Soledad im soledad obrien. Welcome to matter of fact. Today were going indepth on this weeks two big stories. The future of puerto rico now that the governor has been forced to resign. And the growing threat of White Supremacy in america. We begin there. Just last month, fbi director chris wray warned about the rise of domestic terrorism related arrests. He said a majority of the cases are motivated by some version of what you might call quote white supremacist violence. Last weeks massacre in el paso is now being investigated as a domestic terror attack. George selim is the former director of homeland securitys office of Community Partnerships which used to administer grants to organizations working to counter violent extremism. He has served under president George W Bush and president todae antidefamation league. So, how long has the u. S. Been really tracking these White Nationalist groups . George historically, as we look at these trends, it really starts with the signing into law of the 1964 civil rights act. After the signing of that act that really helped give the federal government the authority to enforce the actions that were signed into law and help protect communities who are being targeted because of their race or color or national origin. Soledad so are the people that you investigate today different than sort of, and the ideology, different than the threat during the kkk era . George so the threat today has evolved over time, over the last 40 or 50 years. Some individuals today that espouse a white supremacist or a White Nationalist ideology draw inspiration from the same kind of texts and worldview that individuals did in the 1950s and 1960s. Others views have really evolved and changed over time to the really hateful and insidious ideologies that we see today antiimmigrant, xena phobic, homophobic, islam a phobic, et cetera. And so theres definitely been an evolution over time. Es fmly e white suac are people who have this White Nationalistic ideology i mean often theyre o asented as young white guys or larger Political Force . Because i think theyre portrayed as lone wolf is a word thats used a lot i. George in some cases yes, and in others not. There is no true lone wolf in the sense that an individual is acting alone and gaining inspiration on their own. The radicalization process for individuals that espouse a white supremacist or a White Nationalist ideology evolves. I mean there is communities of these individuals both real world and online. And so individuals who are acting are trying to either be connected to a Greater Movement or be seen as connected to a Greater Movement whether or not they are in fact meeting in the same place and conspiring t action for shi to e United States. Say that the rhetoric from the president of the United States is spurring these folks for it . George persons comment or comm. No one individual can be blamed for what we see happening today although the president and leaders at all levels at congress and the state and local levels need to do a much better job to stand up and forcefully speak out to denounce the type of vitriol and bigotry that we see in our Public Square today. Soledad and is it too simplistic to say listen this is about the internet which has been allowed sort of like minded people, even the really bad racist white supremacist ones to find each other and that is how this is growing . George if these individuals found each other and committed acts of horrific domestic terror think back to the Oklahoma City bombing well 4chan or a social Media Presence writ large. So this is an issue that the country has grappled with for a long time. The phenomena of the inttsoci ms these groups and these ideas to spread and connect at a much faster rate. And thats why we need a much greater sense of urgency when it comes to the solutions. Soledad so what works when it comes to mitigating the power of these groups . George based on my government experience we know that you have to have a plan and that an appropriately crafted plan can prevent radicalization and recruitment in the same way we did post 2014 when isis was recruiting and radicalizing English Speakers from across the United States and other parts of the world as well. We know that you can put in place a strategy to stem that recruitment both online and offline. And a similar approach in terms of size and veracity needs to b . George absolutely not. And thats what ive called for in front of congress. Thats what ive written about and published numerous op ed saying that the government needs to administer a comprehensive plan and strategy to stem the tide of domestic terrorism, specifically focused and target that targets individuals because of their race nationality ethnicity, et cetera. That plan needs to be resource that needs to be staffed appropriately. Thats what i did in my former job at dhs and today the resources that the federal government has are a fraction of what they were two years ago. Soledad george selim, thank you for talking with us. Matteroffact i think the broader of context has to deal with trauma. What will it take to move puerto rico forward after a series of scandals and setbacks . The worst thing in situations like this is when everybody the worst thing in situations like this is when Everybody Needs your help and you dont wo upbeat musieverything was so fresh in the beginning. [sniff] dramatic music but that plug quickly faded. 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With 3x more grease cleaning power per drop, it tackles tough grease on a variety of surfaces. Try dawn ultra. Soledad welcome back to matter of fact. Another big story were working on, what is next for puerto rico . Leadership of the island has been in limbo since former Governor Ricardo Rossellos private chat messages with his staff were leaked to the public. They mocked victims of Hurricane Maria, homosexuals, and when a staff member joked that he was salivating to shoot the mayor of san juan, rosella responded, youd be doing me a grand favor. That scandal happened after six Public Officials were arrested for corruption. Puerto rico has been bankrupt since may of 2017 and in september of 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated the island. Pedro reina perez is a professor at the university of puerto rico and a visiting scholar at harvard university. So nice to have you with us. Starting with right now, what is happening in puerto rico today . Pedro we are in a waiting phase. Three weeks of protests led to the governors resignation and the whole process of succession has been in question. Soledad the protests that we saw unfold on television were massive. Unprecedented. Not just for puerto rico, globally speaking. Do you think that engagement politically has now shifted, that something has changed, and that is going to help puerto rico . Pedro i believe so. The fact that people agreed on something beyond partisan lines and took to the streets to protest, young, old, women, men, children, it basically marks a different route from what the political life of puerto rico has been. So at this point i believe the citizens have lost fear. Theyve been driven by rage. We were basically enraged by what we learned from the chat. And i think a collective decision was made to shame Governor Ricardo Rossello into resigning. And that was achieved. However politicians did not fully grasp what was happening and i think the fact that Pedro Pierluisi who was appointed under such questionable has stoe focused on the scandal, the 900 pages of Text Messages that were leaked, but really it was the the arrest for corruption on corruption charges of these six officials. Where does that case stand right now . Pedro there was a first round of arrests before, but i think the broader context has to do with trauma. Weve been traumatized by the bankruptcy. The bankruptcy has brought a lot of bad things for puerto rico. The university of puerto rico for example, its budget was slashed by 450 million. More than 400 schools have been we dealt with all that through day and night and i think the chat was only the trigger. Soledad so you think we might be seeing, as chaotic and challenging as it has been to this moment, you might be seeing a new start for puerto rico . Pedro yes, i think one of the positive things that maria left was the fact that people realized no one was coming to save us. Before you would wait. Fema would come or the u. S. Will somehow step up. We know it didnt happen. We know fema acknowledged that they failed the operation before and after the hurricane so people kind of realized that you we are in it and no one is coming to save us but ourselves. So that realization has inspired people to go beyond partisan lines and participate in something as this massive protest. So i expect that gradually and in a very modest way some type of leadership and some type of mechanisms to reach agreements is needed to move beyond this. I understand that we cannot turn the outrage into concrete actions because we have institutions. We have laws. We have to follow the rule of law. But there is a will right now to really examine if if these laws are fair and if more participation is needed, what we need to do to make sure that happens. Soledad professor pedro perez, nice to have you. When we come back, looking to a higher power. Soledad is power going to be an issue for you . We are prepared for everything. We have god. And god is good. Could this ambitious plan keep the lights on during the next storm . Plus, will Climate Change change the way you communicate . Why Scientists Say these monkeys in puerto rico could hold the answer. Soledad just this week, the u. S. Department of housing and urban development announced it would delay about 9 billion dollars in disaster Prevention Funds for puerto rico. As the second anniversary of Hurricane Maria approaches and weve yet to hit the peak of this hurricane season, frustration with the local and federal government still runs deep. Around 3000, a massive increase from the earlier estimates which were as low as 16. The storm knocked out power to more than 90 of the island and it would take about a year or more before everyone had power again. After Hurricane Maria, Many Puerto Ricans vowed to never be left in the dark again. And their ambitious plan starts at home. The island from above. Blue tarps cover leaky roofs. Some old power lines are in disrepair. Its been a year and half and puerto rico is still on the mend. How bad did things get here . Very bad. Soledad joseph corderos family lost their roof and power for nearly four months. All this area, the electricity goes fast. Any wind, any rain, the electricity goes. Soledad even not in a hurricane . Yes. Soledad but next time will be different. The corderos and Many Puerto Ricans say they have a homegrown plan to recover from the new storms that will surely follow maria. They call it autogestion or self sufficiency. [speaking spanish] self, not the government too rescue you . For the corderos, auto gestion means embracing solar power. It cost 3,400 to install solar panels that now power their entire home. If another hurricane pass, we have electricity because we no longer depend on the big plants. Soledad 98 of puerto ricos power comes from electrical grids like this one in nearby guayama. They can run on oil, natural gas or coal. The electricity is carried on lines above ground through rain forests and mountains to get to more populated parts of the island. Ruth santiago is a lawyer working with comunidad coqui, a group of residents whove been lobbying for more than four years to replace these plants with solar power. The Community Groups are impacted by th in so many ways. Yon also, the water discharges. Soledad the puerto rican h decd took 11 months to fully restore power. This is the Communications Array which is powered by this solar panel over here. Soledad solar power helped this fire station in san juan get its Communications Equipment up and running two months after Hurricane Maria. An ngo called empowered by light partnered with the Solar Energy Company sunrun to install panels on their roof. Theyve outfitted 11 fire stations with panels since then. Javier rua jovet is sunruns director of public policy. After the hurricane, there is a new paradigm. We all suffered. All social classes suffered. Is being in another meto create electricity for up to 2,000 homes. The power is on, ro. It was hard. Soledad residents here also embrace auto gestion. Edwin colon and his neighbors enlisted a new york based volunteer organization, heart 911, thats teaching morovis residents to repair their own roofs. The next time this happens, im not going to be lost. The worst thing in situations like this is when Everybody Needs your help and you dont know what else to do. I feel better now. Soledad residents feeling abanne nextso do you feel powerr again, is power going to be an issue for you . We are prepared for everything. We are ready. Hurricane, more powerful, we are ready. We have god. And god is good. Soledad and you have solar power. Coming up next, even before Hurricane Maria, Puerto Ricans were leaving the island in masses. Why . Masses. Why . Its on. Get to the ross shoe event for even more brands at 20 to 60 percent off Department Store prices. Yes yep oh, yeah seriously, save on fall styles for women, men, boys and girls. At the ross shoe event. On now. And you score the you knperfect outfit . At ross ooooohhhh game on now, thats yes for less. Nothing beats getting the latest trends at 20 to 60 percent off Specialty Store prices. At ross. Yes for less. Soledad now to a weekly feature we like to call, we are paying attention even if you are too busy. Right now theres a mass exodus happening in puerto rico. And it started before Hurricane Maria and the current chat messaging scandal that forced former Governor Ricardo Rossello to resign. The Census Bureau estimates 130,000 people, rico between july of 2017 and july of 2018. The debt crisis was one of the driving forces behind the exodus. Since 2010, 530,000 people have left the island. Which means before the storm, puerto rico was losing about 55,000 people each year. So where is everyone headed . According to the center for puerto rican studies new york, new england and florida were top destinations. About 50 thousand who moved to florida say theyre not coming back. Now, puerto ricos population is 3. 2 million. When we return, could a Little Monkey soledad finally, about a mile off the east coast of puerto rico lies cayo santiago. Its also known as Monkey Island because it is home to more than one thousand rhesus macaques. They were shipped from Southeast Asia in 1938 for research. For decades, researchers have documented everything about them. Including how their genes affect their social skills. When Hurricane Maria hit their tiny island it killed a few monkeys but also wiped out lush vegetation, especially the leaves that provided shade. The macaque society is built around social status. Before the storm, rank was fooad water because shade was plentiful. But now the monkeys are competing for it. Or mixing social status like an alpha male hanging out with a lower ranking monkey to cool off. With Climate Change predicted to make hurricanes more frequent and more powerful, researchers say we need to know how that affects animals. And right now we know very little about how they respond to environmental distress. So researchers are studying baby monkeys born before and after maria to see if the storm altered the way they behave. Thats it for this edition of matter of fact. Well see you next week. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] robert handa hello and welcome to, Asian Pacific america. Day, we continue the campaign to clear the shelters. We are part of the nationwide campaign, led locally by nbc bay area and telemundo 48 for the big pet adoption day on august 17. This is an issue for all communities and this campaign has helped to find homes for more than 250,000 pets since 2015, and about 5,200 locally. This week, we bring you more on the clear the shelters efforts going on at Humane SocietySilicon Valley and valley Humane Society, as well as details on spay and neuter programs, as well as international adoption, all on our show today. Ive had a chance to do many stories at Humane Society silicone valley, and our family has adopted many pets