ARRESTS.
ARRESTS. IT WAS ENTIRELY PEACEFUL BUT
THINGS WERE NOT PEACEFUL.
>> ON FRIDAY NIGHT.
THAT BRINGS US TO OUR BIG STORY
WHICH IS PORTLAND STATUS AS AN
ANARCHIST JURISDICTION AT LEAST
IN THE EYES OF THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION WHO MADE THAT
TERM TOTALLY UP.
THE PRESIDENT HAS MADE IT CLEAR
THOUGH HE IS TIRED OF THE
PROTESTS BECAUSE HE'S SO TIRED
HE'S SLAPPING THREE AMERICAN
CITIES WITH THAT LABEL AND
THREATENING TO WITHHOLD FEDERAL
FUNDS FROM THEM WHICH FUNDING
YOU'RE PROBABLY ASKING?
WELL, THAT'S NOT EXACTLY CLEAR.
WHEN MIGHT HAPPEN?
THAT'S THE NATURAL FOLLOW UP.
HE'S NOT SAYING DOES HE HAVE
THE POWER TO DO THIS?
>> WELL, MOST LEGAL EXPERTS SAY
NO, HE DOES NOT.
BUT THAT HAS NOT STOPPED HIM
BEFORE AND THE LEADERS OF THESE
CITIES ON THE ANARCHIST
JURISDICTION LIST ARE PUSHING
BACK.
BACK.
BACK. HERE'S MAGGIE VESTMENT
PORTLANDS BEEN BURNING FOR MANY
YEARS.
YEARS.
YEARS. >>
YEARS. >> FOR DECADES IT'S BEEN
BURNING.
BURNING.
BURNING. >> AFTER MONTHS OF LAUNCHING
FIERY CRITIQUES AT PORTLAND,
ITS PROTESTS AND ITS
LEADERSHIP, THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION IS DOUBLING DOWN
ON THREATS TO WITHHOLD FEDERAL
FUNDING FROM THE CITY.
>> IN A NEWS RELEASE MONDAY
MORNING, THE DEPARTMENT
OF JUSTICE DUBBED PORTLAND
ALONG WITH SEATTLE AND NEW YORK
CITY JURISDICTIONS THAT ARE
PERMITTING ANARCHY, VIOLENCE
AND DISTRUCTION.
AND DISTRUCTION. THE RELEASE GAVE REASONS FOR
INCLUDING EACH CITY IN PORTLAND
THAT INCLUDED AMONG OTHER
THINGS MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED
NIGHTS OF PROTESTS.
DOZENS WHICH TURNED VIOLENT OR
DISTRUCTIVE.
DISTRUCTIVE. ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM BARR
QUOTED IN THE RELEASE SAYING WE
CANNOT ALLOW FEDERAL TAX
DOLLARS TO BE WASTED WHEN THE
SAFETY OF THE CITIZENRY HANGS
IN THE BALANCE.
>> LOCAL LEGAL EXPERTS ZEROED
IN ON WHAT SOME NOT INCLUDED IN
THE RELEASE.
THE RELEASE. >> WELL, WHAT I FOUND
SURPRISING IS THAT THE LIST
OF CITIES CAME BEFORE DETAILING
WHAT THE TANGIBLE REPERCUSSIONS
MIGHT BE.
MIGHT BE.
MIGHT BE. WE STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT KIND
OF GRANT PROGRAMS THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION IS THINKING
ABOUT TARGETING.
ABOUT TARGETING. >> INDEED, EARLIER THIS MONTH
THE PRESIDENT ISSUED A
MEMORANDUM THREATENING TO CUT
FEDERAL GRANTS TO A NUMBER
OF CITIES WRITING THE FEDS FUND
A WIDE ARRAY OF PROGRAMS SUCH
AS HOUSING, PUBLIC
TRANSPORTATION, JOB TRAINING
AND SOCIAL SERVICES.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, OUR EXPERTS
POINT OUT WITHHOLDING FUNDS IS
A CONSTITUTIONAL POWER
OF CONGRESS, NOT THE PRESIDENT.
>> IT'LL BE TOUGH, THEY SAY,
FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP TO ARGUE
THAT HE HAS THIS POWER.
SECOND, THERE IS A LINE
OF SUPREME COURT JURISPRUDENCE
THAT SAYS THAT THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT CAN ONLY INFLUENCE
SO MUCH STATE POLICY OR LOCAL
POLICY.
POLICY.
POLICY. >> THE BIG EXAMPLE OF THAT
WOULD BE WHEN CONGRESS TRIED TO
EXPAND MEDICAID FOR ALL 50
STATES AS PART OF THE
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT OR
OBAMACARE AS IT'S OFTEN CALLED
AND THE SUPREME COURT STRUCK
THAT DOWN BY SAYING THAT WELL,
CONGRESS CAN'T MAKE STATES
EXPAND MEDICAID.
EXPAND MEDICAID. >> OTHER EXPERTS WE SPOKE TO
CITED THE PRESIDENT'S 2017
ATTEMPT TO CUT FEDERAL FUNDS TO
SANCTUARY CITIES AND STATES
DEMANDING THEY ENFORCE FEDERAL
IMMIGRATION POLICIES THAT
ATTEMPT HAS BEEN TIED UP IN THE
COURTS SINCE LEWIS AND CLARK
LAW PROFESSOR TONGUE IN SAID
OF COURSE THAT COULD HAPPEN
AGAIN IF IT DOES.
I WOULD RATHER HAVE THE SIDE
OF SORTS OF PORTLAND IN THAT
LITIGATIONS ARGUE THAT THIS ANY
CUTS IN FUNDING LIKE THAT WOULD
BE UNCONSTITUTIONAL.
BE UNCONSTITUTIONAL. >> BUT LITIGATION COULD TAKE A
LONG TIME TO WORK THROUGH.
AND SO FOR NONPROFIT GROUPS AND
THE PEOPLE WHO BENEFIT FROM
THOSE WHO ARE RELYING ON THAT
FUNDING TO TELL THEM, YOU KNOW,
IN THREE OR FOUR YEARS YOU'LL
PROBABLY WIN THE CASE.
I'M SURE IT'S NOT GOING TO BE
OF GREAT COMFORT AT ALL.
>> OK.
>> OK.
>> OK. >>
>> OK. >> MAGGIE VSP JOINING US NOW.
MAGGIE DOES FEEL LIKE THERE'S
SO MUCH UP IN THE AIR HERE YOU
HAVE THIS OMINOUS THREAT FROM
THE PRESIDENT.
THE PRESIDENT. HE'S SAYING HE'S GOING TO
WITHHOLD FUNDS.
WITHHOLD FUNDS. EXPERTS ARE TELLING HE CAN'T DO
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. IT
THAT. IT ALMOST SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING
THAT IS PROBABLY HEADED TO A
COURTROOM SOMEWHERE BEFORE WE
LEARN MUCH MORE.
BUT IF WE.
ARE WE HEARING FROM THE LEADERS
OF THESE CITIES THE MAYOR
OF PORTLAND, FOR INSTANCE, YEAH
.
.
. WELL,
. WELL, WE'LL START WITH THE
MAYOR OF PORTLAND AND MAYOR TED
WHEELER.
WHEELER.
WHEELER. WHEN PRESIDENT TRUMP FIRST KIND
OF LOBBED THESE THREATS ON
TWITTER.
TWITTER.
TWITTER. MAYOR TED WHEELER A COUPLE
OF WEEKS WAS AT A PUBLIC EVENT
AND REPORTERS APPROACHED HIM
ABOUT IT AND HIS FIRST REACTION
WAS TO SAY, YOU KNOW, I CAN'T
KEEP TRACK OF EVERYTHING DONALD
TRUMP TWEETS, TWEETS A LOT.
BUT THEN HE WENT ON TO SAY HE
OBVIOUSLY HAD SEEN THE
STATEMENT AND THE TWEET AND HE
SAID IT MADE HIM REALLY MAD
BECAUSE THE PRESIDENT WAS KIND
WE SAID VAGUELY THREATENING I'M
FUNDING TIED TO HOUSING FUNDING
TIED TO FOOD AND FUNDING TIED
TO THESE ESSENTIAL SERVICES AT
A TIME WHEN WE'RE IN A PANDEMIC
AND THERE'S RECORD
UNEMPLOYMENT.
UNEMPLOYMENT. SO FAST FORWARD TO TODAY.
THE MAYOR CALLED THE DOJ
DESIGNATION QUOTE THOROUGHLY
POLITICAL AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL
THEN REFERENCING THE PANDEMIC
AGAIN.
AGAIN.
AGAIN. HE
AGAIN. HE ADDED QUOTE WHAT THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION IS ENGAGING IN
NOW IS MORE OF WHAT WE'VE SEEN
ALL ALONG SHIRKING
RESPONSIBILITY AND PLACING
BLAME ELSEWHERE TO COVER ITS
FAILURE.
FAILURE.
FAILURE. END QUOTE.
END QUOTE. AND WE'RE HEARING SIMILAR
RESPONSE FROM CITY LEADERS IN
SEATTLE AND NEW YORK.
AND THEN TODAY ALSO THE
ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE STATE
OF NEW YORK ANNOUNCED THAT
SHE'S ALREADY PREPARING A
LAWSUIT IN CASE PRESIDENT TRUMP
TRIES TO GO FORWARD WITH THIS
TIED TO FUNDING IN ANY
CAPACITY.
CAPACITY.
CAPACITY. BUT AGAIN, WHAT WE HEARD FROM
OUR LEGAL EXPERTS, WHAT REALLY
BAFFLES THEM IS THAT THERE NO
DETAILS TIED TO WHAT FUNDING HE
MAY BE TARGETING WHEN THAT
MIGHT HAPPEN.
MIGHT HAPPEN. HOW MUCH OF THE FUNDING MAY BE
TARGETED?
TARGETED?
TARGETED? IT'S JUST THIS LIST OF CITIES
THAT ARE ANARCHIST'S
JURISDICTIONS AND THEN A LIST
OF REASONS WHY EACH CITY IS ON
THAT LIST.
THAT LIST. SO AGAIN, AS YOU SAID, SO MUCH
UP IN THE AIR.
BUT THAT'S JUST