Waching daily Jan 27 2018

SOLEDAD: I'M SOLEDAD O'BRIEN.

WELCOME TO "MATTER OF FACT."

ON TUESDAY, PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL

DELIVER HIS FIRST STATE OF THE

UNION ADDRESS.

IT IS ARGUABLY THE MOST

IMPORTANT SPEECH ON ANY

PRESIDENT'S CALENDAR, A CHANCE

TO LOOK BACK AND LOOK AHEAD.

GEORGE WASHINGTON DELIVERED THE

NATION'S FIRST STATE OF T

UNION ADDRESS ON JANUARY 8,

1790.

AMONG HIS PRIORITIES FOR THE NEW

NATION -- THE GROWING

RESPECTABILITY OF THE COUNTRY,

THE IMPORTANCE OF A

WELL-PREPARED MILITARY, AND

IMMIGRATION.

IN WASHINGTON'S DAY, THAT MEANT

ANY FREE WHITE INDIVIDUAL WAS

WELCOME TO AMERICA'S SHORES TO

APPLY FOR CITIZENSHIP.

FAST FORWARD MORE THAN 200

YEARS, AND PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL

LIKELY BE ADDRESSING SIMILAR

CHALLENGES.

AND WITH THE CONTROL OF THE

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES -- AND

EVEN THE SENATE -- UP FOR GRABS

IN THIS YEAR'S MIDTERM

ELECTIONS, MEMBERS FROM BOTH

PARTIES, AND VOTERS, WILL BE

LISTENING TO THE PRESIDENT'S

EVERY WORD.

AMONG THEM, ARIZONA REPUBLICAN

SENATOR JEFF FLAKE, WHO'S

PERHAPS THE PRESIDENT'S TOUGHEST

REPUBLICAN CRITIC ON CAPITOL

HILL.

SEN. FLAKE IF I HAVE BEEN

CRITICAL, IT IS NOT BECAUSE I

RELISH TO SIZING THE BEHAVIOR OF

A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED

STATES.

IF I HAVE BEEN CRITICAL, IT IS

BECAUSE I BELIEVE IT WAS MY

OBLIGATION TO DO SO.

SOLEDAD: WE WERE AT THE CAPITOL

WITH SENATOR FLAKE.

SENATOR, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US

HERE.

WE APPRECIATE IT.

LET'S START WITH THE STATE OF

THE UNION ADDRESS.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO HEAR FROM

PRESIDENT TRUMP?

AND WHAT DO YOU THINK WE WILL

HEAR FROM PRESIDENT TRUMP?

BUT I WILL LET YOU ANSWER THAT

IN EITHER ORDER.

SEN. FLAKE: WELL, WHAT'S GOOD TO

HEAR IS KIND OF A MESSAGE OF

UNITY.

YOU KNOW YOU HAVE THE ENTIRE

CONGRESS THERE, AND THE WHOLE

-- CONGRESS THERE, AND IT'S GOOD

TO HAVE A UNIFIED MESSAGE.

YOU KNOW, I THINK THE BEST

ADDRESSES THAT I'VE HEARD IN THE

17 YEARS I'VE BEEN DOING THIS

HAVE BEEN THOSE THAT TRY TO

UNIFY.

I DON'T KNOW IF WE'LL SEE THAT.

I HOPE WE DO.

FROM NOW ON, YOU KNOW, ALMOST

EVERYTHING IS 60 VOTES.

WE HAVE TO HAVE BIPARTISAN

BILLS.

AND SO IT'D BE NICE TO HAVE A

UNIFIED MESSAGE.

SOLEDAD: YOU DELIVERED A SPEECH

WHERE YOU ANNOUNCED YOU WOULD

NOT BE SEEKING RE-ELECTION, SO

YOU'LL BE LEAVING AT THE

BEGINNING OF 2019.

AND THERE ARE PEOPLE I KNOW --

YOU KNOW THIS -- WHO SAID, WELL,

IF YOU ARE DISAPPOINTED IN T

DIRECTION OF THE COUNTRY, AND

OFTEN VERY CRITICAL OF THE

PRESIDENT HIMSELF, WHY NOT STAY?

WHY NOT STAY AND FIGHT FOR WHAT

YOU THINK IS RIGHT?

SEN. FLAKE: WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S

DIFFICULT FOR A REPUBLICAN LIKE

ME IN A PARTY LIKE THIS RIGHT

NOW.

THIS IS VERY MUCH THE

PRESIDENT'S PARTY.

I'M NOT HAPPY ABOUT THAT

I THINK IT'S TAKING US IN A

DIRECTION THAT WE WON'T BE ABLE

TO WIN NATIONAL ELECTIONS FOR

LONG.

YOU CAN GIN PEOPLE UP FOR AN

ELECTION CYCLE TO BRING OUT THE

BASE, BUT OVERALL WE WON'T BE

THERE.

AND I FELT THAT IF I HAD -- IF I

RAN THE KIND OF RACE I WOULD

NEED TO RUN TO WIN IN A

REPUBLICAN PRIMARY, IN

PARTICULAR, THEN I WOULDN'T BE

-- WOULDN'T BE MYSELF.

AND I JUST COULDN'T DO IT.

I JUST I COULDN'T DO IT.

I WOULD HAVE TO ACCEPT POSITIONS

THAT THE PRESIDENT HAS TAKEN.

AND MORE SPECIFICALLY, CONDONE

THE BEHAVIOR THAT THE PRESIDENT

HAS EXHIBITED.

AND I JUST COULDN'T DO THAT.

SOLEDAD: WHAT DO YOU THINK IS

GOING TO BE THE IMPACT TO THE

REPUBLICAN PARTY?

SEN. FLAKE: WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE

COUNTRY AND WHERE WE'RE GOING,

YOU LOOK AT YOUNG PEOPLE, AND

THEIR FAILURE TO REGISTER

REPUBLICANS, OR TO EMBRACE THIS

KIND OF VITRIOL.

THEY AREN'T BUYING I

AND WHEN THEY -- WHEN IT COMES

TIME TO VOTE AND THEY DO START

REGISTERING TO VOTE MORE, AND

VOTE MORE IN GREATER NUMBERS,

THEN WE'RE IN DEEP TROUBLE.

YOU LOOK AT SOME OF THE TRUMP

RALLIES OUT THERE AND YOU THIN

-- I'VE CALLED IT THE SPASMS OF

THE DYING PARTY.

PEOPLE WANT, YOU KNOW, ELECTED

OFFICIALS TO GOVERN AND NOT JUST

CAMPAIGN.

TO ACTUALLY GOVERN.

BUT TO GOVERN, YOU'VE GOT TO

COMPROMISE.

YOU'VE GOT TO REACH ACROSS THE

AISLE.

SOLEDAD: CAN A MODERATE VOICE AS

A REPUBLICAN MAKE IT THROUGH A

PRIMARY AND WIN IN 2020?

SEN. FLAKE: I DOUBT IT.

SOLEDAD: ARE -- YOU SAID YOU

-- ARE YOU SAYING YOU WOULD RUN

AS AN INDEPENDENT?

WOULD YOU RUN FOR THE

PRESIDENCY?

SEN. FLAKE: I'M NOT SAYING.

THAT'S NOT IN MY PLANS.

SOLEDAD: YOU ARE DONE WITH

POLITICS?

I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT.

SEN. FLAKE: I DON'T KNOW ABOUT

THAT.

BUT THIS FEVER NEEDS TO COOL A

BIT.

BUT I DO THINK THAT THERE WILL

BE AN INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE,

CERTAINLY.

AND I FRANKLY THINK THAT THERE

WILL BE A REPUBLICAN CHALLENGE

AS WELL, WITH NOT MUCH OF AN

EXPECTATION OF WINNING.

BUT TO REMIND REPUBLICANS OF,

YOU KNOW -- REMIND REPUBLICANS

THAT THERE ARE STILL TRADITIONAL

CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICANS WHO

BELIEVE THAT THIS SHOULD BE A

DECENT PARTY AS WELL, AND THAT

THIS KIND OF SMASH-MOUTH ERA

WILL END.

AND I HOPE THAT THAT HAPPENS

For more infomation >> Sen. Flake: "This is the President's Party. I am not happy about it." - Duration: 5:02.

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Putin regime is 'built on corruption,' opposition leader Alexei Navalny says - Duration: 5:09.

Putin regime is 'built on corruption,' opposition leader Alexei Navalny says

Russias best-known opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, has accused the regime of President Vladimir Putin of being built on corruption and called on the Kremlin to mend battered relations with the West.

As Russia braces for a day of nationwide anti-Kremlin rallies on Sunday, Navalny, who has been barred from standing in the March 18 presidential elections, claimed Putin was scared of opposition.

In an exclusive interview with CNN at his Moscow headquarters, he warned of growing impatience for political change.

Putin has been in power for 18 years now, Navalny said.

People are not ready to wait another six years, then another six, then another..

The 41-year-old anti-corruption campaigner said his supporters will take to the streets in more than 100 towns and cities across Russia on Sunday in a rare show of political defiance.

Navalny said people blamed the regime for their plight.

The Putin regime is built on corruption, he told CNN.

According to official data, over 20% of our population lives below the poverty line.

And people link the obvious.

Why are we so poor? Because they steal so much, he said, referring to Russias ruling elite.

The Kremlin has rejected allegations of widespread high-level corruption and has condemned Navalny as a dangerous influence whose calls for protests could plunge Russia into chaos.

A 2017 criminal conviction for embezzlement means Navalny is blocked under Russian law from standing for public office.

Critics say the case against him was politically motivated.

Navalny accused Putin of being afraid of opposition.

He is scared of all real competition.

He only allows those to run who dont even resist, who dont even campaign, he said.

Vast chasm But Navalnys confidence is not supported by Russian opinion polls.

Putin, who controls and dominates state media, regularly achieves popularity ratings close to 90%.

Navalny, who gets hardly any attention in national media, polls barely 2%, illustrating the vast chasm the opposition figure would need to bridge even if he were allowed to stand against Putin.

Yet outside Russia, Navalny is viewed positively as a preferable alternative to hard-line Putin, who has led Russia into confrontation with the West.

Navalny insisted he would be capable of repairing that relationship.

Russia needs to stop supporting the war in Ukraine (and) stop using shady methods of hybrid war like election interference and hacking, he said.

But he argued that it served Putins interests to be cast as a bogeyman in the West.

From the Kremlins point of view, and Putins point of view, this is a good thing that keeps his image on the front pages of the Western media, Navalny told CNN.

But this is stupid.

These are just further steps towards this countrys degradation..

For more infomation >> Putin regime is 'built on corruption,' opposition leader Alexei Navalny says - Duration: 5:09.

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Is Social Media Good for Democracy? - Duration: 5:41.

SOLEDAD: TOPEKA, KANSAS IS A

SMALL MIDWESTERN CITY,

POPULATION ROUGHLY 127,000,

WHICH ABOUT 14,000 ATTEND THE

CITY'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

IN SIZE, IT IS SIMILAR TO

MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE AND

MEDFORD, OREGON.

ITS HISTORY, HOWEVER, SETS IT

APART.

IN 1954, TOPEKA WAS AT THE

CENTER OF THE DEBATE OVER SCHOOL

SEGREGATION DURING THE LANDMARK

SUPREME COURT CASE "BROWN VERSUS

THE BOARD OF EDUCATION."

THE RULING OVERTURNED THE

DOCTRINE OF SEPARATE BUT EQUAL,

DECLARING UNCONSTITUTIONAL ANY

LAW ALLOWING RACIAL SEGREGATION

IN EDUCATION.

60 YEARS AGO, THE ISSUE WAS

INTEGRATIO

SO WHAT DOMINATES THE DISCUSSION

TODAY?

I TRAVELED TO HIGHLAND PARK HIGH

SCHOOL IN TOPEKA, TO MODERATE A

CONVERSATION ABOUT EQUALITY, IN

A PLACE WHERE THEY DON'T SHY

AWAY FROM CHALLENGES.

D'ANDRE: ALL MY LIFE, I'VE BEEN

HOMELESS.

ME AND MY FAMILY CAME FROM A

SINGLE-MOTHER HOUSEHOLD,

SINGLE-PARENT HOUSEHOLD.

AND, YOU KNOW, WE NEVER HAD

REALLY CONSISTENCY OR STRUCTURE.

WE MOVED ALMOST EVERY YEAR O

HALF A YEAR.

SOLEDAD: WHAT MADE THE BIGGEST

DIFFERENCE FOR YOU?

D'ANDRE: I ACTUALLY HAD TEACHERS

AND PRINCIPALS WHO TOOK A ST

OUTSIDE OF JUST THE WORKPLACE,

AND THEY SAID, D'ANDRE, WHAT CAN

WE DO FOR YOU?

HOW CAN WE HELP YOU?

WHAT'S ANOTHER WAY WE CAN HELP

YOU GO TO SCHOOL?

ARE YOU HUNGRY TODAY?

DO YOU NEED ANY MONEY?

SOLEDAD: THE AUDITORIUM WAS

FILLED WITH PARENTS, TEACHERS,

AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS, THERE TO

SCREEN A NEW SERIES CALLED

"UNDERCOVER HIGH."

IT SENT ADULTS BACK TO HIGH

SCHOOL UNDERCOVER, TO SEE WHAT

NEW CHALLENGES AND STRUGGLES

STUDENTS FACE.

IN ADDITION TO EQUALITY, ONE OF

THE BIGGEST SURPRISES, ACCORDING

TO THE ADULTS, WAS THE PROLIFIC

USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AT SCHOOL,

AND ALMOST CONSTANT

CYBERBULLYING.

SOCIAL MEDIA ISN'T JUST A

PROBLEM FOR HIGH SCHOOL

STUDENTS.

FACEBOOK ADMITTED THIS WEEK THAT

IT CAN NO LONGER GUARANTEE

THAT SOCIAL MEDIA WAS GOOD FOR

DEMOCRAC

IT WAS JUST LAST YEAR THAT CEO

MARK ZUCKERBERG SAID IT WAS

"CRAZY" TO SUGGEST FACEBOOK ADS

INFLUENCED THE 2016 ELECTION

BUT ULTIMATELY, FACEBOOK FOUND

THAT RUSSIAN AGENTS CREATED

80,000 POSTS THAT REACHED ABOUT

126 MILLION PEOPLE.

NOW, THE LARGEST SOCIAL NETWORK

IS TAKING A HARD LOOK AT THE

IMPACT IT HAS ON THE DEMOCRATIC

PROCES

HARVARD PROFESSOR CASS SUNSTEIN

IS THE AUTHOR OF "HASHTAG

REPUBLIC -- DIVIDED DEMOCRACY IN

THE AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA,

FOCUSING ON "GROUP POLARIZATION"

-- SOMETHING HE SAYS IS

REPLICATED ON SOCIAL MEDIA EVERY

DAY.

THANKS FOR BEING HER

CASS: PLEASURE TO BE HERE.

SOLEDAD: NICE TO HAVE YOU.

SO, LET'S BEGIN WITH A LITTLE

BIT OF WHAT THIS POLARIZATION

IS.

I MEAN, IS IT NATURALLY PEOPLE

ARE DIVIDED, OR SOCIAL MEDIA

ACTUALLY DOING THE DIVIDING?

CASS: THE IDEA IS, IF YOU HAVE A

GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO KIND OF

AGREE WITH EACH OTHER ON CLIMATE

CHANGE OR GUN CONTROL OR THE

MINIMUM WAGE OR #METOO, IF THEY

TALK TO EACH OTHER, THEY'LL END

UP THINKING A MORE EXTREME

VERSION OF WHAT THEY THOUGHT

BEFORE THEY STARTED TO TALK.

AND SO GROUPS CAN GO WOOSH TO

THE RIGHT, AND WOOSH TO THE

LEFT, BECAUSE OF THE DYNAMICS OF

SOCIAL INTERACTION.

AND IT'S PRETTY NATURAL IF

YOU'RE TALKING TO PEOPLE WHO

AGREE WITH YOU, AND HERE ARE

LOTS OF ARGUMENTS SUPPORTING

THAT VIEW AND NOT MANY OF THE

OTHER WAY, AND THAT'LL PUSH YOU

TO THE LEFT OR THE RIGHT.

NOW WHAT WE'VE LEARNED SINCE THE

INCEPTION OF SOCIAL MEDIA IS

THAT THAT KIND OF OLD FINDING,

AND IT IS AS OLD AS HUMAN

HISTORY AND ACTION, IS BEING

REPLICATED ON FACEBOOK AND ON

TWITTER ALL THE TIME.

SOLEDAD: BUT FASTER?

IS THAT PART OF THE ISSUE?

CASS: REALLY FAST, AND MORE

OFTEN -- BOTH SPEEDIER AND MORE

OFTEN.

AND THE REAL REASON IS ON SOCIAL

MEDIA IT'S -- YOU KNOW, YOU CAN

DO IT IN AN INSTANT, TALK AND

LISTEN TO PEOPLE WHO ARE EXACTLY

LIKE YOU, WHEREAS BEFORE SOCIAL

MEDIA OR OUTSIDE OF SOCIAL

MEDIA, THAT MIGHT BE A LITTLE

MORE CHALLENGING, BECAUSE IF YOU

READ THE NEWSPAPER OR TURN ON

THE TELEVISION, THERE ARE LOTS

OF DIFFERENT VOICES, IF THINGS

ARE WORKING WELL AT LEAST.

AND SO THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

AS KIND OF AN ENGINE FOR GROUP

POLARIZATION IS DISTURBING,

PROBABLY ALARMING FROM THE

DEMOCRATIC POINT OF VIEW.

SOLEDAD: YOU'VE SPENT A LOT OF

TIME IN SILICON VALLEY.

DO YOU THINK THAT THEY'RE

BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND THAT

THERE'S A RESPONSIBILITY IN THIS

THING THEY'VE CREATED, THAT THEY

HAVE TO GO BACK AND TWEAK?

I'M NOT EVEN SURE WHO THE THEY

IS.

BUT THE SYSTEM

CASS: I THINK SILICON VALLEY IS

A BIG PLACE, AND THERE ARE

PEOPLE WHO THINK, "OUR JOB IS TO

PROVIDE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT,

LIKE WE'RE PROVIDING SHOES OR

SNEAKERS, NOTHING'S BROKEN."

BUT A LOT OF THE PEOPLE AT

FACEBOOK IN PARTICULAR ARE AWARE

THAT THEY CAN DO BETTER, AND YOU

CAN SEE FROM THEIR CHANGING THE

NEWS FEED AND THEIR SWITCH IN

THEIR JUDGMENT OF WHAT THE

UNDERLYING VALUES THEY'RE TRYING

TO PROMOTE ARE.

YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY'RE VERY

CONCERNED BOTH ABOUT BEING

DELUGED WITH FAKE NEWS AND ABOUT

PEOPLE BEING IN LITTLE ECHO

CHAMBERS OF THEIR OWN DESIGN.

I THINK THEY'RE AWARE OF THE

PROBLEM.

SOLEDAD: SO WHAT'S THE FIX OF

THAT?

CASS: WELL HERE'S A DIRECTION OF

A FIX.

IT'S VERY GOOD TO HAVE, LET'S

SAY, A NEWS FEED ALGORITHM THAT

DOESN'T JUST FEED, SO TO SPEAK,

PEOPLE LOUDER AND MORE NUMEROUS

VERSIONS OF WHAT THEY ALREADY

THINK, BUT GIVES THEM UNPLANNED

SERENDIPITOUS EXPOSURE TO TOPICS

AND IDEA

SO YOU MIGHT SEE SOMETHING

THAT'S A LITTLE JARRING ON YOUR

NEWS FEED.

THAT'S OKAY.

THAT'S PART OF WHAT IT MEANS TO

BE A CITIZEN RATHER THAN A

CONSUMER IN, YOU KNOW, WHAT

AT GOOD MOMENTS THE GREATEST

DEMOCRACY IN THE HISTORY OF THE

WORLD.