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As Right-Wing Shooting Rampages Grow, U.S. Revives Domestic Terror Unit Shelved After 9/11
Less than a week after Attorney General Eric Holder revived a task force to look at domestic terrorists, a married couple aligned with the anti-government Patriot movement shot dead two Las Vegas police officers, killed a civilian bystander, and then turned their guns on themselves. Jerad and Amanda Miller had recently spent time at the ranch of Cliven Bundy during his standoff with the federal government. Police say they proclaimed "the beginning of the revolution," and laid an American Revolutionary flag and a swastika symbol on the dead officers’ bodies. The Las Vegas shooting came just two days after a man tied to the “sovereign citizen” movement attacked a Georgia courthouse, throwing smoke bombs and shooting a sheriff’s deputy, who returned fire and killed him. Authorities say the shooter, Dennis Marx, had homemade explosives, and food and water, suggesting he planned to take hostages. Holder’s decision to revive the domestic terror unit comes five years after Republican outrage led the Obama administration to withdraw a key report on the resurgence of the radical right-wing. We are joined by Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors U.S. hate groups and extremists."The [right-wing militia] movement is on fire at the moment, and it may get worse before it gets better," Potok says.TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AARON MATÉ: A candlelight vigil was held outside of a Las Vegas pizza restaurant last night where two city police officers were shot dead on Sunday. The shootings were carried out by a husband and wife who had long spouted right-wing antigovernment views online. According to police, Jerad and Amanda Miller shot the the officers at point blank range. They took their weapons and ammunition and covered the bodies with a flag reading "Don’t tread on me." The flag dates back to the revolutionary war, but more recently has been associated with the American Tea Party movement and patriot groups. The Millers also reportedly pinned a note on one of the officer’s body saying, "This is the beginning of the revolution." The couple then fled to a Walmart where they killed a third person. After a shootout with police, Amanda Miller reportedly shot dead her husband and then turned the gun on herself. Kevin McMahill is assistant Sheriff in Clark County, Las Vegas.
KEVIN MCMAHILL: We’re trying to make a determination what it is that could have been the motive, what was the motivation behind their targeting police officers and walking in with no warning and executing our officers. I can tell you that there is no doubt that the suspects have some apparent ideology that is along the lines of militia and white supremacists.
AMY GOODMAN: On June 7, one day before the shooting, Jerad Miller wrote on Facebook, "The dawn of a new day. May all of our coming sacrifices be worth it." Five days earlier, he wrote on Facebook, "We can hope for peace, we must, however, prepare for war... To stop this oppression, I fear, can only be accomplished with bloodshed." Both Jerad and Amanda had recently spent time at Cliven Bundy’s Nevada ranch during a recent standoff there between armed militia members and federal agents. In April, Miller was interviewed by Reno NBC affiliate, KRNV, at the ranch.
JERAD MILLER: I feel sorry for any federal agents that want to come in here and try to push us around or anything like that. I really don’t want violence toward them, but if they’re going to come bring violence to us, well, if that is the language they want to speak, we will learn it.
AMY GOODMAN: The shooting in Las Vegas came just two days after a man in Georgia attempted to attack the Forsyth County Courthouse. Dennis Marx, a former TSA employee with ties to the Sovereign Citizen movement, allegedly attacked the courthouse on Friday, throwing smoke bombs and shooting a Sheriff Deputy who returned fire and killed him. Authorities say Marx had homemade explosives and food and water, suggesting he planned to take hostages. To talk more about these cases, we’re joined by Mark Potok the Director of Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center. He’s joining us from Montgomery, Alabama. Mark, welcome back to Democracy Now! First talk about what happened in Las Vegas, the killing of the police officers, laying a swastika on them and the "Don’t tread on me" flag. Who are the Millers?
MARK POTOK: Well, looking at their postings, actually, I don’t think there’s much white supremacy there. I don’t see that at all, actually. The swastika I think clearly was saying the police are nazis. He posted, Jerad Miller, quite a lot about liberty, freedom, the need to rise up, his willingness to become a martyr and so on. But he very rarely got into the details of his ideology. He was clearly part of the Patriot movement. The one thing he really talked about a lot was guns. And that of course is central concern for the Patriot movement. At one point, he talked about, if you even disagree that the Second Amendment should be interpreted in such a way in a very liberal way in terms of an ownership, that you should be hung from a lamppost if you don’t leave the country. So that seemed to be really the central idea. I think that the Bundy standoff was incredibly important in terms of the patriot movement and very likely for the Millers as well. I think there are tens of thousands of people around the country associated generally with the Patriot movement who saw this as a huge victory. After all, the federal law enforcement officials backed off. They simply backed away when all those people at the Bundy ranch pointed their weapons at them, and that Cliven Bundy’s cattle go. So, this was seen as a great victory and very possibly, it seems to me, for the Millers, it was a victory that signaled the beginning of a war. And it seems to have encouraged them to go on and join the battle, essentially.
AARON MATÉ: And Mark Potok, they were reportedly were kicked out of the Cliven Bundy ranch after fellow militia members learned of their past. Do you think there might of been more people like the Millers at the ranch? And did, of course, this whole standoff foster a culture that enabled militants to come and assemble?
MARK POTOK: Yes, I think it enabled them and encouraged them to come and assemble. I think despite what Cliven Bundy has said, the reality is, the Bundy family welcomed people from the militias and other organizations like that, armed to the teeth. To me, the central moment in the Bundy standoff was when you had a dozen or so of these militiamen literally pointing scoped sniper weapons at the heads of law-enforcement officials. That is virtually unprecedented, at least without bloodshed immediately following. At the end of the day, I think the government to the right thing to back off, but my God, it came close to a real bloodbath. Yes, so, to answer the question, I think there were probably quite a lot of people at the Bundy ranch who really are itching for a fight. People were talking revolution, they were talking bloodshed. They were very well armed. And so I think that the Millers perhaps were a little less atypical than is being suggested.
AMY GOODMAN: And then talk about what happened with Dennis Marx in Georgia.
MARK POTOK: Well, Dennis Marx was a man unknown to us until he attacked this Forsyth County Courthouse. From what the police are saying, he’s a self-described sovereign citizen, kind of a subset within the Patriot movement, of people who believe the government — or the federal government has no right to impose its laws, it’s tax laws and so on. Now, I’ve not seen any of the documentation supporting the idea that he is a sovereign citizen. But certainly, he had some kind of political motive. He apparently intended to storm into that courthouse to take hostages. And then, from there we really don’t know. He was killed. There’s no real manifesto left behind to explain his actions. But, it does seem to be a part of this upsurge we’re seeing by Patriot groups or people on the radical right in general. There was another very similar case the day before, last Thursday, in of all places, New Brunswick, Canada, where a Canadian with very extreme ideas about gun ownership similar to the militias here in the United States actually murdered three police officers before finally being captured there. So, I think the movement is at least a bit on fire at the moment, and it may get worse before it gets better.
AMY GOODMAN: This is is all in the context, Mark Potok, of the last few weeks, the decision to revive the domestic terror unit within the Justice Department. Can you talk about what that is?
MARK POTOK: Well, this was a unit which was dedicated —- which brought people from different agencies together and was dedicated, really, to looking at non-Islamic domestic terrorism. In other words, the kind of terrorism that very much was on the minds of law-enforcement after the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 and until 9/11. What actually happened was this committee, this executive committee, met regularly for quite a few years, and apparently, was rather useful, at least in coordinating agency’s response to the threat, and was scheduled to meet, literally, on the morning of 9/11. Of course that was canceled after the Al Qaeda attacks, and the committee never met again. A couple of weeks ago, my boss, the CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center, actually wrote a column telling the story and it wasn’t long after that that Attorney General Eric holder announced the revival, the reformation of this committee, it may have even been a response to Richard Cohen’s column. But, in any case, it seems like a good thing. It’s pretty clear -—
AMY GOODMAN: I mean, it’s interesting Eric Holder said we must also concern ourselves with the continued danger we face from individuals within our own borders who may be motivated by a variety of other causes from anti-government animus to racial prejudice." Following the announcement, Jerad Miller wrote on his Facebook page, "Well, if you been waiting for the thought police, here they are." This is also very interesting, right, because when this domestic — when the government was looking at domestic terrorism at the beginning of the Obama administration, they were forced to withdraw a report on domestic terror. In fact, I think we were talking to you about it back then because of the response of the right in Congress.
MARK POTOK: Yeah, I’m not sure they were exactly forced to withdraw the report, but they, in my view, in an act of real political cowardice, did withdraw the report, which said nothing untoward, which was very prescient and very accurate in what it is said about the resurgence of the radical right in the United States since, essentially, the appearance of Barack Obama on the national political scene. So, yeah, there has been a kind of taking an eye off the ball of domestic non-Islamic terrorism. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. All of the studies by terrorism experts show that in the last few years, this kind of terrorism has become more of a threat than at least homegrown Jihadist terrorism and really in terms of numbers of people killed by various types of terrorists. Since 9/11, we have seen more of that domestic radical right. Of course, that is not to minimize Jihadists. I mean, after all, 3,000 people died on 9/11.
AARON MATÉ: Mark Potok, is there a tally of how many murders have been linked to white supremacist the last few years?
MARK POTOK: I’m not sure I could come up with a number like that. I just don’t know off the top of my head, but there are been quite a lot of killings. I think what probably played into Holders announcement as well was the fairly recent killings of three people at Jewish institutions in Overland Park, Kansas, by a very well known neo-Nazi named Glenn Miller, whose last name is now Cross. So, this has happened repeatedly, particularly since Obama took office. Not long after he took office. I’m sure many of our listeners remember that a Holocaust museum guard was shot to death by yet another well-known neo-Nazi. There was the attack on the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, which six Sikhs were murdered. The list — it just seems to keep going on and on and on. As soon as one starts to forget about one incident, another mass murder comes up.
AARON MATÉ: Well, let’s turn to more comments from Las Vegas shooter Jerad Miller made about Nevada rancher, Cliven Bundy, earlier this year. In a Facebook post on April 9, Miller wrote, "I will be supporting Clive Bundy and his family from Federal Government slaughter. This is the next Waco! His ranch is under siege right now! The federal gov is stealing his cattle! Arresting his family and beating on them! We must do something. I will be doing something." While at the Bundy ranch, Miller interviewed family member, Ryan Bundy Let’s go to a clip.
RYAN BUNDY: We are in Riverside, Nevada, and we are here to stand our ground against the federal government’s tyranny.
JERAD MILLER: OK, and has anything specific happened to you that you would like to talk about real quick?
RYAN BUNDY: Well, me and my family are one and the same. I haven’t had any, too many run-ins beside snipers trained on me and watching my brothers being taken down a time or two. But, the whole issue isn’t about the incidents here, it is about the reason we’re here altogether.
JERAD MILLER: So, what exactly are they doing to your family’s cattle and to the ranch itself.
RYAN BUNDY: Well, they are destroying the ranch. But, more importantly, they’re destroying our rights and our freedoms, our liberties.
AARON MATÉ: That was Jerad Miller interviewing a family member Cliven Bundy, his son. Shortly afterwards, Miller said on Facebook, he and his wife were asked to leave the Bundy ranch because of his criminal past. Mark Potok, There was a huge firestorm on Cliven Bundy, but then of course, all of this, right-wing media enthusiasm for him died down after he was reported making racist comments. But, where do things stand now with the Bundy ranch today?
MARK POTOK: Well, I think there’s no question at all. I know there’s no question that federal authorities are looking at bringing charges, the very serious charges, against many of the people involved. To no one’s surprise, it turns out it is not legal to threaten law enforcement agents by pointing a scoped sniper weapons at them. So, I think that is what is happening on the government side. I think very likely it will be quite a few months before we see real action. I think the government’s going to be a lot more careful about the optics of how they go in when they finally do. On the other side of the equation, I think the militia movement is very much hoping, as Miller discussed, that this will be another Waco in the sense that Waco was really the ignition point for the first big wave of the militia movement in the 1990’s. That is the event that brought hundreds of thousands of people into the movement, people who believed the government had essentially murdered the Davidians. That is the hope, that the Bundy standoff will somehow ignite the Civil War.
AMY GOODMAN: Mark Potok, you mentioned guns and even Miller was kicked off of the Bundy ranch because, they said, of his criminal past. He went on Facebook and he asked if he could get a gun because he couldn’t buy it and ultimately he could. And I want to go to this issue of guns and the NRA and the laws, the Indiana law that has become a major issue right now. I am looking at The Week and the headline, "The Indiana Law that Let’s Citizens Shoot Cops." Quoting the beginning, "Police officers in Indiana are speaking out against a new law that gives citizens the right to use deadly force to protect themselves against a public servant who oversteps his authority. Tim Downs, President of the Indiana State Fraternal Order of Police says the law, signed in March by Governor Mitch Daniels, but only now getting national attention, might give people the impression they can shoot police with impunity. He says, it’s a recipe for disaster, he tells Bloomberg. Can you talk about the significance of this? It’s something that the Millers also celebrated, that if a police officer engages in an unlawful act, let’s say trespassing on property, that person can be shot. This was legislation that was supported by the NRA, and when the Governor signed off on it, Governor Daniels, he said he had some hesitation about doing it.
MARK POTOK: Well, it’s certainly radical legislation and is certainly part of a larger movement. We’ve seen proposals come up in a number of states around the country to, in effect, nullify the authority of federal law enforcement agencies to operate within certain states. So, there are proposals that say if a federal agent, law enforcement agent is going to come to our state or our county to arrest someone to carry out an investigation, whatever it may be, they must first obtain the permission of the county sheriff. Clearly, unconstitutional, but also clearly connected to the county supremacy movement of which Cliven Bundy was a part. The idea that only the county sheriff is the highest legitimate law enforcement authority, that anyone above that level is not legitimate. These ideas all go back to racist groups of the 1970’s and 1980’s, in particular, the Posse Comitatus which was — you know, when I say it’s a racist group, it was a violently racist and anti-Semitic group. Many of its leaders talked about murdering millions of Jews and so on. In any case, this is very much sweeping the country in various forms and probably pouring yet more fuel or fire on the patriot hopes for a final confrontation. Again, I think when you look at the writings of Jerad Miller, the one thing he really does keep coming back to is weapons. He is angry at the government for various reasons having to do with he had an arrest for marijuana, he failed a drug screen and was sent back to jail for seven weeks last year, and certainly was angry about that. But really it all came down to his weapons and his inability to own one as a felon.
AMY GOODMAN: Mark Potok, I want to thank you for being with us. Director of Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center, speaking to us from Montgomery, Alabama.
As Taliban Attacks Karachi Airport Again, Could Pakistan Fall Into Civil War With Militants?
For the second time in 48 hours, Taliban militants have attacked Karachi’s international airport, the largest in Pakistan. Earlier today a group of gunmen on motorbikes opened fire on an academy run by the Airport Security Force. An assault by Taliban militants on Sunday left at least 38 people dead including the attackers. The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for both attacks, saying it was avenging military operations in North Waziristan and a U.S. drone strike that killed its leader, Hakimullah Mehsud, late last year. The Pakistani government moved toward peace talks with the Taliban earlier this year, but the process has faltered with a split inside the Taliban over whether to take part. We speak to Ayesha Siddiqa, a Pakistani political and defense analyst. Siddiqa is the author of "Military Inc.: Inside Pakistan’s Military Economy."TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AARON MATÉ: For the second time in 48 hours, Taliban militants have attacked part of Karachi’s international airport, the largest in Pakistan. Earlier today, a group of gunmen on motorbikes opened fire on an academy run by the airport security force. No fatalities were reported. On Sunday, an assault by Taliban militants left at least 38 people dead, including the attackers. The attack began when 10 gunmen wearing military uniforms and armed with automatic rifles and rocket propelled grenades shot their way into the airport’s old terminal. Gun battles raged for hours until security forces gained control early on Monday morning. According to government reports, most of the victims killed in the terminal were airport security forces and some airline staff.
AMY GOODMAN: The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility, saying it was avenging military operations in North Waziristan and a U.S. drone strike that killed its leader, Hakimullah Mehsud, late last year. The Pakistani government moved toward peace talks with the Taliban earlier this year, but the process has faltered with a split inside the Taliban over whether to take part. Meanwhile, the Pakistani military carried out air strikes earlier today in tribal areas in the Northwest of the country, killing at least 15 people. To find out more about implications of the assault, we’re joined now by Ayesha Siddiqa, Pakistani political and defense analyst, author of, "Military Inc.: Inside Pakistan’s Military Economy." She is joining us via Democracy Now! video stream from Islamabad. Welcome to Democracy Now!Talk about the significance of these attacks, Ayesha.
AYESHA SIDDIQA: Well, you know, the one significance definitely is that right when we thought that things were going down, things were calming down perhaps, there was end to power of the Taliban, we are reminded yet again that Taliban are actually very active and that we’ll probably be daydreaming if we think that the Taliban has come to an end. Because Karachi is a city which is the main center, has been one of the largest air and sea hubs for the country, and since the 1980’s, that is when the first Afghan war was — the first Afghanistan war was fought with the help of the American war — with the help of Pakistan’s ISI. Starting from then, there are different kinds of militants which have been transiting through Karachi, living in Karachi, and so it is daydreaming if we think that they have little control over — they have no influence over the city.
AARON MATÉ: Ayesha, can you talk about who the attackers are? Some of them, I understand some were nationals from Uzbekistan. Can you explain the complex array of militants that are inside of Pakistan right now and specifically, the presence of Uzbek’s in the Taliban?
AYESHA SIDDIQA: There are a range of militants that have come from all over the world. Initially there were a lot of Arabs and then we had joined by Uzbeks, then you have Chinese militants Xinjiang Province who are also in the tribal areas. There are seven — when we say the tribal areas in seven territories or seven agencies, which historically were never directly controlled by the state. Yet, there is an interaction between the state formally it is considered part of the Pakistani territory. Anyway, the Arabs, I think, the two — couple of things we need to look into, one, these people were Uzbeks. There are lot of other people in Karachi as well, like, you have the Rohingya Muslims from Burma, which — Myanmar that are also in Karachi. So, there are a lot of other nationalities which live in Karachi. Uzbek’s are not just in the tribal areas in Waziristan, but there are the — in other parts of Pakistani heartland and Punjab as well. So, they’re spread. And these are people who have been guests of the Taliban — different Taliban groups.
I think what is important to recognize is that, initially when, after 9/11, this war was starting to be fought, the War on Terror, the initial agreement between the American government and the Pakistani government, and when I say agreement, I mean an informal arrangement, was that all Al Qaeda, all the Arabs will be — and foreigners — will be handed over, you know, they will be surrendered. The Arabs largely were but the Taliban, Americans kept their hands off them until it was realized much later the Taliban were also part of the problem. And so that war has been fought. But, because the bordering is porous, because Afghanistan, you know, bordering areas, these tribal territories are adjacent to — are next to the Afghan border, which then is connected with connected with central Asia, so you have all these different movements, insurgent movements, Uzbekistan, Chinese, etc., who are coming, who have been coming.
You talked about bombing in the morning. The Air Force has bombed — a week ago it did do bombing in North Waziristan. North Waziristan is — which is considered to be hub of — for the Haqqani. It’s an RNR site for the Haqqani network. Now, it’s interesting that the focus of the bombing was not the Haqqani network. It was the Chinese militants, which the Chinese are unhappy with — the Chinese government is unhappy with. Now this bombardment, this assault by the Air Force it’s neither here nor there. We’ll begin to see results — I don’t think — I don’t see a policy as such right there in terms of fighting militancy or fighting Talibanization. So, and as long as — and Taliban have links with different militant groups all over the region. So they will keep pouring in. And the fact that these Uzbeks are allowed to stay around in the Pakistani territory, that is something which is worth being concerned about.
AMY GOODMAN: Last November, Hakimullah Mehsud and six other militants were killed when U.S. missiles hit their vehicle in North Waziristan. Mehsud had a $5 million bounty on his head and was accused of being responsible for many deaths. The attacks came just as the Pakistani government had relaunched peace talks with the Taliban. Pakistani Interior Minister, Chaudhry Nisar, called the strike an attack on regional peace. Can you talk about the significance of this?
AYESHA SIDDIQA: The significance of — well, was it Hakimullah or Baitullah Mehsud who was killed last year. I think it was Baitullah Mehsud.
AMY GOODMAN: And talk about who he is. Who he was.
AYESHA SIDDIQA: There is this Mehsud — there are Waziri tribes and then there are the Mehsud tribes. Now, these people were part of the larger tribe. Mehsud and Waziri were just connected with tribes across the border in Afghanistan as well. Now, the Mehsuds, because of the tension between Mehsuds and Waziris — what the government — what the state of Pakistan has done over the years, is they have put the — given the Waziris support over the Mehsuds. So, Mehsuds — and within the Mehsuds, Hakimullah Mehsud — people like Hakimullah Mehsud and a few others had become antagonistic to the state. So, Hakimullah Mehsud was the leader. Once he died, again, in a drone attack, then his shoes were filled in by one of his relatives, Baitullah Mehsud, last year.
AMY GOODMAN: Hakimullah Mehsud was the person who was cited as the reason for the attack on the airport, saying, I think attackers said, we attacked the airport to avenge the death of Hakimullah Mehsud, our late leader. There are many more to come as it is just the beginning.
AYESHA SIDDIQA: Well, Hakimullah Mehsud — it’s interesting that they say that because Hakimullah Mehsud died — after Hakimullah death, there wasn’t this kind of reaction. I’m sure there is something else which is propelling it. And one of the reasons I believe is propelling them is this discomfort that, a, the government is — or the military is trying to — or it’s intelligence agencies are trying to make inroads into the militant group itself and dividing them. After Baitullah Mehsud’s death, Maulana Fazlullah from Swat, was made — who’s name is not Mehsud — was made the head of TTP, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan. Now, there is that division, there is Halled [sp] Mehsud, there are other groups which do not support recently the Halled [sp] Mehsud group, have de-linked itself from the TTP. So, there were breaks emerging. And I think what they have done with this attack, is reasserted themselves and sent a message amongst their followers that they’re still alive, they’re still kicking, and that they can still do some action.
AMY GOODMAN: Ayesha, we just have a minute. A quick question, do you see this as an escalation of violence, as the beginning of increased attacks and the effects of the drone strikes on these?
AYESHA SIDDIQA: I think there will be some attacks, but I am not exceptionally worried. I think with the government needs to do is seriously think about its larger policy on Talibanization or supporting one group or the other. We cannot have this duality in our policy.
AMY GOODMAN: We thank you so much, Ayesha Siddiqa, for joining us, Pakistani political and defense analyst, author of, "Military Inc.: Inside Pakistan’s Military Economy." This is Democracy Now!. When we come back, the student debt going to speak with a filmmaker whose made the film "Ivory Tower." Are there cracks in it? Is college even worth it, he asks. Stay with us.
As Obama Moves to Cap Student Debt Payments, Activists Push For Broader Write-Off of Crushing Loans
President Obama has unveiled new executive actions to address what some have called the nation’s next financial crisis: the over $1.2 trillion in student loans. Obama’s order will expand the "Pay as Your Earn" program capping loan payments at ten percent of monthly income. The program also forgives any outstanding debt after twenty years of payments. The massive cost of U.S. college tuition has saddled millions with crushing debt and priced many others out of the classroom. Student loans now exceed all other forms of consumer debt except for home mortgages. This year’s graduate class is the most indebted in U.S. history, with borrowers owing an average $33,000. More than 70% of this year’s class has taken on a student loan, up from less than half of graduates twenty years ago. We are joined by two guests: Pamela Brown, a Ph.D. student in sociology at the New School and leading activist on the issue of student debt; and Andrew Rossi, director and producer of a new documentary on U.S. higher education, "Ivory Tower."TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AARON MATÉ: President Obama has unveiled new executive actions to address what some have called the nation’s next financial crisis. The over $1.2 trillion in student loans. The massive cost of U.S. college tuition has saddled millions with crushing debt and priced many out of the classroom. Obama’s order will expend a pay-as-you-earn program capping loan in payments at 10% of monthly income. The program also forgives any outstanding debt after 20 years of payments. Obama spoke at the White House on Monday.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Today, I’m going to take to three reactions to help young people pay off their student loan debt. Number one, I’m directing our Secretary of Education Arnie Duncan to give more Americans who are already making their loan payments a chance to cap those payments at 10% of their income. We call it pay as you earn. We know it works because we have already offered it to millions of young people. The second action is to renegotiate contracts with private companies like Sallie Mae that service are student loans. And we’re going to make it clear that these companies are in the business of helping students not just collecting payments. And they owe young people the customer service and support and financial flexibility that they deserve. That is number two. Number three, we are doing more to help every borrower know all the options that are out there so they can pick the one that is right for them.
AARON MATÉ: President Obama went on to endorse a measure from Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren that would let millions of students refinance or loans at lower interest rates. To pay for it, Warren’s measure would enact the Buffet rule, closing a tax loop-hole for millionaires. The figures on student debt are staggering. The nation’s $1.2 trillion in student loans exceeds all other forms of consumer debt, except for home mortgages. This year’s graduate class is the most indebted in U.S. history, with borrowers owing an average of 33,000 dollars upon graduation. More than 70% of this year’s class has taken on a student loan, up from less than half of graduates 20 years ago.
AMY GOODMAN: The explosion in student debt has of course mirrored an unprecedented hike in tuition. The cost of a college degree has grown by over 1120% in the thirty years far surpassing price hikes for food, medical care, housing, gasoline and other basics. All this points to a crisis that threatens not just the economy, but the nation’s education system itself. Where joined by Andrew Rossi is with us, Director and Producer of a new documentary called "Ivory Tower." It opens Friday in New York and Los Angeles. In a moment, we’re going to play some clips. And we’re joined by Pamela Brown, PhD student in sociology at The New School here in New York, a leading activist on issue of student debt. She helped launch the Occupy Student Debt campaign pledge of refusal and produced the debt resistors operations manual. Pam, let’s start with you. Your reaction to what President Obama announced? What is the significance? Is it binding?
PAMELA BROWN: First, thanks for having me on the show again. And the Obama announcement is an important announcement, it’s a good thing that students will — that many more students, about 5 million more students will at least have access to this particular program. But, or course it is really just putting a Band-Aid on a gaping wound at this point. The problem is so much more enormous than reducing people’s payment to 10% of household income and forgiving it — so-called forgiving it after 20 years. But, of course, you have to pay taxes on what is forgiven anyway.
AMY GOODMAN: Wait, can you explain, you say if you’re part of this program?
PAMELA BROWN: Right, well, the program has specific rules. There are several programs available. There’s income based repayment as well which has been the most common one, I think, at 15% cap on income and a 25 year forgiveness. So this program is in distinction to that. You could not have borrowed prior to 2007, and you had to have borrowed after 2011 to qualify for the program.
AMY GOODMAN: You have to have borrowed after 2011, not just before 2007?
PAMELA BROWN: Well, right, exactly. That is been the program in the past, and the question is, how will it be expanded currently? I read several articles that said it was going to be expanded to people who had burrowed prior to 2007, but that is actually not stated in President Obama’s announcement.
AARON MATÉ: Pam Brown, If you were setting the agenda for a student debt movement today, what would be the main points?
PAMELA BROWN: I think that the first demand has to be to write off student debt. Now, how that happens is up for discussion. I think that it should all be written off because there are so many things that are profoundly unfair about the student debt system right now. One thing, if you’re 18 years old, you should not be able to get into $100,000 worth of debt before you can even go to a bar and have a beer. That just, out of hand, is ridiculous and it’s a hallmark of her predatory system.
AMY GOODMAN: Senator Elizabeth Warren’s Bank on Student Emergency Loan Refinancing Act would let student loan holders refinance at 3.68%. The measure would come before the Senate this week. On Monday, president Obama took a shot at the bill’s Republican opponents.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: It would be scandalous if we allowed those kinds of tax loopholes for the very, very fortunate to survive while students are having trouble just getting started in their lives. So, you’ve got a pretty straightforward bill here. And this week, Congress will vote on that bill. I want Americans to pay attention to see where their lawmakers priorities lie here; lower tax bills for millionaires or lower student loan bills for the middle class? This should be a no-brainer.
AMY GOODMAN: Andrew Rossi, you’re the Director and Producer of "Ivory T
ower," a new film that’s opening this week. The Warren Bill.
ANDREW ROSSI: The Warren Bill, I think it is a really important piece of relief or legislation for student debt holders. The idea that those who hold student debt shouldn’t be afforded the same ability to refinance as those who hold auto loans and mortgages seems totally Dickensian and unfair. And "Ivory tower" really looks at how the whole system itself as Senator Warren says in the film it is actually "rotten" or "stinks", I think is her direct quote. As Pam says, the entire system is really broken. And we look in the film at historically how government has played a really important role in making higher education a public good from the Moral Act that created the land grant universities to FDR’s G.I. Bill and Lyndon Johnson’s Higher Education Act of 1965. And I think we wish at this time that President Obama could similarly be able to overhaul the whole system was such dramatic legislation, but unfortunately, I think as the president said, legislatively there is not that pathway to be able to do such a thing. So, I agree with Pam that it would be great to really rehaul the entire system, but I do applaud this executive action because I think it will at least provide some relief.
Is College Worth It? New Doc "Ivory Tower" Tackles Higher Ed’s Unsustainable Spending, Student Debt
President Obama has unveiled new executive actions to address what some have called the nation’s next financial crisis: the over $1.2 trillion in student loans. Obama’s order will expand the "Pay as Your Earn" program capping loan payments at ten percent of monthly income. The program also forgives any outstanding debt after twenty years of payments. The massive cost of U.S. college tuition has saddled millions with crushing debt and priced many others out of the classroom. Student loans now exceed all other forms of consumer debt except for home mortgages. This year’s graduate class is the most indebted in U.S. history, with borrowers owing an average $33,000. More than 70% of this year’s class has taken on a student loan, up from less than half of graduates twenty years ago. We are joined by two guests: Pamela Brown, a Ph.D. student in sociology at the New School and leading activist on the issue of student debt; and Andrew Rossi, director and producer of a new documentary on U.S. higher education, "Ivory Tower."TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AARON MATÉ: President Obama has unveiled new executive actions to address what some have called the nation’s next financial crisis. The over $1.2 trillion in student loans. The massive cost of U.S. college tuition has saddled millions with crushing debt and priced many out of the classroom. Obama’s order will expend a pay-as-you-earn program capping loan in payments at 10% of monthly income. The program also forgives any outstanding debt after 20 years of payments. Obama spoke at the White House on Monday.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Today, I’m going to take to three reactions to help young people pay off their student loan debt. Number one, I’m directing our Secretary of Education Arnie Duncan to give more Americans who are already making their loan payments a chance to cap those payments at 10% of their income. We call it pay as you earn. We know it works because we have already offered it to millions of young people. The second action is to renegotiate contracts with private companies like Sallie Mae that service are student loans. And we’re going to make it clear that these companies are in the business of helping students not just collecting payments. And they owe young people the customer service and support and financial flexibility that they deserve. That is number two. Number three, we are doing more to help every borrower know all the options that are out there so they can pick the one that is right for them.
AARON MATÉ: President Obama went on to endorse a measure from Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren that would let millions of students refinance or loans at lower interest rates. To pay for it, Warren’s measure would enact the Buffet rule, closing a tax loop-hole for millionaires. The figures on student debt are staggering. The nation’s $1.2 trillion in student loans exceeds all other forms of consumer debt, except for home mortgages. This year’s graduate class is the most indebted in U.S. history, with borrowers owing an average of 33,000 dollars upon graduation. More than 70% of this year’s class has taken on a student loan, up from less than half of graduates 20 years ago.
AMY GOODMAN: The explosion in student debt has of course mirrored an unprecedented hike in tuition. The cost of a college degree has grown by over 1120% in the thirty years far surpassing price hikes for food, medical care, housing, gasoline and other basics. All this points to a crisis that threatens not just the economy, but the nation’s education system itself. Where joined by Andrew Rossi is with us, Director and Producer of a new documentary called "Ivory Tower." It opens Friday in New York and Los Angeles. In a moment, we’re going to play some clips. And we’re joined by Pamela Brown, PhD student in sociology at The New School here in New York, a leading activist on issue of student debt. She helped launch the Occupy Student Debt campaign pledge of refusal and produced the debt resistors operations manual. Pam, let’s start with you. Your reaction to what President Obama announced? What is the significance? Is it binding?
PAMELA BROWN: First, thanks for having me on the show again. And the Obama announcement is an important announcement, it’s a good thing that students will — that many more students, about 5 million more students will at least have access to this particular program. But, or course it is really just putting a Band-Aid on a gaping wound at this point. The problem is so much more enormous than reducing people’s payment to 10% of household income and forgiving it — so-called forgiving it after 20 years. But, of course, you have to pay taxes on what is forgiven anyway.
AMY GOODMAN: Wait, can you explain, you say if you’re part of this program?
PAMELA BROWN: Right, well, the program has specific rules. There are several programs available. There’s income based repayment as well which has been the most common one, I think, at 15% cap on income and a 25 year forgiveness. So this program is in distinction to that. You could not have borrowed prior to 2007, and you had to have borrowed after 2011 to qualify for the program.
AMY GOODMAN: You have to have borrowed after 2011, not just before 2007?
PAMELA BROWN: Well, right, exactly. That is been the program in the past, and the question is, how will it be expanded currently? I read several articles that said it was going to be expanded to people who had burrowed prior to 2007, but that is actually not stated in President Obama’s announcement.
AARON MATÉ: Pam Brown, If you were setting the agenda for a student debt movement today, what would be the main points?
PAMELA BROWN: I think that the first demand has to be to write off student debt. Now, how that happens is up for discussion. I think that it should all be written off because there are so many things that are profoundly unfair about the student debt system right now. One thing, if you’re 18 years old, you should not be able to get into $100,000 worth of debt before you can even go to a bar and have a beer. That just, out of hand, is ridiculous and it’s a hallmark of her predatory system.
AMY GOODMAN: Senator Elizabeth Warren’s Bank on Student Emergency Loan Refinancing Act would let student loan holders refinance at 3.68%. The measure would come before the Senate this week. On Monday, president Obama took a shot at the bill’s Republican opponents.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: It would be scandalous if we allowed those kinds of tax loopholes for the very, very fortunate to survive while students are having trouble just getting started in their lives. So, you’ve got a pretty straightforward bill here. And this week, Congress will vote on that bill. I want Americans to pay attention to see where their lawmakers priorities lie here; lower tax bills for millionaires or lower student loan bills for the middle class? This should be a no-brainer.
AMY GOODMAN: Andrew Rossi, you’re the Director and Producer of "Ivory T
ower," a new film that’s opening this week. The Warren Bill.
ANDREW ROSSI: The Warren Bill, I think it is a really important piece of relief or legislation for student debt holders. The idea that those who hold student debt shouldn’t be afforded the same ability to refinance as those who hold auto loans and mortgages seems totally Dickensian and unfair. And "Ivory tower" really looks at how the whole system itself as Senator Warren says in the film it is actually "rotten" or "stinks", I think is her direct quote. As Pam says, the entire system is really broken. And we look in the film at historically how government has played a really important role in making higher education a public good from the Moral Act that created the land grant universities to FDR’s G.I. Bill and Lyndon Johnson’s Higher Education Act of 1965. And I think we wish at this time that President Obama could similarly be able to overhaul the whole system was such dramatic legislation, but unfortunately, I think as the president said, legislatively there is not that pathway to be able to do such a thing. So, I agree with Pam that it would be great to really rehaul the entire system, but I do applaud this executive action because I think it will at least provide some relief.
Headlines:
• U.S. Soldiers, 1 Afghan Killed by "Friendly Fire" Strike
Five U.S. service members and at least one Afghan soldier have been killed in what appears to be one of the deadliest instances of friendly fire of the war in Afghanistan. The soldiers were mistakenly killed by an airstrike that was called in by U.S. troops to beat back a Taliban ambush. The incident occurred in Zabul Province where soldiers were conducting security operations ahead of Saturday’s presidential runoff. An earlier "friendly fire" strike killed five Afghan soldiers in March. Afghans have opposed the airstrikes for mistakenly killing civilians, with President Hamid Karzi refusing to sign a long-term security deal with the United States until the air attacks stop.
•Iraq: Militants Overrun City of Mosul
In Iraq, Islamist militants have reportedly taken effective control of the second largest city, capturing key buildings in Mosul and liberating more than 1,000 inmates from the central prison. Hundreds of fighters, believed to be part of the al-Qaeda splinter group the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, launched the assault overnight, causing police and soldiers to flee from their posts. The militants have overrun the provincial government headquarters, local TV stations and the airport.
•VA Audit Shows 100,000 Waiting Months for Health Care
In the U.S., an internal audit by the Department of Veterans Affairs has found more than 57,000 veterans have been waiting at least three months for an initial appointment to see a doctor, while about 43,000 have appointments more than three months away. Across hundreds of VA medical facilities, 13 percent of schedulers reported being instructed to falsify data on wait times. The audit was ordered by former Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki before he resigned last month over the scandal.
•Nigeria: Boko Haram Abducts 20 Women
In Nigeria, suspected members of Boko Haram have kidnapped at least 20 women, loading them into vans at gunpoint. The abduction took place in a nomadic settlement near the town of Chibok, where Boko Haram abducted more than 200 schoolgirls in April.
•Pakistani Taliban Launch New Attack Near Airport
In Pakistan, the Taliban has attacked a training facility near the Karachi airport, less than two days after their attack on the airport left at least 30 people dead. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Earlier today the Pakistani military said it conducted air strikes in the northwest, killing at least 15 people they called militants. We’ll have more on the situation in Pakistan later in the broadcast.
•Obama Unveils Steps to Ease Student Debt
President Obama has announced new steps to ease the $1.2 trillion student debt, noting Americans now owe more money on student loans than on credit cards. Obama’s executive order will cap loan payments for millions of people at 10 percent of monthly income – a so-called "Pay As You Earn" model.
President Obama: "So we’re announcing steps that will open up "Pay As You Earn" to nearly 5 million more Americans. That’s the first action we’re taking today. The second action is to renegotiate contracts with private companies like Sallie Mae that service our student loans. And we’re going to make it clear that these companies are in the business of helping students, not just collecting payments, and they owe young people the customer service, and support, and financial flexibility that they deserve."
We’ll have more on student debt later in the broadcast.
•Supreme Court: Most Immigrants Must Restart Visa Wait at Age 21
The Supreme Court has dealt a blow to young immigrants who turn 21 while their petitions for U.S. visas are still pending. Each year, tens of thousands of young immigrants "age out" of the years-long visa process after applying with their families. On Monday, the Court backed the Obama administration’s stance that most immigrants must restart their wait for a visa after they turn 21. Only those with applications filed by parents who are permanent U.S. residents can keep their place in line.
•Supreme Court Deals Blow to NC Residents in Toxic Water Case
In a separate case, the Supreme Court has barred a group of North Carolina residents from suing the electronics company they say contaminated their drinking water, because a state deadline had lapsed. The deadline applies even though residents did not realize their water contained toxic chemicals until 2009, decades after the contamination by CTS Corporation. The ruling could also impact the case of thousands of Marines and their families who are suing the Obama administration over exposure to contaminated groundwater at Camp Lejeune. The government is using the same state law to shield itself from that lawsuit.
•Report: Las Vegas Shooters Spent Time at Cliven Bundy’s Ranch
A married couple who went on a shooting rampage in Las Vegas were reportedly known for their racist, anti-government views and had spent time at the ranch of Cliven Bundy during his standoff with the federal government. Clark County assistant sheriff Kevin McMahill described their actions Sunday, when they killed themselves after shooting dead three others, including two police officers.
Kevin McMahill: "Immediately upon the shooting commencing, the suspects pulled the officer out of the booth and onto the ground where they placed a Gadsden flag, which is a ’Don’t Tread on Me’ yellow flag, on the body of Officer Beck and they also threw a swastika on top of his body. At that point Mr. Jerad Miller then pinned a note to Officer Soldo that basically stated that this is the beginning of the revolution."
•VA State Senator’s Exit Prompts Accusations of Bribery by GOP
In Virginia, a Democratic state Senator has resigned in what critics call a plot by Republicans to trade jobs for political control in their bid to thwart the expansion of Medicaid. The Washington Post reports the resignation of state Senator Phillip Puckett "[paves] the way to appoint his daughter to a judgeship and Puckett to the job of deputy director of the state tobacco commission." His departure gives Republicans control of the Virginia Senate, potentially quashing a plan to expand Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of low-income state residents. UPDATE: The Washington Post reports Puckett has withdrawn his name from consideration for the tobacco commission post following an uproar.
•Police in East Haven, CT to Restrict Immigration Role Under New Deal
The town of East Haven, Connecticut has agreed to pay $450,000 and adopt new limits on the role of police in immigration enforcement, in order to settle a civil rights lawsuit by Latino residents. Under the new limits, which an attorney for the plaintiffs called some of the strongest in the country, police will limit questioning about status and decline to detain people at the behest of immigration authorities without a criminal warrant. Alleged abuses by East Haven police, including false arrests and illegal searches, led to a Justice Department consent decree and the criminal convictions of four police officers.
•Brazil: Subway Workers Suspend Strike for Now
In Brazil, subway workers have suspended a five-day strike over wages but warned it could resume in time for Thursday’s opening match of the World Cup. On Monday meanwhile, striking teachers protested in Rio de Janeiro.
Maria de Lurdes Fonseca: "We are showing Brazil and the world that our country needs to invest in healthcare, education, public transportation and culture. Not in stadiums, not in airports. We need public goods that go to the people, not to FIFA, not to tourists. We want investment that stays here, that stays for the people."
•Philippines: Radio Anchor Shot Dead, 25th Journalist Killed Since 2010
In the Philippines, a veteran radio journalist and anchor has been shot dead in the western province of Oriental Mindoro. Nilo Baculo Sr. reportedly sought court protection in 2008, saying local officials were plotting to kill him for exposing their role in the illegal drug trade. According to the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, he is the 25th journalist killed in the Philippines since 2010 when President Benigno Aquino took office.
•Walmart Truck Driver in Tracy Morgan Crash Had Not Slept for 24 Hours
A Walmart truck driver who collided with a limo in a fatal crash on the New Jersey Turnpike Saturday had not slept for more than 24 hours before the crash. The crash critically injured former Saturday Night Live comedian Tracy Morgan and two others and killed comedian James McNair. Prosecutors filed a criminal complaint against the driver while Walmart said in a statement it was "profoundly sorry that one of our trucks was involved." The crash came just days after members of the Senate moved to loosen regulations aimed at preventing truck driver fatigue. Last week, a Senate committee passed a measure to suspend the requirement that truckers take extended breaks after reaching 70 hours on the road over an eight-day period.
•D.C. High School Students Hold Counter-Protest Against Anti-Gay Westboro Baptist Church
In Washington, D.C. students from Woodrow Wilson High School gathered for a counter-rally Monday against the extremist Westboro Baptist Church, which came to protest the school’s celebration of LGBT pride. Last week, the school’s principal, Pete Cahall, came out at a school Pride Day assembly.
Pete Cahall: "I am a proud gay man who just happens to be the principal of Wilson High School."
Cahall spoke out while standing alongside D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray. On Monday, hundreds of students and community members gathered to show their support for LGBT equality and to condemn the Westboro Baptist Church members, whom they vastly outnumbered.
Aiden Parisi: "We kind of took it together to be proud of who we are, and that obviously what we’re doing is making an impact that this group has to come and protest us...I hope people learn a lot from this, because you can learn a lot from First Amendment, you can learn a lot about standing up for your rights."
Woman: "When hateful people come to my town, I’m going to stand up and be counted."
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