1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,920 Speaker 1: So you got a little Don Lemon update for you here. 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:05,960 Speaker 1: You all remember that there has been massive fallout at 3 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:09,080 Speaker 1: the network over his comments questioning when women are in 4 00:00:09,119 --> 00:00:13,160 Speaker 1: their quote prime and telling people to google it. These 5 00:00:13,200 --> 00:00:15,520 Speaker 1: are the facts something like that, as his female co 6 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:19,800 Speaker 1: hosts were like looking on in horror, and Bobby Harlow 7 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:21,840 Speaker 1: was like, maybe you want to clarify what exactly you 8 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:25,599 Speaker 1: mean by that. Anyway, he was forced to apologize. Chris, 9 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:28,120 Speaker 1: like the head of the network addressed it. Don Lemon 10 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:31,840 Speaker 1: then was off of the morning show on both Friday 11 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:35,400 Speaker 1: and Monday, and I presume Tuesday when we are recording this, 12 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:38,360 Speaker 1: we do have an update. Yesterday the work had come 13 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:40,600 Speaker 1: out that they were actually considering his future at the network, 14 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: like his job was actually on the line. Now we're 15 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:47,800 Speaker 1: hearing he's going to return to CNN on Wednesday. Let 16 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:49,519 Speaker 1: me read you this from the New York Times. He'll 17 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:51,920 Speaker 1: return to his regular morning show role on Wednesday. They 18 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:54,680 Speaker 1: announced a late Monday night I'm sure to the chagrin 19 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 1: of his female co hosts. In a terse seventy five 20 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:01,880 Speaker 1: word memo sent at seven pmc and as chairman Chris 21 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:05,440 Speaker 1: Lickz said, mister Lemon has quote agreed to participate informal 22 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:08,920 Speaker 1: training over his on air behavior and that the network 23 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:12,200 Speaker 1: took this situation very seriously. Quote I sat down with 24 00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:15,760 Speaker 1: Don and had a frank and meaningful conversation, adding, it 25 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,800 Speaker 1: is important to me that CNN balance's accountability with fostering 26 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 1: a culture in which people can own, learn and grow 27 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:25,160 Speaker 1: from their mistakes. His decision to address the matter in 28 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: a memo and the waiting hours of holiday week and 29 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 1: reflected just how large a shadow the episode had cast 30 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:32,040 Speaker 1: over the network. So I guess Don Lemon is sort 31 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:36,240 Speaker 1: of humiliatingly publicly being forced in some sort of sensitivity training. 32 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 1: Is that the idea here couldn't have happened to a 33 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:41,880 Speaker 1: better guy, first of all, and secondly, reading between the 34 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:44,679 Speaker 1: lines of that, it sounds from my perspective like they 35 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 1: couldn't get him out of his contract. Those contract negotiations 36 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:50,600 Speaker 1: are really difficult, especially when you have somebody as high 37 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:53,880 Speaker 1: profile and wealthy and powerful as Don Lemon, even against 38 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 1: something an entity as powerful as CNN, it can be 39 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:59,800 Speaker 1: really difficult. I would assume, and we talked about this yesterday, Crystal, 40 00:01:59,880 --> 00:02:04,120 Speaker 1: that this was almost an opportunity, an exciting opportunity, for 41 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:07,000 Speaker 1: Chris lickt to purge Lemon from the ranks of CNN, 42 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 1: where he's sowing a lot of descent. You can see 43 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:11,160 Speaker 1: that in the tabloid leaks. He doesn't get along with 44 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:13,680 Speaker 1: his co hosts. His show is rated really poorly, and 45 00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:15,799 Speaker 1: that's not just because of his co hosts. Obviously he 46 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:18,400 Speaker 1: plays a role in that. And he's totally out of 47 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:21,040 Speaker 1: step with the Licked brand. He's very much a holdover 48 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:24,720 Speaker 1: from the Zucker era of CNN that Licked is just desperately, 49 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:29,840 Speaker 1: furiously trying to scrub from CNN's new brand. So, especially 50 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:31,800 Speaker 1: when you cross a line on sort of like a 51 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:35,800 Speaker 1: sexual human resources question, you'd think that they would be 52 00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:37,560 Speaker 1: able to get him out of his contract. Maybe they 53 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:39,639 Speaker 1: want to keep Don Lemon. Is there a good argument 54 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:43,240 Speaker 1: for them keeping Don Lemon from a business perspective, Not 55 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 1: one I can see. I mean, I think he's very 56 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 1: expensive and the show that he's on isn't doing well, 57 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 1: So I mean, bottom line is the bottom line here? 58 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:54,480 Speaker 1: I thought this is interesting. The New York Times notes 59 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:57,480 Speaker 1: that the new morning show format was designed to be 60 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:01,160 Speaker 1: a quote mass appeal play New York Times I'm quoting from, 61 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:03,120 Speaker 1: but in its first few months on the air, it 62 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:06,320 Speaker 1: has been anything but its ratings have not kept up 63 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:09,239 Speaker 1: with competitors on MSNBC and Fox News. Tensions have bubbled 64 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:11,520 Speaker 1: up between the co anchors, and the executive producer has 65 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:14,840 Speaker 1: already been replaced. Chrys licked it comes from a morning 66 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:18,040 Speaker 1: show background. The whole idea was, Okay, this is him 67 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 1: really putting his imprint on the network, and they've ended 68 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:25,519 Speaker 1: up by moving you know, deck chairs around here, they've 69 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:28,440 Speaker 1: ended up actually making the product much worse. And while 70 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:35,120 Speaker 1: I personally enjoy the like tense, uncomfortable moments that periodically 71 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:37,440 Speaker 1: get clipped out of the show that we see on 72 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:40,080 Speaker 1: Twitter of them like, you know, clearly despising each other, 73 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:44,320 Speaker 1: that's not comfortable for people to watch as like an 74 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:48,200 Speaker 1: actual morning show viewer. And then with regards to these comments, 75 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:52,720 Speaker 1: I mean, listen, your audience is exactly the women that 76 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:55,119 Speaker 1: you are offending. Such a good point. So that's why 77 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:59,240 Speaker 1: ultimately this was such a big problem, is not because 78 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:01,440 Speaker 1: you know, they really care about like, oh, this was 79 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:05,320 Speaker 1: a writer whatever. He just pissed off their entire audience 80 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:09,040 Speaker 1: basically with these remarks. So they had to do something 81 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:11,520 Speaker 1: to show that they took this seriously and they're like 82 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:14,320 Speaker 1: responding to it. But you know, we'll see how it 83 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:16,560 Speaker 1: all works out, because it's very hard if you have 84 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:21,840 Speaker 1: personalities that don't gell. There's no sensitivity training or whatever 85 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 1: that you can force people to go through that's going 86 00:04:25,279 --> 00:04:28,359 Speaker 1: to fix that. You've got personalities that you know that 87 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:31,760 Speaker 1: aren't working well together. It's not a good morning show vibe. 88 00:04:31,839 --> 00:04:33,920 Speaker 1: The show doesn't know what it is, whether it's supposed 89 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:35,680 Speaker 1: to be just like a news show or whether they're 90 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:37,720 Speaker 1: trying to do some Today's show thing or whatever. It's 91 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:40,920 Speaker 1: very confused, and ultimately that's why it's not working. It's 92 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:45,320 Speaker 1: why I have to drink to get through shows with Ryan. Listen, girl, 93 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 1: do what you gotta do. I support it, but no, 94 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:51,400 Speaker 1: I mean, it's a really good point and Don Lemon 95 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:54,279 Speaker 1: is just so far from what CNN is trying to do. 96 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:56,480 Speaker 1: We were talking yesterday, like there's a time when Don 97 00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 1: Lemon was entertaining like just from a purely like the 98 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:04,800 Speaker 1: respective of theater, the theater of news broadcast. It's like, yeah, 99 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:07,240 Speaker 1: he could do that, but he is just this what 100 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:09,200 Speaker 1: happened to Megan Kelly. By the way, NBC wanted to 101 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:11,360 Speaker 1: get rid of Megan Kelly. They used the fig leaf 102 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:15,000 Speaker 1: excuse of a PC infraction basically to get it out 103 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:17,040 Speaker 1: of the contract. So that's kind of what I expected 104 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:19,800 Speaker 1: to happen with Don Lemon. But it looks like he's 105 00:05:19,839 --> 00:05:22,760 Speaker 1: safer now. He might be more interesting if he just 106 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:27,200 Speaker 1: was like unleashed. Yes, you know, more of this, don't 107 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:32,360 Speaker 1: make a bout of sense. Intimity training, get unplugged. Yeah, 108 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:34,440 Speaker 1: let's just go and go for it. You let Don, 109 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:39,159 Speaker 1: I'm here for it. I'd watched the show. Yeah, it 110 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:42,200 Speaker 1: would be It would at least be more interesting, Crystal. 111 00:05:42,279 --> 00:05:44,560 Speaker 1: Let's take a look at this Washington Post headline and 112 00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:47,160 Speaker 1: of course the story that goes with it. The headline 113 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:50,400 Speaker 1: is perfect in and of itself. A I is starting 114 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:54,520 Speaker 1: to pick who gets laid off. This article is talking 115 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:59,120 Speaker 1: particularly about Google, the master of the algorithm. Imagine that 116 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:03,159 Speaker 1: their algorithm is now getting turned on employees, or their 117 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:06,840 Speaker 1: mastery of algorithms is getting turned on employees. So the 118 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:10,720 Speaker 1: Washington Post reports, days after mass layoffs trimmed twelve thousand 119 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:14,440 Speaker 1: jobs at Google twelve thousand, hundreds of former employees flocked 120 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:17,279 Speaker 1: to an online chat room to commiserate about the seemingly 121 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:22,680 Speaker 1: erratic way that they had suddenly been made redundant. All right, 122 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 1: So there's a theory that quote, a mindless algorithm, carefully 123 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:29,440 Speaker 1: designed not to violate any laws, chose who was staying 124 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:32,520 Speaker 1: and chose who was leaving. Whether or not this actually 125 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:35,000 Speaker 1: happened at Google this time around, it is going to happen, 126 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:38,560 Speaker 1: and it's going to happen in more places than just Google. Amazon. Obviously, 127 00:06:38,760 --> 00:06:43,240 Speaker 1: as we've reported here many times, uses really detailed tracking 128 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:46,960 Speaker 1: and looks at these things through algorithmic means and warehouses 129 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:52,000 Speaker 1: and elsewhere. We are beginning to turn people into quantities 130 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:55,479 Speaker 1: in ways that have happened sure in the past, but 131 00:06:55,560 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 1: not like this. We are commodifying human beings as workers 132 00:07:00,279 --> 00:07:03,800 Speaker 1: in ways that marks may have envisioned but maybe not 133 00:07:03,839 --> 00:07:07,599 Speaker 1: would have predicted would have happened as quickly as it has. 134 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:12,280 Speaker 1: And as just Jericronian in the Dacronian lengths that it's 135 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:15,120 Speaker 1: happened so quickly. Yeah, Well, they report here at January 136 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:18,239 Speaker 1: survey of three hundred human resource leaders at US companies 137 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:20,520 Speaker 1: reveal that ninety eight percent of them say that software 138 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:22,800 Speaker 1: and algorithms are going to help them make layoff decisions 139 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:25,560 Speaker 1: this year. So I mean this is already basically an 140 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:30,480 Speaker 1: industry wide or economy wide practice. And to your point, Emily, 141 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:35,320 Speaker 1: there was already this level of dehumanization that was common 142 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:39,000 Speaker 1: for blue collar workers like the warehouse workers at Amazon, 143 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:41,080 Speaker 1: who have all of their steps in their movements tracked, 144 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:43,720 Speaker 1: and yes they get fired by a notification on an 145 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:48,239 Speaker 1: app like auto notification on an app. And service workers 146 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:51,760 Speaker 1: also treated with that level of dehumanization. Well that's now spreading. 147 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:54,560 Speaker 1: It's not just service workers and blue collar workers, it's 148 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:57,520 Speaker 1: now white collar tech workers as well, who receive this 149 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:03,920 Speaker 1: type of really distant robotic treatment where they are just 150 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:08,360 Speaker 1: another number or another quantity, another line on a balance sheet. So, 151 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:11,920 Speaker 1: you know, I think this is it's not the future, 152 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:17,840 Speaker 1: it's already basically here, and it really reveals just the 153 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:20,680 Speaker 1: way that our economy is not set up to serve 154 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:23,600 Speaker 1: human beings. Ultimately, I think is kind of the bottom 155 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:27,600 Speaker 1: line here. Our economy and our tech sector are just 156 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:30,160 Speaker 1: they're advancing on a rapid clip. Advancing is not even 157 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:32,360 Speaker 1: the right word. That's actually a word that's like euphemistic 158 00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:34,840 Speaker 1: and papers over what's happening, which is not an advancement. 159 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:38,679 Speaker 1: There is no forward progress. It may be new technology 160 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:42,720 Speaker 1: but it's taking us backwards. And that's why it's important 161 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:46,520 Speaker 1: for politicians, especially ascendant politicians who want to, you know, 162 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:49,000 Speaker 1: make a popular splash, to look at laws that are 163 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:52,000 Speaker 1: already on the books that came out of an era 164 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:55,880 Speaker 1: of the Industrial Revolution when people were being commodified in 165 00:08:55,920 --> 00:09:00,720 Speaker 1: new ways. We have laws, for instance, that should make 166 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:06,160 Speaker 1: certain surveillance capitalistic technologies regulated in the workplace. At Davos 167 00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:08,960 Speaker 1: this year, there was a lecture about brain wave monitoring 168 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:11,200 Speaker 1: that employers will be able to use to tell when 169 00:09:11,200 --> 00:09:13,760 Speaker 1: somebody is focused or not. And that's just the tip 170 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:17,959 Speaker 1: of the iceberg. So imagine you're feeding that data into 171 00:09:17,960 --> 00:09:21,200 Speaker 1: an algorithm. I mean, just imagine maybe somebody is grieving 172 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:23,880 Speaker 1: and they're not focused, and that data is getting fed 173 00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:26,640 Speaker 1: into an algorithm that determines who stays and who goes 174 00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:30,040 Speaker 1: in a way that in the past a boss may 175 00:09:30,080 --> 00:09:33,280 Speaker 1: have had a conversation and realize, hey, this person is 176 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:36,120 Speaker 1: going through something tough. I'm not going to do that 177 00:09:36,240 --> 00:09:38,800 Speaker 1: right now because they live in my community and they 178 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:40,560 Speaker 1: go to church with me, or they're in my bowling 179 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:43,480 Speaker 1: league or whatever it is. We are so far removed 180 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:45,680 Speaker 1: from that. When you have computers on a global scale, 181 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:48,720 Speaker 1: making decisions about people they only know as numbers. Yeah, 182 00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:51,360 Speaker 1: and it's happening very fast. Well, and that's part of 183 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:54,800 Speaker 1: the problem with how big everything is. I mean, in 184 00:09:54,080 --> 00:09:57,560 Speaker 1: the scenario you're envisioning where it's like, oh, I know 185 00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:00,520 Speaker 1: this person, they're in my community, were a lot more 186 00:10:00,559 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 1: businesses that were located in the local communities where it 187 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:06,079 Speaker 1: was like you actually cared what happened there, and these 188 00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:08,080 Speaker 1: were your friends and your neighbors, and so you know, 189 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:11,840 Speaker 1: you couldn't go and just like destroy people's lives heartlessly 190 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:14,600 Speaker 1: because you knew these people and they were connected to you, 191 00:10:14,679 --> 00:10:17,080 Speaker 1: and you actually cared about what happened there. But the 192 00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:22,199 Speaker 1: more that industries become these giant conglomerates and giant monopolies, 193 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:25,480 Speaker 1: the more distant they are from the actual human beings 194 00:10:25,640 --> 00:10:27,800 Speaker 1: who are doing the labor that are creating all the profits, 195 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:30,280 Speaker 1: by the way, for the executives and the shareholder class. 196 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:35,559 Speaker 1: So yeah, it's troubling to think about because it's so impersonal, 197 00:10:35,800 --> 00:10:39,280 Speaker 1: it's so cold, it's so lacking any sort I think 198 00:10:39,280 --> 00:10:43,400 Speaker 1: there's also something here about exposing the lie of the 199 00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:45,600 Speaker 1: idea of like the meritocracy that if you do the 200 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:47,400 Speaker 1: right thing, and you work hard, because this is just 201 00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:51,760 Speaker 1: going through very cold, cold bloodedly and like analyzing whether 202 00:10:51,800 --> 00:10:54,199 Speaker 1: you're redundant, and it doesn't really matter whether you're a 203 00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:55,959 Speaker 1: good worker or smart work or a hard worker, a 204 00:10:56,040 --> 00:10:58,480 Speaker 1: nice worker, a good team player or whatever. Yeah, and 205 00:10:58,559 --> 00:11:01,320 Speaker 1: so it also kind of cuts to the core of 206 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:04,040 Speaker 1: our ideas about ourselves and the way that our society 207 00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:07,600 Speaker 1: should function. But does it heighten the contradictions as people 208 00:11:07,679 --> 00:11:11,240 Speaker 1: realize that they're being turned into numbers. There's a question 209 00:11:11,320 --> 00:11:14,280 Speaker 1: to be asked there. I mean, the numbers we all 210 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:16,600 Speaker 1: know that don't tell the full story. Maybe somebody is 211 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:18,920 Speaker 1: a really good leader in the warehouse. Maybe somebody is 212 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:22,120 Speaker 1: a really good leader, you know, in their work team, 213 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:24,200 Speaker 1: whatever it is, maybe even at Mackenzie and they're a 214 00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:27,480 Speaker 1: really good leader. They are good for the working environment, 215 00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:29,640 Speaker 1: they bring up morale, whatever it does. The algorithm is 216 00:11:29,640 --> 00:11:31,480 Speaker 1: not picking up on that. No matter how high tech 217 00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:33,360 Speaker 1: we get, the algorithm is not picking up on that. 218 00:11:33,640 --> 00:11:38,920 Speaker 1: It's human human interaction. That's what makes people's lives meaningful, purposeful, fulfilling. 219 00:11:39,200 --> 00:11:41,560 Speaker 1: And the more the further we stray from that, and 220 00:11:41,679 --> 00:11:43,959 Speaker 1: we're just doing it so fast it's kind of terrifying. 221 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:45,960 Speaker 1: To think of where this goes in one year, let 222 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:53,679 Speaker 1: alone ten. Yeah, very dystopian stuff. Horrifying revelation from federal authorities. 223 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:57,440 Speaker 1: They found more than one hundred kids that we're working 224 00:11:57,559 --> 00:12:01,240 Speaker 1: in slaughterhouses, cleaning slaughterhouses, was in plants across the country. 225 00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:03,120 Speaker 1: That's gone and put this up on the screen. That's 226 00:12:03,120 --> 00:12:05,439 Speaker 1: from the Guardian. The headline here is over one hundred 227 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:09,400 Speaker 1: children illegally employed by US slaughterhouse cleaning firm. Labor Department 228 00:12:09,440 --> 00:12:14,200 Speaker 1: investigation finds Packers Sanitation Services employed children between the ages 229 00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:19,760 Speaker 1: of thirteen and seventeen in eight different states. Some of 230 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:23,360 Speaker 1: the details here are truly horrifying. So they found kids 231 00:12:23,400 --> 00:12:28,080 Speaker 1: were working with hazardous chemicals, they were cleaning processing equipment 232 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:33,200 Speaker 1: including backsaws, brisket saws, and head splitters. At least three 233 00:12:33,240 --> 00:12:36,679 Speaker 1: minor suffered injuries while working for this company. And this 234 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:39,679 Speaker 1: is one of This is not some little side organization. 235 00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:43,520 Speaker 1: This is one of the country's largest food safety sanitation 236 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:47,560 Speaker 1: service providers. They were working at plants owned by Cargill 237 00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:53,160 Speaker 1: Tyson Food JBS, which is a gigantic meat processing company. 238 00:12:53,360 --> 00:12:57,240 Speaker 1: They were the largest company that they had the most 239 00:12:57,320 --> 00:12:59,400 Speaker 1: number of kids that were working in their plants, but 240 00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:04,640 Speaker 1: given packing Greater Omaha Packing, Maple Leaf Farms, Turkey Valley Farms, 241 00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:11,040 Speaker 1: George's Inc. Tyson Food, among others. So horrifying discovery here. 242 00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:13,560 Speaker 1: And part of what they say, Emily is, you know, 243 00:13:13,559 --> 00:13:15,760 Speaker 1: some of these kids they were obviously they're working like 244 00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:19,400 Speaker 1: the middle of the night while these meat packing plants 245 00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:22,720 Speaker 1: are closed, and so they're falling asleep in school. Some 246 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:26,240 Speaker 1: of them suffered chemical burns. Just unbelievable that this is 247 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:28,439 Speaker 1: going on in America right now. Yeah, and here's a 248 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:31,880 Speaker 1: quote actually from the report from the Department of Labor. 249 00:13:31,920 --> 00:13:35,920 Speaker 1: They say, quote, our investigation found Packers Sanitation services systems 250 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:39,560 Speaker 1: flagged some young adult or some young workers as miners, 251 00:13:39,559 --> 00:13:42,520 Speaker 1: but the company ignored the flags. When the wage and 252 00:13:42,600 --> 00:13:45,320 Speaker 1: our division arrived with warrants, the adults who had recruited, hired, 253 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:47,920 Speaker 1: and supervised these children tried to derail our efforts to 254 00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:52,320 Speaker 1: investigate their employment practices. So the system, the company system 255 00:13:52,559 --> 00:13:57,640 Speaker 1: worked because obviously they're asking for people's ages when they're 256 00:13:57,679 --> 00:14:04,520 Speaker 1: being hired. Obviously that fails, and they ignore the flags. Yes, 257 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:07,920 Speaker 1: and that's crazy. I mean it's so like obviously our system, 258 00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:10,280 Speaker 1: you know, to the extent that it worked. They were 259 00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:13,480 Speaker 1: fined one point five million dollars in civil penalties. That's 260 00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:16,160 Speaker 1: what this announcement is based on. The big it's a 261 00:14:16,160 --> 00:14:19,640 Speaker 1: big fine, not huge for a company of that size 262 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:23,720 Speaker 1: at all, but it's amazing because the Department of Labor 263 00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:27,480 Speaker 1: describes this as a quote systemic violation. It's across eight 264 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:30,720 Speaker 1: different states, lots of different kids involved, but you can 265 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:34,200 Speaker 1: see when you really zero down that their investigation found 266 00:14:34,200 --> 00:14:37,120 Speaker 1: that they were flagged as children. Yeah, and the company 267 00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:40,920 Speaker 1: just didn't care. I mean, there's a couple things that 268 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:43,960 Speaker 1: could be relevant in this situation. I mean, one thing 269 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:49,320 Speaker 1: is the rise of contractors to do work within companies. 270 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:51,400 Speaker 1: And what happens is, you know, the big company, let's 271 00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:54,240 Speaker 1: say Tyson Food, they put a lot of pressure on 272 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:58,560 Speaker 1: these subcontractors in order to come in with the lowest price, 273 00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:01,600 Speaker 1: and then it allows them to kind of keep their 274 00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:04,400 Speaker 1: hands clean from having to do like the horrifying child 275 00:15:04,520 --> 00:15:09,760 Speaker 1: labor recruitment, and the lowest possible, the lowest bidder ends 276 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:12,600 Speaker 1: up getting the gig and they engage in all of 277 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:15,840 Speaker 1: these flagrant labor law violations, and it sort of protects 278 00:15:15,880 --> 00:15:18,640 Speaker 1: the bigger company from dealing with any of the chargers. 279 00:15:18,760 --> 00:15:22,000 Speaker 1: Who knows if Tyson Foods or these other giant corporations 280 00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:24,560 Speaker 1: had any inkling of what was going on with the 281 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:27,600 Speaker 1: sanitation company. It's certainly possible that they did. So that's 282 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:30,240 Speaker 1: one piece of this. The other piece that I think 283 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:34,320 Speaker 1: is relevant here is we're in a situation where, you know, 284 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:37,920 Speaker 1: people are not doing well economically because wages are still 285 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:41,000 Speaker 1: low and inflation is still high, but the unemployment rate 286 00:15:41,080 --> 00:15:43,520 Speaker 1: is very low, and so a lot of companies are 287 00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:45,840 Speaker 1: struggling at least at the wages they want to pay 288 00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:49,400 Speaker 1: to get workers in. So, guess what you have unscrupulous 289 00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:52,600 Speaker 1: I would say evil actors like this company, who in 290 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:55,320 Speaker 1: order to get around that, what do they do they 291 00:15:55,360 --> 00:15:58,160 Speaker 1: push for? You know, it may be undocumented immigrants, It 292 00:15:58,240 --> 00:16:00,560 Speaker 1: may be children you know, who are un or the 293 00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:03,200 Speaker 1: legal age where they could work in an environment like this. 294 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:06,160 Speaker 1: And in fact, there is a trend across the country 295 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:09,440 Speaker 1: right now in a number of different legislatures to loosen 296 00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:14,280 Speaker 1: up the rules regarding child labor law. I was probably 297 00:16:14,280 --> 00:16:17,840 Speaker 1: the most egregious example. Their Republican legislators introduced a bill 298 00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:20,800 Speaker 1: in January that would expand the types of work fourteen 299 00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:23,200 Speaker 1: and fifteen year olds could do as part of quote 300 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:27,000 Speaker 1: approved training programs, they would extend allowable work hours and 301 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:32,440 Speaker 1: wait for it, exempt employers from liability if these kids 302 00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:36,040 Speaker 1: are sickened, injured, or killed on the job. That's nice. Yeah, 303 00:16:36,080 --> 00:16:38,320 Speaker 1: So not only are we going to make more kids 304 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:41,960 Speaker 1: available to put into the workforce and lengthen the extend 305 00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:44,360 Speaker 1: the amount of hours that they can work if they 306 00:16:44,400 --> 00:16:46,960 Speaker 1: get hurt or sickened or killed on the job, we're 307 00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:48,760 Speaker 1: going to make sure that the companies bear no cost 308 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:52,000 Speaker 1: of that. Amazing, unbelievable right, And to your point, actually, 309 00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:53,960 Speaker 1: this is another thing to think about like this, This 310 00:16:54,040 --> 00:16:56,040 Speaker 1: is going to happen more and more and more because 311 00:16:56,320 --> 00:16:58,800 Speaker 1: I'm actually sort of tempted by the libertarian argument that 312 00:16:58,840 --> 00:17:01,240 Speaker 1: some child labor laws are too far that they prevent 313 00:17:01,320 --> 00:17:03,640 Speaker 1: young kids from being able to start saving for college, 314 00:17:03,640 --> 00:17:06,840 Speaker 1: which is insanely expensive, et cetera, et cetera. But that 315 00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:11,080 Speaker 1: aside these questions, we are going to see them pop 316 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:13,200 Speaker 1: up more and more because we have a completely broken 317 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:16,760 Speaker 1: immigration system, because we have so many people sitting on 318 00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:20,680 Speaker 1: the sidelines of our workforce, and totally over educated people 319 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:23,320 Speaker 1: who have they were sold a false bill of goods 320 00:17:23,359 --> 00:17:27,440 Speaker 1: about their college educations. They're now looking for good jobs 321 00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:29,959 Speaker 1: because they paid tens of thousands of dollars to go 322 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:32,560 Speaker 1: to college. They want to be working in a job 323 00:17:32,600 --> 00:17:34,639 Speaker 1: that matches their degree so that the money wasn't a 324 00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:38,000 Speaker 1: waste and they're looking for jobs. And in their absence, 325 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:40,560 Speaker 1: as they're waiting for a better for our workforce to 326 00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:43,880 Speaker 1: match their skill sets. Well, who can we bring in 327 00:17:44,320 --> 00:17:47,160 Speaker 1: the local children who can clean the meat packing factory 328 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:50,000 Speaker 1: from five to eleven pm after school? Yes? Who can 329 00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:52,800 Speaker 1: we abuse and exploit within the system? Is basically what's 330 00:17:52,840 --> 00:17:56,280 Speaker 1: going on. So horrifying revelation, but it's important to know 331 00:17:56,320 --> 00:17:58,640 Speaker 1: that these sorts of things are happening in America every 332 00:17:58,640 --> 00:18:02,359 Speaker 1: single day. Bernie's and is coming out with a new book, 333 00:18:02,359 --> 00:18:04,879 Speaker 1: and he has been doing some interviews with regards to that, 334 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:07,239 Speaker 1: and this one really caught our eye where he is 335 00:18:07,280 --> 00:18:10,280 Speaker 1: calling out corporate media. To the face of corporate media, 336 00:18:10,359 --> 00:18:12,400 Speaker 1: let's take a lesson. And the question of the book 337 00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:15,120 Speaker 1: again is that how come we have so many people 338 00:18:15,119 --> 00:18:18,600 Speaker 1: who are struggling. We have a dysfunctional healthcare system, our 339 00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:22,399 Speaker 1: childcare system is in disarray. We got millions of elderly 340 00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:25,320 Speaker 1: people who have nothing in the bank, as they face retirement, 341 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:27,000 Speaker 1: and yet the people on top of doing phenomenally well. 342 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:28,960 Speaker 1: And Margaret, what the book is about is saying that 343 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:30,600 Speaker 1: we have more income and wealth and equality tape than 344 00:18:30,600 --> 00:18:32,919 Speaker 1: we have, that we have more concentration of ownership in 345 00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:35,560 Speaker 1: sector aft the SEPPA than we have ever had. We 346 00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:38,840 Speaker 1: have a political system which is increasingly corrupt because as 347 00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:41,520 Speaker 1: a result of citizens United billionaires can put enormous amounts 348 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:43,639 Speaker 1: of money into it to elect their candidates. And we 349 00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:47,439 Speaker 1: have eight major media conglomerates, corporate media conglomerates that control 350 00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:50,400 Speaker 1: about what ninety percent of the American people see here 351 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:52,359 Speaker 1: and read. Those are really issues that we need to discuss. 352 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:54,399 Speaker 1: That's what the book does. Do worry when you talk 353 00:18:54,440 --> 00:18:57,080 Speaker 1: about the corporate media that you are targeting journalists when 354 00:18:57,119 --> 00:18:59,160 Speaker 1: you say that, no, Donald Trump talks about fake news, 355 00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:01,320 Speaker 1: and that's simply to the attention from the fact that 356 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:04,000 Speaker 1: he's a pathological lie. My experience one on one with media, 357 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:06,199 Speaker 1: they work on the very rarely mind, miss Quothy. But 358 00:19:06,240 --> 00:19:09,160 Speaker 1: what I am talking about, Margaret, is that corporate media 359 00:19:09,280 --> 00:19:11,880 Speaker 1: limits the kind of debate that we have in this country. 360 00:19:12,119 --> 00:19:13,560 Speaker 1: You tell me you know more about it than I do. 361 00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:15,840 Speaker 1: How often do we talk about incoming wealthy quality we're 362 00:19:15,840 --> 00:19:17,920 Speaker 1: talking about right now center. Yeah, but how often that 363 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:20,159 Speaker 1: everybody is Ernie Sanders on your show? How often do 364 00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:22,280 Speaker 1: you talk about concentration of only show? How often do 365 00:19:22,280 --> 00:19:23,600 Speaker 1: you talk about the fact that we are the only 366 00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:25,520 Speaker 1: major country on Earth not the guarantee health kettle, and 367 00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:27,280 Speaker 1: yet we spend twice as much money. How often do 368 00:19:27,320 --> 00:19:29,680 Speaker 1: you talk about that? If somebody has a baby in Finland, 369 00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:31,520 Speaker 1: they get it nine months off to ten months off, 370 00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:33,440 Speaker 1: paid family meet I will talk to you about paid 371 00:19:33,480 --> 00:19:35,760 Speaker 1: leave for families any day of the week. They also 372 00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:38,480 Speaker 1: have like a fifty six percent tax rate in Finland, 373 00:19:38,480 --> 00:19:40,920 Speaker 1: though it's a very different system, but let's talk about it. 374 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:42,640 Speaker 1: What do they get for that? They get free healthcare, right, 375 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:45,840 Speaker 1: free higher education. That's the kind that's exactly what I'm 376 00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:48,320 Speaker 1: talking about. Yeah, that's the debate I want, and that's 377 00:19:48,320 --> 00:19:50,320 Speaker 1: the debate we really don't have on the corporate media. 378 00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:52,400 Speaker 1: That was great, Yeah, what do you think of that? 379 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:56,000 Speaker 1: So satisfying when she asks the question about whether he's 380 00:19:56,119 --> 00:20:00,600 Speaker 1: targeting borrowing journalist, But the implication of that question is 381 00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:03,200 Speaker 1: that there's a legitimate argument to be made that when 382 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:06,600 Speaker 1: you criticize media in a substance of way, as Bernie 383 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:09,480 Speaker 1: Sanders has done for decades, by the way that it 384 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:11,840 Speaker 1: is a threat to journalists, that in some way that 385 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:15,800 Speaker 1: undermines the safety of journalists. Right. The fact that that 386 00:20:16,040 --> 00:20:18,560 Speaker 1: question sees the light of day in an interview with 387 00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:21,440 Speaker 1: Bernie Sanders, I think is an embarrassing. It's so such 388 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:24,639 Speaker 1: a great point. Yeah, the idea that you can't critique 389 00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:28,879 Speaker 1: corporate journalism without like, oh, you're yeah, you're creating a 390 00:20:28,920 --> 00:20:31,720 Speaker 1: safety risk from aren't you targeting journalists? Blah blah blah. 391 00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:34,680 Speaker 1: I mean, they use so much of what Trump did 392 00:20:35,160 --> 00:20:40,280 Speaker 1: to justify like insulating themselves from any criticism. And meanwhile, 393 00:20:40,359 --> 00:20:43,680 Speaker 1: you know, let Julie Nasans and actual fighters for press 394 00:20:43,720 --> 00:20:47,440 Speaker 1: feed freedom twist in the wind and very little coverage there. Finally, belatedly, 395 00:20:47,480 --> 00:20:49,240 Speaker 1: the New York Times and other outlets did put in 396 00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:52,840 Speaker 1: out a letter calling for him to you know, for 397 00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:55,720 Speaker 1: the charges to ultimately be dropped. There is one thing, 398 00:20:55,760 --> 00:20:59,920 Speaker 1: though about it that irritates me, which is, if you 399 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:03,320 Speaker 1: are a critic of corporate media, I don't have a 400 00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:06,120 Speaker 1: problem like, go do the interviews, because reality is, you're right, 401 00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:10,920 Speaker 1: they still dominate everything but where's your independent media interviews? Yeah, 402 00:21:11,119 --> 00:21:14,840 Speaker 1: And one thing that I have noticed very clearly and 403 00:21:14,920 --> 00:21:18,359 Speaker 1: in fairness, Senator Sanders has, you know, set for interviews 404 00:21:18,680 --> 00:21:20,800 Speaker 1: with me and a few other independent journalists a number 405 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:27,160 Speaker 1: of times. But overall, left figures in the Bernie Sanders 406 00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:30,600 Speaker 1: part of the Democratic Party, they don't engage with independent 407 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:35,000 Speaker 1: media nearly as much as Matt Gates and the right 408 00:21:35,080 --> 00:21:38,720 Speaker 1: quote unquote populist wing of the Republican Party, who are 409 00:21:38,760 --> 00:21:41,439 Speaker 1: all the time on independent media outlets. And there's so 410 00:21:41,640 --> 00:21:47,600 Speaker 1: much more connectivity between their independent media brands and like 411 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:51,399 Speaker 1: the mainstream conservative pipeline Fox News, et cetera, et cetera. 412 00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:54,480 Speaker 1: And that's reflected the politicians' choice of where they sit 413 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:58,040 Speaker 1: for interviews as well. So if you have a critique 414 00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:01,080 Speaker 1: of the corporate media and you want to boost truly 415 00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:05,800 Speaker 1: independent media, then you have a lot of power and 416 00:22:05,840 --> 00:22:07,800 Speaker 1: a lot of cachet, and you could help with that 417 00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:12,000 Speaker 1: process of legitimizing them. Because if left wing political figures 418 00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:15,600 Speaker 1: don't take their independent media outlets seriously, then how is 419 00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:18,399 Speaker 1: anyone else going to such an important point? And it 420 00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:20,640 Speaker 1: reminds me of a problem that also exists on the right. 421 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:24,480 Speaker 1: In one sense until the populist movement on the left 422 00:22:24,480 --> 00:22:29,240 Speaker 1: that Bernie Standards himself helped catalyze. Until that really took off, 423 00:22:29,480 --> 00:22:31,480 Speaker 1: I don't think the left had the ability or even 424 00:22:31,520 --> 00:22:33,720 Speaker 1: the need. I think it had the need, but people 425 00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:37,439 Speaker 1: didn't recognize the need for alternative left media because on 426 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:39,560 Speaker 1: the cultural issues you got a lot of that from 427 00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:41,760 Speaker 1: the corporate press, not on the economic issues, as Bernie 428 00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:45,119 Speaker 1: Standers just talked about. But on the right, it's the 429 00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:47,560 Speaker 1: same thing with like the Trump White House whining every 430 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:51,199 Speaker 1: single day about the fake news media and then giving 431 00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:53,840 Speaker 1: all of their scoops to the New York Times or 432 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:57,040 Speaker 1: to Politico or to the Washington Post and leaking only 433 00:22:57,080 --> 00:23:00,439 Speaker 1: to them. And listen, this is actually not sound grapes. 434 00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:02,720 Speaker 1: But I think it's an important point that if you 435 00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:05,240 Speaker 1: are a populist politician, whether you're left or right, it's 436 00:23:05,280 --> 00:23:08,120 Speaker 1: not even just about sitting down for interviews. It's about 437 00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:12,960 Speaker 1: like giving information to be reported out to those outlets. 438 00:23:13,040 --> 00:23:15,440 Speaker 1: And one place that's really good at doing that, the Intercept, 439 00:23:15,480 --> 00:23:17,520 Speaker 1: gets a lot of that. But like, if you're Bernie Sanders, 440 00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:20,320 Speaker 1: like looking at the Intercept, looking at breaking points, like 441 00:23:20,359 --> 00:23:24,159 Speaker 1: looking at these places is so so important and it's not. 442 00:23:24,280 --> 00:23:25,960 Speaker 1: I think it's not just about interviews, but it's also 443 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:28,480 Speaker 1: about when you have news to break, go to them 444 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:32,240 Speaker 1: and let them do a better job reporting the story out. Yeah, 445 00:23:32,359 --> 00:23:34,560 Speaker 1: let you know, let the Washington Examiner do a better 446 00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:38,400 Speaker 1: job reporting the story out, then the Washington Post will. 447 00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:41,080 Speaker 1: Even though the Washington Post has this veneer of prestige 448 00:23:41,119 --> 00:23:43,960 Speaker 1: that you agree is totally unearned. So why are you 449 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:46,600 Speaker 1: taking your information to them and not to the places 450 00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:50,720 Speaker 1: that you could empower and build up their brand and 451 00:23:49,880 --> 00:23:54,040 Speaker 1: their power by bringing it to them. Yeah, stupid and 452 00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:56,600 Speaker 1: full disclosure. I have been trying to get an interview 453 00:23:56,680 --> 00:23:59,600 Speaker 1: with Bernie about his new book. There's a possibility that 454 00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:02,639 Speaker 1: may happen. I'm, you know, hoping, crossing my fingers. Whatever. 455 00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:05,919 Speaker 1: We'll see if it ultimately comes through. But listen, there 456 00:24:05,920 --> 00:24:09,560 Speaker 1: are a lot of ways to boost independent media. Some 457 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:12,439 Speaker 1: of those ways are through legislation, you know, things that 458 00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:14,440 Speaker 1: are focused on tech companies, things we've been covering here 459 00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:17,080 Speaker 1: as well. But some of them are really simple. Just 460 00:24:17,560 --> 00:24:22,120 Speaker 1: actually show up with them. Like, whatever prestige and eyeballs 461 00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:25,439 Speaker 1: you are able to generate as a prominent politician, you 462 00:24:25,440 --> 00:24:29,080 Speaker 1: can bring credibility, Yes, and more eyeballs and new eyeballs 463 00:24:29,119 --> 00:24:31,840 Speaker 1: and pull people from the mainstream to support a better 464 00:24:31,880 --> 00:24:35,800 Speaker 1: ecosystem of journalism by engaging with them and you know, 465 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:39,000 Speaker 1: treating them as legitimate news sources. So that's my one 466 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:40,959 Speaker 1: that's my one beef with the way to approach that. 467 00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:43,399 Speaker 1: I totally get that. And it's not even just about 468 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:46,040 Speaker 1: like the journalists, it's not about It's definitely not about us. 469 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:49,280 Speaker 1: It's about the viewers and the listeners who you agree 470 00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:52,000 Speaker 1: have good reason for tuning out of. If you agree 471 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:54,479 Speaker 1: that they have good reason for tuning out of corporate press, 472 00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:58,000 Speaker 1: then show the respect that they deserve and come to 473 00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:01,560 Speaker 1: meet them where they are. Yeah, do your face listen, 474 00:25:01,760 --> 00:25:03,560 Speaker 1: engage with the system as it exists. I have no 475 00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:05,800 Speaker 1: problem with that totally. But hey, be on face the 476 00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:08,480 Speaker 1: nation and be like hey, and by the way, you 477 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:11,520 Speaker 1: can see me on this independent outlet or give them 478 00:25:11,560 --> 00:25:15,160 Speaker 1: the first interview so that it again brings a lot 479 00:25:15,200 --> 00:25:18,280 Speaker 1: more eyeballs and helps to build up the ecosystem. So 480 00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:21,320 Speaker 1: but in any case, it was satisfying to watch that exchange. 481 00:25:21,359 --> 00:25:22,639 Speaker 1: I enjoyed it very much. Oh my gosh, it was 482 00:25:22,680 --> 00:25:25,760 Speaker 1: so good when and like imagine the advertisers that face 483 00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:29,400 Speaker 1: the nation, it's probably like BP and Fire Yeah, and 484 00:25:29,520 --> 00:25:32,080 Speaker 1: Coke Well, and when she's like, we're talking about inequality 485 00:25:32,160 --> 00:25:33,720 Speaker 1: right now, and he's like, yeah, but you're not talking 486 00:25:33,760 --> 00:25:36,680 Speaker 1: to Bernie Sanders. Yes, And she was like, oh, I'll 487 00:25:36,720 --> 00:25:38,879 Speaker 1: gladly talk to you about paid leave. I'm glad And 488 00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:40,960 Speaker 1: it's like, yeah, easy enough to say, but you will 489 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:43,840 Speaker 1: never make that. You'll never make a sort of populist 490 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:46,600 Speaker 1: focus point of your show day in and day out, 491 00:25:46,640 --> 00:25:48,400 Speaker 1: no matter how much you say like, oh, we gave 492 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:50,399 Speaker 1: it ten seconds here and there. Yeah, they love the 493 00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:52,880 Speaker 1: horse race. That's the easiest thing for them to ultimately cover. 494 00:25:55,960 --> 00:25:59,439 Speaker 1: Of brick and mortar, retail apocaly retail sales. It's literally 495 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:02,720 Speaker 1: got off. There's something strange to me about the reporting 496 00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:05,480 Speaker 1: on the death of retail, the decline of fed bathroom 497 00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:09,359 Speaker 1: beyond share price. The focus isn't on job losses. That 498 00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:12,600 Speaker 1: would be one thing. Makes's is closing another one hundred 499 00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:17,159 Speaker 1: stores concerning Yes, the focus usually isn't on what happens 500 00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:20,480 Speaker 1: to a community when a big retailer closes. That would 501 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:23,080 Speaker 1: be another thing. We hope to bring back a workforce. 502 00:26:23,359 --> 00:26:26,360 Speaker 1: But the e comm side of things those people who 503 00:26:26,359 --> 00:26:28,480 Speaker 1: have bet on e comm are surviving because they just 504 00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:30,960 Speaker 1: have lower fixed costs with some of these brands, or 505 00:26:31,040 --> 00:26:32,880 Speaker 1: just we can run a with twenty or thirty good 506 00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:35,199 Speaker 1: programmers what they might have had three hundred, you know. 507 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:38,760 Speaker 1: And if we don't care about the affected employees or 508 00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:41,200 Speaker 1: what happens to an area when a mall shuts down, 509 00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:44,240 Speaker 1: I'm not sure why we should care at all that 510 00:26:44,320 --> 00:26:47,520 Speaker 1: these places are closing or losing ground to online sales 511 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:51,160 Speaker 1: from Amazon, because, after all, big box stores and malls 512 00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:55,200 Speaker 1: are kind of the original Amazon. Anyway, jobs be walking 513 00:26:55,240 --> 00:27:00,800 Speaker 1: in and just finding where malls and stores we ever 514 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:07,280 Speaker 1: got way off because of going on into stores, and 515 00:27:07,320 --> 00:27:09,879 Speaker 1: that's all you've got here, folks, mile left, a mile 516 00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:13,320 Speaker 1: of mall left to mall, many many malls, major malls, 517 00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:17,160 Speaker 1: and many malls they put the main malls in between them. 518 00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:19,719 Speaker 1: My name is Spencer Snyder, and welcome to breaking points. 519 00:27:20,080 --> 00:27:23,600 Speaker 1: As America was becoming a huge driving nation, using highways 520 00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:27,800 Speaker 1: to access places that otherwise would have been inconvenient or inaccessible, 521 00:27:28,119 --> 00:27:31,680 Speaker 1: you had people trying to capitalize on this new access. 522 00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:35,359 Speaker 1: So imagine we have this huge plot of land on 523 00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:37,840 Speaker 1: the edge of town. It used to be way out 524 00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:40,120 Speaker 1: of the way. But now that there's a highway running 525 00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:42,600 Speaker 1: right by it, it's kind of convenient to get to. 526 00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:45,960 Speaker 1: What do we do? We could make parks, or schools 527 00:27:46,080 --> 00:27:50,120 Speaker 1: or community centers. Well, how exactly would any of those 528 00:27:50,119 --> 00:27:53,480 Speaker 1: things pay off for a developer. No, let's make some 529 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:57,480 Speaker 1: cash instead. Enter the architect of the modern mall, Victor Groen. 530 00:27:57,880 --> 00:28:01,840 Speaker 1: He imagined essentially a plan shopping town in which the 531 00:28:01,920 --> 00:28:06,119 Speaker 1: anarchy and ugliness of American cities would not be found. 532 00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:09,200 Speaker 1: Guards would keep people safe, There would be a single, 533 00:28:09,280 --> 00:28:13,159 Speaker 1: uniform aesthetic. Even the street noise would be replaced with 534 00:28:13,359 --> 00:28:17,960 Speaker 1: pleasant music. The preponderance of chains and franchises over local stores, 535 00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:22,280 Speaker 1: required by big investors such as insurance companies, brought shoppers 536 00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:26,880 Speaker 1: the latest national trends in products and merchandising techniques. Not 537 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:30,080 Speaker 1: only were these places in competition with the already existing 538 00:28:30,119 --> 00:28:34,800 Speaker 1: downtown shopping areas, since they were located away from other 539 00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:38,360 Speaker 1: shopping and had every type of shop you could want, 540 00:28:38,880 --> 00:28:42,280 Speaker 1: people were more likely to do all of their shopping 541 00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:46,120 Speaker 1: at the mall. In nineteen fifty seven, New Jersey opened 542 00:28:46,280 --> 00:28:49,400 Speaker 1: two malls, and in nineteen fifty eight, four hundred and 543 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:51,960 Speaker 1: thirty five families were asked about how those malls had 544 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:55,520 Speaker 1: affected where they shop. They found that a majority of 545 00:28:55,560 --> 00:28:59,600 Speaker 1: families had already changed their buying patterns, and five percent 546 00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:04,080 Speaker 1: of families had completely abandoned their old shopping areas. That's 547 00:29:04,080 --> 00:29:08,440 Speaker 1: after just one year people understood this was happening. There's 548 00:29:08,480 --> 00:29:12,200 Speaker 1: been legislation trying fruitlessly to level the playing field between 549 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:15,840 Speaker 1: big business and small businesses since the eighteen hundreds, but 550 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:18,040 Speaker 1: the mall is a new thing, and it has some 551 00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:21,760 Speaker 1: people a little freaked out. So big stores in downtown 552 00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:27,080 Speaker 1: areas organize National Downtown Week Incorporated. They're trying to steal 553 00:29:27,120 --> 00:29:29,600 Speaker 1: some of the business back from these malls. In nineteen 554 00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:33,120 Speaker 1: fifty nine, two hundred and fifty cities participated in National 555 00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:38,040 Speaker 1: Downtown Week. It was serious enough that the Shopping Center Reporter, 556 00:29:38,160 --> 00:29:42,000 Speaker 1: which I'm assuming was some kind of mall oriented trade publication, 557 00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:45,600 Speaker 1: warned these malls that this was coming and they needed 558 00:29:45,640 --> 00:29:48,640 Speaker 1: to take whatever action they could to get ahead of this. 559 00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:51,040 Speaker 1: But it didn't matter anyway, because in the long run, 560 00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:53,800 Speaker 1: National Downtown Week was going to be as effective at 561 00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:57,200 Speaker 1: bringing people to shop at independent businesses as when American 562 00:29:57,240 --> 00:30:00,160 Speaker 1: Express encourages you to do the same Small Business Saturday 563 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:03,320 Speaker 1: by American Expresses, November thirtieth. By the seventies and eighties, 564 00:30:03,560 --> 00:30:07,440 Speaker 1: malls were all across the country. An anchor store like 565 00:30:07,560 --> 00:30:11,200 Speaker 1: a Macy's or Sears or J. C. Penny would draw 566 00:30:11,280 --> 00:30:14,040 Speaker 1: people in, and then people would do the rest of 567 00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:17,040 Speaker 1: their shopping there at the mall because they were there anyway. 568 00:30:17,200 --> 00:30:20,320 Speaker 1: But obviously the issue is not just malls, because the 569 00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:23,760 Speaker 1: same principles that allow malls to do so well also 570 00:30:23,920 --> 00:30:31,240 Speaker 1: apply to big box stores. The Walmart effect is when 571 00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:35,320 Speaker 1: Walmart comes to town, drives down wages and causes businesses 572 00:30:35,520 --> 00:30:39,320 Speaker 1: to close. On average, within fifteen months of a new 573 00:30:39,360 --> 00:30:45,520 Speaker 1: Walmart store's opening, as many as fourteen existing retail establishments close. Now, 574 00:30:45,720 --> 00:30:47,760 Speaker 1: Walmart's one of the biggest employers in the country, So 575 00:30:47,840 --> 00:30:50,400 Speaker 1: not every big box store has the same power to 576 00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:53,600 Speaker 1: disrupt a community as Walmart, but they're on the same spectrum. 577 00:30:53,640 --> 00:30:55,840 Speaker 1: Because the point is, why would you ever go to 578 00:30:55,880 --> 00:30:59,000 Speaker 1: your locally owned store where they might have what you need, 579 00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:01,760 Speaker 1: when you could go to a big box store where 580 00:31:01,800 --> 00:31:07,880 Speaker 1: they will have what you need. Hey, where would lighting 581 00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:23,920 Speaker 1: fixtures be? Okay? Conversely, I think the country has become 582 00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:27,960 Speaker 1: so conditioned to the convenience of the giant shopping center 583 00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:33,320 Speaker 1: that it's become an object of nostalgia and mourning. Channels 584 00:31:33,360 --> 00:31:37,800 Speaker 1: devoted to dead malls feature tours of these shopping centers 585 00:31:37,800 --> 00:31:42,240 Speaker 1: that killed downtowns and enriched developers and sold us on 586 00:31:42,320 --> 00:31:44,920 Speaker 1: the idea that hanging out with your friends in proximity 587 00:31:44,960 --> 00:31:47,840 Speaker 1: to both a hot topic and a panda express is 588 00:31:47,880 --> 00:31:51,120 Speaker 1: somehow culture. But the culture and the community thing with 589 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:54,600 Speaker 1: regard to the mall is completely immateial anyway, it was 590 00:31:54,720 --> 00:31:58,080 Speaker 1: always about offering shopping that was so convenient and so 591 00:31:58,240 --> 00:32:01,760 Speaker 1: cheap that it just couldn't be refused even if you'd 592 00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:05,520 Speaker 1: like to. And for half a century that was malls 593 00:32:05,880 --> 00:32:08,600 Speaker 1: and big box stores. But the way the Highway made 594 00:32:08,640 --> 00:32:12,480 Speaker 1: it more possible for a mall to monopolize regional shopping. 595 00:32:12,840 --> 00:32:17,400 Speaker 1: The Internet makes it possible for Amazon to monopolize shopping 596 00:32:17,480 --> 00:32:21,920 Speaker 1: in general. Amazon makes up thirty eight percent of online retail. 597 00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:26,360 Speaker 1: In second place is Walmart with only six percent. Amazon 598 00:32:26,480 --> 00:32:29,920 Speaker 1: is doing exactly what malls were doing sixty years ago 599 00:32:29,960 --> 00:32:34,200 Speaker 1: by creating a cheap, one stop shopping center. But what 600 00:32:34,360 --> 00:32:38,840 Speaker 1: is especially scary Amazon is so massive and monopolistic. They 601 00:32:38,840 --> 00:32:44,000 Speaker 1: don't simply put smaller businesses out of service, Amazon absorbs them. 602 00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:47,560 Speaker 1: Sixty percent of the sales on Amazon are actually small businesses. 603 00:32:48,040 --> 00:32:51,920 Speaker 1: Many small businesses find it impossible to go without using 604 00:32:52,040 --> 00:32:55,720 Speaker 1: Amazon's platform, and occasionally, because Amazon has a hand in 605 00:32:55,800 --> 00:32:59,320 Speaker 1: manufacturing as well, a small business will find that their 606 00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:03,120 Speaker 1: biggest selling item is now an Amazon Basic, killing off 607 00:33:03,160 --> 00:33:07,640 Speaker 1: their own sales. After all, Amazon refers to these small 608 00:33:07,680 --> 00:33:12,000 Speaker 1: businesses that use them as internal competitors. And for the 609 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:15,400 Speaker 1: dead malls that Amazon no doubt had to hand in closing, 610 00:33:16,520 --> 00:33:20,760 Speaker 1: Amazon is buying them too, and turning them into fulfillment centers. 611 00:33:21,360 --> 00:33:24,720 Speaker 1: But for all the cooing about small businesses being the 612 00:33:24,760 --> 00:33:30,040 Speaker 1: backbone of the country, we've never actually cared to observe this. 613 00:33:30,320 --> 00:33:33,280 Speaker 1: All you need to do is compare how many headlines 614 00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:36,040 Speaker 1: there are about small businesses getting iced out because of 615 00:33:36,080 --> 00:33:39,600 Speaker 1: rent to how many headlines there are about big box 616 00:33:39,600 --> 00:33:42,680 Speaker 1: stores losing ground in the e commerce game. The idea 617 00:33:42,720 --> 00:33:45,160 Speaker 1: of having a little shop and employing your kids and 618 00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:49,320 Speaker 1: being self sufficient is a great story, but being satisfied 619 00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:53,160 Speaker 1: and content is mutually opposed to the infinite growth that 620 00:33:53,200 --> 00:33:57,760 Speaker 1: big businesses are absolutely committed to. So the decline of 621 00:33:57,800 --> 00:34:02,120 Speaker 1: Mommo pop shops doesn't get headlines because they were never 622 00:34:02,240 --> 00:34:04,560 Speaker 1: the points. They were just the pretty image on the 623 00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:08,040 Speaker 1: packaging of America, and for that matter, the impact on 624 00:34:08,120 --> 00:34:12,799 Speaker 1: workers when big retailers come into town and then leave town, 625 00:34:13,160 --> 00:34:15,759 Speaker 1: that doesn't get much attention because they're not the point either. 626 00:34:16,080 --> 00:34:18,399 Speaker 1: I think the real reason the closing of retail gets 627 00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:22,279 Speaker 1: attention is that some people are truly surprised that the 628 00:34:22,400 --> 00:34:25,480 Speaker 1: unprecedented concentration of retail that we saw in the twentieth 629 00:34:25,560 --> 00:34:28,239 Speaker 1: century is beginning to collapse under the weight of the 630 00:34:28,400 --> 00:34:32,879 Speaker 1: unprecedented concentration of retail in the twenty first century. But 631 00:34:32,920 --> 00:34:34,799 Speaker 1: that will do it for me. I'm Spencer Snyder. If 632 00:34:34,800 --> 00:34:37,160 Speaker 1: you found this video interesting, make sure you are subscribed 633 00:34:37,160 --> 00:34:39,880 Speaker 1: to Breaking Points. You can also check out my YouTube 634 00:34:39,920 --> 00:34:42,479 Speaker 1: channel where I talk all about media and politics and 635 00:34:42,560 --> 00:34:45,680 Speaker 1: some other interesting things. Link in the description Liking and 636 00:34:45,719 --> 00:34:49,279 Speaker 1: sharing always helps. Thank you to Breaking Points. Thank you 637 00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:51,440 Speaker 1: so much for watching, and I will see you in 638 00:34:51,880 --> 00:34:57,239 Speaker 1: the next one. Pete Boudaget just can't catch a break. 639 00:34:57,239 --> 00:34:59,759 Speaker 1: He was walking around here on Gassy Reporter at my 640 00:34:59,840 --> 00:35:02,480 Speaker 1: ow Old employer. The Daily Caller happened to notice him 641 00:35:02,480 --> 00:35:04,080 Speaker 1: and said, Hey, maybe I'm going to do my job 642 00:35:04,120 --> 00:35:06,360 Speaker 1: with the mainstream media is due. I'll just be like, 643 00:35:06,360 --> 00:35:09,440 Speaker 1: when are you going to go to East Palestine? Ohio? 644 00:35:09,560 --> 00:35:12,040 Speaker 1: He didn't take it so well, in fact, so badly. 645 00:35:12,160 --> 00:35:14,640 Speaker 1: He took a picture of her in a form of 646 00:35:14,640 --> 00:35:18,000 Speaker 1: intimidation for having the gall just to ask him a question, 647 00:35:18,040 --> 00:35:20,839 Speaker 1: and kept saying he was on personal time. Hi, how 648 00:35:20,880 --> 00:35:23,240 Speaker 1: are you Jenny Tair at the Daily Calor News Foundation. 649 00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:25,920 Speaker 1: What do you have to say to the folks in 650 00:35:26,400 --> 00:35:30,239 Speaker 1: Ohio East Palestine who are suffering right now? Well, I've 651 00:35:30,280 --> 00:35:33,279 Speaker 1: referred about a dozen interviews I've given today, and if 652 00:35:33,320 --> 00:35:37,520 Speaker 1: she'd like to read a conversation, I'm reach out for 653 00:35:37,680 --> 00:35:40,960 Speaker 1: press had that conversation with you. You don't have a 654 00:35:41,040 --> 00:35:42,880 Speaker 1: message for them. I do, and I shared it with 655 00:35:42,920 --> 00:35:45,200 Speaker 1: the press many times today. I'd refer you to those comments. 656 00:35:45,600 --> 00:35:47,480 Speaker 1: Are mind sharing that with us? No, I'm going to 657 00:35:47,520 --> 00:35:49,120 Speaker 1: refer you to the comments that I made to the press, 658 00:35:49,160 --> 00:35:51,799 Speaker 1: because right now I'm taking some personal time. Man, I'm 659 00:35:51,800 --> 00:35:54,400 Speaker 1: walking down the street. Are you going down there? Are 660 00:35:54,440 --> 00:35:58,680 Speaker 1: you going down there at all? Yeah? Yea, when are 661 00:35:58,680 --> 00:36:05,759 Speaker 1: you going? I'll thank you? Photo? Can I take a 662 00:36:05,760 --> 00:36:08,360 Speaker 1: photo of you? She's like, yeah, sure, I mean clearly 663 00:36:08,440 --> 00:36:11,280 Speaker 1: that is an act of intimidation. He's taking the photo, 664 00:36:11,520 --> 00:36:13,200 Speaker 1: so you could send to the press office and be like, 665 00:36:13,239 --> 00:36:15,600 Speaker 1: make sure that we never ever work with this person again, 666 00:36:15,640 --> 00:36:17,520 Speaker 1: as if he was being harassed. First of all, you're 667 00:36:17,560 --> 00:36:19,359 Speaker 1: walking down a public street, dude. I actually have seen 668 00:36:19,400 --> 00:36:22,960 Speaker 1: Buddhaj edge around a couple of times whenever he's like walking. 669 00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:26,480 Speaker 1: There is absolutely nothing that stops you from questioning a 670 00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:28,759 Speaker 1: public official. And then two, just the you know, the 671 00:36:28,840 --> 00:36:31,200 Speaker 1: gall of like I would refer you to the press office. 672 00:36:31,200 --> 00:36:33,600 Speaker 1: I'm taking some personal time. I'm sure the people who 673 00:36:33,600 --> 00:36:36,880 Speaker 1: are during contaminated water care about your personal time, Like, 674 00:36:37,080 --> 00:36:39,640 Speaker 1: why can't you just say something about like, look, of 675 00:36:39,680 --> 00:36:41,920 Speaker 1: course I have a message he thought. You know, clearly 676 00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:43,600 Speaker 1: he just wanted to get off the hook. And the 677 00:36:43,640 --> 00:36:45,680 Speaker 1: fact that he's willing to act that way shows you 678 00:36:45,719 --> 00:36:49,120 Speaker 1: also that people in the press don't actually question him 679 00:36:49,239 --> 00:36:51,719 Speaker 1: in a confrontational manner all that much. Well, he just 680 00:36:51,880 --> 00:36:55,239 Speaker 1: wanted to, you know, only have his interviews with thea 681 00:36:55,480 --> 00:36:59,160 Speaker 1: approved media gook keepers that he feels comfortable with. Yes 682 00:36:59,560 --> 00:37:01,839 Speaker 1: and so, and her questions were not I mean, look 683 00:37:01,920 --> 00:37:03,960 Speaker 1: daily callers are right wing outfit. But her questions were 684 00:37:04,040 --> 00:37:07,719 Speaker 1: he didn't do anything really fair and like not hostile 685 00:37:07,920 --> 00:37:11,919 Speaker 1: or aggressive. They they should be easy questions for him, 686 00:37:12,040 --> 00:37:16,200 Speaker 1: like hey, when are you going? Why haven't you gone yet, 687 00:37:16,239 --> 00:37:18,279 Speaker 1: Like he should have already been there and then none 688 00:37:18,280 --> 00:37:20,400 Speaker 1: of this would be an issue for him. But you know, 689 00:37:20,480 --> 00:37:23,359 Speaker 1: he since he popped on the national scene, he's had 690 00:37:23,360 --> 00:37:26,279 Speaker 1: this sort of like Cinderella run, you know, and the 691 00:37:26,360 --> 00:37:28,640 Speaker 1: media loved him and he was the future of the 692 00:37:28,680 --> 00:37:31,560 Speaker 1: Democratic Party and oh my good Nancy was like this 693 00:37:31,680 --> 00:37:34,640 Speaker 1: boy wonder figure that elites the donor call, like they 694 00:37:34,680 --> 00:37:39,360 Speaker 1: all just loved him. He hasn't really had this kind 695 00:37:39,560 --> 00:37:44,440 Speaker 1: of actual scrutiny, and not only from Republicans. There have 696 00:37:44,480 --> 00:37:48,000 Speaker 1: been a number of Democrats, from left wing Democrats like 697 00:37:48,040 --> 00:37:51,719 Speaker 1: Ilhan Omer to Joe Manchin who were saying, dude, you 698 00:37:51,760 --> 00:37:53,319 Speaker 1: know you need to step up and you need to 699 00:37:53,320 --> 00:37:56,200 Speaker 1: actually do something about this. So he really hasn't faced 700 00:37:56,200 --> 00:37:58,640 Speaker 1: this before. And I think he can just see in 701 00:37:58,719 --> 00:38:02,000 Speaker 1: real time his like policeical hopes and aspirations sort of 702 00:38:02,040 --> 00:38:05,080 Speaker 1: withering on the vine. Whereas we covered. Ye know, there's 703 00:38:05,080 --> 00:38:08,680 Speaker 1: some speculation maybe Biden won't run this time, which I 704 00:38:08,719 --> 00:38:12,000 Speaker 1: am doubtful of, but you never know. If that had 705 00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:15,160 Speaker 1: come to pass that sort of speculation just a month ago, 706 00:38:15,440 --> 00:38:17,160 Speaker 1: there would have been it would have been, Oh, Pete 707 00:38:17,200 --> 00:38:19,239 Speaker 1: will be the you know, heir apparent. They're going to 708 00:38:19,320 --> 00:38:22,120 Speaker 1: do everything they can. That's a much different calculus at 709 00:38:22,120 --> 00:38:25,400 Speaker 1: this point. It's when he actually has been put in 710 00:38:25,440 --> 00:38:28,719 Speaker 1: a position where he has power, where he needs to act, 711 00:38:28,760 --> 00:38:30,760 Speaker 1: where he needs to do a job that is actually 712 00:38:30,800 --> 00:38:34,640 Speaker 1: critical to people. No interest, no ability, just total failure. 713 00:38:34,680 --> 00:38:36,879 Speaker 1: It is funny that the two chosen successes to buy 714 00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:40,640 Speaker 1: Buddha Jeedge and Kama have both been public humiliations while 715 00:38:40,680 --> 00:38:43,640 Speaker 1: in office at you know, look, vice president is the 716 00:38:43,640 --> 00:38:45,680 Speaker 1: easiest job in the world. You don't have anything to do, 717 00:38:45,719 --> 00:38:48,600 Speaker 1: and she's still somehow more hated than Joe Biden. And 718 00:38:48,640 --> 00:38:52,800 Speaker 1: then number two is Budhajeg. Like Buddha, Jeedge has humiliated 719 00:38:52,840 --> 00:38:56,399 Speaker 1: himself on the national stage over and over and over again, 720 00:38:56,480 --> 00:38:59,720 Speaker 1: showed a lack of being politically adapt but even more importantly, 721 00:38:59,719 --> 00:39:02,839 Speaker 1: being a terrible manager, and then freaking out and being 722 00:39:02,840 --> 00:39:06,160 Speaker 1: publicly entitled like this. Also, you know, flying private while 723 00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:08,960 Speaker 1: the rest of us flights are literally getting canceled. So look, 724 00:39:08,960 --> 00:39:11,480 Speaker 1: I have no sympathy. I'm really enjoying kind of watching 725 00:39:11,880 --> 00:39:14,319 Speaker 1: the political demise of him. But it's pathetic the way 726 00:39:14,360 --> 00:39:16,160 Speaker 1: that he acts whenever he's just getting asked a very 727 00:39:16,160 --> 00:39:18,800 Speaker 1: basic question. Yes, indeed, there you go, and Louis de 728 00:39:18,840 --> 00:39:22,040 Speaker 1: Angelus of Status qu joins us. Now, Grace Cie lewis Man, 729 00:39:22,520 --> 00:39:25,040 Speaker 1: thanks for having me. So I understand you have some 730 00:39:25,160 --> 00:39:28,640 Speaker 1: new reporting about the water tests which were conducted, in 731 00:39:28,680 --> 00:39:31,480 Speaker 1: which we're used as the basis for telling residents it's 732 00:39:31,520 --> 00:39:33,239 Speaker 1: all good, you can drink the water, there's going to 733 00:39:33,239 --> 00:39:36,680 Speaker 1: be no problems. Tell us what you've learned. Yeah, absolutely, 734 00:39:36,719 --> 00:39:39,839 Speaker 1: so in you know, reporting from several other folks as 735 00:39:39,840 --> 00:39:42,640 Speaker 1: well up until this point. You know, I actually ran 736 00:39:42,640 --> 00:39:44,520 Speaker 1: into the governor the other day asked him a couple 737 00:39:44,560 --> 00:39:47,759 Speaker 1: of tough questions that he was not necessarily excited to 738 00:39:48,040 --> 00:39:51,080 Speaker 1: have asked, and did his best to dodge them. And 739 00:39:51,640 --> 00:39:55,680 Speaker 1: basically the tests that have been done initially up until 740 00:39:55,719 --> 00:39:59,520 Speaker 1: basically the last forty eight hours, we're all from contractors 741 00:40:00,160 --> 00:40:03,759 Speaker 1: hired by either Norfolk Southern or contractors hired by the 742 00:40:03,920 --> 00:40:07,959 Speaker 1: e PA. These two contractors are companies called Tetra Tech 743 00:40:08,280 --> 00:40:11,239 Speaker 1: and c T e H. Both of these companies have 744 00:40:11,400 --> 00:40:15,760 Speaker 1: histories of mishandling results and information they've you know, false 745 00:40:15,920 --> 00:40:19,440 Speaker 1: some of in some cases falsifying test results. This you know, 746 00:40:19,560 --> 00:40:21,879 Speaker 1: these companies were being used. One of them was during 747 00:40:21,880 --> 00:40:24,400 Speaker 1: the deep Water Horizon incident. I don't know if you 748 00:40:24,440 --> 00:40:27,400 Speaker 1: remember back in twenty ten, The New York Times reported 749 00:40:27,440 --> 00:40:30,719 Speaker 1: on that one and the other one. Let me pull 750 00:40:30,719 --> 00:40:31,880 Speaker 1: it up here just because I want to make sure 751 00:40:31,920 --> 00:40:35,200 Speaker 1: I have it all accurate for you all. The other 752 00:40:35,239 --> 00:40:40,240 Speaker 1: incident as well was from the let's see the Hunter's 753 00:40:40,239 --> 00:40:43,480 Speaker 1: Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco. So both of these 754 00:40:43,480 --> 00:40:47,840 Speaker 1: companies are giving residents more reason to question the results 755 00:40:47,880 --> 00:40:51,279 Speaker 1: and the answers that their government officials are giving them 756 00:40:51,400 --> 00:40:54,839 Speaker 1: or frankly more you know more realistically not giving them. 757 00:40:55,520 --> 00:40:58,719 Speaker 1: So with that information, you know, up until forty eight 758 00:40:58,719 --> 00:41:02,040 Speaker 1: hours ago, again, these are being provided by these two companies, 759 00:41:02,200 --> 00:41:04,640 Speaker 1: one of them being hired directly by the railroad, which 760 00:41:04,680 --> 00:41:10,160 Speaker 1: has no incentive here to necessarily put out the accurate information. Right, 761 00:41:10,200 --> 00:41:12,279 Speaker 1: these guys are trying to cover their butts in a 762 00:41:12,320 --> 00:41:15,799 Speaker 1: lot of this stuff. And it gets a little bit 763 00:41:15,800 --> 00:41:18,960 Speaker 1: worse because as we looked into this, I've been on 764 00:41:19,000 --> 00:41:22,080 Speaker 1: the ground talking with residents since over the last weekend 765 00:41:22,840 --> 00:41:25,000 Speaker 1: establishing trust with these folks and actually giving them the 766 00:41:25,000 --> 00:41:26,960 Speaker 1: time of day to talk to them and build trust. 767 00:41:27,080 --> 00:41:30,799 Speaker 1: And the children of one of the parents that I've 768 00:41:30,920 --> 00:41:33,320 Speaker 1: established a good relationship with asked if he could do 769 00:41:33,360 --> 00:41:36,439 Speaker 1: an interview. Some of his friends wanted to as well. 770 00:41:36,520 --> 00:41:38,680 Speaker 1: We got permission to do this interview with the children, 771 00:41:39,840 --> 00:41:43,760 Speaker 1: and one of the kids mentioned that the water fountains 772 00:41:43,760 --> 00:41:45,279 Speaker 1: in their school, so not the part that you can 773 00:41:45,320 --> 00:41:47,439 Speaker 1: go down and get a sip from, but the part 774 00:41:47,480 --> 00:41:50,160 Speaker 1: that you can fill up your water bottle in is 775 00:41:50,200 --> 00:41:54,879 Speaker 1: actually open to use inside of their school. And I mean, 776 00:41:54,880 --> 00:41:56,600 Speaker 1: my heart just dropped when I heard that. I mean, 777 00:41:56,640 --> 00:42:00,600 Speaker 1: I've got little nieces, you know. The kids did say 778 00:42:00,600 --> 00:42:03,480 Speaker 1: there is bottled water in school, But again, these are children. 779 00:42:03,520 --> 00:42:05,640 Speaker 1: We're talking about the fact that they can go fill 780 00:42:05,719 --> 00:42:08,000 Speaker 1: up their water bottle in the school because officials are 781 00:42:08,000 --> 00:42:11,240 Speaker 1: telling them that the water is fine when we're relying 782 00:42:11,360 --> 00:42:14,640 Speaker 1: on again predominantly tests that are being contracted out by 783 00:42:14,640 --> 00:42:19,080 Speaker 1: the railroad. It's unconscionable to me to hear that happen, 784 00:42:19,239 --> 00:42:21,359 Speaker 1: and it you know, it's it's a it's a tough 785 00:42:21,440 --> 00:42:23,120 Speaker 1: it's a tough story. And I mean, these folks are 786 00:42:23,239 --> 00:42:27,040 Speaker 1: going through so much here, it's it's tough to talk about. 787 00:42:27,080 --> 00:42:30,080 Speaker 1: These conversations that I'm having with residents are are hard 788 00:42:30,080 --> 00:42:32,600 Speaker 1: ones to have. These folks are being put in absolutely 789 00:42:32,640 --> 00:42:37,200 Speaker 1: impossible positions. Lewis the piece about these contractors, it's the 790 00:42:37,200 --> 00:42:39,920 Speaker 1: first time learning about it. Can you give us a 791 00:42:39,920 --> 00:42:43,759 Speaker 1: little bit more detail about their involvement that was, you know, 792 00:42:43,840 --> 00:42:47,880 Speaker 1: revealed to be fraudulent in the past, falsifying records. What 793 00:42:48,040 --> 00:42:51,120 Speaker 1: was uncovered there, just so we know some of the specifics. Yeah, 794 00:42:51,160 --> 00:42:53,560 Speaker 1: so I know more about the deep Water Horizon incident, 795 00:42:53,920 --> 00:42:56,280 Speaker 1: and in the article from the New York Times, essentially 796 00:42:56,760 --> 00:42:58,920 Speaker 1: they do a good job with this. I encourage folks 797 00:42:58,920 --> 00:43:00,840 Speaker 1: to find it. We can get you the link to 798 00:43:00,880 --> 00:43:04,040 Speaker 1: post in the description or something like that. But in 799 00:43:04,080 --> 00:43:06,600 Speaker 1: that incident, the New York Times essentially found that the 800 00:43:06,600 --> 00:43:11,080 Speaker 1: deep Water Horizon incident, the company had every incentive to 801 00:43:11,160 --> 00:43:15,279 Speaker 1: essentially make these folks be feeling okay and getting them 802 00:43:15,280 --> 00:43:17,120 Speaker 1: back to work and all of this sort of thing. 803 00:43:17,200 --> 00:43:20,400 Speaker 1: So it's really the the incentives that were being placed. 804 00:43:21,000 --> 00:43:24,720 Speaker 1: We're obviously incorrect in all of these instances. There should 805 00:43:24,719 --> 00:43:28,280 Speaker 1: be independent testing being done. And again, if you want 806 00:43:28,520 --> 00:43:30,880 Speaker 1: residents here in East Palestine or in any other incidents, 807 00:43:30,960 --> 00:43:32,799 Speaker 1: you know, across the country where this to happen. Again, 808 00:43:33,560 --> 00:43:35,399 Speaker 1: let's make sure that we're using a company that does 809 00:43:35,440 --> 00:43:37,239 Speaker 1: not have a history of any of this kind of 810 00:43:37,239 --> 00:43:40,960 Speaker 1: fraudulent information. Yeah, So can you expand then in the 811 00:43:41,000 --> 00:43:44,200 Speaker 1: context of the general kind of corporate influence and cover 812 00:43:44,320 --> 00:43:46,080 Speaker 1: up that's been going on here that you've been able 813 00:43:46,080 --> 00:43:48,000 Speaker 1: to witness on the ground, because it just seems like 814 00:43:48,040 --> 00:43:51,160 Speaker 1: the latest in a series of things that's been happening. No, 815 00:43:51,360 --> 00:43:55,319 Speaker 1: it is, and you know, everything from initially you know, 816 00:43:55,400 --> 00:44:00,239 Speaker 1: the railroad burying contaminants underneath the railroad tracks, right, residents 817 00:44:00,280 --> 00:44:04,200 Speaker 1: have been very unhappy about that, and essentially even even 818 00:44:04,200 --> 00:44:07,200 Speaker 1: with the evacuations, right, there's a lot of speculation. Again 819 00:44:07,200 --> 00:44:09,160 Speaker 1: I can't confirm any of this necessarily, but there's a 820 00:44:09,200 --> 00:44:11,520 Speaker 1: lot of speculation that the reason the town was deemed 821 00:44:11,520 --> 00:44:14,239 Speaker 1: safe again was because the railroad is not able to 822 00:44:14,320 --> 00:44:17,600 Speaker 1: run trains through the town while there's still an evacuation 823 00:44:17,760 --> 00:44:22,360 Speaker 1: notice ordered if no one's allowed back into town, you know, 824 00:44:22,480 --> 00:44:24,680 Speaker 1: railroad conductors that sort of thing aren't going to be 825 00:44:24,719 --> 00:44:27,120 Speaker 1: able to be going through this area because it's unsafe. 826 00:44:27,520 --> 00:44:30,120 Speaker 1: So there's added pressure to get folks back into town, 827 00:44:30,200 --> 00:44:33,000 Speaker 1: tell them everything is fine, everything is safe, so that 828 00:44:33,000 --> 00:44:34,960 Speaker 1: they can get the railroad moving again. And I can 829 00:44:35,000 --> 00:44:37,640 Speaker 1: tell you after being here for several days, that railroad 830 00:44:37,719 --> 00:44:40,359 Speaker 1: is busy. I mean, in some times a day it's 831 00:44:40,400 --> 00:44:44,279 Speaker 1: every ten minutes a train going by. Oftentimes right now, 832 00:44:44,320 --> 00:44:47,200 Speaker 1: the trains are actually being double stacked the shipping container ones. 833 00:44:47,760 --> 00:44:50,160 Speaker 1: Residents tell me that that was not the case beforehand, 834 00:44:50,239 --> 00:44:52,600 Speaker 1: but it was mostly single stacked, and they're trying to 835 00:44:52,640 --> 00:44:55,799 Speaker 1: catch up on the railroad being closed from before with 836 00:44:55,880 --> 00:44:58,520 Speaker 1: these double stacked trains, which I don't need to tell 837 00:44:58,520 --> 00:45:00,520 Speaker 1: you this. The double stack trains are to be heavier 838 00:45:00,520 --> 00:45:06,000 Speaker 1: than singles tracked one tracked ones. It's it's uncomfortable again, Lewis, 839 00:45:06,160 --> 00:45:10,680 Speaker 1: we actually have you interviewed residents who voiced exactly the 840 00:45:11,000 --> 00:45:13,360 Speaker 1: fear and suspicion you were laying out that basically the 841 00:45:13,480 --> 00:45:17,799 Speaker 1: all clear call was rushed in order to get back 842 00:45:17,800 --> 00:45:21,399 Speaker 1: to business as usual. Guys, this is the second SOT 843 00:45:21,440 --> 00:45:23,200 Speaker 1: that we have. I believe it's labeled to see five 844 00:45:23,280 --> 00:45:25,080 Speaker 1: Control room. Let's go ahead and take a listen to that. 845 00:45:25,320 --> 00:45:29,040 Speaker 1: They had that thing cleaned up and the train running 846 00:45:29,080 --> 00:45:34,560 Speaker 1: through within forty eight hours. They laid those tracks right 847 00:45:34,600 --> 00:45:36,719 Speaker 1: over top of that, and there is no way that 848 00:45:36,800 --> 00:45:38,680 Speaker 1: they hauled any of it out. They laid it right 849 00:45:38,719 --> 00:45:41,400 Speaker 1: over top. And you know the fire department when when 850 00:45:41,440 --> 00:45:44,160 Speaker 1: this initially happened, it's a fire, they're trying to put 851 00:45:44,200 --> 00:45:47,759 Speaker 1: it out. There's brandon What where'd that water go? You know, 852 00:45:47,960 --> 00:45:51,520 Speaker 1: it's right in the ground, in the soil. And they 853 00:45:51,600 --> 00:45:54,239 Speaker 1: laid those railroad tracks over people. And the thing is 854 00:45:54,280 --> 00:45:57,479 Speaker 1: they weren't allowed to run the train through an evacuated area. 855 00:45:58,280 --> 00:46:02,720 Speaker 1: So soon as the train tracks were done, the evacuations lifted. 856 00:46:03,320 --> 00:46:05,319 Speaker 1: People that came home the night they we didn't come 857 00:46:05,400 --> 00:46:06,680 Speaker 1: up to the next morning, but there were people that 858 00:46:06,719 --> 00:46:09,840 Speaker 1: came home that night. They had videos they had to 859 00:46:09,920 --> 00:46:14,839 Speaker 1: wait on the train because the train was already up 860 00:46:14,840 --> 00:46:17,200 Speaker 1: and run and before they could get back in their houses. Now, 861 00:46:17,239 --> 00:46:19,160 Speaker 1: is that a coincidence that they weren't allowed to run 862 00:46:19,160 --> 00:46:21,040 Speaker 1: through an evacuated area and all of a sudden, the 863 00:46:21,040 --> 00:46:23,040 Speaker 1: train's ready to go and the evactually vac you know, 864 00:46:23,080 --> 00:46:26,520 Speaker 1: the evacuation was lifted. You know, I think not so. 865 00:46:26,640 --> 00:46:29,479 Speaker 1: Residents very fearful that their health and safety was put 866 00:46:29,520 --> 00:46:32,640 Speaker 1: at risk in order to make sure that the rail 867 00:46:32,719 --> 00:46:35,680 Speaker 1: companies could get back to operating a maximum capacity and 868 00:46:35,719 --> 00:46:37,520 Speaker 1: get back to making the profit margins they're used to. 869 00:46:38,960 --> 00:46:42,040 Speaker 1: Absolutely and I mean again Stella and Darren there, I 870 00:46:42,120 --> 00:46:45,800 Speaker 1: talked to them for forty five minutes. They've got foster children, 871 00:46:46,160 --> 00:46:49,359 Speaker 1: young kids, some of them with pre existing conditions. And 872 00:46:49,640 --> 00:46:51,719 Speaker 1: you know that house that we were interviewing them in there, 873 00:46:51,719 --> 00:46:54,239 Speaker 1: that's been in their family for one hundred years. This 874 00:46:54,280 --> 00:46:56,520 Speaker 1: is you know, they're like, what are we going to 875 00:46:56,520 --> 00:47:00,360 Speaker 1: pass on to our kids? Our house is worth nothing. 876 00:47:00,400 --> 00:47:02,919 Speaker 1: Now that's a major concern from a lot of folks 877 00:47:03,000 --> 00:47:06,360 Speaker 1: in town. Is you know, there's folks who are looking 878 00:47:06,360 --> 00:47:08,960 Speaker 1: to retire, they want to sell their house. What are 879 00:47:08,960 --> 00:47:11,000 Speaker 1: they going to do now? Norfolk Southern's not talking about 880 00:47:11,040 --> 00:47:13,759 Speaker 1: buying people's houses at the value that they were beforehand, 881 00:47:13,840 --> 00:47:16,040 Speaker 1: and you know, I'm sure they're not looking into doing 882 00:47:16,040 --> 00:47:19,200 Speaker 1: that at any point. But again, even for renters, I 883 00:47:19,239 --> 00:47:22,040 Speaker 1: mean I mentioned earlier on in this parents are being 884 00:47:22,080 --> 00:47:26,040 Speaker 1: put in an absolutely impossible situation here right I'm talking 885 00:47:26,040 --> 00:47:28,280 Speaker 1: to people with I'll give you some of the symptoms 886 00:47:28,320 --> 00:47:30,560 Speaker 1: that we're hearing. And this isn't just from like one 887 00:47:30,640 --> 00:47:33,160 Speaker 1: or two people. I'd say roughly half of the people 888 00:47:33,200 --> 00:47:35,239 Speaker 1: I'm talking to are dealing with some of these symptoms here. 889 00:47:35,280 --> 00:47:39,200 Speaker 1: So we've got rashes, bloody noses, the bloody noses, especially 890 00:47:39,239 --> 00:47:42,920 Speaker 1: with kids like every night in some cases right sore throats, 891 00:47:43,120 --> 00:47:48,840 Speaker 1: dry and stinging eyes, vomiting, breathing problems, diarrhea, and again, 892 00:47:48,880 --> 00:47:52,320 Speaker 1: some of this stuff is hard to necessarily show on camera, 893 00:47:52,440 --> 00:47:55,000 Speaker 1: but I can tell you from being invited into many 894 00:47:55,040 --> 00:47:57,879 Speaker 1: of these people's homes, going into some of the businesses here, 895 00:47:58,520 --> 00:48:01,320 Speaker 1: these people are not bsing you into trying to believe 896 00:48:01,320 --> 00:48:03,160 Speaker 1: this sort of thing. It's frustrating to see, you know, 897 00:48:03,200 --> 00:48:05,719 Speaker 1: folks online saying, oh, you know, folks are looking for 898 00:48:05,760 --> 00:48:10,120 Speaker 1: a handout. These people are in the most impossible situation ever. 899 00:48:10,400 --> 00:48:11,799 Speaker 1: You walk into some of these places and you can 900 00:48:11,840 --> 00:48:14,920 Speaker 1: feel it in your eyes, you can smell it's it's 901 00:48:14,920 --> 00:48:18,040 Speaker 1: an absolute shame that this is going on. And as 902 00:48:18,080 --> 00:48:19,719 Speaker 1: a result of this, to talk a little bit more 903 00:48:19,760 --> 00:48:23,120 Speaker 1: about some of the you know, corruption, gaslighting, whatever you 904 00:48:23,120 --> 00:48:25,360 Speaker 1: want to call it going on here, the state of 905 00:48:25,400 --> 00:48:28,120 Speaker 1: Ohio set up a clinic in the town for folks 906 00:48:28,120 --> 00:48:30,600 Speaker 1: to go to. I asked Governor DeWine. I was like, 907 00:48:30,680 --> 00:48:32,279 Speaker 1: you know, I talked to all of these people on 908 00:48:32,320 --> 00:48:34,680 Speaker 1: this street. Last night. We ran into them on the 909 00:48:34,719 --> 00:48:36,520 Speaker 1: street because a local resident tipped me off that he 910 00:48:36,600 --> 00:48:38,520 Speaker 1: was there. I was like, I talked to all these 911 00:48:38,520 --> 00:48:41,320 Speaker 1: folks on this street. They're experiencing all of these symptoms 912 00:48:41,320 --> 00:48:43,600 Speaker 1: that I just listed off for you. Where should they go? 913 00:48:44,280 --> 00:48:46,239 Speaker 1: He goes, they should go to the clinic that the 914 00:48:46,280 --> 00:48:48,120 Speaker 1: state of Ohio is set up. So we went to 915 00:48:48,160 --> 00:48:50,200 Speaker 1: the Ohio state you know, the clinic that they set 916 00:48:50,239 --> 00:48:53,400 Speaker 1: up in town. And this clinic isn't even providing actual 917 00:48:53,440 --> 00:48:57,880 Speaker 1: medical services here, right, the clinic is essentially providing folks 918 00:48:57,920 --> 00:49:00,200 Speaker 1: to talk to. Right, So you go, you get you 919 00:49:00,200 --> 00:49:03,080 Speaker 1: you you know, can can talk to an expert, I guess, 920 00:49:03,239 --> 00:49:05,320 Speaker 1: and then they'll refer you to go to your doctor. 921 00:49:05,680 --> 00:49:08,640 Speaker 1: Hopefully you've got health insurance. Hopefully you have a plan 922 00:49:08,680 --> 00:49:10,880 Speaker 1: that doesn't have a high deductible or else you're on 923 00:49:10,920 --> 00:49:15,239 Speaker 1: the hook or emergency room bills. That's unbelievable. And that's 924 00:49:15,280 --> 00:49:16,920 Speaker 1: one more point on this, if I can make it 925 00:49:17,880 --> 00:49:20,040 Speaker 1: a lot of the other you know, local journalist in town, 926 00:49:20,040 --> 00:49:21,840 Speaker 1: and obviously there's exceptions to the rule, and even some 927 00:49:21,880 --> 00:49:24,160 Speaker 1: of the national media. We were there reporting from in 928 00:49:24,200 --> 00:49:28,040 Speaker 1: front of the medical center and they're out there essentially 929 00:49:28,360 --> 00:49:31,800 Speaker 1: reading the press release saying this medical clinic is now open. 930 00:49:32,280 --> 00:49:34,960 Speaker 1: Members of the public should come here for for you know, 931 00:49:35,120 --> 00:49:38,360 Speaker 1: services and whatnot. Meanwhile, I've got residents texting me saying 932 00:49:39,080 --> 00:49:42,399 Speaker 1: this is ridiculous. This is no real services here. There's 933 00:49:42,440 --> 00:49:45,279 Speaker 1: no real services. And fortunately, you know, we're able to 934 00:49:45,280 --> 00:49:48,600 Speaker 1: actually be here to do it because nobody you know, again, 935 00:49:48,640 --> 00:49:51,359 Speaker 1: there is exceptions to the rule, no doubt about it. 936 00:49:51,560 --> 00:49:54,880 Speaker 1: But you know, I'm I'm not an expert journalist. I 937 00:49:54,880 --> 00:49:57,120 Speaker 1: don't have a journalism degree, right, but I feel like 938 00:49:57,160 --> 00:49:59,160 Speaker 1: I'm out here asking the questions that a lot of 939 00:49:59,160 --> 00:50:01,680 Speaker 1: these other folks aren't, which is a shame that I 940 00:50:01,760 --> 00:50:03,360 Speaker 1: have to be in that position to try to do 941 00:50:03,440 --> 00:50:06,239 Speaker 1: it well. We find ourselves in that position sometimes we're 942 00:50:06,280 --> 00:50:08,200 Speaker 1: very happy to help support your work down there. So yeah, 943 00:50:08,239 --> 00:50:10,600 Speaker 1: we appreciate you being there and let us know continue 944 00:50:10,640 --> 00:50:13,120 Speaker 1: if you ever need any more resources or anything. Yeah, thanks, 945 00:50:13,160 --> 00:50:16,760 Speaker 1: lewis great to have you. If we're able to as well, folks, 946 00:50:16,800 --> 00:50:18,440 Speaker 1: we're going to be posting a lot of content on 947 00:50:18,560 --> 00:50:21,000 Speaker 1: Status qu If you're not a Status Quo subscriber already, 948 00:50:21,480 --> 00:50:23,279 Speaker 1: that would be fantastic. If you can come follow some 949 00:50:23,320 --> 00:50:24,759 Speaker 1: of our work there. Yeah, they've been on this from 950 00:50:24,840 --> 00:50:26,560 Speaker 1: the beginning. Thanks guys, appreciate it.