01/14/14 01/14/14 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] >> from pacifica, this is democracy now! we have found out at the last inspection was done on this in 1991.nd that was >> five days after a chemical spill in the elk river that contaminates the water supply of west virginia's capital, will go to charleston to speak with renowned environmentalist erin brockovich who held a town hall meeting last night and shared

her lessons from winning a legal battle against pacific gas & electric in california when they polluted her city's water supply. millions of americans are on the edge of a hunger cliff as republicans push for cuts to food stamps and unemployment benefits. >> politics? what's that? example.ve you an ronald reagan campaigning in 1980 and complaining about welfare queens. race on doesn't mention its surface. >> we will speak with professor ian haney lopez, author of the new book, "dog whistle politics: how coded racial appeals have reinvented racism & wrecked the middle class." all of that and more coming up. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. more than 200 south sudanese civilians have drowned in the

white now river while attending to flee violence. an army spokesperson told afp as many as 300 people died in the accident on an overloaded ferry including children. hundreds of thousands have been displaced by the conflict in south sudan. talks between the government and rebels are underway in ethiopia. egypt has begun a two-day referendum on a new constitution. the vote is seen as a possible precursor to her presidential bid at egypt's top military general. it takes place amidst an ongoing track down on dissent including the arrests of those who oppose the charter. hundreds of thousands of police and soldiers were deployed across egypt. before polling began, an explosion rocked a cairo neighborhood. the muslim brotherhood has called for a boycott. an activist with the april 6 democratic front said his group is also rejecting the vote. >> we can never purchase a paid and give legitimacy to regime which tries to act like it is a

civil democratic regime while it is neither democratic or civil. we will not participate in the constitution which arms a military state after we revolted against its principal and oppressive nature filled with aggression, violence, and rage against all that oppose it. >> the vote comes as 50 news outlets are calling on egypt to release at least eight detained journalists, including three from al jazeera. detained in late december. on monday, group of journalists released a statement saying the rest had "cast a cloud over present media freedom in egypt." among the signers were sharif abdel kouddous. the new interim leader of central african republic has ordered a military crackdown amidst ongoing fighting between christian and muslim fighters. the former president resigned last week after failing to contain the violence.

the interim president said he was deploying 400 additional soldiers to the capital. >> all of the armed elements, i morning -- i morning, the holiday is over. to the forces of order, i were you to shoot to kill at all of those disturbing the public order so peace can rein in this country. the break is finished. according to the united nations, two thirds of the residents have fled from the violence. opposition protests marched on government buildings in thailand for second day today as part of a push to shut down the capital bangkok. thousands of demonstrators camped out in the streets overnight after blocking intersections and forcing schools to close monday. the protesters want prime minister yingluck shinawatra to resign a be replaced by an unelected people's council. on capitol hill, lawmakers have agreed on a one dollar trillion spending bill to give the government funded through september.

about half of that amount will go to the military. the bill boost federal budget after lester's across-the-board cuts, but keeps level tens of billions of dollars lower than democrats wanted. headstarts funding to education programs and finances some efforts to curb sexual assault in the military. it also allows $1.5 billion in aid to egypt despite global concerns over the crackdown on activists and journalists. in california, a jury has acquitted to former fullerton police officers of all charges in the beating death of a mentally ill homeless man in 2011. men well ramus and j cicinelli were charged with battering kelly thomas with the baton in stun gun, leaving him comatose. thomas died days later. the incident was captured on surveillance video that appears to show police threatening thomas as he sits on the ground and beating him even though he appears to show no resistance. thomas can be heard on the video pleading for help, apologizing

and saying he can't breathe. prosecutors have decided not to pursue charges against a third officer accused in the incident. tally thomas's father reacted to monday's verdict in an interview with local news station knx 10 70. >> i'm feeling horrible. unbelievable,is completely innocent on all counts. i mean, they're brutally reading him to death. we all see that. yet their innocent on all counts. in real. >> following the verdict, protesters carrying candles gathered at the transit depot in fullerton, california or kelly thomas was fatally beaten. the senate has confirmed president obama's fourth nominee for the d c circuit court of appeals, consider the second most powerful court in the country. following the confirmation of robert wilkins, democrats now hold a seven to four majority on the court. the vote took place as the supreme court heard arguments on president obama's ability to

make appointments during breaks within senate sessions. the case relates to obama's appointment of three officials to the national labor relations board without senate approval in 2012. a majority of justices appeared poised to curb obama's appointment powers. the supreme court has rejected a bid by arizona to revive a ban on abortion at 20 weeks, leaving locking a lower ruling the law. several other states have passed similar bans, but arizona's was considered the strictest because it took effect at 18 weeks post fertilization. mexico sending troops to the western state after self-defense groups took up arms against drug traffickers. the groups have taken control of several towns over the past week in an effort to oust the brutal cartel. they say they're defending their families. the unrest comes after a new investigation by mexican publisher -- newspaper confirmed

u.s. drug agents negotiated extensively with mexican cartels in order to build cases against rival organizations. universal,to el agents for the drug enforcement administration met with a high level cartel more than 50 times in mexico between 2000 and 2012, allegedly without the knowledge of mexican authorities. the scandal surrounding new jersey governor chris christie is deepening amid reports of organization -- administration may have targeted other local rivals. last week christie ordered the firing of a top aide after she ordered the closure of lanes leading to the george washington bridge in order to punish the mayor of fort lee for declining to endorse risd's for governor. now documents released to jerseys city show christie's commissioners canceled meetings for that city's mayor after he declined to endorse christie, leaving the city without needed funds from the port authority. federal investigators have announced they will probe whether governor christie

improperly used superstorm sandy relief money to fund a multimillion dollar tourism ad, featuring his family. new jersey democratic commerce member frank pallone said the funds could've been used out storm victims. >> i don't think there is any question that this was an effort to promote him, but the problem is him it was at the expense of money from the taxpayers that could've been used for other sandy purposes and i represent the area that was hardest hit by sandy and people are still looking for money now. i think it smells. >> nigeria's president has signed a harsh to anti-gay law. anyone who publicly demonstrates love toward a person of the same sex could face up to 10 years in prison. hasdge in new mexico cleared the way for doctors in the state to prescribe drugs to help terminally ill patients end their lives. judge nash wrote she could not "invision aright more

fundamental, more private or more integral to the liberty, safety, and happiness of a new mexican than the right of a competent, terminally ill patient to choose aid in dying." new mexico's the fifth state to allow patients to seek aid in dying. and african-american transgender woman imprisoned for killing a man who reportedly harassed her has been released. served two thirds of her 41 month sentence for stabbing dean schmitz with a pair of scissors. supporters say she was the fitting herself against a group of people who attacked her with a part glass and hurled trans- phobic and racist slurs. mcdonald was held in men's prison, even though she hadn't advise as a woman. mcdonald beamed as she left prison, where she was greeted by supporters, including actress laverne cox from "orange is the new black." in a statement, the national gay lesbian task force said --

franklin mccain, one of the greens borough four, who's sitting at woolworth lunch counter in greensboro, north carolina helped catalyze the civil rights movement, has died at the age of 73. the group of four african- american college students sat down at the whites only counter on february 1, 1960, and refuse to leave. the next day, they return. within days, 300 people are taking part. this didn't help spark a wave of similar actions across the segregated south. today, two other members of the greensboro four are still alive. a third died in 1990. this is franklin mccain in a tribute video produced by the smithsonian's national museum of american history. >> i'm talking to you, the youth. >> i'm saying to you, all you have to do is lead, all you have yourselves to the

wind, forget about caution and in the words of eric kaufman, become the true believer. my final words to you are, if you want to do something, don't wait for the masses because they ain't coming. died thursdaycain of respiratory complications at a hospital just a few miles from the old woolworth, which is now a civil rights museum. and those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with aaron maté. >> welcome to all our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. west virginia has begun partially lifting its ban on tap water five days after chemical spill in the elk river. war than 300,000 residents have been unable to use their water for tricking, cooking, or bathing since thursday when the company's freedom industries leaked up to 7500 gallons of mchm, and agent used in coal

extraction. scores of schools and businesses have been closed, including the state capital charleston. on monday, west virginia governor tomblin announced chemical levels in the water supply are approaching safe levels, but said some residents will be without water for several more days. >> the numbers we have today look red, and we're finally at a point where they do not use order has been lifted in certain order -- areas. any the specific areas, flushing can begin. we've made a lot of progress, but i ask all west virginians to continue to be patient as we work to safely restore service to the affected areas. >> the ban has been lifted in four zones, but still in effect for vast majority of residents. dozens of people have been hospitalized since the spill. as of monday, at least 18 lawsuits have been filed against freedom industries and the water treatment company, american water. >> this bill is also having

repercussions beyond west virginia. the elk river feeds into the ohio river, haunting areas of kentucky and ohio to shut down their water valves to avoid contamination. the freedom industries site behind this bill is just a mile upriver from the state's largest water treatment plant, owned by american water. but despite the obvious dangers to the source of 16% of west virginia's water supply, this bill has exposed major holes in how west virginia regulates the dangerous chemicals used in its leading industry -- cold. the chemical, and see him, does not receive close federal or state oversight. environmental inspectors have not visited the facility since 1991. under west virginia law, chemical storage facilities are not even subject to inspections. the plant also has no groundwater protection plan in place. in a moment we will speak with erin brockovich, the renowned environmentalist, consumer advocate, and legal researcher,

wallace ago mother of three working as a legal assistant, she helped when the biggest class-action lawsuit in american history. the suit was against a multibillion dollar corporation, the california power company pacific gas and electric, for polluting a city's water supply. her story was told an oscar- winning film starring julia roberts in 2000 called " erin brockovich." today she and her team are investigating the major spill in the elk river, west virginia. she held a town hall meeting in charleston to discuss this bill with local residents. out the lastund inspection was done on this company and that tank farm was in 1991. erin brockovich >> that waserin brockovich speaking to west virginia residents in a town hall meeting monday night. she's joining us now from charleston, west virginia and also joined in washington by mike elk. he has extensively covered

chemical regulations in the united states including at the west texas fertilizer plant where 50 people died in an explosion last year. we welcome you both to democracy now! let's start with erin brockovich . what did you find that the town hall meeting last night? >> good morning. >> it is great to have you with us. >> we were glad we got the town hold together on extremely short notice because we weren't even sure if we would have a facility here. for the folks that came out, i actually heard numerous stories that were disturbing at many levels, but they were mostly very calm. they were frustrated. they felt a sense they could not get through to anybody to give them further explanation. and then many, many questions that were excellent that needed answering. i think a couple of things that really startled me were photos that people had taken as the water had come on.

the color. there was great concern from people who the water had already come on -- the smell. they said it was pretty overpowering. nobody told them about that. there were having to open windows, put up sans just to get the odor out. there was concerns of people who work with homeless groups that had not been getting bottled water and they were asking questions about -- they had been bathing in a because no one sent them bottled water. they had burns on her face. there were people who were showering at the time that still have some open source on their drink the water before the shutdown that still have some open wounds in their throat. ithink in every single case have been involved in, there is just a great deal of information down on the ground with folks that we really don't know about,

we really don't talk much about, and after everything is said and done and everyone goes home, there -- they are still left with a whole host of problems that they find it difficult to get help with. >> a stunner past experience with major company polluting the city's water supply, i'm wondering if you had any advice for west virginia residents? >> well, we talked about that last night. yes, i do. i have zigzagged across the united states since that film came out 20 something years ago. we run into situations like this every single day. just not to the magnitude of a municipality being impacted and 300,000 people being rendered with no water. one thing is organization. i think -- i don't think, i see committees just feel helpless.

they don't know how to get through to the local legislators . if they do, they get passed from one person to another. they can't get through. when there's a crisis, we all know it is difficult to get through. you can wait and wait and wait. they feel like there's nothing they can do. we have observed in this new world of social technology, they're actually very quite savvy on how they're going to exchange information, where they're going to learn information. there were people last night in the group that have artie started their own facebook pages . -- have already started their own facebook pages, connecting with other facebook people. they're able to see what is going on. they can reach out more to their community even if they're not in the community right at the moment. s andhere helping themselve gathering information from one who did here were got through to an agency. this is what they told them. and they post that. they are banding together

stronger than i've ever seen it before. i think that is something that is very helpful to them to stay informed because when we have information that is empowering to us -- that is empowering just because were able to that or have control over our situation and what happens to us. so that is one thing that i observed again last night. in hinckley, it was the same way, but it was a smaller group. staying together that really made a difference. when you get thousands upon thousands, it is difficult for them to stay together, but they are doing it through social media. they will text each other. they will read something, get on notbook, and it helps them to have to go to the frustration of why a stub to me. >> erin brockovich, i want to play a clip of the president of freedom industries gary southern

being confronted by reporter for the local abc affiliate wchs. >> look, guys, it has been an extremely long day. i'm having trouble talking at the moment. i would appreciate it if we could wrap this thing up. >> we actually have a lot of questions. it is been a long day for a lot of people who don't have water. can you give us an exact timeline as to how this all happened? as dep said earlier as early eight: 15 yesterday morning they were getting reports and that you all did not call it in and tell 12:00 noon. the dep was here at 11:15. what is the timeline? of the leakinge storage tank around 10:30. we load tanks of this material on a regular basis. occasionally, we have had reports of an odor previously. we were first aware of any material being spilled at 10:30 yesterday. >> could it have been earlier than yesterday? we have seen reports in our

newsroom as possibly early as tuesday the people were smelling this. >> we have no information. place tore nothing in alert you of a leak at your facility other than a smell? >> at the moment in time, that's all we have time for. >> we have more questions. hey, hey, were not done. >> we're done. >> no. anyone else have any other questions? >> that is the president of freedom industries coming gary southern, being confronted by a local reporter in charleston, west virginia as he is drinking bottled water. it sounds a little reminiscent of the former bp ceo tony hayward in 2010 after the gulf oil spill as he drew attention to his own suffering. for havingsorry massive disruption that has cost the lives. there's no one who wants this thing over more than i do. i would like my life back. >> he wanted his life back. let's stay in charleston, west

virginia with erin brockovich. we just heard mr. southern, the president of the company, i'm looking at paul barrett's piece in business week . how long has this outfit been around? he says about two weeks in its current form. freedom industries is a product of a merger effective december 31, 2013 a combined the facility where the leak occurred, and one nearby in nitro and a predecessor company called freedom industries was formed in 1986. how the pieces of the newly formed many conglomerate fit together, as is the question of whether there's any connection between the corporate mash-up in the fateful opening of a one inch that allowed a noxious chemical to escape, trying to get behind who is behind freedom industries and terry southern. -- gary southern. does this sound familiar to you,

erin brockovich? gosh, i don't know where to begin. we deal with so many companies across the board. yes. i mean, a lot of things unfamiliar. attitudeone is this acrosss set in on safety the board. we can talk about the tennessee valley authority breach we were involved in the situation with texas brine in the sinkhole, you brought up bp, and now the situation west virginia. of large ones magnitude that we get to take a scope and look at. sometimes it is frustrating because i'm not sure we learn anything. i think we're at a critical point where we are going to have to begin to change how we do business and how we operate these facilities because they are everywhere. it is definitely something that we have seen before.

there is a great deal of arrogance, not wanting to answer, especially a direct point that where you are overseeing -- why is it you didn't know? well, you didn't know because nobody was tending the farm, if you will. there is this almost mentality that we have seen, we saw with know, wheret untouchable. i'm not going to give you any answers. i really don't have to. we havav consistently and most of the work we have done. >> when we come back from break, we will continue this discussion with erin brockovich, talking to us from west virginia's capital. she is the renowned environmental it, consumer advocate, well-known because of "erinlm by the same name, brockovich" played by julia roberts, and remarkable work taking on pacific gas and electric, winning an unprecedented settlement of $333

million for the people of the town that had a similar situation, talking about contaminated water. we will be joined by mike elk. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

>> this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with aaron maté. i went to go to mike elk and washington, d.c. the background here, no inspections at this plant since 1991, but the company did report this chemical to regulators earlier this year. how is that there was no oversight eating up to the spill? >> we're seeing the same problems we saw in west texas with half a dozen regulators in a potential oversight of this plant, but as the department of environmental protection's chief told ken ward of "charleston this one just fell

through the cracks. that is what we heard after the texasext is -- west disaster. some knew about a groundwater permit they had at this plant. at this plant, they didn't have a sense of how many chemicals -- the water authority had no idea what was there. they had never communicated about it in the past. this is a major problem because the chemical safety board, which is a federal agency tasked with making recommendations on how to improve lance, three years ago in 2009, recommended the kanawha valley, which is where this plant is located, better coordinate among different agencies how to respond to these kinds of disasters. there was no plan in place. the local emergency responders did not know about the chemicals. the water plane did not know about the chemicals. there is no plan in place and no communication acquitted of a regulators and this is the problem we see over and over again. there is a lack of money going to regulation and other

regulators that do exist, they don't talk. things fall through the cracks. from as turn to a clip video produced by a leigh mcmillan for the charleston daily mail talking about freedom industries, the company which owns the plant on the elk river where the leak occurred. contaminating the water supply of the west virginia's capital charleston and beyond. freedomed in 1986, industries produces chemicals for the mining, steel, and cement industries. the site of the leak is dedicated to storage with 4 million gallons of space available. the site doesn't require a permit from the dep since freedom doesn't make products there. officials in from the facility was never inspected by the dep before the leak. the dep issued a cease operations order friday and federal authorities are investigating freedom. there. elk, take it from how you feel this fits into a

larger pattern. >> yesterday, the department of them permanent protections issued to complaints against freedom industries -- department of them permanent protections issued two complaints against freedom industries. a wall that could have prevented it from leaking, but it was so full of cracks, the head of the dep said he would be concerned if that was the foundation of his house. that is how bad the concrete was. already we have seen two charges filed against freedom industries. they have no plan in place. there will be a big criminal investigation going on. the person heading it up is the was attorney called booth goodwin who has gotten a lot of former massey energies officials convicted. he has artie announced he will open a big criminal

investigation. yes people on the ground. it will be interesting to see what happens. unless there are serious jail time and consequences, i think it will be just another tragedy that is forgotten about. kate sheppard had a great post yesterday about different virginia democrats and many are kind of tempted about calling for new regulations, just like we saw in west, texas. this is an uphill climb. >> what has happened since the west, texas explosion? 50 people were killed. was there any movement of regulation? >> the west, texas disaster happened last april. it was a major explosion that killed 15 people, similar situation -- there weren't proper safety measures and lays at the plant, the planted not register with the proper authorities, just a history of violations at this plant and lack of inspections. what happened is there were

about six or seven different regulators going to the west texas plant for different information but they weren't communicating. obama formed a chemical safety task force to look at how you could change to medications and changeion -- could communication between regulators. they're coming up with ways. the work has been too slow. it is been nearly 10 months and yet were still repeating the same mistakes of west, texas. in this case, 300,000 people were put a potential risk and could still very much be at risk from these chemicals. we don't know with these chemicals cause. we don't know the long-term effects are the effects it might have on cancer 30 years from now. >> mike, how does the obama administration compare with the bush administration when it comes to environmental regulation? >> i think in some ways, they've been tougher on coal and these other things, but when it comes to the issue of workplace safety, they haven't been proactive on it. it is like any other issue of

workers rights, this administration could really care less about saying anything about it in public. we haven't seen the president address and a major way what is a big crisis. the question is, will this change it? i think is quite scary that 300,000 people could not get water. can you imagine being in that town? having no water and working night and day? i can imagine that as a reporter. that is terrifying. maybe he will lead to some change, but like robert byrd said, following each workplace safety disaster, typically, people cry, get upset about it, once the outrages gone, nothing happens. >> erin brockovich, you have gone to west virginia from california with a team of people to investigate. now the state is beginning to partially lift the ban on tap water five days after the chemical spill in the elk river. how do people trust it? how do people believe they should be able to drink their water?

how do they know? >> they don't. i've said several times, it's a disaster of a very large magnitude. turning the municipal system back on is not an easy process. they will be step-by-step. there will be problems, and we may see the worst of this yet. we started to see some of that last from people at the meeting. the color of the water, even after their flushing, the color of the water, the smell of the water, of people saying they are experiencing -- whether it be headaches or burning eyes are burning throws, and this is always a concern for people because we don't know what we're drinking. they don't trust the fact that there is this one ppm separate us chemical, a chemical rube really don't know a whole lot about. we set these levels based on a 40-year-old healthy white male.

we do not take into consideration that that level they clearly not be safe for elderly person or somebody recovering from chemotherapy or with a weakened immune system and certainly young children. so people we have talked to around town, we have visited with in the hospitals last night at the meeting, they don't trust this. that is a big concern for them. that is the key word come a that there is this lack of trust. this is why we get so many people coming to us. i just don't know that we see the bigger picture. this is happening not necessarily to this scale, but in every single state in the united states, sometimes community after community within the same state there was -- >> before we go, i want to play a clip of the trailer for the academy award-winning film about you and your fight, to remind people how serious these issues

are, but also the possibility of what it means to win and what does winning mean and people lose their lives and get sick. >> you have no actual training. >> i have kids. learned a lot right there. i'm good with people. i'm an extremely fast learner. you have a really nice office. >> look -- >> you want my number. how about this for a number, 6. 8 is the age of my son. two is a many times i've been divorced. 60 minutes number of dollars i have a month inc. account. >> i'm glad we got that out of the way because i didn't find you attractive either. but i'm smart, hard-working and older anything and i'm not leaving here without a job. >> and our law firm, you may want to rethink the wardrobe a little bit. >> well, as long as i have one , ieep] instead of tubing

will wear what i want. you might want to rethink those ties. why are there blood samples and real estate files? >> what makes you think you can walk in there and find what we need? ask their called boobs, ed. can be harmful. >> so it kills people. >> your lawyer? >> i hate lawyers, i just work for them. don't talk to me like i'm an idiot. >> i think we got off on the wrong foot. that's all you've got, lady, two left feet and ugly shoes. for the first time in my life, i've got people respecting me. please, don't ask me to give it up. >> you make things personal and it isn't. >> that is my work. my sweat, my time away from kids. if that's not personal, i don't know what is. >> how did you do this? >> seems i have no brains or

legal expertise, i just performed 630 for sexual favors. i'm really quite tired. >> $20 million is more money than these people ever dreamed of. ask these people don't dream about being rich, they dream about being able to watch their kids swim in a pool without worrying that they'll have to have a hysterectomy at the age of 20. ottowa, we had that water brought in special for you folks. way, we had that water brought in special for you folks. >> erin brockovich, as we wrap up, what you learned from that -- as you move forward helping people around the country, what you think needs to be done? >> well, we definitely have a lot of holes. i think one thing that has been missing is something i learned then and i continue to learn and i continued to try to help

people, they do know. they do dream of a safe place to live. i think we have disconnected and really forgotten what is important. they're learning here in west virginia. that is water. the scarcity of it, the pollution of it, the attitude we're getting about protecting it. and their health. they're forgetting they have a voice, too. it is those people and hinckley along with fellow of our house that made a difference because they no longer were afraid to speak up about what was important to them and use their voice and stand up, become proactive, say and do something and push for change and push for a better world for not just for them, but for those elite behind. -- but for those they leave behind. that is the continual message, even 20 or later. i think the time has really come

where we need to redress what our priorities are, the importance of our health, the value of our family, and just how precious water is because without it, it is not a game changer, it is a game and are for all of us. >> erin brockovich, thank you for being with us, renowned and firm and list the consumer advocate, legal researcher. i also want to thank mike elk for joining us from washington, d.c. from a labor reporter for "in these times" magazine. when we come back, "dog whistle politics: how coded racial appeals have reinvented racism & wrecked the middle class." we will be speaking with professor ian haney lopez. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

>> this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman with aaron maté. the 47 million people who rely on food stamps in the u.s. are facing her second try the less than three months. in what critics dubbed the hunger cliff, automatic budget cuts meant the loss of $5 billion from the federal nutrition program in november, which is $36 per month for a family of four. more cuts are on the way as lawmakers finalize a new farm bill that stalled in congress last year. it's widely reported the plan will cut another $9 billion from food stamps over the next decade, depriving more than 800,000 households of up to $90 in aid per month. according to the center and budget policy parties, food

stamps now average less than $1.40 per person, per meal this year. the new proposal represents a compromise between a republican plan to cut food stamps i $39 billion in a democratic plan to cut them by $4 billion. the new cuts would follow another major blow to those relying on government assistance for the congressional failure to extend the unemployment benefits that expired last month. >> cuts to social programs are old hat in u.s. politics, and were joined now by an author whose new book explores one of the key ways that's come to be known. the book is called, "dog whistle politics: how coded racial appeals have reinvented racism & wrecked the middle class." law professor ian haney lopez explored how politicians have long used filled racism to lure white voters into supporting politics that favor the wealthy and hurt the poor and middle class across ethnic lines. professor lopez traces this

trajectory from the southern strategy that emerged in the 1960's to the reagan-led attacks on welfare in the 1980's, continued under president clinton a decade later. he explores how dog whistle politics remain today from the immigration of muslims and latino immigrants to bolster the national security state, to the use of old stereotypes to preserve long-standing attacks on social welfare. a lawney lopez is professor at the university of california, berkeley, focusing on the area of racial justice in u.s. legal system. he also may be one of the only few people who can lay claim to being a classmate of president obama's on two separate occasions -- in high school in hawaii, and years later as law students at harvard law school. welcome to democracy now! talk about the title "dog whistle politics." >> it is a term out there in the conversation, but i don't think the meaning has jailed. it says, look, politics is occurring and coded terms like a dog whistle. on one level, we hear clearly -- racial a sense of

agitation, and then on the other side, nothing about race at all. newt gingrich is saying obama is a food stamp president. reagan and the welfare queens. that is triggering racial sentiment, anxiety. on another, newt gingrich can turn around and say, i didn't mention race, i just said food stamps. he can go further and say, it's a fact, as if there's some sort of racial undertone. >> in the 2012 republican primary, newt gingrich was widely accused of employing the so-called southern strategy to appeal to the prejudices of white voters in the south. at republican debate, fox news moderator juan williams question newt gingrich about his description of president obama as the foodstamp resident. that more people have been put on food stamps by barack obama than any president in american history. [applause]

now, i know among the politically correct, and i'm supposed to use facts that are in current -- were not supposed to use facts that are in comfortable. >> that was newt gingrich. >> people have a sense the sort of politics is out there, but they also think it is marginal, maybe a throwback to sort of old southern race dating from 50 years ago. the point of this book is to say, this is in this digital, this is central to republican politics today and this is how conservatives are wrecking the middle class. they're using these coded appeals to say to people two things. one, the biggest threat in her life is not concentrated wealth, it is minorities. two, government coddles minorities and all these government assistance programs, it's all about giveaways to minorities -- oppose them. governments taking more taxes and giving it to undeserving minorities. when we think about why do so many people in the midst of an economic crisis would vote to slash taxes for the rich, to

favor deregulation and slash social services, i was a primarily they're doing so because of the racial narrative employed with dog whistle politics. >> this started bipartisan with george wallace who was a democrat, and also with very goldwater, a republican. can you talk about these two campaigns back in the 1960's? >> is important to know it starts with george wallace in the sense of saying, listen, there is nothing inherent in republicanism that is associated with racism. we need to be very clear about that. in 1960 before all of this really got under way, 29% of african-americans identified as republicans. 1960 -- both in parties in 1960 were similarly supportive of civil rights. but politicians begin to look around for a way to get elected, baitingy realize race- can do that. he of wallace, running as a racial moderate in 1968 and

loses. has thisloses, he incredible moment where he is about to give his concession speech and he turns to is cronies and says, no other son of a bitch is going to out nigger me again. what he means is he is going to run as a racial reactionary. and when he does, he wins. it is this moment where it becomes clear to me using race can help you win elections. it goes from george wallace to very goldwater. he uses race and loses nationally, but wins in the south. are stepping inherent in republicanism, but it becomes a tactic that is most closely associated with republicans. >> let's go to 1980 speech in mississippi, ronald reagan, just a few miles from philadelphia, mississippi, the site of the 1964 murders of the civil rights

activists. this was ronald reagan's first speech after accepting the republican nomination for president. he proclaimed his fidelity to states rights. >> i believe in states rights. i live in people doing as much as they can for themselves. i believe we have distorted the balance of our government today by giving powers that were never intended to the constitution to the federal establishment. >> states rights. before he responded that, i want to bring it up to today. this is republican senator marco rubio fortis begin just last week when he outlined sweeping changes to the federal government's anti-poverty programs. >> our current president and his liberal allies, with the proposed to address is their proposal is, let's spend more on these failed programs and increase the minimum wage to $10.10. really? this is their solution to with the president has called the

defining issue of our time? maypolethe minimum wage well, but having a job that pays $10 an hour is not the american dream. our current government programs at best offer only a partial solution. they help people deal with poverty, but they do not help people emerge from poverty. what i'm proposing today is the most fundamental change to how the federal government fights poverty and encourages upward mobility since president johnson first conceived the war on poverty 50 years ago today. i am proposing that we turn over washington's anti-poverty programs in the joined and spent on them to the states. our anti-poverty program should be replaced with a revenue neutral flex fund which would streamline the most of our existing federal anti-poverty funding into a single agency. then each are these flex funds would be transferred to the states so they can design and

fund a creative initiatives that address the factors behind inequality of opportunity. 1990's with the welfare reform. >> that is republican senator marco rubio. after president ronald reagan. >> i think states rights is operating on a couple of different levels. first, we should be clear when reagan talks about states rights, he's picking up very goldwater. very goldwater campaign in the south in 1960 forcing states rights. and everybody understood that states rights meant the right of southern states to resist integration. now when reagan campaigns using the same term in 1980, that is just 16 years after the civil rights workers had been slain there. there isn't a voter alive in that town who had been alive in the civil workers were killed. read a states rights, it is a clear dog whistle saying, i understand this term is about the ability of whites to resist

integration. on one level, we have states rights which is a clear sort of signal of opposition to integration. the dynamic i think that is really being picked up by marco rubio, states rights is also way of saying, we will devolve power over social justice programs, over safety net programs to the states because we know the states will use that to restrict these programs to whites. that was the compromise that fdr and the democrats made with the southern democrats in the new deal, that major the new deal program did not help african- americans and did not help latinos. it was a compromise that clinton made in the 1990's, now the republican policy. if you want to see that in operation, think about the affordable care act and medicaid. , southern the south states are refusing to extend medicaid to the poor ash even though it would not cost them a dime. we know what happens if we devolve social safety net programs to the state.

states with an ugly racial history will use it in order to set a floor that effectively poor or ensures that minorities are not helped, even if that means the poor in general aren't helped. >> i want to turn to lee atwater, one of the leading gop strategists of the 1980's. he ran george h.w. bush's successful campaign in 1988 and later served as the chair of the rnc. this is a clip from an interview that took place in 1981, but the audio only service two decades but are. atwater expense for republican candidates can win over white voters by appealing to racist views with coded language. a warning to our audience, he uses the 'n'word multiple times. >> [indiscernible] it is a psychologist, which i'm not. is how abstract you handle the races. you start out -- now you are quoting me on this.

you start out in 1954 by sayingnigger, nigger, nigger. by 1968, you can't say nigger, so you say states rights and all that stuff. you get so abstract now that you're talking about cutting taxes and all of these things you're talking about are totally economic things and the byproducts [indiscernible] subconsciously, maybe that is part of it. what i'm saying is that if it is getting that abstract and that coded, that we are doing away with the racial problem one way or the other, you follow me? sitting around we want to cut taxes, we want to cut this and we want as much more abstract and even the busing thing, a hell of a lot more abstract than nigger nigger. anyway you look at it, raises coming on the back burner. >> that is lee atwater speaking in 1981.

he went on to run the campaign for george h.w. bush that surprisingly beat dukakis when dukakis was favored come using a lot of extreme racial imagery like willie thorton. >> i want to talk about that, but i want to backup. the atwater quote is so powerful. atwater says, you start in the 1950's saying nigger, nigger, nigger. that is important. we're not saying race has entered politics recently, we are racism has been central to the mac and politics for centuries, but it has changed form. after the civil rights movement, you could not use open slurs like that. it is political suicide now for any politician use an open racial slur. so the new public racism is coded. it always operates on two levels. on one level, triggering racial anxiety. on another, allowing plausible deniability. atwater traces the evolution. he says from nigger, nigger, nigger to states rights to

forced busing to cutting taxes. why would cutting taxes operate as a dog whistle? it does so because it comes under this background understanding the government is really about helping poor minorities, right? it is this sense that my taxes are hard-working white person are being taken to pay for these undeserving minorities. that is the way in which you can have this republican sort of drum beat, the solution to all of our problems is to cut taxes. it is coming against this background that taxes are somehow being hijacked and siphoned off to undeserving minorities. that is pretty subtle. back to lee atwater and george bush. george bush was behind in the .olls running against dukakis lee atwater came up with this person, willie horton, convicted murderer in massachusetts, released on furlough. dukakis -- >> let's go to the add.

especially for people who are young enough to not be familiar with it, the willie horton condy african-american convict who committed rape and assault after being released from prison under we can furlough program in massachusetts. his menacing mug shot was featured prominently on the screen in what was widely seen as an attempt to appeal racially charged fears of white voters. it wasn't directly sponsored by the bush campaign, but many credited the brainchild of campaign manager lee atwater. >> bush and dukakis on crime. bush supports the death penalty for first-degree murderers. two caulk is not only opposes the death penalty, he allowed first-degree murder staff weekend passes from prison. one was willie horton who murdered a boy and a robbery stabbing him 19 times. despite a life sentence, porton received 10 weekend passes from prison. he fled, kidnapped a young couple, stabbing the man and repeatedly raping his girlfriend. we can prison passes, dukakis on crime. >> that and changed history. >> absolutely because the guy george bush elected.

a couple of quick points, never mentioned race on the surface but fairly triggered racial anxiety and yet the media took three years before they would believe that was the racial dog whistle. we constantly lack in our appreciation of dog whistles which are constantly evolving. two, the point of this sort of analysis is not to say, hey, there's a lot of racism against minorities. yes, that is a problem, but what is core here is the sort of racism is being used to fool a lot of whites into voting for republicans whose main allegiance is the corporate interest. i really want to emphasize this point. this is about race, but it is about race as it affects all of us. race as it racks the whole middle class. >> we are going to leave it there, but people don't have to leave it there, you can read ian haney lopez's book, "dog whistle politics: how coded racial appeals have reinvented racism & wrecked the middle class." we will be broadcasting from

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