we. really. welcome the low nischelle it's a real headlines with none of the mercy or a lot of washington d.c. now tonight we're just beat to our tease lucy catherine off about the massive a day of action by author by protesters in new york or for the new york stock exchange they went for the subways and police for the handcuffs so who won the day then david sirota is going to join us to discuss this two month turning point for the movement what needs to happen from here on out to keep the momentum going and president obama is threatening to veto the new defense authorization bill that would change our detention policies and

a very dangerous way but at this point does the president really have any credibility left on the matter morris davis former guantanamo chief prosecutor is going to join us to hash it all out we have all that and more fee tonight including a dose of happy hour but first take a look what the mainstream media has decided to miss. our well today is two months since the occupy movement began and today a massive day of action was planned in new york city and this time the mainstream media just couldn't ignore it. protesters the man outside the new york stock exchange value to shut down wall street and unleashed chaos we're watching what is supposed to be a major day of protests all across the country on the two month anniversary trying to disrupt the new york stock exchange is just one of the items on today's calendar for this so-called day of action we saw right now let's hold off demonstrators how many we do not know just yet but also try to block some point entrances and exits to the people who were simply trying to come off of the subway to go to work also

would have a hard time doing so they were sitting on the ground refused to get out blocking traffic down lower manhattan which is always so darn busy especially on a clock in the morning during rush hour. you know i got to be honest today i don't really have as much critique as i usually do it's one of those rare glimmer of hope moments you could say one of those moments of the mainstream media finally realized and something that they've discounted since the very beginning is more than just a few random protesters or dirty hippies and crack heads the so much of the right likes to character that characterize the mass it's actually something worth covering so it's go back and think of how it came to be this way. movement we now see in cities across the country began first incident part on september seventeenth after word began to spread online through twitter facebook blogs message boards they hoped for twenty thousand people but they didn't show up on that first day and said it started with two thousand the march that week and by the next couple of days only

a hundred or so protesters were actually camping out and occupying as was intended and so that point the mainstream media paid them no attention but they stayed in the next week and more people came out to join them in to march and then we slowly saw labor unions join in solidarity add to the numbers that we saw celebrities politicians pundits join in for better and for worse and since then something has happened we now see occupy camps and cities across the country we see people in cities around the world taking up the same talking points and the exact same principles and so on the two month anniversary of awakening in. country the mainstream media has finally realized the need to comply i need to take part that my fear is that today's going to be an exception rather than the rule that once this anniversary the number six out of the mainstream media love so much passes so will their coverage so just for today i dare say the mainstream media is actually going big or they usually completely miss.

well for the two month anniversary of the occupy wall street movement a massive day of action or day of disruption as they're calling it went down in new york city and the original plan had been to disrupt the new york stock exchange this morning as thousands flooded the streets but they were met with a heavy police presence and metal barricades at the end of it the stock market opened on time but it was estimated the just this morning two hundred people may have been arrested at three pm the protesters spanned out to the new york subway system on the website originally slated sixteen subway lines to be occupied and a five pm they were to gather in foley square so it's been a day of full of marches and actions and clashes with police and here are just a few of the violent arrests from throughout the day.

now there's also been many more reports today of journalists being roughed up so here to give us more details on what's been happening on the ground throughout the day is arching producer lucy calf enough lucy i know that it's been quite a day but if you can bear with me here and let's try to break it down from some of the steps and first let's talk about what happened this morning when they tried to disrupt the new york stock exchange. and their criteria it was. a lot of free. i would actually get some of its training at night or whatever their plan was if you. could be on. me fifty to that. very. well you are a lot if you. will be opposite are directing people left and right. certainly i

think the situation i should mention sorry if i'm wondering a little bit about trying to get her organizers they got arrested just a few seconds ago in front of her marching them away pretty it has been a pretty hectic day all all day long but. certainly be. the last reaction with the most intense terms of clashes and we. know what let's talk about the tactics of the police are using and some of the reports out there this morning were saying that maybe two hundred people already got arrested by you know eleven am some were saying that it was being used can you confirm that. there were. well that i have been back and all right it was a particle part of thing if you but yeah that was that i mean it may give you the sort of approach but if it didn't i don't think it's the. sort of attack that really made your poem or

a the actual effect that the one i'm going to have i hate that the policeman. i'm courteous officers but there were so many people so many police that michel to. resort to of course the first choice of reaction as opposed to negotiating in talking to the protesters again what i personally witnessed a very very respectful act of civil disobedience nobody with really anything nobody was you know trying to storm through barricades people were literally either putting down or bringing arms. that top of the purpose and in retaliation for that they were rammed down the ground draft. or beaten now we also i know that you yourself bought a little roughed up by the police i know that a lot of other journalists a reporting that they also have to deal with police violence we think is going on they just not really care anymore who it is they're talking. i think probably in the moment of hectic insanity it's just in their eyes it's just people who are in

the way but i do have to say that's something that i've noticed not just here in new york but in washington d.c. and open to raleigh really seems like the freedom of the press is not something that's. political at least when it comes to covering occupy wall street one cameraman i spoke to two days ago said that it was easier time covering the iraq war but a journalist i'm covering the occupy wall street protests and it does seem to be the case that you know if you don't have the proper press that issued by the local police department and even if you do we don't really make this don't make a distinction between press. and i have to say it but it's difficult to cover it in a way that's not sort of confrontational with the police when you're roughed up and shoved and treated the sensually the same way that any other person in the street is it's quite disturbing especially for a country that's just so often to other countries to be them. all right so now let's move on to some of the other actions that are planned for today like i said

at three pm people were supposed to occupy the subways now i know they are union square and you say that people are still getting arrested you know how is this all flowing together how is it is being successful right oh it's been a really insane basically from the last reaction how afternoon they did have a power i would think to just read helping students which are now the union where for purely peaceful gathering be ended up marching down all the way down to only where the hall which is where we're at right now and here at number as i would take our troops i mean definitely more than i thousand protesters out here because the labor movement at all plays joined up with occupy wall street and do them now we have labor occupiers journalists and police from an especially from march across the brooklyn bridge which is where we're standing right now it looks like there's a bit of a moment of confusion they had reported earlier from union leaders to get arrested in front of us there's a bit of a bottleneck right now but the plan to get it to go

a bridge and of course we all remember one of the but i think that really part media impact attention on the movement was that last march across the bridge we will be go for seven hundred protesters back trouble directed at the police officials that we focus but if they did there should be plenty of room on the sidewalk you know to i think kind of actually put up or when you have this many people and that i heard on and on the heels of so many arrests this morning. who knows what will happen i'm certainly be watching that so not sense do you think that it's too early to say if anybody won the day between the protesters and the police when it comes to new york city. i was i would have to say the protesters i mean you know the fact they got raided the fact that they could park which is such a symbolic location not just here in new york but for the occupations across the country the fact that they want that space and we're still able to reconvene get this many people out on short notice and really get so much international and

national attention on this issue i think is a certain person and a victory and regardless of what one thinks of. when you see the kind of distinguishable police brutality you that's all occasions it's very difficult to side with the city to side with the mayor in their handling of the occupation you know i'm just curious to before i wrap it up here as to whether the mayor has said anything today we know that he was very vocal when it came to defending his position defending his decision to leave the protesters and get them out of the park and of course he supported the ruling the judge's ruling that went along with that today has he been kind of keeping quiet waiting to see what happens throughout . the mayor the mayor decided to use today as the little opportunity and visit one or two of the police officers who were reportedly wounded in clashes with protesters which is quite interesting because we saw not only protesters but

members of the media who were wounded in a not even clashes with the police but for literally standing in the wrong place at the wrong time so a lot of protesters there were very skeptical about that they feel like he's completely in the family situation and that this could end up backfiring against the mayor but you know i do have to say that as many people as are out here for support of the business have we did not insist several new yorkers to stop this destruction that you know they want to be able to get to work on monday want to be able to get their starbucks coffee which predecessors have long before the mixed reaction by new yorkers but i would say that the mayor is not winning the day when it comes to our battle. yeah that's an interesting decision to make is to go visit you police that were warranted and then not comment on all the other people that were harmed. thanks so much for filling us and of course stay safe out there i guess we're still a lot of action plan for the rest of the evening thank you are there so much more

to come tonight from you our coverage of the state action bringing you all the latest from off my movements across the country i want to speak with david sirota about what should come next for occupy wall street. the. the. police corruption. what protesters nobody seems to know. that never appropriate to face the argument that they're being overly dramatic. you know sometimes you see a story. is that you understand it and then. some other part of

it and realize that everything. is a big. blow

to the counseling. now on this day of action for the occupy movement so political protests across the country are carrying cross their message occupy d.c. joined in on a march organized by our d.c. demonstrators let's have a make square today and headed towards the key bridge in georgetown. went down to cover the march and she brings us this report from the bridge. i am standing here on the key bridge really all people have all street protesters they marched here from macpherson square it was about a two and a half mile walk and there were about two hundred of them where you see behind you this is georgetown washington d.c. and to give you

a little perspective about where we are the washington monument is right here on the other side of this bridge this is virginia so the protesters have been standing here for the last few hours they're holding signs they're hoping the people driving by driving to and from work can see there's times you hear their messages they say they plan to stay here until about six pm tonight one of the interesting parts of today at least for the occupy d.c. movement has been the police presence there have been just as many officers as protesters they've been parked at every corner they have walked with the protesters and if you take a look here in the potomac river there they are awaiting so far i have not seen any handcuffs any police baton so far there have been no clashes with police that we know of as protesters have stayed on this side of the bridge getting their messages heard but not disrupting the flow of traffic not doing anything that has caused police to have to get involved i think that's one of the different things about what's happening here in d.c. for r.t.

i'm christine for south. i know it's new to the west coast where several major cities are ramping up their demonstrations today and portland protesters not only occupy banks and other financial institutions but four hundred people also gathered at the end of the steel bridge which already been shut down due to down to all traffic except for buses and commuter rails. a local news station k g w reports that twenty five people have been arrested and rallies have continued throughout the day shutting down several parts of the city now los angeles people gathered at seven am to march from bank of america plaza to fourth and figure rose streets and according to our teaser melinda twenty five people were arrested during the occupy l.a. protests one of which was an eighty two year old woman and u.c.

berkeley relocated camps set up by demonstrators at sprout plaza was raided around three thirty this morning. there you are. right. now only two people were arrested and orderly raid despite the fact that work crews have already cleared out the tents and other debris the occupiers plan to return to sprawl plaza around four or five yesterday police gathered at san francisco's business district after demonstrators took over a bank of america chanting their message to bankers and customers. was. and i took

forty police officers in right here four hours to remove those occupiers and about one hundred people were arrested most of them reportedly were u.c. santa cruz students and these are the latest reports we have from each of those locations but you can keep up to date with all the latest on this day of action which is still going on via social media to start using the hash tag and seventeen . all right so the occupy movement is now two months old and today's massive actions in cities across the u.s. have proven that the crackdowns may in fact only have made the movement stronger and at this point we also know that it's changed the conversation in this country every mainstream media child has been covering the events as i said earlier g.o.p. contenders have you been forced to discuss it at presidential debates and even rush limbaugh rush limbaugh who is a no fan of the right or the left wing excuse me or the occupy movement started invoking the ninety nine percent sentiment on his radio show this week but we have

to start wondering about what needs to be done to keep the momentum going to make sure that the occupy movement results in action in stead of just rhetoric now some people have suggested that perhaps it's time for the occupiers to wait out the winter maybe they should go back home during the cold weather and come back out during the spring when they can have larger numbers and more forest but of course there are a lot of concerns as to whether that's going to ruin their momentum now we also discussed yesterday that former labor secretary and now you see berkeley professor robert reich so if you look back at u.s. history these are the moments these types of crackdowns crackdown that may or may not have been courting a to his lot of reports out there have said these are the moments that actually make movements like this stronger so i think that even if you look at just what's going on in new york city today the fact that thousands of people have come out that they've been on the streets all day it shows that the movement really has been reenergized it's not fizzling out and it's not dying and so we really have to start wondering if this movement is going to need

a leader if the movement is going to have to start focusing on specific goals and specific actions and ways to get about that yesterday we also worse by speaking about what's been going on at u.c. berkeley or occupy college they're calling it there they have a little bit of a more insular concern not only are they part of the occupy movement overall but they also are worried about the u.c. regents and. big cuts to education all across california which could result in eight to sixteen percent to mission heights and so this is where you can see that some of these things are starting to you know if you have some smaller issues that might at the end of the day help this movement go along. now joining me very quickly to discuss all of this is ok that's a rare talk radio host and author of back to our future how the one nine hundred eighty s. explain the world we live in now all right we're still waiting for david we're having a few technical issues here but we're going to try to get him back we're going to

try to get him back on the line now the video that you're seeing right now is from the d.c. protest today where people marched over from macpherson square all the way over to the key bridge which as christine for us out showed you earlier spans the area from georgetown to virginia right now we've got david on the line so they have a thanks so much for joining us when we get started i am curious as to what you think in terms of all the action that we've seen today what stage do you think of this movement now two months and you and i have been speaking about this since it began and there's been a lot of developments since we last spoke what stage do you think the movement is in now. i think what we're going to see is a push and pull and i think that governments across the country to school governments have made a really big stake in actually helping it add fuel to the rationale for this move but every time i'm in a school government cracks down on people's basic right to protest it actually q u r q by wall street movement more energy to continue and frankly to to grow and i

think that's because. it becomes then not only an issue of protesters questioning the economic system in this country but protesting our basic right to even express a grievance against that economic system and that has as wide and as broad an appeal i think to americans and their sense of basic freedom as even the economic critique inherent to occupy wall street in other words that the more municipal governments look like they're not tolerating people's basic right to speak out the more the occupy wall street movement becomes both a movement to be able to air grievances and a movement specifically about the grievances against the economy right now well how about we look at it from the other perspective you go back to oakland a couple of weeks ago what they did is they held what they call the general strike and they shut down the part of our plant which shut down business for the day today

the same time we saw the same thing in new york city where protesters were not letting people get off the metro they couldn't get to work and that ends up sometimes agitating and aggravating people that want to go about their daily lives . and i think that's i think that's a difficult thing to negotiate i don't think frankly that those kind of tactics necessarily build any kind of solidarity that needs to be built now you could argue well gets attention and that's certainly true it does get attention is that the right kind of attention look these are tactical questions for the movements organizers and i think those are questions that need to be need to be worked out and i think we're at a very delicate time in the sense that that where the larger public that may not be participating but may be sympathetic to this movement how to engage that larger public it could go either way and we need to look back on history and remember that look richard nixon back during the protests of the vietnam war understood that

tipping point very well and he did a very good job unfortunately limited but he did a very good job of of basically chip taking the protest against the vietnam war and changing the focus for most americans into a referendum on the protesters themselves in other words he changed the the focus at least for a time away from the protesters message which is very popular against the vietnam war just like the occupy wall street message is very popular and then richard nixon as an opportunist managed to turn public eye or at least for a time against the protesters themselves you better believe that the politicians were trying to crack down on this this kind of protest are going to exploit mistakes that the occupy wall street folks make in order to try to achieve that i hope they're not successful the well it's not just the politicians that are doing it we see the same thing with the right wing media outlets the right wing pundits they're definitely trying to explain any bad thing as a reflection on the entire movement so you've been writing about that you know how

we have so much of this rhetoric right now i guess you could call blaming the victim but then you also write about this make the fact that suddenly we saw rush limbaugh use the ninety nine percent rhetoric. in criticizing chelsea clinton we saw senator tom coburn talk about you know ending some of the tax cuts so how do you see what does that symbolize here but i think it it's really interesting to see some top republicans actually pretending to show solidarity with the what i think is the more progressive critique of the economic system i mean the republican party you has been caught as flat footed as the democratic party in the face of the occupy wall street group and probably for the same reasons what i think when we hear rush limbaugh criticize or use the appointment of chelsea clinton to a tough position at n.b.c. and say this shows that the game is rigged it shows that the occupy wall street movement critique is actually right that the system is unfair when i when we see

that i think what we're seeing is that rush limbaugh or some great guy i think we're seeing that a group even a republican tactician a top republican technician understands that the potential traction this movement's message has and is therefore in a sense trying to co-opt it will it be successful i don't know to me it's simply a referendum eight reflection even the right sees that this is a powerful message now i'm curious to you what you think the movement needs to do some have suggested that maybe they should sit out the winter is going to be called out there we've seen a lot of examples of places in boston and i think students are trying to help them you know come up a certain way to stay warm but some have said maybe they should sit out the winter come back out this spring re-energized with larger numbers but do you think they're going to lose their momentum if they do that. well it's really hard to say in a wouldn't try to offer up tactical advice or directives to these protesters i mean

they've been very very courageous it is a really really. a more first movement a really small the democratic movement i think that the momentum is certainly on the protesters side i certainly think that these issues that they are representing in a way are not going away in our economy i think that the more the protests continue the more these issues are going to come to light and frankly whether we have protests called occupy protests or they go by another name the grievances that are being represented are only getting more intense and i actually think that the presidential campaign is going to actually play a role in intensified at least the national focus of the city missions also if we start thinking about that presidential campaign a little less than a year from now what actually comes out on top because you could say that this is more of a left wing movement but president obama very much embodies sell much of what is protesters are fighting against which is a systemic problem. that's absolutely right i mean i don't know what the political

fallout is going to be but i do think it's a it's a big mistake as you allude to for the democratic party or president obama to assume that this movement is automatically going to be supportive or or helpful to his democratic party's political prospects there is a and this is it an issue for other organizations on the left there is an inherent tension between and we've seen some unions who are supporting the occupy wall street protests and also supporting president obama's reelection trying to deal with this tension that there's a tension between supporting the occupy wall street protests and aggressively supporting the reelection of president obama that's not to say that that that those two things are exactly diametrically opposite but the occupy wall street movement is as i think as much a criticism of the obama administration the obama administration's chief of staff is the in a vice president critiquing.