WEBVTT

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From Pacifica,

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this is Democracy Now!

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My view is that there is a way

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for us to accommodate sacred lands

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of Native Americans.

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And I think that
right now the Army

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Corps is examining

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whether there are ways
to reroute this pipeline.

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As President Obama says
the Army Corps is considering

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rerouting the $3.8
billion Dakota Access pipeline,

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the crackdown on peaceful land

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and water protectors continues,

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as police fire tear gas
and pepper spray in North Dakota.

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We’ll speak to the chairman
of the Standing

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Rock Sioux Tribe, Dave Archambault.

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Then we look at the billionaire

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behind the pipeline, Kelcy Warren.

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In addition to running
Energy Transfer Partners,

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Warren is a major supporter

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of the folk music scene,
running a record label,

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and runs the popular Cherokee Creek

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Music Festival in Texas.

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Now a number of major musical acts

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are speaking out against the pipeline,

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including Kelcy Warren’s
musical idol, Jackson Browne,

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who will hold a concert
at Standing Rock

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against the pipeline
Thanksgiving weekend.

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We’ll speak to the Indigo Girls,
who will join us today

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to talk about their recent trip
to Standing Rock.

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It’s really an amazing convergence,

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actually, and it’s helping everyone.

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It’s not—I mean, it’s—I feel
like just being—I’m

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so thankful for the people that are here

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and going to live here
through the winter

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and do so much work,

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and it’s for all of us.

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Plus, we’ll go to Alabama,

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where at least one worker has died

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and five have been hospitalized

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after a section
of the Colonial pipeline exploded.

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In September, the same pipeline

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leaked nearly 340,000 gallons
of gasoline,

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leading six governors
to declare states of emergency

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as gas prices rose
throughout the region.

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All that and more, coming up.

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Welcome to Democracy Now!,

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democracynow.org,
The War and Peace Report.

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I’m Amy Goodman.

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In news from
the campaign trail,

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President Obama has criticized

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FBI Director James

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Comey for announcing
an investigation

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into a new batch
of Hillary Clinton emails.

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They were discovered
as part of a probe

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into former Congressmember
Anthony Weiner,

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the estranged husband of top
Clinton aide Huma Abedin,

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who is under investigation

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after he sent illicit
sext messages

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to an underage girl.

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Comey’s announcement only days

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before Election Day
has jolted the race

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and narrowed Hillary
Clinton’s lead over Donald Trump.

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This is President Obama.

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President Barack Obama: "And I do think

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that there is a norm

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that when there are investigations,

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we don’t operate on innuendo,

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we don’t operate on
incomplete information,

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we don’t operate on leaks.

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We operate based on concrete
decisions that are made.

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When this was investigated
thoroughly the last time,

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the conclusion of the FBI,

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the conclusion
of the Justice Department,

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the conclusion of repeated
congressional investigations

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was that she had
made some mistakes,

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but that there wasn’t anything
there that was prosecutable."

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Obama is campaigning for Clinton

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every day this week
in North Carolina,

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Florida and Ohio.

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In more election news,

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a woman who has
sued Donald Trump

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for allegedly raping her
two decades ago,

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when she was 13 years old,

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canceled a scheduled news
conference Wednesday.

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The woman’s lawsuit alleges:

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"Trump tied plaintiff to a bed,

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exposed himself to plaintiff,

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and then proceeded to
forcibly rape plaintiff.

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… Trump responded
to plaintiff’s pleas

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by violently striking plaintiff

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in the face with his open hand

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and screaming that he would
do whatever he wanted."

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The lawsuit alleges Trump
raped her at a party

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hosted by billionaire
Jeffrey Epstein,

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who has been jailed on charges

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of soliciting sex from a minor.

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The woman, who has
remained anonymous,

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was scheduled to come
forward on Wednesday

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but canceled the conference
after her lawyer,

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Lisa Bloom, said she had
received multiple death threats.

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Bloom said, "She has decided

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she is too afraid
to show her face.

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... She is in terrible fear."

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Trump’s lawyer has denied
all the allegations,

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saying they are "not only
categorically false,

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but disgusting."

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In local election news,
in Louisiana,

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police attacked protesters
with pepper spray,

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as the group demonstrated
against U.S. Senate candidate,

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former Ku Klux Klan leader
David Duke

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outside a candidate debate
Wednesday night

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held at the historically
African-American

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college Dillard University
in New Orleans.

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At least one protester
was detained by police,

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and others were forced
out of the venue.

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The six-candidate debate
was closed to the public

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and occurred inside
an empty auditorium.

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In Mississippi,
authorities are investigating

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the burning
and vandalism

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of a historic
African-American church

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in Greenville on Tuesday night.

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The 111-year-old

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Hopewell Missionary
Baptist Church was torched

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and then spray-painted
with the words "Vote Trump."

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Authorities say they are investigating
the attack as a hate crime.

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Greenville Mayor Errick Simmons
called the incident

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"an attack on the black church
and the black community.

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… This happened in the ‘50s
and the ‘60s.

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This should not happen in 2016."

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In Iraq, hundreds of families

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are fleeing the fighting
in eastern Mosul amid

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the U.S.-backed
Iraqi army’s offensive

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to retake the city
from ISIS. Amnesty

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International is accusing
some of the militias fighting

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against ISIS of revenge attacks
against local villagers.

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The group says
some militia members

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have engaged in torture:

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tying suspected ISIS
sympathizers to cars

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and driving them
through villages,

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beating people’s faces with cables

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and holding them in inside
poultry cages in public.

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The Pentagon says
two U.S. soldiers

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have been killed in Kunduz, Afghanistan.

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U.S. soldiers
have been backing

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the Afghan forces
battling the Taliban,

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which took control of the city
of Kunduz in October.

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Kunduz is also the site
of the deadly

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U.S. bombing of a Doctors

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Without Borders
hospital in October 2015

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which killed 42 people,

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including patients and staff.

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This comes as the United Nations

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is a warning of a new

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wave of displacement

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in Afghanistan amid
the ongoing violence.

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At least 1 million Afghans

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have been uprooted
from their homes

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by the violence this year.

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The Pentagon says
a U.S. drone strike killed

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an al-Qaeda leader
in Syria last month.

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Navy Captain Jeff Davis
says the strike on October

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17 killed Haydar Kirkan,

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who allegedly had ties
to Osama bin Laden.

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In France, authorities have forced
the remaining 1,600 refugees

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out of the Calais refugee camp,
known as "The Jungle."

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Authorities have been
in the process

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of demolishing the camp

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for more than a week

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and busing the camp’s
approximately 7,000 residents

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to refugee intake centers
across France.

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The final refugees removed

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Wednesday were predominantly
children and teenagers,

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mostly from Afghanistan
and South Sudan.

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They had been refusing
to leave the refugee camp,

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hoping to win asylum in Britain,

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where many say
they have family members.

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Meanwhile, in breaking news
from Britain,

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the plan for the country
to leave the European Union

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has been thrown into turmoil
after a court ruled today

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that Parliament members

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have to vote on
whether in fact

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to begin the formal
exit proceedings.

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In June, Britain
stunned the world

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by voting to leave
the European Union

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during a nationwide referendum,

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leading to the resignation

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of Prime Minister David Cameron.

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel

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has spoken out against the crackdown
on press freedom in Turkey,

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where 170 news outlets
have been forced to close

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since the failed military coup
attempt in July.

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Earlier this week,
police raided the Istanbul office

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of the prominent Cumhuriyet newspaper,

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detaining at least
12 journalists

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and administrators
on terrorism charges.

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The newspaper won the 2016
Right Livelihood Award.

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Chancellor Angela Merkel: "As to Turkey,
it is extremely alarming to me

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and the federal government
that the freedom of the press

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is being curtailed
time and again.

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The latest example of these already
very unfortunate developments

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is what is happening
to the editors

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and journalists
of the newspaper Cumhuriyet.

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We have serious doubts
that this is allowed

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under the principles
of a constitutional state."

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In Iowa, a man has been
arrested following

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the fatal shootings
of two police officers.

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Suspect Scott Michael Greene,
who is white,

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is accused of killing
the two white police officers

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in "ambush-style" attacks
early Wednesday morning.

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The shootings come a few weeks

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after Greene
brought a Confederate battle

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flag to a football game
at Urbandale High School

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and waved it in front
of people of color.

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He was thrown out
of the stadium by police.

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He has also been
accused of multiple

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instances of domestic violence.

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A few days after he brought

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the Confederate flag
to the football game,

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he was arrested and charged
with elderly abuse

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after he reportedly
attacked his mother.

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He was also charged
for domestic violence in 2001.

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The charges
were later dropped.

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In North Dakota,
police deployed pepper spray

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and tear gas against dozens
of Native American water protectors

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during a standoff at Cantapeta Creek,

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north of the main Oceti Sakowin camp

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where thousands have been
resisting the construction

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of the $3.8 billion
Dakota Access pipeline.

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At least two people were shot
with nonlethal projectiles.

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Video and photos show police
firing the pepper spray

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and tear gas at the water protectors,

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who were peacefully
standing in the creek.

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

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had ordered police
to arrest the Native Americans

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and destroy a bridge
that members of the camp

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had constructed over the creek

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in order to protect
a sacred burial

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ground they say is being
destroyed by construction

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and law enforcement activity.

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This comes after President
Obama said the Army

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Corp of Engineers is considering plans
to reroute the Dakota Access pipeline.

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We’ll have more
on the latest standoff

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and Obama’s comments after headlines

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with Standing

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Rock Sioux Tribal Chairperson
Dave Archambault II.

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In Alabama,
the Colonial pipeline

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remains shut down
following a fatal explosion

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along a section
of the pipeline on Monday

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in Shelby County, Alabama.

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One worker died and five
were hospitalized

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after columns of fire burst

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from the punctured pipeline

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and shot up to 150 feet
in the air.

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Colonial Pipeline Company
has said as many

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as 168,000 gallons of gasoline

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could have burned,
spilled,

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evaporated or remained

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in the pipeline
following the blast.

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Democrats on the House Energy
and Commerce Committee

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are seeking an investigation
of the Georgia-based company.

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This comes after
this same pipeline

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00:11:44.720 --> 00:11:47.430
leaked nearly 340,000 gallons

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00:11:47.430 --> 00:11:50.770
of gasoline in Central Alabama
in September,

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00:11:50.770 --> 00:11:54.640
forcing the line
to shut down for 12 days

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00:11:54.640 --> 00:11:57.980
and leading six governors
to declare states of emergency

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00:11:57.980 --> 00:12:00.390
as gas prices rose
throughout the region.

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00:12:00.390 --> 00:12:04.090
The Colonial pipeline carries
1.3 million barrels

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00:12:04.090 --> 00:12:05.970
of gasoline per day

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00:12:05.970 --> 00:12:08.930
down to refineries
in Texas and Louisiana,

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00:12:08.930 --> 00:12:12.530
accounting for a full 40 percent
of the region’s gasoline.

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00:12:12.530 --> 00:12:16.500
We’ll have more on the pipeline
explosion later in the broadcast.

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00:12:16.500 --> 00:12:19.140
In more oil and gas news,
General Electric

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00:12:19.140 --> 00:12:21.520
and Baker Hughes have
announced plans to merge,

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00:12:21.520 --> 00:12:24.370
which would create the second largest
oilfield service company

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00:12:24.370 --> 00:12:26.640
in the world,
after Schlumberger.

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00:12:26.640 --> 00:12:30.030
The merger comes amid
increasing consolidation

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00:12:30.030 --> 00:12:31.790
in the oil and gas industry.

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00:12:32.560 --> 00:12:33.950
And in northern Michigan,

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00:12:33.950 --> 00:12:35.470
a Nestlé bottling plant

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00:12:35.470 --> 00:12:37.610
that has been sucking water
out of aquifers

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00:12:37.610 --> 00:12:41.300
that feed Lake Michigan
for free for years

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00:12:41.300 --> 00:12:44.610
is now petitioning
the state regulatory agency

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00:12:44.610 --> 00:12:46.610
for permission to expand

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00:12:46.610 --> 00:12:48.990
and pump even more fresh water

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00:12:48.990 --> 00:12:51.090
out of the ground for free.

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00:12:51.090 --> 00:12:54.190
The Nestlé Ice Mountain
bottling plant in Mecosta County,

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00:12:54.190 --> 00:12:55.680
Michigan, is proposing

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00:12:55.680 --> 00:12:59.130
a $36 million expansion
of its plant.

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00:12:59.130 --> 00:13:00.830
It’s asking the Michigan Department

290
00:13:00.830 --> 00:13:02.870
of Environmental Quality for permission

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00:13:02.870 --> 00:13:04.810
to more than double
the amount of water

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00:13:04.810 --> 00:13:06.370
it can pump out of the ground,

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00:13:06.370 --> 00:13:08.880
from 150 gallons per minute

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00:13:08.880 --> 00:13:11.250
to 400 gallons per minute.

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00:13:11.250 --> 00:13:13.460
The bottling plant
has been the site of a more

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00:13:13.460 --> 00:13:15.980
than decade-long struggle
by local residents,

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00:13:15.980 --> 00:13:19.190
who oppose the extraction
of the groundwater for profit.

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00:13:19.190 --> 00:13:21.670
This is local activist Peggy Case.

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00:13:22.510 --> 00:13:24.980
Peggy Case: "So the water
that Nestlé is bottling,

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00:13:24.980 --> 00:13:27.960
here and elsewhere in our state,

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00:13:27.960 --> 00:13:29.690
is coming from the Great Lakes Basin.

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00:13:30.360 --> 00:13:33.980
It is feeding here
into Dead Stream

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00:13:33.980 --> 00:13:35.690
and Cold Creek,

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00:13:35.690 --> 00:13:37.850
then into the Little Muskegon River,

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00:13:37.850 --> 00:13:39.060
that aquifer,

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00:13:39.060 --> 00:13:42.230
and then eventually,
ultimately, into Lake Michigan.

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00:13:42.230 --> 00:13:45.170
So, it’s Great Lakes Basin water.

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00:13:45.170 --> 00:13:46.750
It’s part of the commons.

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00:13:47.250 --> 00:13:48.940
It belongs to all of us.

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00:13:49.740 --> 00:13:52.950
And part of the reason
that people in Mecosta

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00:13:52.950 --> 00:13:55.470
were pretty upset about it

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00:13:55.470 --> 00:13:57.800
is that the extraction of that water

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00:13:57.800 --> 00:14:00.570
was being—it was being taken out
of the watershed.

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00:14:01.300 --> 00:14:04.360
The streams were being pumped down,

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00:14:04.360 --> 00:14:05.980
to the point where the Dead Stream

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00:14:05.980 --> 00:14:08.250
looked like a mudhole at one point,

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00:14:08.910 --> 00:14:11.860
and bottled and shipped
all over the world."

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00:14:11.860 --> 00:14:14.330
Click here to see our full
interview with Peggy Case

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00:14:14.330 --> 00:14:16.390
and other activists
from when Democracy Now!

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00:14:16.390 --> 00:14:18.390
was in Michigan.

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00:14:20.390 --> 00:14:21.760
And those are some of the headlines

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00:14:21.760 --> 00:14:24.470
this is Democracy Now,
Democracynow.org,

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00:14:24.470 --> 00:14:25.780
the War and Peace Report.

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00:14:25.780 --> 00:14:27.780
I’m Amy Goodman.

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00:14:32.740 --> 00:14:35.960
NERMEEN SHAIKH: President Obama says
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

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00:14:35.960 --> 00:14:40.310
is considering rerouting the $3.8
billion Dakota Access pipeline,

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00:14:40.310 --> 00:14:44.000
amid months of resistance
from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe

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00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:47.560
and members of more than 200
other Native American nations

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00:14:47.560 --> 00:14:50.550
and tribes from across the Americas.

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00:14:50.550 --> 00:14:54.570
Obama made the comment
during an interview with NowThis News.

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00:14:54.570 --> 00:14:56.780
VERSHA SHARMA: One thing the candidates
aren’t really talking about

332
00:14:56.780 --> 00:14:58.830
is the Dakota Access pipeline.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Yeah.

333
00:14:58.830 --> 00:15:01.120
VERSHA SHARMA: Is that something
that you would consider intervening in?

334
00:15:01.120 --> 00:15:03.360
People have called for your
administration to make a call.

335
00:15:03.360 --> 00:15:05.230
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: 
We’re monitoring this closely.

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00:15:05.230 --> 00:15:08.640
And, you know, I think,
as a general rule,

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00:15:09.840 --> 00:15:11.660
my view is that there is a way

338
00:15:11.660 --> 00:15:14.620
for us to accommodate sacred lands

339
00:15:14.620 --> 00:15:15.950
of Native Americans.

340
00:15:18.030 --> 00:15:21.470
And I think that
right now the Army

341
00:15:21.470 --> 00:15:23.100
Corps is examining

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00:15:23.100 --> 00:15:25.610
whether there are ways
to reroute this pipeline

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00:15:25.610 --> 00:15:28.260
in a way.

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00:15:28.260 --> 00:15:29.600
VERSHA SHARMA: So that’s
a possibility, right?

345
00:15:29.600 --> 00:15:33.200
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: So—so,
we’re going to let it play out

346
00:15:33.200 --> 00:15:35.530
for several more weeks

347
00:15:35.530 --> 00:15:40.020
and determine whether or not this can
be resolved in a way

348
00:15:40.020 --> 00:15:43.850
that I think is properly attentive

349
00:15:43.850 --> 00:15:45.960
to the traditions
of the first Americans.

350
00:15:45.960 --> 00:15:46.960
VERSHA SHARMA: Is there
something to be done

351
00:15:46.960 --> 00:15:49.100
about the way protesters
are being treated right now, though?

352
00:15:49.100 --> 00:15:50.660
They’re getting sprayed
with rubber bullets.

353
00:15:50.660 --> 00:15:52.170
We’re seeing some kind
of shocking footage.

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00:15:52.170 --> 00:15:54.770
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Yeah, I mean,
it’s a challenging situation.

355
00:15:55.340 --> 00:15:59.880
I think that my general rule

356
00:16:00.810 --> 00:16:04.390
when I talk to governors
and state

357
00:16:04.390 --> 00:16:06.060
and local officials,

358
00:16:06.060 --> 00:16:07.910
whenever they’re dealing
with protests,

359
00:16:07.910 --> 00:16:09.230
including, for example,

360
00:16:09.230 --> 00:16:11.150
during the Black
Lives Matters protests,

361
00:16:11.150 --> 00:16:12.850
is there is an obligation

362
00:16:12.850 --> 00:16:16.060
for protesters to be peaceful,

363
00:16:17.270 --> 00:16:18.520
and there’s an obligation

364
00:16:18.520 --> 00:16:21.430
for authorities to show restraint.

365
00:16:21.430 --> 00:16:23.880
And, you know,
I want to make sure

366
00:16:23.880 --> 00:16:26.730
that as everybody

367
00:16:26.730 --> 00:16:29.100
is exercising their
constitutional rights

368
00:16:29.100 --> 00:16:30.610
to be heard,

369
00:16:30.610 --> 00:16:34.510
that both sides are
refraining from situations

370
00:16:34.510 --> 00:16:36.740
that might result
in people being hurt.

371
00:16:37.410 --> 00:16:40.510
NERMEEN SHAIKH: President Obama’s
comments came on Tuesday,

372
00:16:40.510 --> 00:16:42.640
the same day that
North Dakota officials

373
00:16:42.640 --> 00:16:45.900
approved an additional
$4 million for policing,

374
00:16:45.900 --> 00:16:48.150
bringing the total costs
of the police crackdown

375
00:16:48.150 --> 00:16:50.480
on the pipeline protests
to $10 million.

376
00:16:51.470 --> 00:16:53.750
On Wednesday, police
deployed pepper spray

377
00:16:53.750 --> 00:16:55.880
and tear gas against
dozens of Native

378
00:16:55.880 --> 00:16:57.680
American water protectors

379
00:16:57.680 --> 00:17:00.210
during a standoff
at Cantapeta Creek,

380
00:17:00.210 --> 00:17:02.520
north of the main
resistance camp.

381
00:17:02.520 --> 00:17:06.190
At least two people were shot
with nonlethal projectiles.

382
00:17:06.190 --> 00:17:08.880
Video and photos show police
firing the pepper spray

383
00:17:08.880 --> 00:17:11.090
and tear gas at the water protectors,

384
00:17:11.090 --> 00:17:13.730
who were peacefully
standing in the creek.

385
00:17:13.730 --> 00:17:16.420
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
had ordered police

386
00:17:16.420 --> 00:17:18.210
to arrest the Native Americans

387
00:17:18.210 --> 00:17:20.480
and destroy a bridge
that members of the camp

388
00:17:20.480 --> 00:17:22.520
had constructed over the creek

389
00:17:22.520 --> 00:17:24.520
in order to protect
a sacred burial

390
00:17:24.520 --> 00:17:27.390
ground they say is being
destroyed by construction

391
00:17:27.390 --> 00:17:29.130
and law enforcement activity.

392
00:17:29.130 --> 00:17:30.950
AMY GOODMAN: The U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers

393
00:17:30.950 --> 00:17:34.060
had ordered police to arrest Native
American protesters

394
00:17:34.060 --> 00:17:36.150
and destroy a bridge
that members of the camp

395
00:17:36.150 --> 00:17:37.970
had constructed over the creek.

396
00:17:37.970 --> 00:17:40.050
The protesters, or water protectors,

397
00:17:40.050 --> 00:17:42.340
as they call themselves,
had gathered to pray

398
00:17:42.340 --> 00:17:44.240
and protect sacred
sites they believe

399
00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:46.040
were being disturbed by construction

400
00:17:46.040 --> 00:17:47.890
and law enforcement activity.

401
00:17:47.890 --> 00:17:49.780
Well, for more,
we’re going to North Dakota

402
00:17:49.780 --> 00:17:51.380
to speak with Dave Archambault,

403
00:17:51.380 --> 00:17:54.270
the chairman of the Standing
Rock Sioux Tribe.

404
00:17:54.270 --> 00:17:56.260
Chairman, welcome
to Democracy Now!

405
00:17:56.260 --> 00:17:59.680
First, please respond
to this statement,

406
00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:02.330
that I think
surprised many,

407
00:18:02.330 --> 00:18:04.720
President Obama talking about

408
00:18:04.720 --> 00:18:07.090
considering rerouting the pipeline.

409
00:18:07.090 --> 00:18:10.030
Can you explain what is
being considered right now?

410
00:18:10.710 --> 00:18:14.270
DAVE ARCHAMBAULT II: You know,
Amy, what the president

411
00:18:14.270 --> 00:18:18.050
is doing is he’s starting a process

412
00:18:18.050 --> 00:18:19.420
that is needed,

413
00:18:19.420 --> 00:18:23.480
and that is to respect
indigenous peoples’ rights.

414
00:18:23.480 --> 00:18:25.410
A reroute is something

415
00:18:25.410 --> 00:18:30.490
that can require
new state permits,

416
00:18:30.490 --> 00:18:33.570
new federal permits
to cross waterways,

417
00:18:33.570 --> 00:18:35.400
new land owner agreements,

418
00:18:35.400 --> 00:18:39.070
and it also can restart the process,

419
00:18:39.070 --> 00:18:41.780
where proper consultation
can take place

420
00:18:41.780 --> 00:18:44.080
and environmental studies can happen.

421
00:18:44.080 --> 00:18:46.380
And so, that’s a—that’s a huge step.

422
00:18:47.340 --> 00:18:50.390
I think this whole process
was flawed from the beginning.

423
00:18:50.390 --> 00:18:53.520
But it also has to reflect

424
00:18:53.520 --> 00:18:55.060
what we’ve been saying all along,

425
00:18:55.060 --> 00:18:59.330
is that indigenous peoples’
rights continue to get violated,

426
00:18:59.330 --> 00:19:01.480
and it’s about time
that it stop.

427
00:19:01.480 --> 00:19:04.410
You know, we’ve been
all about protecting water

428
00:19:04.410 --> 00:19:06.850
and our treaty territory.

429
00:19:06.850 --> 00:19:08.760
If you look at a map—in 2010,

430
00:19:08.760 --> 00:19:11.150
there was a study
on the number of pipeline breaks.

431
00:19:11.150 --> 00:19:14.350
There’s a hole in that map,
and that’s our treaty lands.

432
00:19:14.350 --> 00:19:16.890
That’s pretty much all we have,
and we need to protect it.

433
00:19:17.650 --> 00:19:18.550
But that’s one step.

434
00:19:18.550 --> 00:19:21.170
The next step is,
is starting to take a look

435
00:19:21.170 --> 00:19:25.780
at what is it that we have to do
around the world as people.

436
00:19:26.850 --> 00:19:30.710
We have to start changing
our dependency on fossil fuels,

437
00:19:30.710 --> 00:19:32.640
and we have to start investing

438
00:19:32.640 --> 00:19:35.410
in renewable energies.

439
00:19:35.410 --> 00:19:39.760
Until we stop driving cars
that use fossil fuels,

440
00:19:39.760 --> 00:19:43.440
this is going to be a force
that continues to exist.

441
00:19:43.440 --> 00:19:47.200
So we have to start
to look at ways

442
00:19:47.200 --> 00:19:49.660
we can be self-sustaining
without fossil fuels,

443
00:19:49.660 --> 00:19:53.190
and force investments,

444
00:19:53.190 --> 00:19:55.870
force corporations to look at

445
00:19:55.870 --> 00:19:58.180
how can we save this world.

446
00:19:58.180 --> 00:20:00.120
Right now, Standing Rock has

447
00:20:00.120 --> 00:20:02.840
our sovereign rights,
our sovereign lands,

448
00:20:02.840 --> 00:20:08.100
and we’re asking that
you stop infringing on them.

449
00:20:08.100 --> 00:20:10.990
We have said it repeatedly.

450
00:20:10.990 --> 00:20:14.510
And I think, with the
president’s statement,

451
00:20:14.510 --> 00:20:16.480
it’s starting to be heard.

452
00:20:17.610 --> 00:20:20.930
AMY GOODMAN: Can you explain
exactly what the process is,

453
00:20:20.930 --> 00:20:24.790
the consultation that’s going on
for the rerouting?

454
00:20:24.790 --> 00:20:29.010
And when will they stop
building where they are,

455
00:20:29.010 --> 00:20:32.220
or will it involve
stopping doing

456
00:20:32.220 --> 00:20:33.490
what they’re doing, for example,

457
00:20:33.490 --> 00:20:37.900
yesterday and the last week
and earlier this week?

458
00:20:37.900 --> 00:20:41.360
DAVE ARCHAMBAULT II: So, this—I
don’t have a timeline,

459
00:20:41.360 --> 00:20:43.210
and I haven’t been
consulted on this.

460
00:20:43.210 --> 00:20:44.700
This is just something that comes

461
00:20:44.700 --> 00:20:48.720
from what the president
has stated in his comments.

462
00:20:48.720 --> 00:20:52.330
The company continues
to ignore federal government.

463
00:20:52.330 --> 00:20:55.410
Company—this company
is something

464
00:20:55.410 --> 00:20:58.700
that is—they just destroyed

465
00:20:58.700 --> 00:21:00.420
some more sacred sites.

466
00:21:00.420 --> 00:21:04.080
And they knew about these
sites on October 17th,

467
00:21:04.080 --> 00:21:06.790
but they didn’t inform anyone
until October 27th.

468
00:21:07.380 --> 00:21:08.910
They plowed through it.

469
00:21:08.910 --> 00:21:12.500
And, you know,
that’s cause for the state

470
00:21:12.500 --> 00:21:14.770
to ask the company to cease work.

471
00:21:14.770 --> 00:21:17.580
That’s cause for the Corps of Engineers

472
00:21:17.580 --> 00:21:19.790
to say, "Shut down now.

473
00:21:19.790 --> 00:21:22.550
You’re not going
to get this permit

474
00:21:22.550 --> 00:21:25.850
because you continue to violate
indigenous peoples’ rights."

475
00:21:25.850 --> 00:21:27.700
But the company
is not going to do that,

476
00:21:27.700 --> 00:21:29.950
because they feel
they have every legal right.

477
00:21:29.950 --> 00:21:32.360
And this is driven
by money and greed.

478
00:21:33.350 --> 00:21:36.560
And it only comes from
the continued dependency

479
00:21:36.560 --> 00:21:39.060
that we all have
on fossil fuels.

480
00:21:39.850 --> 00:21:42.010
NERMEEN SHAIKH: And do you think
that the Obama administration

481
00:21:42.010 --> 00:21:44.380
can do something more now,

482
00:21:44.380 --> 00:21:47.680
as the Army Corps considers
rerouting the pipeline?

483
00:21:48.270 --> 00:21:51.720
DAVE ARCHAMBAULT II: Right now they need
to say, "No easement.

484
00:21:51.720 --> 00:21:53.330
You’re not going
to get the easement."

485
00:21:53.330 --> 00:21:54.900
The Obama administration
or the Army

486
00:21:54.900 --> 00:21:58.230
Corps of Engineers can release
that statement today,

487
00:21:58.230 --> 00:22:00.360
and then the construction will stop.

488
00:22:00.940 --> 00:22:03.930
You know, this company
is driven with greed and money,

489
00:22:03.930 --> 00:22:07.760
but it’s also driven
by investors.

490
00:22:07.760 --> 00:22:12.500
People who invest
in pipeline companies

491
00:22:12.500 --> 00:22:15.440
are asking for timelines to be met.

492
00:22:15.440 --> 00:22:17.600
But if they know that they
will not get the easement,

493
00:22:18.150 --> 00:22:19.360
they can stop construction.

494
00:22:20.910 --> 00:22:22.760
AMY GOODMAN: I was interested
that President Obama said,

495
00:22:22.760 --> 00:22:25.450
"We’re going to look at this
for a few more weeks."

496
00:22:25.450 --> 00:22:28.640
And I was wondering what it was
they are waiting on,

497
00:22:28.640 --> 00:22:31.170
as people are shot with pepper spray,

498
00:22:31.170 --> 00:22:32.420
rubber bullets,

499
00:22:32.420 --> 00:22:35.500
the concern of what will happen,

500
00:22:35.500 --> 00:22:40.210
finding an infiltrator
who had an AR-15 gun,

501
00:22:40.210 --> 00:22:43.740
who put a bandana
over his face,

502
00:22:43.740 --> 00:22:48.780
who actually had Dakota
Access pipeline security ID.

503
00:22:49.690 --> 00:22:52.230
What would it take
for President Obama—why

504
00:22:52.230 --> 00:22:54.360
is he waiting a few weeks?

505
00:22:54.920 --> 00:22:56.770
DAVE ARCHAMBAULT II: You know, Amy,
that’s a really good question,

506
00:22:56.770 --> 00:23:00.270
and I’m not the person
to answer that for you.

507
00:23:00.270 --> 00:23:01.770
I think it would be a question

508
00:23:01.770 --> 00:23:05.000
that only the Obama
administration can answer.

509
00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:07.410
We were told that
they were going to review

510
00:23:07.410 --> 00:23:09.230
the whole process.

511
00:23:09.890 --> 00:23:11.750
And so, whatever that means,

512
00:23:11.750 --> 00:23:13.920
we’re hopeful and we’re prayerful

513
00:23:13.920 --> 00:23:17.160
that the process
stops this pipeline

514
00:23:17.710 --> 00:23:21.070
and looks at protecting
our indigenous rights

515
00:23:21.070 --> 00:23:22.970
and our lands and our water.

516
00:23:23.880 --> 00:23:27.960
AMY GOODMAN: Meanwhile, the money
that the North Dakota sheriff

517
00:23:28.660 --> 00:23:31.460
is getting now,
I think it’s what?

518
00:23:31.460 --> 00:23:35.360
Up to $10 million,
just requested another $4 million.

519
00:23:36.090 --> 00:23:37.400
When we were there, we saw

520
00:23:37.400 --> 00:23:39.840
the MRAP, the armored
personnel carrier.

521
00:23:40.810 --> 00:23:42.620
You’ve got the sound cannons,

522
00:23:42.620 --> 00:23:45.340
the heavily militarized police.

523
00:23:45.340 --> 00:23:47.860
What is your response
to what’s happening?

524
00:23:47.860 --> 00:23:49.670
And what are
they requesting?

525
00:23:49.670 --> 00:23:52.160
And what about the involvement
of the North Dakota

526
00:23:52.160 --> 00:23:53.530
Legislature and the governor?

527
00:23:54.590 --> 00:23:56.260
DAVE ARCHAMBAULT II: OK, Amy, you know,

528
00:23:56.260 --> 00:23:58.040
what’s happening is unfortunate

529
00:23:58.040 --> 00:23:59.410
with the state government.

530
00:23:59.410 --> 00:24:04.020
There were—there has been
an oil boom in North Dakota,

531
00:24:04.020 --> 00:24:06.760
and—since 2003.

532
00:24:06.760 --> 00:24:10.070
And there’s been the exploitation

533
00:24:10.070 --> 00:24:11.990
of fossil fuels with fracking.

534
00:24:11.990 --> 00:24:14.260
And in the region,
northwest region of North Dakota,

535
00:24:14.260 --> 00:24:16.120
there’s been an influx of people.

536
00:24:16.120 --> 00:24:19.700
Our unemployment rate
was 5.0 in United States,

537
00:24:19.700 --> 00:24:21.220
and North Dakota was 2.8.

538
00:24:21.220 --> 00:24:23.070
There was people
coming from all over.

539
00:24:23.070 --> 00:24:28.320
And what was happening was there
was routine major crimes

540
00:24:28.320 --> 00:24:30.480
being committed—murders,

541
00:24:30.480 --> 00:24:34.620
rapes, unsolved murders,
sex trafficking,

542
00:24:34.620 --> 00:24:38.230
the worst drugs that you can think
of being trafficked through there.

543
00:24:38.230 --> 00:24:42.710
And we didn’t see militarization
of law enforcement.

544
00:24:42.710 --> 00:24:45.510
We didn’t see National Guard
being deployed.

545
00:24:45.510 --> 00:24:47.590
We didn’t see the state call
a state of emergency.

546
00:24:47.590 --> 00:24:50.960
And this has been going on
for almost a decade.

547
00:24:50.960 --> 00:24:54.350
But as soon as indigenous people

548
00:24:54.350 --> 00:24:56.360
and all the supporters come together

549
00:24:56.360 --> 00:24:58.770
to stand up
against fossil fuels,

550
00:24:58.770 --> 00:25:00.660
the state says,

551
00:25:00.660 --> 00:25:02.460
"Let’s throw $10 million
at this

552
00:25:02.460 --> 00:25:04.020
and make them go away."

553
00:25:04.020 --> 00:25:09.350
Well, our commitment
is not going to go away.

554
00:25:09.350 --> 00:25:11.030
The state has to understand that.

555
00:25:11.030 --> 00:25:13.500
And a lot of this force
is unnecessary.

556
00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:16.360
But that’s just how it is.
And, you know,

557
00:25:16.360 --> 00:25:21.580
there’s the underlying treatment
of indigenous peoples.

558
00:25:22.410 --> 00:25:24.080
And we’re saying
enough is enough.

559
00:25:24.080 --> 00:25:26.070
And it’s starting to expose
a lot of things

560
00:25:26.070 --> 00:25:27.720
to where—how

561
00:25:27.720 --> 00:25:30.230
do we get past this
once this is over?

562
00:25:31.030 --> 00:25:34.660
How are we going to
re-establish relationships?

563
00:25:34.660 --> 00:25:36.250
And how are we
going to move on?

564
00:25:36.250 --> 00:25:38.510
And how are we going
to handle ourselves?

565
00:25:38.510 --> 00:25:40.220
Because this is
starting to create

566
00:25:40.220 --> 00:25:43.470
a whole lot of anger
and frustration,

567
00:25:44.410 --> 00:25:46.750
which was already there,
from 200 years,

568
00:25:47.720 --> 00:25:50.850
by the treatment of
the federal government,

569
00:25:50.850 --> 00:25:54.430
state governments
on indigenous peoples.

570
00:25:55.240 --> 00:25:56.670
AMY GOODMAN: Finally,
I wanted to ask you,

571
00:25:56.670 --> 00:25:58.680
Chairman Archambault—in a moment,

572
00:25:58.680 --> 00:26:00.900
we’re going to talk more
about Kelcy Warren,

573
00:26:00.900 --> 00:26:05.190
who is the CEO of Energy
Transfer Partners,

574
00:26:05.190 --> 00:26:08.250
that owns the Dakota
Access pipeline.

575
00:26:08.250 --> 00:26:11.140
He also is a folk music maven,

576
00:26:11.140 --> 00:26:12.520
has a record label,

577
00:26:13.040 --> 00:26:15.010
is big in the Austin music scene.

578
00:26:15.550 --> 00:26:19.690
And his music idol
is Jackson Browne.

579
00:26:19.690 --> 00:26:21.290
We understand Jackson Browne

580
00:26:21.290 --> 00:26:24.300
is coming to the Standing
Rock Sioux Reservation

581
00:26:24.300 --> 00:26:26.380
Thanksgiving weekend on Sunday night

582
00:26:26.380 --> 00:26:28.440
and will be having a concert.

583
00:26:29.300 --> 00:26:32.530
It’s interesting
that Kelcy Warren—the pipeline

584
00:26:32.530 --> 00:26:35.100
is called the Dakota
Access pipeline,

585
00:26:36.300 --> 00:26:39.750
and that his music
festival in Texas,

586
00:26:39.750 --> 00:26:41.880
where, for example,
our next guests,

587
00:26:41.880 --> 00:26:44.420
the Indigo Girls, have performed,

588
00:26:44.420 --> 00:26:48.070
is called the Cherokee Creek
Music Festival.

589
00:26:48.070 --> 00:26:50.090
And I was wondering
about your thoughts

590
00:26:50.090 --> 00:26:53.000
on using Native names—Cherokee Creek

591
00:26:53.000 --> 00:26:58.700
and Dakota—the CEO
of the company

592
00:26:58.700 --> 00:27:02.420
that is pushing this pipeline forward?

593
00:27:03.380 --> 00:27:07.330
DAVE ARCHAMBAULT II: You know, Amy,
we brought this concern up.

594
00:27:08.110 --> 00:27:12.650
It’s not only the company
Dakota Access or Cherokee Creek,

595
00:27:13.400 --> 00:27:17.080
but indigenous people have a right

596
00:27:18.600 --> 00:27:20.740
to their intellectual property.

597
00:27:21.300 --> 00:27:25.100
And our rights have been violated
and taken from us

598
00:27:25.100 --> 00:27:27.700
all across the board,
including our name.

599
00:27:27.700 --> 00:27:29.240
So if you look at the state
of North Dakota

600
00:27:29.240 --> 00:27:31.200
and the state of South Dakota,

601
00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:33.520
those states, as well, took our name,

602
00:27:34.600 --> 00:27:36.450
and not really understanding
what it means.

603
00:27:36.450 --> 00:27:39.710
And then, the Dakota Access pipeline,

604
00:27:39.710 --> 00:27:42.140
to use our name, Dakota,

605
00:27:42.140 --> 00:27:45.110
which means "friend,"
it’s not right.

606
00:27:45.110 --> 00:27:46.800
And that’s an intellectual property

607
00:27:47.430 --> 00:27:50.170
that should be owned by us.

608
00:27:51.040 --> 00:27:54.190
But it doesn’t matter.
It seems like no matter

609
00:27:54.190 --> 00:27:57.080
what is our ownership,

610
00:27:57.080 --> 00:27:59.250
whatever we own
or whatever is our right,

611
00:27:59.250 --> 00:28:04.420
it’s been infringed on
for the past 500 years.

612
00:28:05.390 --> 00:28:06.830
AMY GOODMAN: Dave Archambault,
we want to thank you

613
00:28:06.830 --> 00:28:10.230
for being with us, chairman
of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe,

614
00:28:10.230 --> 00:28:12.530
speaking to us from North Dakota.

615
00:28:12.530 --> 00:28:14.870
This is Democracy Now!,
democracynow.org,

616
00:28:14.870 --> 00:28:16.100
The War and Peace Report.

617
00:28:16.100 --> 00:28:17.940
When we come back, we ask,

618
00:28:17.940 --> 00:28:20.090
who is Kelcy Warren,

619
00:28:20.090 --> 00:28:23.060
the CEO of Energy
Transfer Partners?

620
00:28:23.060 --> 00:28:24.710
We’ll speak with a reporter

621
00:28:24.710 --> 00:28:27.150
and then be joined
by the Indigo Girls,

622
00:28:27.150 --> 00:28:30.050
a well-known musical group

623
00:28:30.050 --> 00:28:32.290
who have played at Standing Rock

624
00:28:32.290 --> 00:28:36.530
and also at Warren’s
folk festival in Texas,

625
00:28:36.530 --> 00:28:41.540
but are now leading
a petition of singers

626
00:28:41.540 --> 00:28:42.940
and musical groups

627
00:28:42.940 --> 00:28:45.780
to stop supporting
the Dakota Access pipeline.

628
00:28:45.780 --> 00:28:47.360
Stay with us.

629
00:28:47.360 --> 00:28:51.270
NERMEEN SHAIKH: We turn now

630
00:28:51.270 --> 00:28:59.440
to look
at the Texas billionaire

631
00:28:59.440 --> 00:29:03.960
behind the Dakota
Access pipeline:

632
00:30:51.580 --> 00:30:53.440
Kelcy Warren,

633
00:31:08.030 --> 00:31:11.210
the CEO of Energy
Transfer Partners.

634
00:31:11.210 --> 00:31:15.580
Described by Bloomberg as
"among America’s new shale tycoons,"

635
00:31:15.580 --> 00:31:18.550
Warren is personally
worth $4 billion.

636
00:31:18.550 --> 00:31:22.490
He has become a major donor
to the Republican Party.

637
00:31:22.490 --> 00:31:23.860
During this election cycle,

638
00:31:23.860 --> 00:31:27.640
he gave over $500,000
to a super PAC

639
00:31:27.640 --> 00:31:30.540
backing former Texas
Governor Rick Perry.

640
00:31:30.540 --> 00:31:32.730
He also maxed out his donations

641
00:31:32.730 --> 00:31:34.460
to House Speaker Paul Ryan,

642
00:31:34.460 --> 00:31:36.540
House Energy
Chair Fred Upton,

643
00:31:36.540 --> 00:31:39.350
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy

644
00:31:39.350 --> 00:31:40.600
and Senate Energy

645
00:31:40.600 --> 00:31:43.730
and Natural Resources
Chair Lisa Murkowski.

646
00:31:44.290 --> 00:31:47.170
Kelcy Warren owns
a small music label

647
00:31:47.170 --> 00:31:48.700
and recording company,

648
00:31:48.700 --> 00:31:50.790
and is the founder and driving force

649
00:31:50.790 --> 00:31:54.640
behind the Cherokee Creek
Music Festival in Texas.

650
00:31:54.640 --> 00:31:56.240
Later in the show, we will be joined

651
00:31:56.240 --> 00:31:58.870
by the Grammy
Award-winning Indigo Girls,

652
00:31:58.870 --> 00:32:01.410
who have written an open
letter to Kelcy Warren.

653
00:32:01.410 --> 00:32:04.730
But first I want to turn to Sue Sturgis,

654
00:32:04.730 --> 00:32:07.080
editorial director of Facing South.

655
00:32:07.080 --> 00:32:08.880
Her recent piece is headlined

656
00:32:08.880 --> 00:32:10.370
"Meet the Texas Billionaire

657
00:32:10.370 --> 00:32:11.680
and GOP Donor

658
00:32:11.680 --> 00:32:14.380
Behind the North Dakota
Pipeline Controversy."

659
00:32:14.380 --> 00:32:16.820
AMY GOODMAN: We also
invited Kelcy Warren

660
00:32:16.820 --> 00:32:18.120
to join us on the show

661
00:32:18.120 --> 00:32:20.680
but did not receive
a response back.

662
00:32:20.680 --> 00:32:25.330
So, Sue Sturgis, you wrote this
very interesting piece in Facing South.

663
00:32:25.330 --> 00:32:29.290
Can you talk about
who Kelcy Warren is?

664
00:32:29.870 --> 00:32:32.650
SUE STURGIS: Kelcy Warren is
a native of East Texas,

665
00:32:32.650 --> 00:32:35.050
and he studied civil engineering

666
00:32:35.050 --> 00:32:37.850
at the University of Texas at Arlington

667
00:32:37.850 --> 00:32:40.610
and went to work
in the gas industry.

668
00:32:40.610 --> 00:32:42.440
His father, interestingly enough,

669
00:32:42.440 --> 00:32:45.090
had been a field hand
for the Sun pipeline,

670
00:32:45.090 --> 00:32:47.820
which Kelcy Warren’s company now owns.

671
00:32:47.820 --> 00:32:50.590
He worked his way up
through the industry.

672
00:32:50.590 --> 00:32:52.540
And in 1995,

673
00:32:52.540 --> 00:32:56.440
he co-founded Energy Transfer
with Ray Davis,

674
00:32:56.440 --> 00:32:58.260
who you might know as the owner

675
00:32:58.260 --> 00:33:00.970
of the Texas Rangers baseball team.

676
00:33:00.970 --> 00:33:05.600
And then it was in 2007
that Warren became the co-CEO

677
00:33:05.600 --> 00:33:07.980
and chairman of the company.

678
00:33:08.680 --> 00:33:10.920
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Well, can you tell us
a little bit about this company

679
00:33:10.920 --> 00:33:13.320
that he co-founded in 1995,

680
00:33:13.320 --> 00:33:16.570
Energy Transfer Partners?
SUE STURGIS: Yes.

681
00:33:16.570 --> 00:33:18.850
Well, as you mentioned
in the introduction,

682
00:33:19.780 --> 00:33:21.050
you know,
he’s been called

683
00:33:21.050 --> 00:33:23.100
one of America’s
new shale tycoons,

684
00:33:23.100 --> 00:33:25.020
but it’s important
to note that his company

685
00:33:25.020 --> 00:33:27.080
isn’t actually drilling for the oil,

686
00:33:27.080 --> 00:33:29.800
but rather moving the oil around.
So that’s what they do.

687
00:33:29.800 --> 00:33:32.730
And they currently
own 71,000 miles

688
00:33:32.730 --> 00:33:35.180
of pipelines in the United States.

689
00:33:35.180 --> 00:33:36.760
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Can you explain
what that means,

690
00:33:36.760 --> 00:33:38.440
moving oil around?

691
00:33:39.500 --> 00:33:41.800
SUE STURGIS: Well, once we get
the oil out of the ground,

692
00:33:41.800 --> 00:33:45.490
it’s become really important to get it
to where it needs to go.

693
00:33:45.490 --> 00:33:48.020
And the pipeline is the way

694
00:33:48.020 --> 00:33:51.240
that Kelcy Warren
has made his fortune, doing that.

695
00:33:52.170 --> 00:33:55.960
AMY GOODMAN: And can you talk about
the contributions he has made?

696
00:33:56.930 --> 00:33:58.450
SUE STURGIS: Yes.
That was the angle

697
00:33:58.450 --> 00:34:00.530
that I was particularly
interested in looking at.

698
00:34:00.530 --> 00:34:03.320
I thought it was interesting
that Chairman Archambault

699
00:34:03.320 --> 00:34:04.530
talked about the importance

700
00:34:04.530 --> 00:34:07.320
of considering investors
in the pipeline.

701
00:34:07.320 --> 00:34:08.860
And I thought it was important also

702
00:34:08.860 --> 00:34:10.990
to look at the investment
that Kelcy Warren

703
00:34:10.990 --> 00:34:14.260
and his company has been making
in politics over the years.

704
00:34:14.260 --> 00:34:16.440
He’s donated millions of dollars

705
00:34:16.440 --> 00:34:19.730
to politics at both
the federal and state levels,

706
00:34:21.160 --> 00:34:25.020
and much of that money has gone
to Republican politicians.

707
00:34:25.020 --> 00:34:27.210
During this election cycle,
as was mentioned,

708
00:34:27.210 --> 00:34:29.680
he’s donated at least $500,000

709
00:34:29.680 --> 00:34:32.470
to Rick Perry’s
presidential campaign.

710
00:34:32.470 --> 00:34:34.180
And since the primary,

711
00:34:34.180 --> 00:34:37.460
he has donated at least
$100,000 to organizations

712
00:34:37.460 --> 00:34:38.900
that support Donald Trump.

713
00:34:39.890 --> 00:34:41.930
Then, also, at the state level,

714
00:34:41.930 --> 00:34:43.580
he has been a big supporter

715
00:34:43.580 --> 00:34:46.560
of Governor Greg Abbott of Texas,

716
00:34:46.560 --> 00:34:49.210
and last year Abbott
appointed Warren

717
00:34:49.210 --> 00:34:52.090
to the Texas Parks
and Wildlife Commission.

718
00:34:52.970 --> 00:34:54.670
And at the same time
that Kelcy Warren

719
00:34:54.670 --> 00:34:56.670
is making campaign contributions,

720
00:34:56.670 --> 00:34:59.260
Energy Transfer Partners
has its own PAC

721
00:34:59.260 --> 00:35:01.450
that’s also making contributions.

722
00:35:01.450 --> 00:35:03.480
So you have this
sort of synergistic thing

723
00:35:03.480 --> 00:35:05.490
happening between,
you know, the contributions,

724
00:35:05.490 --> 00:35:09.060
the investments from Warren
and from the company, and politics.

725
00:35:09.060 --> 00:35:10.800
And during this
election cycle,

726
00:35:10.800 --> 00:35:12.100
Energy Transfer Partners

727
00:35:12.100 --> 00:35:15.040
has invested
about $300,000.

728
00:35:15.040 --> 00:35:18.300
That’s what we know of so far.
Of course, these are moving figures;

729
00:35:18.300 --> 00:35:20.530
we’ll probably find out
more after the election,

730
00:35:20.530 --> 00:35:22.100
when all the reports are in.

731
00:35:22.100 --> 00:35:25.770
But about $300,000
to federal candidates,

732
00:35:25.770 --> 00:35:28.700
and that’s primarily House
and Senate candidates.

733
00:35:28.700 --> 00:35:32.170
And then the company is also making
investments in state politics,

734
00:35:32.170 --> 00:35:35.670
about $100,000 this
election cycle so far.

735
00:35:35.670 --> 00:35:38.480
And one of the things that I thought
was interesting in my research

736
00:35:38.480 --> 00:35:39.780
is that,
in recent years,

737
00:35:39.780 --> 00:35:41.670
really starting last year,

738
00:35:41.670 --> 00:35:42.910
he’s begun—well,

739
00:35:42.910 --> 00:35:46.580
the company has begun
investing in politics in the Dakotas.

740
00:35:46.580 --> 00:35:48.830
So we’ve seen
at least $10,000

741
00:35:48.830 --> 00:35:50.630
going to political organizations

742
00:35:50.630 --> 00:35:53.010
in both North Dakota
and South Dakota,

743
00:35:53.010 --> 00:35:54.990
and that’s gone primarily

744
00:35:54.990 --> 00:35:57.490
to House—state House

745
00:35:57.490 --> 00:36:00.300
and state Senate
Republican organizations.

746
00:36:00.810 --> 00:36:03.080
AMY GOODMAN: So, now talk about his role

747
00:36:03.080 --> 00:36:05.660
in the folk music scene in Texas

748
00:36:05.660 --> 00:36:06.870
and around the country.

749
00:36:06.870 --> 00:36:10.160
Talk about the Cherokee Creek
Music Festival,

750
00:36:10.160 --> 00:36:12.560
his record label,
recording company.

751
00:36:13.830 --> 00:36:15.230
SUE STURGIS: Well, in 2007,

752
00:36:15.230 --> 00:36:18.480
which was the year
that Warren rose to co-CEO

753
00:36:18.480 --> 00:36:20.000
and co-chairman of the company,

754
00:36:20.000 --> 00:36:21.860
that was really
a watershed year for him

755
00:36:21.860 --> 00:36:23.380
and a lot of his activities.

756
00:36:23.380 --> 00:36:26.710
That was also the year
that he founded Music Road Records,

757
00:36:26.710 --> 00:36:30.470
which is his independent
record label based in Austin.

758
00:36:30.470 --> 00:36:32.780
And he also founded a charity

759
00:36:32.780 --> 00:36:35.980
that year called Cherokee Crossroads.

760
00:36:35.980 --> 00:36:37.970
And it’s the music festival

761
00:36:37.970 --> 00:36:40.910
that he then founded that
actually funds the charity.

762
00:36:40.910 --> 00:36:42.290
So, that’s how that works.

763
00:36:42.290 --> 00:36:45.550
The Cherokee Creek
Music Festival raises the funds

764
00:36:45.550 --> 00:36:48.540
that then goes
to Cherokee Crossroads.

765
00:36:48.540 --> 00:36:51.330
And that primarily
funds children’s causes

766
00:36:51.330 --> 00:36:53.490
and also local service organizations.

767
00:36:55.280 --> 00:36:56.910
AMY GOODMAN: So it’s called
Cherokee Creek,

768
00:36:56.910 --> 00:36:59.090
and you heard me asking
Chairman Archambault

769
00:36:59.090 --> 00:37:01.870
how interesting the Cherokee Creek
Music Festival,

770
00:37:01.870 --> 00:37:04.260
the Dakota Access pipeline—you know,

771
00:37:04.260 --> 00:37:06.460
all Native American words.

772
00:37:06.460 --> 00:37:09.270
And yet we see what’s
happening to Native Americans

773
00:37:09.270 --> 00:37:12.450
who are facing off
against the building

774
00:37:12.450 --> 00:37:14.160
of the Dakota Access pipeline,

775
00:37:14.160 --> 00:37:15.750
being met with pepper spray,

776
00:37:15.750 --> 00:37:17.720
attack dogs, rubber bullets.

777
00:37:19.630 --> 00:37:21.210
SUE STURGIS: Yes, that’s true.

778
00:37:21.210 --> 00:37:22.610
I believe the name comes

779
00:37:22.610 --> 00:37:24.840
from the community
that he has a ranch near.

780
00:37:24.840 --> 00:37:26.720
It’s actually called Cherokee, Texas.

781
00:37:26.720 --> 00:37:27.990
So, there’s some irony there.

782
00:37:27.990 --> 00:37:31.820
AMY GOODMAN: And Jackson—the
significance of Jackson Browne,

783
00:37:31.820 --> 00:37:35.120
when it comes to Kelcy
Warren’s music tastes?

784
00:37:36.190 --> 00:37:39.050
SUE STURGIS: Well, Kelcy Warren himself
is a guitar player,

785
00:37:39.050 --> 00:37:42.990
and Jackson Browne is really one
of his musical idols.

786
00:37:42.990 --> 00:37:47.370
And so, they have
a close relationship,

787
00:37:47.370 --> 00:37:49.570
I guess you would say, although,
of course, Mr. Browne

788
00:37:49.570 --> 00:37:52.240
is not happy with what’s
happening right now.

789
00:37:53.140 --> 00:37:54.400
But, yes.

790
00:37:54.400 --> 00:37:56.900
AMY GOODMAN: Well,
in December of 2013,

791
00:37:56.900 --> 00:37:58.440
Kelcy Warren’s record label,

792
00:37:58.440 --> 00:38:01.320
Music Road Records,
released the album

793
00:38:01.320 --> 00:38:02.790
Looking into You:

794
00:38:02.790 --> 00:38:04.800
A Tribute to Jackson Browne.

795
00:38:04.800 --> 00:38:06.470
It was a passion project

796
00:38:06.470 --> 00:38:08.630
spearheaded by Kelcy Warren himself,

797
00:38:08.630 --> 00:38:11.340
a longtime fan of Browne’s.

798
00:38:11.340 --> 00:38:14.070
In a press release for the album,
Warren is quoted as saying,

799
00:38:14.070 --> 00:38:17.680
"I don’t know of anybody
that admires Jackson more than me.

800
00:38:17.680 --> 00:38:19.230
We really had fun with this,

801
00:38:19.230 --> 00:38:21.330
and I’m very proud
of the final product—

802
00:38:21.330 --> 00:38:22.940
it brings joy
to an industry

803
00:38:22.940 --> 00:38:24.920
that tends to sap
it out of me!"

804
00:38:24.920 --> 00:38:27.070
he said.
Jackson Browne is now

805
00:38:27.070 --> 00:38:29.310
one of 13 musical artists

806
00:38:29.310 --> 00:38:33.030
who signed on to a letter
to Kelcy Warren vowing

807
00:38:33.030 --> 00:38:35.740
to no longer play in Warren’s Cherokee
[Creek]

808
00:38:35.740 --> 00:38:38.570
Music Festival or participate

809
00:38:38.570 --> 00:38:40.710
in Music Road Records recordings.

810
00:38:40.710 --> 00:38:42.050
In a statement released

811
00:38:42.050 --> 00:38:44.260
to Indian Country
Today Media Network,

812
00:38:44.260 --> 00:38:47.780
Jackson Browne also pledged
to donate the money he’s received

813
00:38:47.780 --> 00:38:49.240
and will receive
from the album

814
00:38:49.240 --> 00:38:51.560
to tribes opposing the pipeline.

815
00:38:51.560 --> 00:38:53.550
Jackson Browne writes, quote,

816
00:38:53.550 --> 00:38:56.740
"I did not know anything
about Kelcy Warren’s other business

817
00:38:56.740 --> 00:38:58.830
as the production
of this album went forward.

818
00:38:58.830 --> 00:39:00.240
Although as a music publisher

819
00:39:00.240 --> 00:39:02.120
there is no legal way
to deny permission

820
00:39:02.120 --> 00:39:03.970
to a record company to cover a song

821
00:39:03.970 --> 00:39:05.920
that has been previously published,

822
00:39:05.920 --> 00:39:08.060
I could have dissuaded
the artists from appearing

823
00:39:08.060 --> 00:39:09.580
on this record had I known."

824
00:39:10.260 --> 00:39:12.100
Browne goes on to say,

825
00:39:12.100 --> 00:39:14.420
"I do not play
for oil interests.

826
00:39:14.420 --> 00:39:17.180
I do not play for companies
who defile nature,

827
00:39:17.180 --> 00:39:19.250
or companies who attack demonstrators

828
00:39:19.250 --> 00:39:21.960
with trained attack dogs
and pepper spray.

829
00:39:21.960 --> 00:39:24.030
I certainly would not
have allowed my songs

830
00:39:24.030 --> 00:39:25.690
to be recorded by a record company

831
00:39:25.690 --> 00:39:27.600
whose owner’s other business

832
00:39:27.600 --> 00:39:29.620
does what Energy
Transfer Partners

833
00:39:29.620 --> 00:39:32.510
is allegedly doing—threatening
the water supply

834
00:39:32.510 --> 00:39:35.690
and the sacred sites
of indigenous people," he wrote.

835
00:39:35.690 --> 00:39:37.630
Those are the words
of Jackson Browne.

836
00:39:37.630 --> 00:39:39.570
Other musicians
speaking out against

837
00:39:39.570 --> 00:39:41.360
the pipeline include

838
00:39:41.360 --> 00:39:43.630
Emily Saliers and Amy Ray,

839
00:39:43.630 --> 00:39:46.590
better known as the folk duo
the Indigo Girls,

840
00:39:46.590 --> 00:39:49.630
who are now banding together
to confront Kelcy Warren

841
00:39:49.630 --> 00:39:51.490
and help stop the pipeline.

842
00:39:52.340 --> 00:39:54.450
We’re going to go to break,
and when we come back,

843
00:39:54.450 --> 00:39:57.210
the Indigo Girls
are with us in studio.

844
00:39:58.060 --> 00:40:01.100
But we’re going to play,
at our break, Jackson Browne.

845
00:40:02.570 --> 00:40:04.950
Jackson Browne
is just announcing

846
00:40:04.950 --> 00:40:06.260
that he is going to be playing

847
00:40:06.260 --> 00:40:08.250
on the Standing
Rock Reservation,

848
00:40:08.250 --> 00:40:09.940
just as the Indigo Girls did.

849
00:40:09.940 --> 00:40:12.930
He’ll be playing
at the Prairie Knights Casino

850
00:40:12.930 --> 00:40:15.410
on the reservation
on—I think

851
00:40:15.410 --> 00:40:22.330
it’s November 27th, Sunday night
of Thanksgiving weekend.

852
00:40:22.330 --> 00:40:24.280
The concert organizers
say the event

853
00:40:24.280 --> 00:40:26.680
will bring awareness
to the fight against the pipeline

854
00:40:26.680 --> 00:40:30.350
and help the spirits
up of the resistance camps.

855
00:40:30.350 --> 00:40:33.120
The event is open to the public
and kicks off concerts

856
00:40:33.120 --> 00:40:35.180
that the Native Children’s
Survival plan

857
00:40:35.180 --> 00:40:37.760
to do at the camps
to support Standing Rock.

858
00:40:37.760 --> 00:40:40.960
Among those who will be
performing are Bonnie Raitt.

859
00:40:40.960 --> 00:40:43.620
Let’s go to Jackson Browne
and then the Indigo Girls.

860
00:40:43.620 --> 00:42:27.560
[break]

861
00:42:27.560 --> 00:42:30.350
AMY GOODMAN: "Which Side"
by Jackson Browne.

862
00:42:30.350 --> 00:42:33.990
In fact, in one of his statements,

863
00:42:33.990 --> 00:42:35.280
Jackson Browne said,

864
00:42:35.280 --> 00:42:37.420
"I intend to support
public resistance

865
00:42:37.420 --> 00:42:39.060
to the Dakota Access pipeline

866
00:42:39.060 --> 00:42:40.350
as much as I can.

867
00:42:40.350 --> 00:42:43.080
To quote a song of mine:
'Which side?

868
00:42:43.080 --> 00:42:45.540
The corporations attacking
the natural world,

869
00:42:45.540 --> 00:42:47.760
drilling and fracking,
who do it with the backing

870
00:42:47.760 --> 00:42:49.310
of the craven and corrupt?

871
00:42:49.310 --> 00:42:51.930
Or the ones who fight for the earth
with all their might,

872
00:42:51.930 --> 00:42:54.020
and in the name of all
that's right,

873
00:42:54.020 --> 00:42:56.210
confront and disrupt?’"

874
00:42:56.210 --> 00:42:58.510
That’s Jackson Browne.
This is Democracy Now!,

875
00:42:58.510 --> 00:43:00.730
democracynow.org,
The War and Peace Report.

876
00:43:00.730 --> 00:43:03.050
I’m Amy Goodman,
with Nermen Shaikh.

877
00:43:03.050 --> 00:43:06.420
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Many musicians,
including Emily Saliers and Amy Ray,

878
00:43:06.420 --> 00:43:09.320
better known as the folk duo
the Indigo Girls,

879
00:43:09.320 --> 00:43:11.990
are now banding together
to confront Kelcy Warren

880
00:43:11.990 --> 00:43:13.620
and help stop the pipeline.

881
00:43:14.120 --> 00:43:15.900
In addition to owning the pipeline,

882
00:43:15.900 --> 00:43:18.430
Warren owns a small music label

883
00:43:18.430 --> 00:43:20.150
and is the founder
and driving force

884
00:43:20.150 --> 00:43:23.490
behind the Cherokee Creek
Music Festival in Texas.

885
00:43:23.490 --> 00:43:25.590
AMY GOODMAN: The Indigo Girls began
speaking out

886
00:43:25.590 --> 00:43:28.680
after September 3rd,
when Democracy Now!

887
00:43:28.680 --> 00:43:30.990
filmed security guards working

888
00:43:30.990 --> 00:43:33.860
for the Dakota Access pipeline company

889
00:43:33.860 --> 00:43:35.890
attacking Native Americans.

890
00:43:35.890 --> 00:43:39.060
The report showed guards
unleashing dogs

891
00:43:39.060 --> 00:43:40.730
and using pepper spray,

892
00:43:40.730 --> 00:43:42.970
and featured people
with bite injuries

893
00:43:42.970 --> 00:43:44.190
and a dog with blood

894
00:43:44.190 --> 00:43:46.630
dripping from its nose and mouth.

895
00:43:50.460 --> 00:43:53.780
WATER PROTECTOR: These people are just
threatening all of us with these dogs.

896
00:43:53.780 --> 00:43:55.580
And she, that woman over there,

897
00:43:55.580 --> 00:43:56.920
she was charging,

898
00:43:56.920 --> 00:43:59.210
and it bit somebody
right in the face.

899
00:43:59.210 --> 00:44:02.300
AMY GOODMAN: The dog has blood
in its nose and its mouth.

900
00:44:02.300 --> 00:44:04.420
WATER PROTECTOR: And she’s still
standing here threatening us.

901
00:44:05.970 --> 00:44:08.650
AMY GOODMAN: Why are you letting their—
her dog go after the protesters?

902
00:44:08.650 --> 00:44:09.950
It’s covered in blood!

903
00:44:10.570 --> 00:44:12.980
AMY GOODMAN: In addition
to raising awareness

904
00:44:12.980 --> 00:44:15.900
and funds for the land
and water protectors at Standing Rock,

905
00:44:15.900 --> 00:44:17.870
the Indigo Girls
are organizing musicians

906
00:44:17.870 --> 00:44:20.410
to challenge Kelcy Warren directly,

907
00:44:20.410 --> 00:44:23.290
the CEO of Energy
Transfer Partners.

908
00:44:23.290 --> 00:44:26.740
Emily Saliers and Amy Ray penned

909
00:44:26.740 --> 00:44:28.380
a letter to Kelcy Warren,

910
00:44:28.380 --> 00:44:31.760
which was co-signed
by Jackson Browne,

911
00:44:31.760 --> 00:44:33.620
Shawn Colvin, Joan Osborne,

912
00:44:33.620 --> 00:44:35.870
Keb’ Mo’ and others.

913
00:44:35.870 --> 00:44:38.250
It read, in part,
"[W]e realize the bucolic

914
00:44:38.250 --> 00:44:39.490
setting of your festival

915
00:44:39.490 --> 00:44:41.960
and the image it projects
is in direct conflict

916
00:44:41.960 --> 00:44:43.850
with the ... Dakota Access Pipeline

917
00:44:43.850 --> 00:44:46.010
... This pipeline violates the Standing

918
00:44:46.010 --> 00:44:47.800
Rock Sioux Nation’s treaty rights,

919
00:44:47.800 --> 00:44:50.040
endangers the vital
Missouri River,

920
00:44:50.040 --> 00:44:52.430
and continues the trajectory
of genocide

921
00:44:52.430 --> 00:44:54.240
against Native Peoples."

922
00:44:54.810 --> 00:44:56.600
The letter concluded,

923
00:44:56.600 --> 00:44:59.000
"In order to stay true
to our music

924
00:44:59.000 --> 00:45:00.470
and respect the Native Nations

925
00:45:00.470 --> 00:45:03.050
that are united against
the Dakota Access Pipeline,

926
00:45:03.050 --> 00:45:05.290
we will no longer
play your festival

927
00:45:05.290 --> 00:45:08.930
or participate in Music Road
Records recordings."

928
00:45:08.930 --> 00:45:10.310
That’s what they wrote.

929
00:45:10.310 --> 00:45:12.240
Well, the Indigo Girls,
Emily Saliers

930
00:45:12.240 --> 00:45:14.720
and Amy Ray, join us here
in our New York studio.

931
00:45:14.720 --> 00:45:16.370
Welcome, both,
to Democracy Now!

932
00:45:16.370 --> 00:45:17.740
EMILY SALIERS: Good to be here.
AMY RAY: Thanks for having us.

933
00:45:17.740 --> 00:45:19.670
AMY GOODMAN: Emily,
talk about what happened,

934
00:45:19.670 --> 00:45:21.840
when you played at Cherokee Creek

935
00:45:21.840 --> 00:45:23.720
Music Festival in Texas,

936
00:45:23.720 --> 00:45:26.560
what it was like,
and when you realized

937
00:45:26.560 --> 00:45:29.650
the force behind Cherokee Creek

938
00:45:29.650 --> 00:45:33.050
was the same one
behind the Dakota Access pipeline.

939
00:45:33.050 --> 00:45:35.690
EMILY SALIERS: Well, when we first
played Cherokee Creek Music Festival,

940
00:45:35.690 --> 00:45:38.620
it was like any other
sort of laid-back, bucolic setting,

941
00:45:38.620 --> 00:45:42.210
and we had no idea
of the—who owned the festival

942
00:45:42.210 --> 00:45:44.450
or what his associations were.

943
00:45:44.450 --> 00:45:47.390
I mean, if his—and
then we participated

944
00:45:47.390 --> 00:45:49.030
in the record tribute for Jackson,

945
00:45:49.030 --> 00:45:50.330
did a song on that record.

946
00:45:50.880 --> 00:45:53.410
I mean, if the record label
had been named Oil Pipeline Records,

947
00:45:53.410 --> 00:45:56.930
we might have had a clue earlier.
But so we played this festival,

948
00:45:56.930 --> 00:45:59.410
and then, we’ve been
fighting the pipelines

949
00:45:59.410 --> 00:46:00.850
in conjunction with a group

950
00:46:00.850 --> 00:46:03.160
that we helped start
with Winona LaDuke,

951
00:46:03.160 --> 00:46:04.770
Native American activist.

952
00:46:04.770 --> 00:46:06.220
This group is called Honor the Earth.

953
00:46:06.220 --> 00:46:08.320
And we’ve been
fighting these pipelines

954
00:46:08.320 --> 00:46:11.360
that are proposed to traverse
through Native lands

955
00:46:11.360 --> 00:46:12.780
and threaten the ecosystems.

956
00:46:12.780 --> 00:46:15.710
And we’re particularly stringent
about the battle

957
00:46:15.710 --> 00:46:18.040
for the Dakota Access pipeline.

958
00:46:18.040 --> 00:46:21.740
And so, we actually got a note
on our Facebook page

959
00:46:21.740 --> 00:46:23.130
from someone
out there who said,

960
00:46:23.130 --> 00:46:26.000
"Do you know who this guy
Kelcy Warren is,

961
00:46:26.000 --> 00:46:29.030
who owns the Cherokee Creek
Music Fest that you played?"

962
00:46:29.570 --> 00:46:31.720
And we had not known
his association.

963
00:46:31.720 --> 00:46:35.030
Like Jackson says, none of us
really knew the association.

964
00:46:35.030 --> 00:46:36.370
So, once we found out,

965
00:46:36.370 --> 00:46:37.960
we immediately started talking

966
00:46:37.960 --> 00:46:41.560
about what can we do
to rectify the situation

967
00:46:41.560 --> 00:46:42.960
and our presence in something

968
00:46:42.960 --> 00:46:46.230
that is completely
the antithesis of what we stand

969
00:46:46.230 --> 00:46:47.830
for as artists

970
00:46:47.830 --> 00:46:50.290
and as allies
for Native communities.

971
00:46:50.290 --> 00:46:51.690
NERMEEN SHAIKH: So what did you do?

972
00:46:51.690 --> 00:46:53.780
EMILY SALIERS: Well, we decided
to write a letter

973
00:46:53.780 --> 00:46:55.150
to Mr. Warren,

974
00:46:55.150 --> 00:46:57.550
and we decided to ask
—put a word out

975
00:46:57.550 --> 00:46:58.860
to all the artists

976
00:46:58.860 --> 00:47:00.910
who had either participated
in the record tribute

977
00:47:00.910 --> 00:47:04.560
to Jackson or in the Cherokee Creek
Music Festival.

978
00:47:04.560 --> 00:47:06.960
And so, we sent out this letter.
And as quickly as we could,

979
00:47:06.960 --> 00:47:09.180
we gathered signatures from artists

980
00:47:09.180 --> 00:47:11.650
who stood in solidarity with us,

981
00:47:11.650 --> 00:47:15.270
and to ask Mr. Warren
to reconsider the pipeline,

982
00:47:15.270 --> 00:47:16.850
to not build this pipeline,

983
00:47:16.850 --> 00:47:20.060
and to think about Native rights

984
00:47:20.060 --> 00:47:23.130
and to think about
how music and artists

985
00:47:23.130 --> 00:47:26.560
and what we all stand
for is completely in contrast

986
00:47:26.560 --> 00:47:28.280
to what this pipeline is going to do,

987
00:47:28.280 --> 00:47:30.230
which desecrates the environment

988
00:47:30.230 --> 00:47:32.130
and runs across Native
treaty rights.

989
00:47:32.130 --> 00:47:35.840
And these people are protectors
of water and land,

990
00:47:35.840 --> 00:47:37.420
and there’s nothing in it for them

991
00:47:37.420 --> 00:47:39.740
except for what they want
to do for all of us

992
00:47:39.740 --> 00:47:41.660
and for the good of nature

993
00:47:41.660 --> 00:47:44.360
and to respect
their sacred burial sites.

994
00:47:44.360 --> 00:47:47.910
And so, artists like me
and Amy and Jackson

995
00:47:47.910 --> 00:47:50.280
and all the artists
who signed on to the letter

996
00:47:50.280 --> 00:47:52.600
were writing songs
about—we oppose

997
00:47:52.600 --> 00:47:54.000
the treatment of human beings

998
00:47:54.000 --> 00:47:55.700
and land and water
in the manner

999
00:47:55.700 --> 00:47:59.720
in which Mr. Warren’s company acts.

1000
00:47:59.720 --> 00:48:01.050
And so, that’s what
the letter was.

1001
00:48:01.050 --> 00:48:02.290
That’s how we got signatures.

1002
00:48:02.290 --> 00:48:03.990
And then we posted it.

1003
00:48:04.810 --> 00:48:07.760
AMY GOODMAN: Amy Ray, have you
spoken to Kelcy Warren?

1004
00:48:07.760 --> 00:48:09.240
Are you able to reach him?

1005
00:48:09.240 --> 00:48:12.040
AMY RAY: No, no. I mean, we would love
to speak to Kelcy, honestly.

1006
00:48:12.040 --> 00:48:14.900
I mean, I—he’s
passionate about music.

1007
00:48:14.900 --> 00:48:16.520
I mean, he is a music fanatic.

1008
00:48:16.520 --> 00:48:18.960
And I feel like—we
just really felt like this

1009
00:48:18.960 --> 00:48:21.250
is a guy who really loves music,

1010
00:48:21.250 --> 00:48:23.420
and if we could just get
through to him on that level

1011
00:48:23.420 --> 00:48:27.330
and show him the disconnect
between all the music that he loves

1012
00:48:27.850 --> 00:48:29.740
and what his company is doing,

1013
00:48:29.740 --> 00:48:32.580
that maybe—I mean,
maybe we’re being idealistic,

1014
00:48:32.580 --> 00:48:34.120
but maybe it would get
through to him in some way.

1015
00:48:34.120 --> 00:48:35.330
But we have not spoken with him.

1016
00:48:35.330 --> 00:48:38.500
We did give the letter directly to him,
rather than just through email.

1017
00:48:38.500 --> 00:48:41.270
We had it—we have a connection
to his assistant,

1018
00:48:41.270 --> 00:48:42.830
who put it on his desk.

1019
00:48:42.830 --> 00:48:44.730
So—but we have not heard from him.

1020
00:48:44.730 --> 00:48:46.600
But we did give the letter
directly to him.

1021
00:48:46.600 --> 00:48:48.310
And there were many
more signers on the letter

1022
00:48:48.310 --> 00:48:49.570
that went to him,

1023
00:48:49.570 --> 00:48:52.140
who didn’t necessarily want to be
public about their signatures.

1024
00:48:52.140 --> 00:48:55.330
So there’s probably about probably five
or six more people

1025
00:48:55.330 --> 00:48:56.900
that signed on to that letter, as well.

1026
00:48:56.900 --> 00:48:58.540
And then, what we’ve done

1027
00:48:58.540 --> 00:49:01.060
is we posted it
on a website called

1028
00:49:01.060 --> 00:49:02.580
The Bluegrass Situation,

1029
00:49:02.580 --> 00:49:04.130
who is also reaching out

1030
00:49:04.130 --> 00:49:06.350
and having people email

1031
00:49:06.350 --> 00:49:08.970
and call Kelcy
and the label,

1032
00:49:08.970 --> 00:49:12.670
and just starting more of a movement
with other musicians

1033
00:49:12.670 --> 00:49:15.250
to just get in touch and just pressure,

1034
00:49:15.250 --> 00:49:16.660
pressure from the music community,

1035
00:49:16.660 --> 00:49:18.580
because—and I think
this goes

1036
00:49:18.580 --> 00:49:20.270
—I think this is
a very important lesson for us,

1037
00:49:20.270 --> 00:49:22.750
as well, is when you play
these big festivals

1038
00:49:22.750 --> 00:49:24.850
and when you play events
or you play benefits,

1039
00:49:24.850 --> 00:49:27.320
to know who’s—where
the money’s coming from.

1040
00:49:27.960 --> 00:49:30.730
And we’ve always prided ourselves
on kind of knowing that,

1041
00:49:30.730 --> 00:49:32.750
and we really just
missed this one completely.

1042
00:49:32.750 --> 00:49:35.780
But it was a good lesson, because
it’s like you’re in the middle of Texas,

1043
00:49:35.780 --> 00:49:38.030
you’re playing
a well-funded show.

1044
00:49:38.030 --> 00:49:39.930
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Well, can you tell us
a little bit more

1045
00:49:39.930 --> 00:49:42.140
about the Cherokee Creek Music Festival?

1046
00:49:42.140 --> 00:49:43.230
How many are there?
AMY RAY: Oh, it’s amazing.

1047
00:49:43.230 --> 00:49:46.080
It’s like there’ll be—
it’s a weekend of camping.

1048
00:49:46.080 --> 00:49:48.150
It’s a family setting. It’s on a creek.

1049
00:49:48.890 --> 00:49:50.850
All the money goes to
children’s charities,

1050
00:49:50.850 --> 00:49:52.300
as you said before.

1051
00:49:52.300 --> 00:49:54.870
And there’s all these
great artists there,

1052
00:49:54.870 --> 00:49:56.100
and the environment is just amazing.

1053
00:49:56.100 --> 00:49:58.330
I mean, you would never
even associate it

1054
00:49:58.330 --> 00:50:00.310
with anything negative, ever.

1055
00:50:00.310 --> 00:50:02.960
Like it’s like people jamming
and hippies and families.

1056
00:50:02.960 --> 00:50:06.480
And it’s all been—all the money
goes to children’s groups.

1057
00:50:06.480 --> 00:50:08.950
And so, the last thing you would think
was this is a guy

1058
00:50:08.950 --> 00:50:10.830
that’s funding all these
Republican candidates

1059
00:50:10.830 --> 00:50:13.450
and kind of working
against everything we work for.

1060
00:50:13.450 --> 00:50:15.640
AMY GOODMAN: Well, talk about Honor
the Earth specifically,

1061
00:50:15.640 --> 00:50:19.530
because you both co-founded it
with Winona LaDuke,

1062
00:50:19.530 --> 00:50:21.670
and what this organization is.

1063
00:50:21.670 --> 00:50:23.050
AMY RAY: We started it in early ’90s.

1064
00:50:23.050 --> 00:50:25.510
We went to an Earth
Day show in Boston,

1065
00:50:25.510 --> 00:50:26.980
and Winona spoke.

1066
00:50:26.980 --> 00:50:31.530
And we freaked out
over her speak—speaking.

1067
00:50:31.530 --> 00:50:32.900
And we were like, "Oh, man.

1068
00:50:32.900 --> 00:50:34.630
This is how we want to do
our environmental work."

1069
00:50:34.630 --> 00:50:35.950
At the time, we were working
sort of in more

1070
00:50:35.950 --> 00:50:38.000
of a white mainstream kind of world.

1071
00:50:38.000 --> 00:50:39.700
AMY GOODMAN: Winona LaDuke,
indigenous leader

1072
00:50:39.700 --> 00:50:41.750
from northern Minnesota,
the White Earth Reservation.

1073
00:50:41.750 --> 00:50:43.910
AMY RAY: Yeah. We heard her speak,
and we were just like,

1074
00:50:43.910 --> 00:50:45.810
that’s a whole new lens
to see everything from.

1075
00:50:45.810 --> 00:50:49.360
We sat down with her that day,
and we started scheming.

1076
00:50:49.360 --> 00:50:50.830
And we started Honor the Earth along

1077
00:50:50.830 --> 00:50:53.190
with the Indigenous Women’s Network,

1078
00:50:53.190 --> 00:50:55.950
Indigenous Environmental Network
and the Seventh Generation Fund.

1079
00:50:55.950 --> 00:50:58.160
And we just had a board
that was completely Native.

1080
00:50:58.160 --> 00:51:00.750
And the idea is, we’re going to be
an umbrella organization

1081
00:51:00.750 --> 00:51:03.610
that funds people that are already
doing great work,

1082
00:51:03.610 --> 00:51:05.290
because so many people
are doing great environmental

1083
00:51:05.290 --> 00:51:07.960
work in the Native communities
and cultural sustainability work.

1084
00:51:07.960 --> 00:51:10.290
And we just gather money.
We do benefits.

1085
00:51:10.290 --> 00:51:12.070
We try to build a bridge
between Native

1086
00:51:12.070 --> 00:51:13.390
and non-Native communities.

1087
00:51:13.390 --> 00:51:15.010
And we do some lobbying work.

1088
00:51:15.010 --> 00:51:16.860
And Winona does project work,

1089
00:51:16.860 --> 00:51:18.710
like working specifically
to stop pipelines

1090
00:51:18.710 --> 00:51:22.460
out of the tar sands
or the Dakota Access pipeline.

1091
00:51:23.190 --> 00:51:24.580
Or we fund—on the other side,

1092
00:51:24.580 --> 00:51:26.970
we fund really great
positive projects,

1093
00:51:26.970 --> 00:51:29.230
like wind power and solar power

1094
00:51:29.230 --> 00:51:32.180
and, you know, infrastructure
building in communities,

1095
00:51:32.180 --> 00:51:34.420
that brings up
their economic base.

1096
00:51:34.420 --> 00:51:37.280
So, it’s been around
since like—’93?

1097
00:51:37.280 --> 00:51:37.650
EMILY SALIERS: Yeah.

1098
00:51:37.650 --> 00:51:40.030
AMY RAY: Yeah,
and it’s still going.

1099
00:51:40.030 --> 00:51:41.840
And we just, you know,
do a lot of funding

1100
00:51:41.840 --> 00:51:43.800
and a lot of granting and,
every now and again, benefits,

1101
00:51:43.800 --> 00:51:45.330
and try to bring attention

1102
00:51:45.330 --> 00:51:47.110
to what’s going on
in Indian country.

1103
00:51:47.110 --> 00:51:49.580
AMY GOODMAN: As we wrap up, Amy,
would you like to read

1104
00:51:49.580 --> 00:51:52.260
a part of your letter
to Kelcy Warren?

1105
00:51:52.260 --> 00:51:52.700
EMILY SALIERS: Actually,

1106
00:51:52.700 --> 00:51:54.440
Amy did pen this letter to Kelcy—
AMY RAY: You helped.

1107
00:51:54.440 --> 00:51:55.310
EMILY SALIERS: —but
I’m going to read it.

1108
00:51:55.310 --> 00:51:56.280
As a team member—
AMY RAY: You helped.

1109
00:51:56.280 --> 00:51:58.520
EMILY SALIERS: —I’m going to read it.
“Dear Mr. Warren,

1110
00:51:58.520 --> 00:52:00.220
"We have played your
Cherokee Music Festival

1111
00:52:00.220 --> 00:52:02.980
and found it to be a compelling
gathering of artists

1112
00:52:02.980 --> 00:52:05.960
and a noble pursuit to help children’s
charity organizations

1113
00:52:05.960 --> 00:52:07.460
across the country.

1114
00:52:07.460 --> 00:52:09.100
Many of us who have
played your festival

1115
00:52:09.100 --> 00:52:11.790
have invested time
and energy into the fight

1116
00:52:11.790 --> 00:52:14.450
for human rights
and environmental justice.

1117
00:52:14.450 --> 00:52:16.070
For some of us,
this mission

1118
00:52:16.070 --> 00:52:19.030
is the moving force
and spiritual foundation

1119
00:52:19.030 --> 00:52:21.660
of our larger community
of musicians,

1120
00:52:21.660 --> 00:52:24.810
and one of the inspirations
to play such rich gatherings

1121
00:52:24.810 --> 00:52:27.000
as the Cherokee Music Festival.

1122
00:52:27.000 --> 00:52:29.100
But sadly, we realize
that the bucolic

1123
00:52:29.100 --> 00:52:30.830
setting of your festival

1124
00:52:30.830 --> 00:52:34.020
and the image it projects
is in direct conflict

1125
00:52:34.020 --> 00:52:37.120
with the proposed Dakota
Access Pipeline—

1126
00:52:37.120 --> 00:52:38.780
a project your company,

1127
00:52:38.780 --> 00:52:40.670
Energy Transfer Partners,

1128
00:52:40.670 --> 00:52:42.820
is responsible for spearheading.

1129
00:52:42.820 --> 00:52:45.240
This pipeline violates the Standing

1130
00:52:45.240 --> 00:52:47.620
Rock Sioux Nation’s treaty rights,

1131
00:52:47.620 --> 00:52:50.190
endangers the vital
Missouri River,

1132
00:52:50.190 --> 00:52:53.120
and continues the trajectory
of genocide

1133
00:52:53.120 --> 00:52:54.800
against Native Peoples."

1134
00:52:55.860 --> 00:52:58.400
AMY GOODMAN: Well, I want to thank you
both for being with us.

1135
00:52:58.400 --> 00:53:01.710
We’re going to end
with some of your own music.

1136
00:53:01.710 --> 00:53:04.030
We’ve been speaking
with Indigo Girls,

1137
00:53:04.590 --> 00:53:07.010
Emily Saliers and Amy Ray,

1138
00:53:07.010 --> 00:53:08.610
the Grammy Award-winning

1139
00:53:08.610 --> 00:53:11.810
Indigo Girls duo, also environmental

1140
00:53:11.810 --> 00:53:13.200
and indigenous activists.

1141
00:53:13.200 --> 00:53:14.830
This is Democracy Now!,

1142
00:53:14.830 --> 00:53:17.350
as we head south to Alabama

1143
00:53:17.350 --> 00:53:19.800
to a pipeline explosion.

1144
00:53:19.800 --> 00:53:21.990
But first, some Indigo Girls.

1145
00:53:21.990 --> 00:54:12.130
[break]

1146
00:54:12.130 --> 00:54:17.300
AMY GOODMAN: The Indigo Girls,
that’s right,

1147
00:54:17.300 --> 00:54:20.190
performing at an Honor
the Earth concert

1148
00:54:20.190 --> 00:54:21.450
at Standing Rock,

1149
00:54:21.450 --> 00:54:25.080
the Sioux reservation in North Dakota.
This is Democracy Now!,

1150
00:54:25.080 --> 00:54:27.010
democracynow.org,
The War and Peace Report.

1151
00:54:27.010 --> 00:54:28.760
I’m Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh.

1152
00:54:28.760 --> 00:54:31.440
NERMEEN SHAIKH: We end today’s show
looking at another pipeline.

1153
00:54:31.440 --> 00:54:33.880
In Alabama, at least
one worker has died

1154
00:54:33.880 --> 00:54:35.730
and five have been hospitalized

1155
00:54:35.730 --> 00:54:38.440
after a section
of the Colonial pipeline

1156
00:54:38.440 --> 00:54:41.220
exploded in Shelby County on Monday.

1157
00:54:41.220 --> 00:54:44.300
This is the second shutdown
in just as many months.

1158
00:54:44.300 --> 00:54:47.240
The column of fire burning
from the punctured pipeline

1159
00:54:47.240 --> 00:54:50.110
reportedly reached 150 feet.

1160
00:54:50.110 --> 00:54:53.360
Eyewitnesses described
the disaster to ABC News.

1161
00:54:53.910 --> 00:54:55.260
EYEWITNESS 1: It’s smoking!

1162
00:54:55.260 --> 00:54:58.240
EYEWITNESS 2: It looked like there
was like a plane crash.

1163
00:54:58.240 --> 00:54:59.960
I’ve never seen
anything like this.

1164
00:55:01.410 --> 00:55:03.350
NERMEEN SHAIKH: This comes after
the same pipeline

1165
00:55:03.350 --> 00:55:06.100
leaked nearly 340,000 gallons

1166
00:55:06.100 --> 00:55:09.270
of gasoline in Central Alabama
in September,

1167
00:55:09.270 --> 00:55:11.800
forcing the line
to shut down for 12 days

1168
00:55:11.800 --> 00:55:15.040
and leading six governors
to declare states of emergency

1169
00:55:15.040 --> 00:55:17.430
as gas prices rose
throughout the region.

1170
00:55:17.430 --> 00:55:22.190
Since 2006, the company
has reported 178 spills

1171
00:55:22.190 --> 00:55:23.890
and other incidents
that released

1172
00:55:23.890 --> 00:55:28.960
a combined 193,000 gallons
of hazardous liquids

1173
00:55:28.960 --> 00:55:32.350
and caused $39 million
in property damage.

1174
00:55:32.350 --> 00:55:34.780
AMY GOODMAN: Now Democrats on the House
Energy and Commerce Committee

1175
00:55:34.780 --> 00:55:37.380
are seeking an investigation
of the Georgia-based company.

1176
00:55:37.380 --> 00:55:40.470
Well, Democracy Now!
invited Colonial Pipeline Company

1177
00:55:40.470 --> 00:55:42.310
to join us on the show;
they declined.

1178
00:55:42.310 --> 00:55:43.970
We’re going to Birmingham, Alabama,

1179
00:55:43.970 --> 00:55:47.250
where we’re joined by David
Butler, the Cahaba Riverkeeper.

1180
00:55:47.250 --> 00:55:48.720
He has traveled
to the site

1181
00:55:48.720 --> 00:55:50.680
of the Colonial Pipeline
Company disaster,

1182
00:55:50.680 --> 00:55:52.920
is monitoring its environmental impacts.

1183
00:55:52.920 --> 00:55:55.930
David, welcome to Democracy Now!
We only have a few minutes.

1184
00:55:55.930 --> 00:55:57.870
Can you describe
what’s happening there?

1185
00:55:59.660 --> 00:56:01.380
DAVID BUTLER: Yeah, absolutely.
First, you know,

1186
00:56:01.380 --> 00:56:03.100
we want to express
our condolences

1187
00:56:03.100 --> 00:56:04.310
to the worker

1188
00:56:04.310 --> 00:56:06.340
that passed away

1189
00:56:06.340 --> 00:56:08.040
and also the workers
that are injured.

1190
00:56:08.980 --> 00:56:11.770
And what happened was,
they were doing some routine work

1191
00:56:11.770 --> 00:56:14.430
on the pipeline in preparation
for the repair

1192
00:56:14.430 --> 00:56:17.640
that they need to do
on the previous leak site,

1193
00:56:17.640 --> 00:56:20.310
and there was a contact
with the pipe,

1194
00:56:20.310 --> 00:56:21.920
and caused an explosion.

1195
00:56:24.120 --> 00:56:28.530
NERMEEN SHAIKH: But tell us a little bit
about the ecosystem of this river.

1196
00:56:28.530 --> 00:56:31.690
There are reportedly more species
of fish in the Cahaba

1197
00:56:31.690 --> 00:56:33.070
River than there are

1198
00:56:33.070 --> 00:56:35.350
in the whole state
of California.

1199
00:56:37.070 --> 00:56:40.150
DAVID BUTLER: Absolutely.
It’s a tremendously unique ecosystem.

1200
00:56:40.150 --> 00:56:42.650
And the area that the pipeline

1201
00:56:42.650 --> 00:56:44.940
is in is tremendously sensitive.

1202
00:56:44.940 --> 00:56:47.070
And, you know, certainly,
our work is centered

1203
00:56:47.070 --> 00:56:50.220
around preserving
and protecting what’s left.

1204
00:56:50.890 --> 00:56:53.640
AMY GOODMAN: David, if you can just
talk about what you know

1205
00:56:53.640 --> 00:56:55.370
about this explosion

1206
00:56:55.370 --> 00:56:58.650
and the accident that happened
a few months ago?

1207
00:56:58.650 --> 00:57:00.670
I mean, we’re in the midst
of a presidential election year;

1208
00:57:00.670 --> 00:57:03.170
not one reporter
in the debates asked

1209
00:57:03.170 --> 00:57:05.220
about the issue
of climate change,

1210
00:57:05.220 --> 00:57:07.880
of the presidential candidates.

1211
00:57:07.880 --> 00:57:09.650
But what is happening right now?

1212
00:57:09.650 --> 00:57:11.460
What is this Colonial pipeline?

1213
00:57:11.460 --> 00:57:12.690
How long is it?

1214
00:57:12.690 --> 00:57:15.990
Six governors—in
the last explosion,

1215
00:57:15.990 --> 00:57:18.380
six governors declared
a state of emergency?

1216
00:57:20.200 --> 00:57:21.460
DAVID BUTLER: Yeah.
And, you know, it’s been one

1217
00:57:21.460 --> 00:57:23.880
of the disappointing
aspects of the story,

1218
00:57:23.880 --> 00:57:25.940
to us, is that,
you know, really,

1219
00:57:25.940 --> 00:57:27.160
the national media

1220
00:57:27.160 --> 00:57:29.460
focus has been
on the supply issue

1221
00:57:29.460 --> 00:57:32.040
and not so much
the environmental

1222
00:57:32.040 --> 00:57:33.660
impact of incidents

1223
00:57:33.660 --> 00:57:37.700
like this and sort of
the long-term outlook

1224
00:57:37.700 --> 00:57:39.290
for having pipelines

1225
00:57:39.290 --> 00:57:41.970
crisscrossing all over the country.

1226
00:57:43.030 --> 00:57:46.280
AMY GOODMAN: And who is running
the Colonial Pipeline Company?

1227
00:57:46.280 --> 00:57:47.980
Who do you hold responsible?

1228
00:57:47.980 --> 00:57:49.310
What are they saying?

1229
00:57:50.830 --> 00:57:53.200
DAVID BUTLER: Well, we’ve been
in constant contact.

1230
00:57:53.200 --> 00:57:54.900
And certainly,
there’s kind of two issues.

1231
00:57:54.900 --> 00:57:57.690
There’s the issue
of why did it happen.

1232
00:57:57.690 --> 00:57:59.600
And we’re still,
like everybody else,

1233
00:57:59.600 --> 00:58:01.220
kind of looking for answers, you know,

1234
00:58:01.220 --> 00:58:03.940
to explain the previous leak
and also this one.

1235
00:58:03.940 --> 00:58:07.000
And then there’s the issue
of how they’ve responded.

1236
00:58:07.000 --> 00:58:09.920
And, you know, it’s been
really surprising to us

1237
00:58:09.920 --> 00:58:12.400
that they’ve allowed us
complete access.

1238
00:58:12.400 --> 00:58:15.000
They’ve been incredibly
transparent with us

1239
00:58:15.000 --> 00:58:18.180
and continue to allow me access

1240
00:58:18.180 --> 00:58:19.940
to both the river in the area

1241
00:58:19.940 --> 00:58:23.760
and any information that we want about,
you know, what they’re doing

1242
00:58:23.760 --> 00:58:25.680
and how they plan
to protect the river.

1243
00:58:26.670 --> 00:58:28.200
AMY GOODMAN: Well, David Butler,
we want to thank you

1244
00:58:28.200 --> 00:58:30.220
for being with us,
Cahaba Riverkeeper,

1245
00:58:30.220 --> 00:58:31.800
traveled the site—to

1246
00:58:31.800 --> 00:58:34.220
the site of the Colonial
Pipeline Company disaster,

1247
00:58:34.220 --> 00:58:36.110
monitoring the environmental impacts.

1248
00:58:36.110 --> 00:58:37.710
That does it
for our show.

1249
00:58:37.710 --> 00:58:40.720
We’ll be doing a five-hour
special on election night

1250
00:58:40.720 --> 00:58:44.630
from 7:00 Eastern time
in the evening until midnight.

1251
00:58:44.630 --> 00:58:46.300
We hope you tune
in at democracynow

1252
00:58:46.300 --> 00:58:48.610
.org or your station runs us.

1253
00:58:48.610 --> 00:58:50.610
Tune in there.