE FOCUSING ON OTHER
THINGS, NOT THIS WHERE THERE IS HONESTLY THE WINDOW OF A HOLIDAY
SEASON, AND THE INEVITABILITY OF TRUMP'S ELECTION AND
SWEARING-IN BY THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE.
IF IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN, IT HAS TO HAPPEN NOW, BUT THESE ARE
LITERALLY THE MOST ñ THE LEAST POWERFUL PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY,
AND FIGHTING ARGUABLY THE MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY.
AND NOT TO COMPARE TO THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, BUT THE
PETTUS BRIDGE WAS A FLASHPOINT FOR IT.
IF IT IS GOING TO GET ATTENTION, IT NOW SHE GET ATTENTION.
HERE IS A MAN WHO IS ACTUALLY HIT IN THE HEAD IN NORTH
DAKOTA BY A RUBBER BULLET.
WE GOT WATER?
BUT ONLY ONE.
OH YEAH, THE WHITE TAHOE.
THERE'S A BLANKET RIGHT BEHIND THERE.
IT JUST PUSHED THE WATER UNDER MY SKIN.
DOES ANYONE HAVE A FLASHLIGHT?
TEARGAS HITTING THE CROWD.
THIS MAN WAS SHOT WITH A RUBBER BULLET.
LUCKY TO BE ALIVE.
BRO.
YOU'RE A HERO.
ADDITIONALLY, REALLY REALLY COLD.
YEAH, YOU'RE SPRAYING WATER ON THEM.
SO YEAH, AS THE MEDIC SAID, THERE'S HYPOTHERMIA CASES, IT'S
NOT HARD TO IMAGINE THAT WHEN IT'S 20∞ OUTSIDE AND YOU
GET SPRAYED WITH WATER THERE IS GOING TO BE SOME HYPOTHERMIA.
IT'S NOT LIKE YOU CAN JUST RUN TO A HOTEL, THE NEAREST
HOTEL IS ABOUT 30 MILES AWAY.
THE CITIZEN JOURNALISM HAS BEEN GREAT, WHAT WE NEED IS FOR THE
MAINSTREAM JOURNALISM TO ACCEPT THIS.
WHAT THE CITIZEN JOURNALISM CAN DO IS GO TO WHOEVER FIRED THE
WATER CANNONS AND THE RUBBER BULLETS AND SAY, WHY DID YOU
FIRE THE WATER CANNONS AND THE RUBBER BULLETS?
THEORETICALLY, CNN, NBC, THOSE KINDS OF PLACES CAN, AND SO
THEY NEED TO DO IT AND I HOPE THAT WILL CHANGE THE NATURE
OF THE STORY.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THEIR RELUCTANCE IS?
I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW.
IT SEEMED LIKE, IT SEEMED LIKE A MARGINAL STORY TO A LOT OF
PEOPLE FOR A LONG TIME.
THEY ARE NOT GOING TO TAKE SOMEONE OFF COVERING THE
ELECTION ñ
VIDEO BUFFERING ñ
BUT, WHATEVER THE REASONS BEFORE, IT HAPPENED.
I DON'T THINK THEY ARE CONSPIRATORIAL, I THINK THEY
HAVE TO BELIEVE THIS IS A RELATIVE STORY TO AMERICANS, BUT
AT SOME POINT YOUR JOB IS TO BOTH REPORT ON THE NEWS AND
ALERT TO BEEF ñ ALERT PEOPLE TO WHAT IS THE NEWS AS WELL.
AT SOME POINT AS JOURNALISTS YOU SAY AMERICANS ARE
INTERESTED IN THIS BUT THEY OUGHT TO BE INTERESTED IN
THIS, AND YOU GO COVER IT.
AND THIS IS A STORY THAT GENERALLY THE NEWS WOULD MOVE ON
FROM PRETTY QUICKLY ONCE IT WAS OVER, AND THAT'S PART OF THE
PROBLEM WITH THESE PIPELINES, IT TURNS OUT, THEY JUST GO FOR A
MOMENT TO MOMENT, AND THEY KEEP GETTING BUILT, AND THEY COVER
THEM FOR A MINUTE AND NOW THE STORIES OLD.
BECAUSE I REALLY HE WAS OCCUPIED BY FOR A WHILE BEFORE THE
ELECTION, SO BEN IS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, IT'S THE
ABILITY OF PEOPLE WATCHING TO FOCUS, AND THE ABILITY OF
PEOPLE TO PUT IT ON THE AIR AND THINK IT'S INTERESTING NEWS.
PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO WATCH THE PRESIDENT-ELECT EITHER, SO I
THINK THEY ARE HUNGERING FOR ANOTHER NEW STORY.
THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS WAS
GOING TO LOOK TO SEE, WHAT,
WHETHER THERE WAS A THREAT TO THE STANDING ROCK SIOUX WATER?
THERE WAS AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT THING AND THEY ARE STILL
HOLDING OFF ON THEIR FINAL DECISION.
AND THEY ARE WAITING FOR TALKS WITH THEM, THE COURT AND
THE ARMY ENGINEERS.
AS THE ARMY GOES FORWARD, AND ALSO TO SEE WHETHER THE BURIAL
GROUND WAS DISRUPTED.
TO SEE WHETHER IT WOULD.
AND THEN OBAMA IS SAYING, MAYBE WE SHOULD TAKE THESE THINGS
INTO ACCOUNT IN THE FIRST PLACE.
YES, YOU SHOULD TAKE THEM INTO ACCOUNT IN THE FIRST PLACE,
BUT OKAY YOU ARE TAKING THEM INTO ACCOUNT NOW.
SO, SINCE THAT'S HAPPENING, IN A SANE WORLD, THE COMPANY
WOULD JUST WAIT.
IN A SANE WORLD.
THEY WOULD SEND EVERYBODY HOME AND COVER ALL THEIR STUFF WITH A
TARP, OR WHATEVER IT IS YOU DO WHEN YOU ARE BUILDING A
PIPELINE, YOU WOULD WAIT FOR WORD.
THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE, UNLIKE WHAT BERNIE SANDERS HAS TO
SAY, WHICH YOU WILL GET TO IN A MOMENT ñ
WHICH IS, DON'T BUILD THE PIPELINE AT ALL.
WHEN YOU GET TO THE STANDING ROCK ISSUE, MOST OF THEM
JUST WANTED MOVED.
1ST AND FOREMOST, NOBODY SEEMS TO BE TALKING ABOUT, NOT
BUILDING IT AT ALL.
THIS IS AN EMINENT DOMAIN ISSUE AT ITS CORE, AND THE PEOPLE WHO
ARE BEING EMINENT DOMAIN'D HERE ARE THE STANDING ROCK
SIOUX, NOT TO MENTION OTHER TRIBES THERE AS WELL.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SENT PEOPLE THERE LAST MONTH,
YOU KNOW, TO MAKE SURE ñ
VIDEO BUFFERING ñ
THAT SHOULDN'T HAPPEN HERE.
AND I BELIEVED FOR A LONG TIME THAT THAT SORT OF THING
WOULDN'T HAPPEN HERE, THAT WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT.
BUT THE POLICE, BECAUSE OF THE REMOTE NATURE OF IT, AND
BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF CAMERAS, UNQUESTIONABLY ARE
EMBOLDENED BECAUSE THERE'S NOBODY CHECKING THEM.
AND I'M SURE THE COMPANY SAID, WE DON'T HAVE TO IMAGINE ñ HEY,
CLEAR THESE GUYS OUT GOD DAMMIT, AND GET THEM OUT OF HERE BECAUSE
WHEN WE GET THAT REPORT, I DON'T WANT TO WAIT FIVE MINUTES, WE
ARE DRILLING, WE ARE CONSTRUCTING DOTS AND TO
CONSTRUCT, OBVIOUSLY WE CAN'T KILL PEOPLE, THAT WILL BE A
PROBLEM.
THAT WILL COST US, SO CLEAR THOSE PEOPLE OUT.
AND BECAUSE THERE'S NO SIGNIFICANT MEDIA PRESENCE
THERE, BECAUSE IT'S ALL PEOPLE LIKE AUGUST WHITE, AND GOD
BLESS HIM, THE COMPANY I'M SURE FELT EMPOWERED AND
EMBOLDENED TO BEHAVE IN THAT WAY.
AND MY GUESS IS THEY ARE PATTING THEMSELVES ON THE BACK.
I'M GUESSING SOMEWHERE THERE'S A CONVERSATION, WE DIDN'T USE
REAL BULLETS, WE USED RUBBER BULLETS.
WE SHOT THEM WITH WATER.
THERE WAS A STORY A WEEK AND A HALF AGO ABOUT TWO POLICE
OFFICERS WHO QUIT, THERE WAS REPORTS THAT THEY HAD SAID THAT
THEY WERE ABOUT TO TURN IN THEIR BADGE BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T
APPROVE OF THE VIOLENCE BEING USED.
AND PEOPLE WERE LIKE, ISN'T THAT GOOD?
AND I WAS LIKE, NO THAT'S BAD BECAUSE THOSE TWO GOOD GUYS AREN’T
THERE ANYMORE AND THEY ARE GOING TO BE REPLACED BY TWO BAD GUYS.
SO WHATEVER BUT HE WAS ACTUALLY HAPPY ABOUT THAT STORY I
WAS LIKE, NO THIS IS ACTUALLY A BAD STORY BECAUSE NOW WE
HAVE MORE MANIACS OUT THERE.
UNLESS THAT STORY GETS COVERED IN THE WAY THAT YOU HOPE IT
WOULD BE COVERED, THEN YOU WOULD HOPE THAT THOSE GUYS WOULD
BECOME SPOKESMEN ON THE AIR AND IT WOULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
BUT THE RIGHT, IF YOU JUST WALKED AWAY ñ
VIDEO BUFFERING ñ
YOU WOULDN'T WRITE A SCENE FOR A MOVIE CALLED THE SPANISH ñ
THERE'S A BIG SHIP SINKING AT THE END AND THEY WERE LIKE,
THAT'S TOO EXPENSIVE, JUST WRITE A DIFFERENT SCENE.
AND THEY WERE LIKE, YOU DO IT.