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> HELLO EVERYONE AND WELCOME TO 'AMANPOUR AND COMPANY.'
HERE'S WHAT'S COMING UP.
> I DIDN'T COME FROM MONEY.
EVERYTHING I HAVE I'VE MADE, AND I'M GIVING IT ALL AWAY.
PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL MIKE BLOOMBERG JOINS ME AT THE U.N. CLIMATE TALKS IN MADRID.
WHY HE THINKS HE CAN OUTRUN THE DEMOCRATS AND BEAT PRESIDENT TRUMP.
> AND TWO REPORTERS ON THEIR DEEP DIVE INTO INDIAN PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI.
WHAT THEY UNCOVERED WHEN THEY FINALLY GOT INTO KASHMIR.
> WE HAVE AN AFFORDABILITY CRISIS.
WE'VE SEEN IT GROW.
WE NEVER TOOK A MOMENT TO STOP AND SAY, WHERE DOES IT END UP?
HOW YOUNG KIDS END UP HOMELESS.
WE HEAR FROM A BRONX SCHOOL PRINCIPAL AND THE HEAD OF A NEW YORK NGO TRYING TO BREAK THIS CYCLE.
> WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM EVERYONE.
I'M CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR IN MADRID.
TWO WEEKS AFTER ENTERING THE 2020 RACE FOR PRESIDENT, AND WITH SOME CATCHING UP TO DO, BILLIONAIRE MICHAEL BLOOMBERG IS PERHAPS NOT WHERE YOU WOULD EXPECT HIM TO BE.
HE'S RIGHT HERE IN MADRID MAKING HIS FIRST FOREIGN TRIP AS CANDIDATE ATTENDING THE COP-25 CLIMATE SUMMIT.
THE SPANISH CAPITAL IS HOSTING TWO WEEKS OF NEGOTIATIONS AS THOUSANDS OF PROTESTERS AND ACTIVISTS ARE CALLING FOR MORE ACTION.
THE TEENAGE ACTIVIST GRETA THUNBERG SPOKE BRIEFLY TODAY KEEN TO GIVE THE LIMELIGHT TO OTHER YOUNG CAMPAIGNERS WHOSE STORIES SHE SAYS MUST BE HEARD.
FOR HER GENERATION Z, CLIMATE CHANGE RANKS HIGHEST AS THE VITAL ISSUE OF OUR TIME.
THAT'S ACCORDING TO A MAJOR NEW STUDY BY AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL.
FORMER NEW YORK MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG AGREES WITH THAT, MAKING IT ONE OF HIS TOP CAMPAIGN ISSUES.
HIS DEDICATION TO THE ENVIRONMENT EARNED HIM A STINT AS SPECIAL U.N. ENVOY FOR CLIMATE ACTION, AND HE'S ALREADY SPENT A BILLION DOLLARS ON CAMPAIGNS TO TACKLE THIS GLOBAL EMERGENCY.
AND I CAUGHT UP WITH HIM AS HE MEETS WITH WORLD LEADERS AND YOUNG PEOPLE HERE AT THE SUMMIT AND JUST AS HOUSE DEMOCRATS CROSS THE IMPEACHMENT RUBICON ANNOUNCING TWO ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT ACCUSING PRESIDENT TRUMP OF ABUSING HIS POWER AND OBSTRUCTING JUSTICE.
MAYOR BLOOMBERG, WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
ARE YOU MAYOR, OR ARE YOU NOW MIKE?
I ADVERTISE MYSELF AS MIKE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
MY KIDS CALL ME SOMETHING ELSE BUT MIKE WORKS.
MIKE, PRESUMABLY TO BOND MORE WITH PEOPLE WHO YOU'RE TRYING TO GET --
IT'S SHORTER AND QUICKER.
FINE.
WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS THIS.
HERE YOU ARE AT THIS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT CLIMATE SUMMIT THAT ADMINISTRATION, THE WHITE HOUSE, IS NOT HERE.
YOU'RE HERE.
SOME WOULD SAY THIS IS A LITTLE BIT COUNTER INTUITIVE BECAUSE YOU'VE ALSO DECLARED FOR PRESIDENT.
YOU'RE A LATECOMER TO THE RACE.
YOU'VE GOT TO CATCH UP.
WHY WAS IT IMPORTANT TO COME HERE?
I'M NOT A LATECOMER TO THIS.
I'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR A -- A LARGE NUMBER OF YEARS.
WE PUT A BILLION DOLLARS OF MY MONEY INTO WORKING ON CLIMATE CHANGE.
WE HAVE GONE ALL AROUND THE WORLD TO SPEAK.
WE'VE LINED UP FOREIGN LEADERS AND RALLIES AND GOT EVERYBODY TO MAKE SOME PROGRESS.
WE'RE NOT WHERE WE HAVE TO BE BUT MADE IT FOR A LONG TIME.
RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT CAME AFTER WARDS.
NOT BEFORE.
DO YOU THINK, INTERESTINGLY, RIGHT NOW, THAT CLIMATE COULD BE AN ELECTION ISSUE PARTICULARLY AMONG THE YOUNG?
WE SEE IN MANY AREAS THAT THE ENVIRONMENT IS OVERTAKING MIGRATION, IMMIGRATION.
YEAH.
TWO THINGS, I THINK THE STATISTICS STAY YOU'RE RIGHT, PARTICULARLY YOUNG PEOPLE CARE.
NUMBER TWO, IT CERTAINLY SHOULD BE AT THE TOP OF EVERYBODY'S LIST.
CLIMATE CHANGE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DESTROY OUR PLANET AS WE KNOW IT.
I HOPE IT DOESN'T HAPPEN.
IT CERTAINLY IS PROBABLY NOT GOING TO HAPPEN IN MY LIFETIME.
WE CAN GO A LONG WAYS.
JUST LOOK EVERY DAY YOU SEE FOREST FIRES, YOU SEE FLOODS, YOU SEE DROUGHTS, YOU SEE THINGS WE NEVER HAD BEFORE.
TALK TO FARMERS, THEY'RE GROWING DIFFERENT CROPS IN DIFFERENT PLACES AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE YEAR.
THIS IS REALLY SERIOUS STUFF.
IT SHOULDN'T BE A CAMPAIGN ISSUE.
YOU WOULD THINK THAT EVERYBODY WHO WANTS TO LEAD THE COUNTRY OR WORK IN THE SENATE OR WHEREVER IT IS, WOULD HAVE TAKEN ON THIS ISSUE FOR A LONG TIME, BEEN OUT THERE, STUDYING THE ISSUE, RALLYING PEOPLE BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE MADE SOME PROGRESS ON BUT HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO.
IT'S AN INTERNATIONAL PROBLEM AS WELL AS A DOMESTIC ONE.
YOU NEED A LOT OF INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE.
IS THAT WHY MIKE BLOOMBERG WANTS TO BE PRESIDENT?
I ASK YOU BECAUSE GIVEN YOUR COMMITMENT TO THIS, AS YOU POINT OUT, IN MARCH YOU SAID THE CHOICE BEFORE ME HAS BECOME CLEAR.
SHOULD I DEVOTE THE NEXT TWO YEARS TO TALKING ABOUT MY IDEAS AND RECORD, KNOWING I MIGHT NEVER WIN THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION, OR SHOULD I SPEND THE NEXT TWO YEARS DOUBLING DOWN ON THE WORK I'M ALREADY LEADING AND FUNDING AND I KNOW I CAN PRODUCE REAL AND BENEFICIAL RESULTS FOR THE COUNTRY RIGHT NOW?
I'VE COME TO REALIZE I'M LESS INTERESTED IN TALKING THAN DOING.
YES.
AND WHAT HAS CHANGED IS OVER THE LAST THREE MONTHS, I WATCHED AND I SAW DONALD TRUMP GETTING STRONGER AND HIS POTENTIAL OPPONENTS NOT EXACTLY STRENGTHENING THEIR POSITIONS AND LOOKING TO ME LIKE THEY WERE -- THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO BEAT DONALD TRUMP.
AND I JUST SAID, YOU KNOW, FOUR YEARS IS BAD ENOUGH.
EIGHT YEARS YOU CAN'T DO IT.
AND, YES, I DIDN'T WANT TO DO IT.
I SAID I WOULD DO OTHER THINGS.
I COULD DO OTHER THINGS, BUT I JUST -- WHEN I FINALLY GOT DONE I LOOKED IN THE MIRROR AND SAID, YOU KNOW, YOU OWE IT TO YOUR KIDS, YOU OWE IT TO YOUR COUNTRY.
I WOULD NOT FORGIVE MYSELF IF I DIDN'T TRY.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT WORKS OR NOT, BUT YOU KNOW, I'M A DOER, AS YOU SAID.
I CAN CERTAINLY DO A LOT OF THIS.
I DON'T THINK IT WILL HURT MY ABILITY TO CONTINUE ON WITH THESE PROJECTS IF I DON'T WIN.
IF ANYTHING IT WOULD PROBABLY STRENGTHEN.
YOU'RE PULLING A PEW PUNCHES THERE, YOU'RE GIVING YOURSELF A PLAN 'B.'
NO, ANY COMMONSENSE PERSON HAS A PLAN 'B.'
I THINK WE CAN WIN.
I'VE TRIED TO EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE HOW WE'RE GOING TO WIN.
I'VE TRIED TO EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE I'M IN THE PROCESS OF DOING THAT AND WHAT WE WOULD DO IF WE DID WIN.
COMMON SENSE SAYS I'M GOING MAKE SURE I CAN KEEP TAKING CARE OF CAUSES THAT I BELIEVE IN SO STRONGLY, WHETHER IT'S CLIMATE OR GUNS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A WHOLE BUNCH OF ISSUES.
THE ENVIRONMENT, PART OF CLIMATE, I GUESS.
EDUCATION.
THESE ARE THINGS THIS COUNTRY AND THE WORLD DESPERATELY NEEDS.
I THINK, BASED ON 12 YEARS IN CITY HALL, I KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
BUT MY REAL EXPERTISE IS I KIND OF TRACK GREAT PEOPLE AND I KNOW HOW TO GET THEM TO WORK TOGETHER.
THEY'RE THE ONES THAT WILL DO WHAT WE NEED DONE IN THIS COUNTRY.
LET ME ASK YOU, THERE'S A LOT TO BREAK DOWN THERE.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, ONE OF THE BIG THINGS ABOUT YOU EVERYBODY IS TALKING ABOUT HOW YOU'RE OUTSPENDING YOUR DEMOCRATIC RIVALS BY A FACTOR OF THREE COMBINED.
YOU'RE SPENDING MORE THAN THREE TIMES THEY ALL ARE COMBINED.
PLUS, YOU'RE OFFERING INCREDIBLY COMPETITIVE SALARIES, DOUBLE, PRACTICALLY, OF MANY OF THE OTHER CAMPAIGNS.
IN TERMS OF TRYING TO ATTRACT, AS YOU SAY, THE BEST --
SO WHAT IS THE PROBLEM THERE?
I HAVEN'T DECLARED MY QUESTION YET.
SO HOLD ON A SECOND.
PEOPLE ARE SAYING DO WE NEED YET ANOTHER BILLIONAIRE IN THE RACE?
WAIT A SECOND, WHO IS THE OTHER BILLIONAIRE?
HA HA.
WELL, ISN'T THERE A TOM STEYER AND A DONALD TRUMP?
I'VE NEVER SEEN THEIR TAX RETURNS SO I DON'T KNOW.
ARE YOU GOING TO RUN AS A BILLIONAIRE THEN?
I'M RUNNING AS AN AMERICAN CITIZEN WHO BELIEVES IN THIS COUNTRY.
WHO THINKS I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
AND I'VE BEEN GIVING AWAY -- SO FAR I THINK I'VE GIVEN AWAY SOMETHING LIKE $10 BILLION FOR THINGS I BELIEVE ARE IMPORTANT IN THIS COUNTRY.
ONE IS GETTING US A GOOD PRESIDENT.
THIS IS ANOTHER INVESTMENT IN A LONG LIST OF WHETHER WE PUT A BILLION DOLLARS INTO THE ENVIRONMENT, $600 BILLION INTO FIGHTING GUNS, THAT SORT OF THING.
OR SPENDING WHATEVER IT TAKES TO GET ELECTED AND PROVIDE GOOD GOVERNMENT.
LEADERSHIP REALLY DOES MATTER.
KEEP IN MIND, MY FATHER MADE $6,000, THE BEST YEAR OF HIS LIFE.
SO I DIDN'T COME FROM MONEY.
EVERYTHING I HAVE, I'VE MADE, AND I'M GIVING IT ALL AWAY.
IF THAT ISN'T -- I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO TELL YOU.
DO YOU THINK, BECAUSE 2016 SHOWED THAT CLEARLY PEOPLE, WHAT I THINK IT SHOWED, PEOPLE WEREN'T READY TO VOTE FOR PRAGMATISTS.
YOU DO ADVERTISE YOURSELF AS A DOER.
SOMEBODY WHO CAN GET THINGS DONE.
SOMEBODY WHO MADE MASSIVE CHANGE IN THE ISSUES YOU'VE DEVOTED YOUR MONEY TO AND YOUR PROFILE.
ARE PEOPLE READY FOR A PRAGMATIST OR IS IT STILL THE EMOTIONAL --
I THINK DONALD TRUMP RAN AS SAYING HE COULD DO ALL THE STUFF.
I KEPT SAYING HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT.
HE'S NEVER BEEN A BUSINESS GUY.
HE'S NEVER HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF FOREIGN POLICY OR HOUSING EVEN.
HE'S A REAL ESTATE GUY BUT NOT REALLY IN WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE, PROVIDING HOUSING FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED IT.
WE NEED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF HOUSES AROUND THIS COUNTRY.
HE DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ANY ONE OF THE DEFENSE OR ANY OF THESE ISSUES.
I GAVE A SPEECH AS A MEMBER IN THE 2016 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION IN AUGUST, I THINK IT WAS, IN PHILADELPHIA SAYING THAT HE WAS THE WRONG GUY FOR THE JOB.
HE DOESN'T HAVE THE TEMPERAMENT OR THE EXPERIENCE TO DO WHAT WE NEED.
BUT HE CERTAINLY SAID HE WAS A DOER.
SO, YOU KNOW, LET HIM TELL YOU WHAT HE'S ABOUT.
I DON'T WANT TO TALK TRUMP POLITICS WITH YOU BUT I HAVE TO.
BECAUSE TODAY THE ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT HAVE BEEN UNVEILED.
WHAT'S YOUR VIEW?
WHAT'S YOUR COMMENTARY?
I THINK IT'S SAD FOR THIS COUNTRY THAT I CAN SAY THE FOLLOWING, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THE EVIDENCE SEEMS TO BE SERIOUS ENOUGH THAT I WOULD, IF I WAS IN THE SENATE, OR THE HOUSE, I WOULD VOTE FOR IMPEACHMENT.
BUT I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD DO THIS LIGHTLY, I THINK IT'S A GREAT DANGER, YOU INFLUENCE THE POLITICAL PROCESS.
FUNDAMENTALLY, I THINK THE ELECTORATE SHOULD DECIDE WHO THEY'RE LED BY.
THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO THROW HIM OUT EVERY FOUR YEARS.
SO, YOUR CAMPAIGN MANAGER SAID, AND HE SAID TO ME AND OTHERS, THAT IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S IMPEACH, ACQUIT, RE-ELECT.
TALKING ABOUT DONALD TRUMP IN THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE --
THE FIRST TWO -- YOU CAN BE PRETTY SURE THAT BOTH OF THOSE ARE GOING TO HAPPEN.
GETTING IMPEACHED AND NOT GETTING CONVICTED.
GETTING RE-ELECTED, THAT'S WHAT AN ELECTION IS ALL ABOUT.
IT'S NOT UNTIL NEXT NOVEMBER.
THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS YOU'VE JUMPED IN BECAUSE YOU THINK RIGHT NOW TRUMP IS WINNING?
I THINK TRUMP IS GETTING STRONGER AND I THINK HE WOULD JUST EAT ALIVE THE CANDIDATES BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE PLANS THAT I THINK ARE PRACTICAL THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED.
THEY DON'T HAVE MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE.
AND THE PRESIDENT'S JOB IS A MANAGEMENT JOB.
4 MILLION PEOPLE TO MANAGE.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE A LOT OF MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE, THIS IS NOT A JOB WHERE YOU TAKE TRAINING WHEELS.
THIS IS THE FUTURE OF THE WORLD, THE FREE WORLD, MAYBE THE WHOLE WORLD.
YOU NEED PEOPLE WITH EXPERIENCE.
ONE COULD SAY JOE BIDEN HAS SPENT A LIFETIME IN THE SENATE, SPELL MANY YEARS AS VICE PRESIDENT, HE'S NOW CAMPAIGNING.
HE'S ALSO ON THE MODERATE WING OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY, WHICH I THINK IS WHERE YOU ARE.
AND HE'S ACTUALLY AHEAD OF THE PACK.
JOE BIDEN IS A VERY NICE GUY AND I'M NOT CAPABLE OF -- I SHOULDN'T BE ONE DESCRIBING HIS BACKGROUND.
GO ASK HIM.
WHAT I WANT TO ASK YOU IS, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU CAN DO DIFFERENTLY?
BECAUSE THIS IS A DIFFERENT CAMPAIGN --
I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE'S GOING TO DO.
I CAN TELL YOU WHAT I WOULD DO IF ELECTED.
I WOULD PUT TOGETHER A TEAM.
I WOULD DO CERTAIN THINGS DAY ONE LIKE REJOINING THE PARIS AGREEMENT.
THE CLIMATE ACCORD.
I WOULD SPEND THE FIRST 100 DAYS BUILDING THE TEAM.
AND I DID IT IN CITY HALL.
AND THAT TEAM STAYED WITH ME FOR 12 YEARS.
NOBODY'S EVER HAD A TEAM IN GOVERNMENT THAT STAYED A LONG TIME LIKE THAT.
BUT THAT'S THE REASON THE ADMINISTRATION WAS SUCCESSFUL.
IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO DO THESE THINGS.
ONE OF THE CANDIDATES SAID MAYBE I'LL ONLY RUN FOR PRESIDENT AND STAY THERE FOR FOUR YEARS.
WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO -- PAY SOMEBODY TO LEARN ON THE JOB AND THEN NOT GET THE VALUE?
YOU WANT PEOPLE TO BE THERE FOR LONGER TIME BECAUSE ALL THE PROJECTS TAKE A LONG TIME.
IN TERMS OF YOUR ELECTION STRATEGY, YOU'RE SORT OF IGNORING BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO IOWA AND NEW HAMPSHIRE, THE EARLY ONES --
THE FIRST FOUR, THE EARLY ONES -- WE CAME IN TOO LATE.
BARACK OBAMA SUPPOSEDLY WAS IN IOWA 99 TIMES.
I DIDN'T HAVE THE TIME TO DO THAT.
AND THE REST OF -- I'M NOT GOING TO FORGET ABOUT THE REST OF THE COUNTRY.
SO I'M WORKING ON THE REST OF THE COUNTRY WHILE THEY'RE WORKING 0EN THESE FOUR.
IS THEIR STRATEGY RIGHT OR MINE?
I DON'T KNOW.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO FIND OUT.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THE LATEST, IT'S A REPUBLICAN POLL BUT SAYING IMPEACHMENT IS HELPING PRESIDENT TRUMP IN THE STATES THAT MATTER AND IN THE STATES THAT, THE SWING STATES WHERE YOU ARE CONCENTRATING ON?
I SAID BACK WHEN -- AND PELOSI SAID THE SAME THING.
BOTH OF US WERE WORRIED THAT IMPEACHMENT WOULD RALLY HIS TROOPS AND MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT TO DEFEAT HIM, AND SO BOTH OF US WERE RETICENT.
I THINK -- I CAN'T SPEAK FOR HER, BUT WHAT I'VE HEARD HER SAY, WE BOTH HAVE COME AROUND TO THE FACT THAT IT'S SO EGREGIOUS, WHAT HE DID.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE A VOTE.
I HAVE TO ASK YOU BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN ASKED BEFORE AND THE BAGGAGE IS SOMETHING YOU'LL HAVE TO TALK ABOUT.
THE 'NEW YORK TIMES,' AS YOU KNOW WROTE AN EDITORIAL.
MR. BLOOMBERG FACES IMMENSE OBSTACLES TO WINNING THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION STARTING WITH HIS OWN POLITICAL BAGGAGE THAT INCLUDES A HISTORY OF MAKING DEMEANING COMMENTS ABOUT WOMEN AND A RECORD OF CHAMPIONING LAW ENFORCEMENT POLICIES THAT DISPROPORTIONATELY TARGETED BLACK AND LATINO MEN WITH INVASIVE SEARCHES.
AND CHARLES BLOW, WHO AS YOU KNOW HAS ALSO SAID NO BLACK OR LATINO OR PERSON OF COLOR SHOULD VOTE FOR MIKE BLOOMBERG IN THE PRIMARIES.
WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS IN THE ELECTION.
NUMBER ONE, YOU KNOW, I PROBABLY SAID SOME THINGS THAT ARE EMBARRASSING OVER THE YEARS.
THIS IS ABOUT THE WOMEN, THE FRAT HOUSE?
YEAH.
OUR COMPANY HAS A HISTORY OF TREATING WOMEN, IN TERMS OF PROMOTIONS AND COMPENSATIONS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT, AS GOOD AS -- I'D PUT ANY 20,000-PERSON COMPANY AROUND THE WORLD AS GOOD AS OURS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
IF I SAID SOMETHING TO EMBARRASS SOMEBODY, I APOLOGIZE.
I'M SORRY ABOUT IT.
IN TERMS OF STOP AND FRISK.
LOOK, IT WAS OUR POLICY.
IN THE END IT TURNED OUT WE WERE USING IT TOO AGGRESSIVELY.
WHEN WE CUT IT BACK, IT DIDN'T HAVE THE EFFECT, WE THOUGHT CRIME WOULD GO UP, IT DIDN'T, IT WENT DOWN.
SO WE REDUCED IT BY 95%. AND I SAID I'M SORRY, I WAS WRONG, AND I'M SORRY.
AFTER THAT I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO TELL YOU.
CRIME DID COME DOWN AND WE CAN DRAMATICALLY, FROM 650 MURDERS TO 300 MURDERS ON THE BASIS OF 8.4 MILLION PEOPLE.
IT'S THE SAFEST BIG CITY IN AMERICA, FAR AND AWAY.
AND WE'VE CONTINUED TO TAKE ON THE NRA.
THEY'RE REELING, THEIR MANAGEMENT'S UP IN ARMS AGAINST EACH OTHER, THEIR FUND-RAISING HAS BEEN HURT VERY BADLY.
WE'RE DOING ALL THE THINGS YOU WOULD EXPECT SOMEBODY TO DO WHEN THEY'RE MAYOR AND THEN AFTERWARDS.
WE CONTINUE TO DO THIS.
THIS IS NOT A FIGHT THAT I WENT IN FOR ONE THING, I DIDN'T DO IT FOR POLITICAL REASONS.
I FEEL STRONGLY WE CANNOT HAVE A WORLD WHERE SOME NEIGHBORHOODS ARE SAFER THAN OTHERS BASED ON THEIR ZIP CODE OR SOMETHING.
THAT'S JUST THE WRONG THING.
WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING AND I'M CONTINUING TO DO IT.
MIKE BLOOMBERG, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, INDEED.
THANK YOU.
> NOW INTERESTINGLY, ONCE HE'S FINISHED HIS CONFERENCES AND NEGOTIATIONS HERE IN MADRID, BLOOMBERG IS FLYING STRAIGHT TO STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA, WHERE HE WILL ACCEPT THE ENDORSEMENT OF THE VERY YOUNG 29-YEAR-OLD AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAYOR THERE.
FOR MORE ON THE STATE OF THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE AND THE DEVELOPMENTS IN THE IMPEACHMENT AFFAIR, I'M JOINED BY POLITICAL ANALYST JOHN AVALON, FORMER CHIEF SPEECHWRITER FOR ANOTHER PREVIOUS NEW YORK MAYOR, RUDY GIULIANI.
JOHN AVALON, WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
SO JUST YOUR TAKE ON WHAT YOU JUST HEARD FROM MIKE BLOOMBERG.
HE REALLY DOES COME ACROSS AS SOMEBODY WHO WANTS TO TRY, THAT YOU KNOW, HE'S NOT ARROGANT ENOUGH TO THINK THAT HE CAN WIN BUT WANTS TO REALLY GIVE IT THE GOOD COLLEGE TRY BECAUSE OF THE ISSUES.
PARTICULARLY, AS HE SAID, CLIMATE, GUNS, EDUCATION, WOMEN'S ISSUES.
ALL THE THINGS THAT HE'S PUT HIS MONEY BEHIND OVER THE LAST MANY YEARS.
YEAH, LOOK, AS YOU POINTED OUT, HE DECIDED NOT TO RUN IN MARCH.
HE FLIRTED WITH CAMPAIGNS IN THE PAST.
BUT I THINK IT'S SIGNIFICANT THAT HE DECIDED TO GET IN REALLY AT THE LAST MINUTE.
A LOT OF FOLKS WHO THOUGHT ABOUT RUNNING WERE BOXED OUT BY JOE BIDEN'S STRENGTH IN THE POLLS.
AND HE HAS BEEN TEFLON.
HE KEEPS AT THE TOP OF THE PACK NO MATTER WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING.
A FEW MONTHS AGO, ELIZABETH WARREN SEEMED TO BE SURGING AND PETE BUTTIGIEG HAS HIS MOMENT.
A LOT OF FOLKS WERE SAYING, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT JOE BIDEN'S DURABILITY OVER THE LONG HAUL.
AND SO IT MAKES SENSE FOR A GUY WHO HAS BEEN, YOU KNOW, A SUCCESSFUL THREE-TERM MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY TO LOOK AT SOMEONE LIKE PETE BUTTIGIEG SAYING HE'S A 37-YEAR-OLD MAYOR OF INDIANA'S FOURTH-LARGEST CITY, MAYBE I SHOULD GET IN.
ONLY MIKE BLOOMBERG HAS THE MONEY TO DO IT.
WE HAVE NO IDEA ON THE IMPACT OR THE AMOUNT OF MONEY HE'LL SPEND.
NEVER GOING TO SEE ANYTHING LIKE IT.
IT'S A BIG IDEA.
HE'S GOING TO HIT SOME RESISTANCE FROM THE FAR LEFT AS YOU POINTED OUT.
BUT HECK MIKE THE CASE HE'S COMMITTED TO SOME OF THE ISSUES THEY MOST CARE ABOUT.
LET US JUST PLAY A QUICK SOUND BITE FROM JOE BIDEN, AS WE'VE SAID, IS LEADING THE PACK SINCE HE GOT IN AND UP UNTIL NOW.
THIS IS WHAT HE SAID ABOUT BLOOMBERG'S MONEY AND HIS REASON FOR RUNNING.
I AGREE THAT HE'S DECIDED THAT HE IS BETTER OFF SPENDING HIS OWN MONEY, WHICH IS AN UNLIMITED AMOUNT OF MONEY, THAN GOING OUT AND TRYING TO RAISE THE MONEY.
I DON'T KNOW.
I THINK THEY'LL LOOK AND DECIDE WHAT IS HE BRINGING AND ADDING TO THE RACE?
THERE ARE TWO QUESTIONS THERE.
ONE, HE IS SPENDING HIS OWN MONEY.
THE TAXPAYERS ARE NOT BEING HIT FOR THIS BILL.
AND WHAT DOES HE BRING?
AND JUST ANOTHER THING, JOHN, OF COURSE.
THE PREVIOUS, YOU KNOW, WELL-POSITIONED CANDIDATE WHO SPENT A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY WAS JEB BUSH, FORMER GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA.
HE SPENT A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY.
MORE THAN BLOOMBERG HAS YET SPENT.
YET HE DROPPED OUT PRETTY EARLY AND ENDED UP WITH LESS DELEGATES THAN YOU CAN COUNT ON ONE HAND.
YEAH, LOOK.
MONEY MATTERS, BUT IT'S NOT DETERMINATIVE IN A POPULIST ERA, AND WE'VE SEEN THAT OVER AND OVER.
HILLARY CLINTON OUTSPENT DONALD TRUMP, FOR EXAMPLE.
I THINK THE SCALE, YOU POINTED OUT, SPENDING MULTIPLES OF THE DEMOCRATIC FIELD AND NOT FOCUSING ON THE FIRST FOUR STATES WILL BE FASCINATING TO WATCH.
THE OTHER THING, HE'S GOING TO BE INVESTING IN STATE PARTIES.
WHICH I THINK MAY CREATE MORE OF A GROUNDSWELL OF SUPPORT FOR HIM THAN PEOPLE MIGHT IMAGINE.
THOUGH THE FAR LEFT MIGHT HATE THE IDEA OF A TECHNOCRATIC BILLIONAIRE RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT, HE CAN CREDIBLY SAY HE HAS DEMONSTRATED HIS COMMITMENT TO TAKING ON THE NRA AND GUN REFORM AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN WAYS THAT OTHER -- HE'S GOT A RECORD OF SUCCESS IN THOSE AREAS IN ADDITION TO BEING MAYOR THAT OTHER CANDIDATES JUST DON'T.
JOHN, WHAT'S REALLY INTERESTING THOUGH, THESE ISSUES YOU'VE LAID OUT ARE REALLY THE ISSUES THAT ARE AT PLAY RIGHT NOW.
CLIMATE, FOR INSTANCE.
YOUNG PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE A HUGE VOTING BLOC IN 2020.
AND THIS IS THEIR ISSUE AND HE'S THE GUY, AS YOU SAID, WHO HAS A RECORD ON IT.
WOMEN, WHO EVEN REPUBLICAN STRATEGISTS SAY, YOU KNOW, THOSE WHO VOTED FOR TRUMP BACK IN 2016 ARE BEGINNING TO, YOU KNOW, SORT OF MOVE AWAY.
AND INDEPENDENTS AND SUBURBANS AND ALL THE REST OF IT.
HE HAS A MASSIVE RECORD ON SPENDING FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH ISSUES, REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ISSUES, AND THE REST.
SO JUST TALK TO ME ABOUT, YOU KNOW, A POTENTIAL VOTER POOL THERE WHO WILL BE ATTRACTED TO HIS RECORD ON THOSE ISSUES.
WELL, IT WILL BE AN INTERESTING TEST WHETHER, YOU KNOW, VOTERS IN THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY IN PARTICULAR, WHETHER THEY VOTE ALONG SORT OF IDENTITY POLITICS LINES BY WHICH CASE YOU CAN SAY, LOOK, HE'S A RICH OLD WHITE GUY, THEREFORE DOESN'T REPRESENT ME OR MY VISION OF AMERICA, OR WHETHER THEY'RE GOING TO LOOK AT THE RECORD.
BY WHICH YOU CAN SAY HE'S GOT A DEMONSTRATED RECORD OF SUCCESS AND COMMITMENT ON MANY OF THE CORE ISSUES THE LEFT MOST CARES ABOUT.
WHAT WINS THAT TUG OF WAR OF THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY IS GOING TO BE JUST AS IMPORTANT AND FASCINATING AS THE BIG DEBATE BETWEEN THE CENTER AND THE LEFT OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
WE KNOW WHICH SIDE HE STANDS ON THAT ONE.
YOU ONCE WORKED AS A SPEECHWRITER FOR RUDY GIULIANI.
NOT ONLY A FORMER MAYOR BUT HEAVILY IMPLICATED IN THE CURRENT IMPEACHMENT AFFAIR.
WE'VE SEEN THE TWO ARTICLES, ABUSE OF POWER, AND OBSTRUCTION UNVEILED IN THOSE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST PRESIDENT TRUMP TODAY.
WHERE THIS IS GOING TO GO?
PROBABLY PEOPLE BELIEVE IT WILL BE IMPEACHMENT AND ACQUITTAL, BUT POLITICALLY, AND I GUESS, YOU KNOW, FOR THE INSTITUTIONS OF POLITICS AND JUSTICE IN THE UNITED STATES?
THERE'S A LOT IN THAT QUESTION.
I MEAN, FIRST OF ALL, I THINK IT IS FAIR TO SAY LOOKING AT THE HYPERPARTISAN POLARIZED NATURE, HE'S LIKELY TO BE IMPEACHED.
ONLY THE THIRD TO DO SO AND IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, LIKELY TO BE ACQUITTED IN THE SENATE.
THAT SAYS WHAT HE'S BEEN ACCUSED OF FITS VERY CLOSELY WITH WHAT THE FOUNDING FATHERS IMAGINED A PRESIDENT MIGHT BE IMPEACHED FOR.
NOT JUST ABUSE OF POWER BUT FRANKLY HAVING FOREIGN POWERS INTERFERING IN OUR DOMESTIC ELECTIONS, THAT'S SOMETHING THE FOUNDING FATHERS WOULD HAVE RECOGNIZED.
IT'S SIGNIFICANT WE HAD ONE IMPEACHMENT IN THE FIRST 200 YEARS OF THE REPUBLIC AND THREE IN THE LAST 45.
THIS IS A CYCLE.
AND THE INABILITY OF CONGRESS TO REASON TOGETHER ON THE ALLEGATIONS OR EVEN RECOGNIZE COMMON FACTS IS A VERY PROBLEMATIC SIGN.
SO YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THE REPUBLICAN BASE PROBABLY RETRENCH AROUND THE PRESIDENT, DESPITE THE FACTS BEING BAD AND THE PRINCIPLES NOT WANTING TO APPLY THEM TO A DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENT.
WE'LL HAVE A MORE DEEPLY POLARIZED COUNTRY AS WE HEAD INTO AN ELECTION.
I THINK IN SOME WAYS COMMITMENT TO THE UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES OF IMPEACHMENT WILL LEAD A LOT OF FOLKS TO CONCLUDE THAT THEY'RE ALMOST REQUIRED TO VOTE FOR IMPEACHMENT BASED ON THE UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES ABOVE QUESTIONS OF PARTISANSHIP.
MANY PEOPLE SAY IT'S ELECTIONS THAT SHOULD DECIDE THESE KINDS OF THINGS.
OBVIOUSLY IT'S SUI GENERIS THAT THEY HAVE TO GO THAT ROUTE.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT PRESIDENT TRUMP, WHO'S GOT NEARLY 56% APPROVAL ON HOW HE HANDLES THE ECONOMY, IT'S A BIG ISSUE, OBVIOUSLY.
AND YOU'VE GOT MICHAEL BLOOMBERG DOING A VERY DIFFERENT, SOME SAY UNPRECEDENTED STRATEGY, PEOPLE LOOK BACK TO JOHN F. KENNEDY FOR THIS SO-CALLED NATIONAL STRATEGY.
YEAH.
EXPLAIN WHAT THIS MEANS, NATIONAL STRATEGY.
WELL, IS IT MIKE BLOOMBERG IS GOING TO SAY, MOMENTUM DOESN'T MATTER OUT OF EARLY STATES, WE'RE GOING TO DO SOMETHING UNUSUAL, WE GOT IN LATE, WE'RE GOING TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT, IGNORE THE FIRST FOUR.
SUPER TUESDAY IS UP EARLY.
WE'RE GOING IT PLAY BIG IN SUPER TUESDAY AND SWING STATES.
AND I THINK PART OF THE ECONOMY QUESTION, WHICH IS THE ONLY AREA WHERE DONALD TRUMP IS ABOVE WATER, ABOVE 50% IN HIS APPROVAL RATINGS BECAUSE THE ECONOMY HAS BEEN GOING VERY WELL.
THAT'S KEEPING HIS APPROVAL RATINGS AROUND 40%. TYPICALLY THIS KIND OF ECONOMY, A SANDWICH COULD BE AT 60%. MIKE BLOOMBERG'S PITCH WILL BE I'M A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSMAN, AS WELL.
YOU CAN TRUST ME NOT TO TANK THE ECONOMY.
THAT WOULD BE A FEAR WITH SOME FOLKS ON THE FAR LEFT GETTING A PRESIDENCY THAT COULD EASILY SWAY SWING VOTERS IN SWING STATES TO SAY, STICK WITH THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, THE ECONOMY'S DOING WELL.
JOHN AVALON, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
IT'S SO FASCINATING.
AND ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING THINGS ABOUT BEING HERE AT THE CLIMATE TALKS IN MADRID ARE THE INSPIRING YOUNG PEOPLE, OF COURSE, THE FACE OF THIS GLOBAL MOVEMENT.
THIS 8-YEAR-OLD FROM INDIA PHOTOGRAPHED WITH GRETA THUNBERG IS CALLING ON HER PRIME MINISTER TO IMPLEMENT CLIMATE CHANGE LAWS AND SAVE HER FUTURE.
AND WE'RE GOING TO TALK MORE ABOUT POLITICS IN INDIA WITH OUR NEXT GUEST.
IN AUGUST, THE DISPUTED TERRITORY OF KASHMIR, SPLIT BETWEEN THREE NATIONS, WAS THROWN INTO CHAOS WHEN INDIA STRIPPED IT OF ITS SPECIAL AUTONOMOUS STATUS.
SOLDIERS FILLED THE STREETS AND THE COMMUNICATIONS BLACKOUT IMPOSED, IT WAS HARD TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WAS GOING ON.
'NEW YORKER' STAFF WRITER DEXTER FILKINS WAS WORKING ON A STORY ABOUT THE PRIME MINISTER BUT COULDN'T GET INTO THE REGION.
SO HE ENLISTED THE HELP OF A JOURNALIST WHO WAS COVERED EXTENSIVELY VIOLENCE AGAINST THE MUSLIM MINORITY IN INDIA AND WHAT THEY FOUND IS SHOCKING.
THE TWO REPORTERS JOIN ME FROM NEW YORK AND NEW DELHI.
WELCOME TO YOU BOTH.
DEXTER, IF I CAN START WITH YOU.
JUST TELL ME WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE THERE TRYING TO TELL THIS STORY, SEEING HOW KASHMIR WAS BEING EXPLAINED TO THE INDIAN PEOPLE AND WANTING TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHETHER THAT WAS REALLY WHAT WAS HAPPENING.
WHAT MADE YOU ENLIST RONA?
WELL, FOREIGNERS WEREN'T BEING ADMITTED TO KASHMIR.
IT'S COMPLETELY LOCKED DOWN.
IT'S PART OF THIS LARGER STORY.
NOT JUST ABOUT KASHMIR BUT WHAT THE HINDU NATIONALIST GOVERNMENT IS DOING TO MUSLIMS IN INDIA.
AND I THOUGHT THAT KASHMIR WAS A KIND OF EXHIBIT 'A.'
I WANTED TO SEE IT.
I MEAN, AS IT TURNED OUT, YOU KNOW, WE GOT ON A PLANE AND WENT.
AND, YOU KNOW, WALKED OUT OF THE AIRPORT.
IT WASN'T ALL THAT DIFFICULT, BUT NO ONE ELSE MANAGED TO GET IN THERE.
WHEN WE GOT IN THERE, IT WAS PRETTY SHOCKING.
IT WAS PRETTY MUCH WHAT YOUR VIEWERS SAW.
TOTAL LOCKDOWN.
THE KASHMIR PEOPLE CUT OFF FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD AND KASHMIRIS CUT OFF FROM EACH OTHER.
VERY, VERY DEPRESSING.
SOLDIERS EVERYWHERE.
RONA, IT IS REALLY DIFFICULT FOR, AS DEXTER SAID, CERTAINLY FOR THOSE OF US OUTSIDE OF INDIA, EVEN FURTHER AFIELD, YOU JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING.
YOU'VE BEEN REPORTING ON NARENDRA MODI, ON THE VIOLATION AGAINST MUSLIM MINORITY IN INDIA.
WHAT WERE YOU LOOKING FOR IN KASHMIR?
BECAUSE CLEARLY A DIFFERENT STORY WAS BEING BROADCAST ON INDIAN STATE MEDIA.
ABSOLUTELY.
THE KIND OF NEWS REPORTS THAT WERE TRICKLING IN FROM THE INDIA MEDIA WAS THAT EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL IN KASHMIR, THERE WERE TOURISTS ALL OVER THE PLACE.
AS SOMEBODY WHO HAS BEEN REPORTING ON NARENDRA MODI FOR THE LAST 14 ODD YEARS, SOMEBODY WHO HAS WITNESSED HIS TOTAL DARREN POLITICS, I KNEW THIS WAS ANOTHER EXERCISE IN BASICALLY ESTABLISHING HIS HINDU NATIONALIST SUPREMACY.
BECAUSE KASHMIR ALSO HAPPENS TO BE THE ONLY MUSLIM MAJORITY STATE IN INDIA AT THIS POINT IN TIME.
SO INVOKES A SPECIAL STATUS WHERE EVERY DEMOCRATIC LEADER IN THE COUNTRY HAS BEEN PUT BEHIND BARS.
THERE'S NEW INTERNET.
THERE'S NEW CONNECTIVITY.
KASHMIRIS HAVE NO MEANS TO COMMUNICATE WITH ANYBODY IN THE WORLD, AND A POSITION HAS BEEN TAKEN ON THEIR BEHALF.
WHEN WE AND DEXTER WENT TO KASHMIR FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE MET FAMILIES WHOSE 12-YEAR-OLDS AND 13-YEAR-OLDS HAD BEEN DETAINED, YOU KNOW.
THOUSANDS HAVE BEEN DETAINED IN JAILS ACROSS KASHMIR AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY BECAUSE THE JAILS IN KASHMIR ARE OVERFLOWING.
THAT'S WHERE KASHMIR STANDS NOW.
IT IS A PROJECT TO HUMILIATE KASHMIR AND DOMESTICATE KASHMIR BECAUSE IT IS PART OF THE HINDU NATIONALIST DREAM TO UNIFY KASHMIR WITH THE REST OF INDIA AND NOT GIVE IT THE SPECIAL STATUS IT'S ENJOYED HISTORICALLY.
WHAT WE SAW IN KASHMIR -- AND I SUBSEQUENTLY SHOW IT AGAIN AS SOMETHING I'VE NOT WITNESSED IN THE VALLEY BEFORE.
KASHMIR IS LIKE -- KASHMIR IS LIKE THE REST OF THE COUNTRY IS SLIDING DOWN A DANGEROUS PATH OF MAJORITY.
GOVERNMENT WHO WE KEEP TRYING TO GET ON THIS PROGRAM TO PUT THEIR SIDE ACROSS AND NO LUCK UP UNTIL NOW.
WE KEEP ASKING BUT THEY DENY ALL THE CLAIMS OF HARSHNESS AND VIOLATION OF RIGHTS AND, YOU KNOW, ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU'VE BEEN -- YOU AND OTHERS NOW HAVE BEEN REPORTING ABOUT.
AND NARENDRA MODI, AS YOU REMEMBER, WAS IN THE UNITED STATES IN SEPTEMBER.
AND IN FACT, HE WAS AT A RALLY WITH A LOT OF INDIAN-AMERICANS IN HOUSTON, TEXAS.
PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS WITH HIM.
HE TOOK THAT MOMENT TO RALLY THE EXPAT COMMUNITY AGAINST THIS SPECIAL ARTICLE 370.
THAT GAVE KASHMIR ITS SPECIAL STATUS.
LET'S PLAY WHAT HE SAID.
WE CAN DISCUSS IT.
Translator: ARTICLE 370 DEPRIVED THE PEOPLE OF JAMU, KASHMIR, AND LEDAK OF DEVELOPMENT AND EQUAL RIGHTS.
THE FORCES FIGHTING TERRORISM AND SEPARATISM WERE EXPLOITING THE SITUATION.
NOW THE SAME RIGHTS THAT WERE GIVEN BY THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA TO THE REST OF THE INDIANS HAVE NOW ALSO BEEN GIVEN TO THE PEOPLE OF JAMU, KASHMIR, AND LEDAK.
AND RONA, YOU KNOW, IT IS SAID AND YOU'VE REPORTED AND OTHERS HATCH THAT INDIA SINCE THE ELECTION OF NARENDRA MODI BACK IN 2014 HAS BECOME A MUCH MORE DIFFICULT PLACE FOR THE MUSLIM MINORITY TO LIVE.
JUST TELL US ABOUT WHAT YOU KNOW AND YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE BRIEFLY.
WELL, CHRISTIANE, I FIRST ENTERED AS A RELIEF WORKER WHEN I WAS 19 WHEN MR. MODI WAS A PROVINCIAL WORKER AND 1,000 MUSLIMS WERE KILLED IN A SPAN OF TWO DAYS.
AND TO THIS DAY, MR. MODI HAS NOT EXPRESSED REGRET FOR THE KILLINGS.
THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA, THE HIGHEST CONSTITUTIONAL BODY, HAS CALLED MR. MODI A MODERN DE NIRO WHO LOOKED THE OTHER WAY WHERE INNOCENT CHILDREN AND WOMEN WERE BEING BURNT ALIVE.
TO THIS DAY MR. MODI HASN'T COMMENTED.
THERE'S NOT A SINGLE INTERVIEW HE HAS GIVEN TO THE MEDIA ON THE RIOTS.
THERE WERE MULTIPLE EXTRADITION MUSLIMS LABELED AS TERRORISTS AND AS IT TRANSPIRED LATER THEY WERE ALL INNOCENT.
SINCE 2014, MR. MODI ASSUMED POWER, ALMOST ON AN EVERYDAY BASIS YOU SEE THE HUMILIATION OF MUSLIMS BEING LYNCHED ON THE STREETS OF THE COUNTRY, ON ACCUSATIONS OF CONSUMING BEEF.
YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE THE -- IN 1992 THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA HAS NOW GIVEN THE LAND TO THE HINDUS TO BUILD A GRAND TEMPLE.
TODAY, AS WE TALK, THE PRIME MINISTER OF THE COUNTRY HAS BROUGHT IN THE MOST UNCONSTITUTIONAL BILL IN THE INDIAN PARLIAMENT.
THE CITIZENSHIP AMENDMENT BILL GRANTS CITIZENSHIP TO ALL PERSECUTED MINORITIES IN THE NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES, EXCEPT MUSLIMS.
NOTHING MORE CONSTITUTIONAL HAS EVER TAKEN PLACE IN THE SANCTUM SANG TORE RUM IN THE INDIAN PARLIAMENT.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME INDIA HAS BEEN SAYING IN THIS DARK ERA, WHERE MUSLIMS ARE HUMILIATED EVERY DAY, THEY'RE LYNCHED WHEN THEY STEP OUT TO PROTEST.
THERE IS FEAR IN THE COUNTRY, IT'S LIKE A NIGHTMARE TO BE A MUSLIM IN INDIA RIGHT NOW.
I REMEMBER WHEN ONE OF THE, YOU KNOW, ONE YOUTH WAS LYNCHED AND NOT VERY FAR FROM NEW DELHI, THE NATIONAL CAPITAL, THE CIVIL AVIATION MINISTER OF THE MODI GOVERNMENT WENT AND GARLANDED THE ACCUSED WHO LYNCHED MUSLIMS, THAT'S HOW BRAZEN IT HAS BEEN IN MR. MODI'S REGIME IN THE LAST SIX YEARS.
IT'S ONLY GETTING WORSE BY EVERY DAY.
DEXTER, I WANT TO READ YOU A SHORT EXCERPT OF WHAT YOU WROTE ABOUT THIS IN THIS 'NEW YORKER' ARTICLE TALKING ABOUT THE CONSOLIDATION OF THIS POWER.
YOU WROTE, EVER SINCE MODI WAS FIRST ELECTED PRIME MINISTER IN 2014, HE'S BEEN RECASTING THE STORY OF INDIA FROM THAT OF A SECULAR DEMOCRACY ACCOMMODATING A UNIQUELY DIVERSE POPULATION, TO THAT OF A HINDU NATION THAT DOMINATES ITS MINORITIES, ESPECIALLY THE COUNTRY'S 200 MILLION MUSLIMS.
YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD.
BECAUSE THE WHOLE WORLD TALKS ABOUT INDIA AS THE LARGEST DEMOCRACY AND INDIA, YOU KNOW, HOLDS THAT POSITION PROUDLY.
AND YET AS YOU REPORT, IT'S BECOME MORE AND MORE INDIA FOR THE HINDUS.
JUST GIVE US A SENSE OF THIS MOVE AWAY FROM INDIA'S SECULAR HISTORY.
WELL, YOU JUST SAID IT.
YOU KNOW, FOR 70 YEARS, SINCE 1947, INDIA HAS BEEN THE HOPE OF THE WORLD.
I MEAN, IT WAS GANDHI AND NEHRU FOUNDING A SECULAR DEMOCRACY, THE WORLD'S LARGEST, REALLY AN EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIMENT.
ESSENTIALLY BASED ON THE RESPECT OF MINORITIES, EVERY MAJOR RELIGION IN THE WORLD IS IN INDIA.
AND WHAT'S HAPPENED UNDER MODI, AND THIS IS THE REALLY SIGNIFICANT THING, IS THAT THAT ENTIRE PARADIGM, THE WHOLE FOUNDATION OF THE INDIAN STATE, HAS BEEN THROWN AWAY AND IS BEING THROWN AWAY.
AND IT'S BEING REPLACED BY ESSENTIALLY, AS YOU SAY, A HINDU MAJORITARIAN VIEW WHERE MUSLIMS ARE SECOND-CLASS CITIZENS.
RONA MENTIONED THE LYNCHINGS, AND IT'S EXTRAORDINARY.
I WENT TO VILLAGES IN INDIA WHERE MUSLIM PEOPLE ARE BEING LYNCHED.
IT'S LIKE REALLY -- IT'S LIKE THE RECONSTRUCTION ERA IN THE AMERICAN SOUTH, LIKE TO BE A BLACK MAN THEN IS TO BE A MUSLIM MAN NOW, AND IT IS TERRIFYING.
I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT.
I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD SEE THAT IN INDIA, THE LARGEST DEMOCRACY IN THE WORLD.
WOW.
THAT IS REALLY HARSH TO HEAR.
AND SO LET ME ASK YOU AS A JOURNALIST, AND INDIA HAS ALWAYS HAD A VERY VIBRANT JOURNAL ISTIC COMMUNITY, OBVIOUSLY RONA IS ONE OF THEM.
IS IT SORT OF THE CASE OF IF YOU REPORT NEGATIVELY ABOUT THE PRIME MINISTER, YOU'RE CLOSED DOWN?
WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE REPORTING?
WELL, YOU KNOW, MODI HAS VERY EFFECTIVELY BASICALLY SILENCED OR CRUSHED OR SQUEEZED THE INDEPENDENT MEDIA AROUND INDIA.
AGAIN, IT'S BEEN AN EXTRAORDINARY DEVELOPMENT THAT HAS GONE LARGELY UNNOTICED.
AND BASICALLY THE WAY THAT HE'S BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT IS THAT MOST -- UNLIKE, SAY, IN THE UNITED STATES, MOST OF THE MAJOR INDIAN TELEVISION, INTERNET, NEWSPAPERS, THEY RELY HEAVILY ON GOVERNMENT ADVERTISING.
SO THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT HAS CUT THEM OFF AND THEN ASKED FOR PRIVATE ADVERTISING.
THEY'VE SQUEEZED THE BUSINESSES AND SAID, WE WANT YOU TO STOP ADVERTISING IN THIS NEWSPAPER, WE WANT YOU TO GET RID OF THIS EDITOR, WE WANT YOU TO STOP ADVERTISING ON THIS TELEVISION CHANNEL.
INDIAN BUSINESS -- BASICALLY BUSINESS COMMUNITY IS FALLING INTO LINE.
SO WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS WHEN YOU HAVE A SITUATION LIKE IN KASHMIR, THE INDIAN MEDIA GOES ALONG, LARGELY, THEY PARROT THE GOVERNMENT LINE.
THERE'S ONLY VERY FEW JOURNALISTS LIKE RONA LEFT WHO ARE BRAVE ENOUGH AND WILLING TO TRY TO TELL THE TRUTH.
WELL, THANK YOU BOTH FOR THIS INCREDIBLE WINDOW INTO WHAT'S HAPPENING.
AGAIN, WE TRY TO GET THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT VIEW AND THEIR PERSPECTIVE.
WE'LL CONTINUE TRYING.
DEXTER FILKINS, RONA AYU, THANKS FOR JOINING US.
> NOW OVER THE LAST YEAR, MANY OF THE YOUNG CLIMATE ACTIVISTS HERE AT THE SUMMIT IN MADRID HAVE WALKED OUT OF THEIR CLASSROOMS IN PROTEST.
IMAGINE IF YOUR SCHOOL IS REALLY YOUR ONLY HOME.
ACCORDING TO FEDERAL DATA, MORE THAN A MILLION STUDENTS IN THE UNITED STATES PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM ARE HOMELESS.
THAT IS UP 70% OVER THE LAST DECADE.
CHRISTINE QUINN, THE SAME NEW YORK POLITICIAN WHO ONCE RAN AGAINST BLOOMBERG FOR MAYOR, IS CURRENTLY PRESIDENT AND CEO OF W.I.N., THE CITY'S LARGEST PROVIDER OF SERVICES TO HOMELESS WOMEN AND CHILDREN.
AND DANIEL ROSSO, SCHOOL PRINCIPAL IN THE BRONX.
ONE OF THE POOREST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS IN THE U.S.
THEY SAT DOWN WITH HARI SREENIVASAN TO TALK ABOUT THIS DISTURBING TREND.
THE CONVERSATION IS PART OF OUR ONGOING INITIATIVE ABOUT POVERTY, JOBS, AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY IN AMERICA CALLED 'CHASING THE DREAM.'
CHRISTINE QUINN, LET ME START WITH YOU.
AROUND THE COUNTRY THERE ARE MORE THAN 1.3 MILLION KIDS IN SCHOOLS THAT ARE HOMELESS.
THAT'S UP 70% IN THE LAST DECADE.
HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
WELL, I THINK THIS HAPPENED FOR A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT REASONS.
ONE, WE KNOW IN NEW YORK CITY BUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WE HAVE AN AFFORDABILITY CRISIS.
WE'VE SEEN THAT GROW, BUT WE NEVER REALLY TOOK A MOMENT TO STOP AND SAY, WHERE DOES IT END UP?
AN AFFORDABILITY CRISIS AND INCOME INEQUALITY CRISIS END UP WITH APARTMENTS AND HOMES BEING TOO EXPENSIVE FOR FAMILIES.
WHERE DO FAMILIES GO IF THEY CAN'T AFFORD A HOME?
THEY END UP HOMELESS.
YES, WE HAVE GOOD UNEMPLOYMENT NUMBERS IN THIS COUNTRY, BUT WE NEVER TAKE A MOMENT TO LOOK AT THE UNDERBELLY OF THEM AND HOW MUCH OF THAT INCLUDES MINIMUM WAGE WORKERS, FAST FOOD WORKERS, PEOPLE WITH TWO OR THREE FULL-TIME JOBS.
I BELIEVE THE HEART OF THIS CRISIS IS CAUSED BY NO ONE ACCEPTING THE REALITY THAT HOMELESSNESS AND AFFORDABILITY CRISIS ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN.
UNTIL WE CONNECT THEM AS IT RELATES TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING POLICIES, WE'RE GOING TO BE IN A HAMSTER WHEEL.
AND WHAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW IS THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE HOMELESS IN NEW YORK ARE FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN.
70% OF THE PEOPLE IN SHELTERS ARE FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN.
YOU DON'T SEE IT ON THE STREET.
IT'S A CRIME TO HAVE YOUR CHILD ON THE STREET BUT IT'S A REALITY.
53% OF MOTHERS IN SHELTER ARE WORKING.
THEY'RE WORKING AND THEY COULDN'T PAY THE RENT.
AND THIS I HOPE NOT HELD VIEW ANYMORE THAT HOMELESS PEOPLE, HOMELESS MOTHERS ARE LAZY AND DRUG ADDICTS AND CRIMINALS AND BROUGHT IT ON THEMSELVES?
THERE IS NO TRUTH TO THAT.
LET ME TELL YOU, THE HARDEST WORKING, MOST RESILIENT PEOPLE I HAVE EVER MET ARE THE HOMELESS MOMS IN OUR SHELTER.
THEY CAN'T AND DON'T PULL THE COVERS OVER THEIR HEADS.
BECAUSE THEY HAVE CHILDREN TO TAKE CARE OF.
I'M TELLING YOU NEW YORK STORIES BUT I HAVE COLLEAGUES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THESE ARE UNIVERSAL STORIES.
WHAT ARE THE PHYSICAL EFFECTS?
HOW DOES IT MANIFEST AT A SCHOOL LEVEL?
WHAT HAPPENS?
SO, I MEAN, EACH CASE IS DIFFERENT.
EACH CHILD IS DIFFERENT AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH A FAMILY ENDS UP HOMELESS IS DIFFERENT.
BUT SOME OF THE RECURRING THEMES WE SEE AT OUR SCHOOL IS STUDENTS WITH IMPACTS ON THEIR MENTAL HEALTH.
SO STUDENTS CAN BECOME WITHDRAWN, DEPRESSED, PULLED BACK FROM THEIR PEERS AND THEIR CLASSMATES.
THAT'S USUALLY DRIVEN BY ANXIETY, A SENSE OF THE SECURITY HAS BEEN SHATTERED.
IMAGINE BEING A STUDENT WHO GETS PICKED UP BY HIS MOTHER IN THE AFTERNOON AND YOU WALK HOME A COUPLE OF BLOCKS FROM THE SCHOOL ONLY TO FIND THAT THE HOUSE, THE APARTMENT DOOR IS PADLOCKED WITH AN EVICTION NOTICE ON YOUR DOOR AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU OWN IS INSIDE.
IMAGINE THE INSECURITY THAT FAMILY FEELS.
THEY LOOK AT THEIR CHILDREN AND WHAT DO THEY DO?
OFTENTIMES THEY GO BACK TO WHERE THEY CAME FROM, WHICH IS THE SCHOOL.
THEY COUNT ON THE SCHOOL STAFF TO HELP THEM WORK THROUGH GETTING TO THE SHELTER SYSTEM, BEING PROCESSED THROUGH P.A.T.H.
HERE IN NEW YORK CITY, AND ALL OF THE CHALLENGES THAT ARE ABOUT TO ENCOUNTER BEING HOMELESS.
TELL ME ABOUT SOME OF YOUR KIDS.
I HAVE 500 BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN IN THE SOUTH BRONX.
THIS PARTICULAR POPULATION REQUIRES A LOT OF SUPPORT.
NOT ONLY AROUND THE ACADEMICS LIKE CHRISTINE SAID, BUT WE HAVE TO HAVE A FOOD PANTRY INSIDE THE SCHOOL SO THAT FAMILIES THAT ARE APPROACHING THE WEEKEND OR SCHOOL HOLIDAY AND COME INTO THE MAIN OFFICE AND LITERALLY SAY, MR. RUSSO, WE DON'T HAVE FOOD IN OUR HOUSE TO GET OUR FAMILY THROUGH THE WEEKEND.
WE CAN TAKE THEM DOWN TO THE FOOD PANTRY AND MAKE SURE THAT THE FAMILY IS CARED FOR UNTIL SCHOOL RESUMES AND BREAKFAST AND LUNCH AT THE SCHOOL CONTINUES.
OUR CHILDREN GET FREE WINTER COATS AS THE COLD WEATHER SETS IN.
THEY GET FREE EYE EXAMS AND EYE GLASSES.
THERE'S A LOT OF SERVICES BUT YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIPS YOU CAN BRING INTO A SCHOOL IN A STRATEGIC AND ORGANIZED WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU REACH ALL OF THE CHILDREN'S NEEDS.
WHAT ABOUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT PLAYS INTO THIS?
THERE ARE MAYORS AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT SAY, HEY, WE'VE GOT MORE SHELTERS ON THE WAY.
BUT THERE'S A LOT OF, NOT IN MY BACKYARD.
IT'S GREAT TO HAVE THE SHELTERS.
LET'S FIX THE PROBLEM BUT YOU REALIZE THE MAP INCLUDES SOMETHING THAT IS SIX BLOCKS FROM YOUR HOME, NO.
WELL, A COUPLE OF THINGS.
ONE, YOU KNOW, THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO GET EVERYONE LIVING INDEPENDENTLY PERMANENTLY IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
THE SHELTER IS NOT THE OVERALL ANSWER.
BUT UNTIL THAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS BUILT AND EXISTS, PEOPLE NEED A PLACE TO BE.
AND THEY ALSO IN THAT PLACE, THE SHELTER, NEED TO HAVE SERVICES THAT DEAL WITH WHAT THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, 80% OF OUR MOMS HAVE EXPERIENCED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN THEIR ADULT LIFETIME.
YOU KNOW, AND ON AND ON.
SO SHELTERS SHOULDN'T BE SEEN AS THIS PLACE OF EVIL.
THEY'RE ACTUALLY PLACES OF HEALING AND GROWTH.
AND THE NOT IN MY BACKYARD PEOPLE?
GET OVER YOURSELF.
AND THE ELECTED OFFICIALS?
I USED TO BE AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, AND I KNOW THOSE CROWDS ARE SCARY, NO QUESTION.
WE NEED TO GET OVER OURSELVES.
THIS IS IS A -- FIRST OF ALL, IF THEY DON'T PUT THE SHELTER 10 BLOCKS FROM YOU, WHERE ARE THEY GOING TO PUT IT?
WHERE ARE PEOPLE GOING TO GO?
DO YOU WANT TO WAKE UP AND SEE A MOTHER AND HER CHILDREN SLEEPING ON THE STREET ON THE BLOCK YOU LIVE ON?
PEOPLE NEED TO GO.
WHO THE HECK ARE YOU TO LOOK IN THE FACE OF A 5-YEAR-OLD CHILD IN AMERICA AND SAY, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE EVIL AND I DON'T WANT YOU NEAR ME.
YOU KNOW, IT ALSO MANIFESTS ITSELF IN DISPROPORTIONATE NUMBERS OF HOMELESS PEOPLE BEING HOUSED IN CERTAIN NEIGHBORHOODS IN NEW YORK CITY, RIGHT?
YES.
CERTAINLY THERE ARE COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE CITY THAT AR LITTLE BIT LOUDER IN NOT IN MY BACKYARD, AND THEY END UP WITH LESS HOMELESS FAMILIES BEING HOUSED IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS.
IN MY SCHOOL, 30% OF OUR STUDENTS LIVE IN TEMPORARY HOUSING.
SO WE HAVE OVER 100 FAMILIES THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING THROUGH THAT EVERY SINGLE DAY.
OBVIOUSLY, IT'S A BIG LIFT.
IT'S A HEAVIER LIFT THAN A PRINCIPAL MIGHT HAVE ON -- WE'LL SAY ANOTHER PART OF THE CITY.
YEAH.
YOU CAN DEVELOP A SKILL SET FOR THAT.
THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES THERE TO REALLY HONE AND REFINE, NOT ONLY THE SERVICES YOU PROVIDE, BUT THE WAY IN WHICH YOU PROVIDE THEM.
TELL ME WHAT AN AVERAGE DAY IS LIKE FOR A STUDENT TO GET TO YOUR SCHOOL BECAUSE THE PROXIMITY SOMETIMES OF SHELTERS AND SCHOOLS, AT LEAST IN A CITY LIKE NEW YORK, IT'S NOT DOWN THE BLOCK.
RIGHT.
SO CHRISTINE AND I WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS EARLIER.
NEW YORK CITY IS ONE OF THE ONLY CITIES IN THE COUNTRY WHERE CITIZENS HAVE A RIGHT TO SHELTER.
IF YOU'RE PROCESSING THROUGH INTAKE AND YOU END UP GOING FROM THE BRONX TO STATEN ISLAND TO A MOTEL TO BE HOUSED, I MEAN, THAT'S A WONDERFUL SERVICE THE FAMILY IS PROVIDED, BUT THE FAMILY ALSO WAKES UP IN THE MORNING WITH NO WAY TO GET THE CHILD BACK TO THE BRONX TO SCHOOL.
THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DOES PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION FOR STUDENTS BACK TO THEIR SCHOOL OF ORIGIN BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION TO SUGGEST THE KEEPING OF AT LEAST THE SCHOOLING CONSISTENT FOR THE CHILD AS THEY GO THROUGH THIS UNCERTAIN TIME WITH THE FAMILY IS BENEFICIAL FOR THEM.
OF COURSE, THERE'S A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD.
PERHAPS YOU'RE PUTTING YOUR CHILD ON THE BUS AT 5:30 PICKUP TIME IN THE BRONX OR STATEN ISLAND.
TWO NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE FAR FROM US AND SENDING THEM ALL THE WAY BACK TO OUR SCHOOL AND THE CHILD IS GETTING DROPPED OFF AT 6:30 OR 7:00 AT NIGHT.
IT'S A GREAT SERVICE BUT IT ADDS A LAYER OF CHALLENGE THAT SOMETIMES MAKES THING A LITTLE BIT MORE DIFFICULT FOR THE STUDENTS.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES?
I MEAN, IF YOU'RE IN A SHELTER, FOR EXAMPLE, THEY HAVE CURFEWS.
THERE MIGHT BE RESTRICTIONS ON WI-FI TO DO HOMEWORK.
NO, NO, THERE'S NOT RESTRICTIONS ON WI-FI IN SHELTER.
THERE IS NO WI-FI IN THE SHELTERS IN NEW YORK CITY AND I WOULD BE SHOCKED IF IT WAS ANYWHERE ELSE.
SO THAT'S A HUGE ISSUE FOR MOM LOOKING FOR A JOB, FOR HOMEWORK.
WE HAD A YOUNG MAN, WE HAD 39 CHILDREN FROM W.I.N. FACILITIES GO TO COLLEGE IN AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER, WHICH IS THE HIGHEST EVER, WHICH IS AMAZING.
BUT A YOUNG MAN WHO GOT INTO A BUNCH OF SCHOOLS, HE WROTE HIS LETTER, HIS ESSAY, ON HIS PHONE.
THAT'S UNCONSCIONABLE.
SO THAT'S LIKE A BIG CHALLENGE.
WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, HOW DO PARENTS KNOW IT'S PARENT/TEACHER NIGHT, WHATEVER?
WE SEND OUT EMAILS.
WE CAN'T MESSAGE THEM ON AN APP IF THERE'S NO WI-FI.
YOU CAN'T POST SOMETHING ONLINE IF THE FAMILIES IN THE SHELTERS DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THAT KIND OF INFORMATION.
SO IT'S THE GOOD OLD-FASHIONED KNOCKING ON DOORS, POSTING UP SIGNS, BACKPACKING LETTERS HOME, TRYING TO GET INFORMATION TO PARENTS IF THERE'S A COMMUNICATION GAP.
I WANT TO MENTION ONE OTHER THING WHICH WORKS.
WE DO IT -- HE DOES IT AT HIS SCHOOL BUT ALL OVER THE COUNTRY THAT NEEDS TO BE MORE EMBRACED IS TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE.
AND TRAUMA-INFORMED TRUE CARE TRAINING FOR PEOPLE WHO INTERACT WITH POPULATIONS LIKE THE HOMELESS WHO ARE TRAUMATIZED.
WHEN EVERYONE GETS TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE FROM THE ENTRY LEVEL SECURITY GUY TO THE Ph.D. WHO'S HEAD OF OUR SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAMS.
IT'S A NO-BLAME MODEL THAT GOES INTO A SITUATION ASSUMING THAT THE CLIENT IS BEING TRIGGERED.
TELL ME ABOUT SOME OF THE TYPES OF DISCUSSIONS YOU'VE HAD WITH YOUR STUDENTS.
WHAT KIND OF TRAUMA DO THEY COME TO YOU WITH?
YOU KNOW, WITH STUDENTS IN A K-5 SCHOOL, THEY WANT TO FEEL SECURE AND KNOW THEIR NEEDS WILL BE MET.
SOME OF THEIR PARENTS TRY TO SHIELD THEM FROM WHAT IS GOING ON, BUT THEY'RE INTUITIVE AND THEY KNOW IF THEY'VE ARRIVED AT THE DOOR AND IT'S PADLOCKED AND THEY'RE HEADING BACK TO THE SCHOOL, SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT.
SO WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE IN THE CLASSROOM THE NEXT DAY?
IT LOOKS LIKE A STUDENT WHO WON'T HANG THEIR BACKPACK IN THE CLOSET BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW THEY'LL HAVE ACCESS TO IT AT THE END OF THE DAY.
IT LOOKS LIKE A STUDENT STEALING MILK OFF ANOTHER CHILD'S TRAY AT LUNCH BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT IS WAITING FOR THEM AT THE SHELTER.
THERE'S ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT WAYS THIS MANIFESTS ITSELF.
MOST OF THEM BECOME BARRIERS TO LEARNING.
AND THAT'S, I THINK, THE MAIN PROBLEM THAT WE AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM ARE TRYING TO WORK THROUGH IN A CITY WHERE THE HOMELESS NUMBERS CONTINUE TO RISE.
YOU WENT OUT TO, OR YOU STILL GO OUT TO PLACES WHERE KIDS LIVE PARTLY BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT'S HARD TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THEM.
SURE.
ONE OF THE OCCASIONS I READ THAT THERE WAS A GROUP OF STUDENTS THAT WEREN'T COMING TO SCHOOL.
THAT'S RIGHT.
THEY WEREN'T COMING TO SCHOOL.
WE MONITOR ATTENDANCE VERY CLOSELY, OF COURSE, AND WE PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO OUR STUDENTS IN TEMPORARY HOUSING.
BECAUSE WE WANT TO KNOW WHY AREN'T THESE CHILDREN COMING TO SCHOOL IF THEY HAVE BEEN GIVEN A ROOF OVER THEIR HEAD BY THE SHELTER SYSTEM?
WHEN YOU NOTICE THAT STUDENTS, INFLUX OF STUDENTS FROM THE SAME BUILDING ARE NOT COMING TO SCHOOL?
THAT'S A RED FLAG THAT SOMETHING IS UP.
SO WE WENT AND KNOCKED ON DOORS UNTIL ONE MOTHER ANSWERED AND SAID HER CHILD HAD NOT BATHED IN SEVERAL DAYS SO SHE WASN'T SENDING HIM TO SCHOOL BECAUSE HE SMELLED.
WE RALLIED THE PARENTS TOGETHER --
THEY DIDN'T HAVE WATER?
THERE WAS NO WATER IN THE BUILDING FOR SEVERAL DAYS.
WE RALLIED THE PARENTS.
I KNOCKED ON EVERY DOOR AND FOUND EVERY STUDENT PLUS OTHER FAMILIES WHO WERE NOT INVOLVED IN THE SCHOOL AND TOLD THEM, WALK DOWN THE BLOCK TO OUR CITY COUNCIL OFFICE AND DEMAND THAT SOMETHING BE DONE IN THIS BUILDING TO RESTORE WATER.
THE NEXT DAY, THE WATER WAS FLOWING AGAIN IN THAT BUILDING.
IT ONLY TOOK THEM TO GO MAKE SOME NOISE AND STAND UP FOR THEIR RIGHTS.
IT'S NOT RIGHT FOR ANY FAMILY IN NEW YORK CITY, LET ALONE SOME OF OUR MOST VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, TO BE LIVING WITHOUT WATER.
DO YOU SEE HUNDREDS OF MOMS AND KIDS, DO KIDS CARRY THIS AS IF IT'S THEIR FAULT?
HOMELESS CHILDREN BELIEVE THEY BEAR THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHY MOM AND THEY ARE IN SHELTER.
THEY CARRY IT WITH THEM.
IF I HAD BEEN BETTER, WHATEVER THAT MEANS, DAD WOULDN'T HAVE HIT HER.
IF I HADN'T WANTED THOSE SNEAKERS, WE WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN EVICTED.
WE WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PAY THE RENT.
AND ADD ON TO THAT 80% OF THE WOMEN, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, THAT MEANS THE CHILDREN SAW IT.
EXPERIENCED IT.
LIVED IN THAT TERROR.
SO THEY ABSOLUTELY CARRY IT WITH THEM.
ABSOLUTELY.
WE SEE IT.
WHEN YOU GO TO INTAKE P.A.T.H., AS DAN MENTIONED, YOU GET TO BRING TWO BAGS OF YOUR STUFF WITH YOU.
YOU'RE LEAVING YOUR APARTMENT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, GETTING EVICTED.
YOU USUALLY BRING IT IN GARBAGE BAGS.
HEFTY BAGS.
WE CAN'T USE HEFTY BAGS AROUND THE SHELTER WHERE THE KIDS ARE, BECAUSE WE WOULD BRING THEM INTO A ROOM AND THE CHILDREN WOULD FREAK OUT.
WHO'S GETTING KICKED OUT?
WHO ARE YOU THROWING OUT?
JUST THE SIMPLE SIGHT OF THE BAGS FROM INTAKE TRIGGERED IT FOR THEM.
SO IT'S ALL INSIDE OF THEM WITH BLAMING THEMSELVES.
WHICH IS WHY YOU NEED TRAINED, FOCUSED STAFF WHO ARE GOING TO HELP THEM WORK THROUGH THAT.
SOMEBODY'S GOING TO ASK, SHE WAS IN PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS, WHAT IS SO TOUGH ABOUT THIS PROBLEM?
WHY DID IT GET WORSE OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS?
THERE'S A NUMBER OF REASONS.
ONE, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF CARE THAT WE SHOULD HAVE, ATTENTION TO IT, SO TO SPEAK.
WHEN I WAS SPEAKER OF THE CITY COUNCIL, WE HAD TO SUE MIKE BLOOMBERG, AND WE BEAT HIM, AROUND A POLICY HE PUT IN PLACE THAT WOULD HAVE KEPT HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE SINGLE OUT OF THE SHELTER.
NOT EVEN ALLOW THEM TO GET IN THE DOOR.
WE'VE HAD PRIOR ADMINISTRATIONS WHO CUT OUT THE RENTAL VOUCHER THAT TENANTS -- HOMELESS PEOPLE USE TO GET AN APARTMENT THAT WE, IN THE COUNCIL, FOUGHT AGAINST THAT FOR YEARS.
WE NOW -- THANKFULLY MAYOR DE BLASIO PUT IT BACK IN PLACE, BUT IT TOOK ALMOST THREE YEARS TO PUT IT BACK IN PLACE.
I THINK THERE HAVE BEEN CHAMPIONS IN GOVERNMENT AROUND THIS ISSUE, AND I WOULD CREDIT THE MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL WHEN I SERVED AS SOME OF THEM, BUT WE NEED THIS TO GO TO THE HIGHEST LEVELS AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF ATTENTION.
YOU'RE RUNNING THE SCHOOL THAT IS STILL, EVEN WITH THE POPULATIONS YOU'RE SERVING, COMPARED TO OTHER POPULATIONS IN SIMILAR SCHOOLS, YOU'RE DOING BETTER THAN AVERAGE BY A LONG SHOT.
HOW DID YOU START TO TURN THIS AROUND?
HOW DO YOU BUDGET DIFFERENTLY?
WHAT ARE THE KINDS OF RESOURCES YOU'RE PUTTING IN YOUR SCHOOL THAT PERHAPS CAN BE REPLICATED ELSEWHERE?
SO YOU KNOW, WHEN WE STARTED THE SCHOOL WE WERE REALLY FOCUSED ON STRENGTHENING THE INSTRUCTIONAL CORE, TEACHING AND LEARNING, RIGHT?
AS WE GOT INTO THAT WORK IN THE BEGINNING YEARS, WE SAW WE COULDN'T GET TO THOSE IMPORTANT ISSUES IF STUDENTS WERE NOT READY TO LEARN.
IF THEY WERE NOT SETTING THE CONDITIONS FOR LEARNING INSIDE OF OUR SCHOOL.
IF THEY'RE HUNGRY IN THE MORNING.
YEAH.
IF THEY'RE COMING TO SCHOOL COLD AND THINKING ABOUT THE COLD WALK HOME BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE A WINTER COAT.
SO I THINK THAT THE SCHOOL STARTED TO FIND SUCCESS WHEN MYSELF AND THE REST OF THE STAFF BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT WHAT IT TOOK TO HAVE CHILDREN BE THEIR BEST SHELVES, TO SHOW UP, TO ATTEND ACADEMICALLY TO RIGOROUS WORK, RIGOROUS STANDARDS WE HAVE HERE IN NEW YORK CITY, OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES THAT ARE IN PLACE AGAINST THEM BY NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN.
RIGHT.
THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION HAS INCREASED THEIR SUPPORTS TO SCHOOLS WITH LARGE NUMBER OF TEMPORARY HOUSING.
WE DO HAVE A SOCIAL WORKER THROUGH A PROGRAM CALLED BRIDGING THE GAP IN NEW YORK CITY WHERE WE HAVE A SOCIAL WORKER IN THE BUILDING DEVOTED FULL TIME TO SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE LIVING IN TEMPORARY HOUSING.
PARTNERSHIP WITH --
THIS IS THE PROGRAM I TALKED ABOUT.
YEAH.
PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE NEW YORK CITY FOOD BANK TO ENSURE WE HAVE THE FOOD PANTRY WITH NEW YORK CARES.
IT'S ABOUT FINDING THE PARTNERSHIPS AND MAKING THE TIME TO BRING THE NEEDS OF THE CHILDREN, ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, TO THE FOREFRONT OF THE WORK AND CREATING A STAFF CULTURE LIKE CHRISTINE SAID THAT BELIEVES IN A TRAUMA-INFORMED APPROACH.
SO IF YOU SEE A CHILD ACTING OUT OR NOT ATTENDING TO THEIR WORK, YOU'RE NOT ASSUMING THEY'RE LAZY, DISTRACTED, OR DISINTERESTED, BUT THAT MAYBE THERE'S SOMETHING INTERNALLY GOING ON.
THAT THE GUIDANCE COUNSELOR AND SOCIAL WORKER CAN HELP WITH, THAT EVEN YOU AS A TEACHER CAN BEGIN TO ATTEND TO, SO THAT CHILD CAN GET TO THE REASON THE PARENTS SENT THEM TO SCHOOL IN THE MORNING, WHICH IS TO LEARN.
QUESTIONS TEEN AND DANIEL, THANK YOU.
THANK YOU.
AN IMPORTANT REMINDER FOR ALL OF US.
> AND FINALLY, LET US END ON THE ART OF THE IMPOSSIBLE.
AS THE MADRID CLIMATE SUMMIT WRAPS UP, LET'S REMEMBER A TIME WHERE A GLOBAL CLIMATE PROBLEM QUICKLY RESULTED IN THE SOLUTION.
THE OZONE LAYER WHICH THE 'NEW YORK TIMES' DEVOTED ITS EDITORIAL THIS WEEKEND.
WHEN THE WORLD LEARNED THAT THE OZONE LAYER WAS WEAKENING, IT QUICKLY MOVED TO PHASE OUT THE OFFENDING CHEMICALS, CFCs, HF CCs, AND THE OZONE LAYER STARTED TO HEAL.
CAN SUCH ACTION BE TAKEN TODAY AGAINST CARBON EMISSIONS?
WELL, THERE IS SOME REASON TO HOPE WITH YOUNG PEOPLE DEMANDING MORE FROM THEIR LEADERS AND DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES IN THE U.S. AS WELL AS EUROPEAN CANDIDATES MAKING IT A TOP ISSUE.
YOU CAN'T HELP BUT IMAGINE, AS I SAID, THE ART OF THE POSSIBLE.
THAT POLITICAL WILL WILL FINALLY MEET POPULAR DEMAND.
THAT IS IT FOR OUR PROGRAM TONIGHT.
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THANK YOU FOR WATCHING, GOOD NIGHT.