Empire Builder: Journey Across America

day's news. But first we crossed the northern USA on the Empire Builder

train route, to find out what issues resonate among American voters

beyond the media spotlight. There's been a lot of talk

of the personalities in this election, but there are big issues

at stake for America. Things like counter-terrorism,

like immigration. The idea of being constantly

surveilled, of have people watching There is more protester

activity, intimidation, We will look at those issues,

as well as the role that race and the money in politics has played

in this election cycle. We want to expand white privilege

and deepen it. I do care about my people more

than I do about other people. We'll doing it along an old,

beautiful train route We will travel the famous route

from Minneapolis to Seattle, taking a high-speed look at five key

ways this election is crucial Many voters say their number one

concern is immigration of one group We lived in this exact

neighbourhood since I was seven. There is a sense of community

and we are trying to keep it alive. There has been a lot of talk

of Muslims coming to this country Some of those Muslims that have

grown up in America say in the current climate, they feel

more marginalised than ever before, undoing any successes

counterterrorism Tens of thousands of Somali Muslims

live in Minneapolis, either refugees Young people feel they

are constantly being Young people feel they are

constantly being watched by authorities and treated like a

menace to society. With the approach they have

to the Muslim community in America, it is to absolutely make you feel

they are unAmerican. That is doing the job

of Islamic State, because Isis is saying you are not American

and they don't want you. Young American Somalis agreed

they feel under they are intense scrutiny for being

Muslims in the US. Sometimes I feel like

it is like discrimination. There is this otherness

attributed to Somalians. As a result, we are dealt

with as a threat, not But over the years, a small number

have gone on to join jihadi Nine Somali men were imprisoned

this summer for trying to join The same department that prosecuted

them is also giving out money to community groups

to try to prevent radicalisation. Some here are saying that that

money is not welcome. Of course I want the funding

and of course I want the resources, but if this is being presented to us

through a counter-terrorism lens, then you're definitely telling me

I'm an issue and that some 8/9-year-old Somali kid has

the potential to become something This woman is accepting government

funds to help educate and mentor. She says the counter-terrorism tag

bothers her, but she says the money is badly needed

for some young people. They're in an ocean

and don't know how to swim. These kids are looking

for opportunities, they are looking But most agree that with the angry

rhetoric in recent months, American Muslims are under pressure

in the US like never before. I have never felt threatened

in the 23 years I have been in I have never seen someone

who is wanting to become the next President of the US threatening

people because of their religion, saying, they cannot come to America

or they need to go back. In that, she also feels,

is counter-productive and is potentially alienating

more young people. We board the Empire Builder

train that night. When this historic route

was created, it helped communities across the northern USA feel

connected to the rest of the country We're travelling in it at a time

when many people are frustrated It doesn't mean they are not

engaged with this election. There is, after all,

so much at stake. There is only one Empire Builder

train a day. That is why after a full day of

speaking to people in Minneapolis, we are arriving in Fargo,

North Dakota, at 3.40am. Many will associate Fargo

with the dark comedy and strange happenings of the movie and TV

series of the same name. But it's the cultural hub of this

state and a vital town. We're here to talk about

what continues to be One where it doesn't just matter

who's in the White House, but who they then choose to serve

in the Supreme Court to make laws Once a week, the day abortions

happen, protestors gather outside the only abortion clinic

in the State of North Dakota. This is the civil rights issue

of our day because it has to do with the death of innocent human

persons that's legal in our country. All of the other liberties

that we have in life, all of the other things,

mean nothing to a dead Every time one of the patients

turned up, the anti-abortion protesters followed

and intimidated her, When they get here their minds

are made up so it is But if we can maybe just offer

a kind word or a smile Those in the blue vests

are volunteers who protect A huge reason I out am

here on the sidewalk is to show support for my local clinic

as a North Dakota native. And also to make sure

that this option is still For many years now, women

who have come to this clinic for their abortions have

had to run the gauntlet I really don't think they care

about us or what we are doing They're not going to be

there to hold our hand if we go The surgery's come at risk

of closure from local politicians, though that threat's

been averted for now. But when the political risk

to abortion clinics recedes nationally and locally,

antiabortionists will resort Protesting has gone up in the last

few years, really since There is more intimidation,

harassment, at clinics, Some advocates for a woman's right

to choose whether they have an abortion, like Tammy,

say the levels of provision and the number of clinics now

are greatly inadequate. North Dakota only has one clinic

on the fight eastern North Dakota only has one

clinic on the far eastern But we also serves a tri-state area,

North Dakota, South Dakota, And those distances are already

stopping some from coming here, but it doesn't mean

they are stopping abortions. If a person doesn't

want to give birth, There is what they did in the '80s

with coathangers and pens and stuff. Do you know of others who've

had abortions that way, Advocates say this is precisely why

more clinics like this are needed What folks don't realise is that

abortion is extremely common, even It's common, it's normal

and that is how abortion Abortion is one of those topics

with very clear differences in the direction the USA could take

depending on who is elected. And we were about to investigate

another, in a part of America which would dramatically

illustrate the tensions. I went on a daytime trip

on the Empire Builder through some beautiful areas,

but the evidence on the landscape in the last few moments shows

we are going towards Williston, There were a number of companies,

a lot of my friends themselves, they were shutting businesses down

and on the border of bankruptcy. In the last decade they have made

more money than the last 30 years The tremendous oil boom

peaked three years ago, People who have made fortunes

and money have poured it We have a new high school,

a new rec centre where my children play

three times a week. In a town where oil has brought

riches and frustration In a town where oil has

brought riches, there's gets in the way of business

on the grounds of We have the outside influence,

the Federal aspect, with the stroke of a pen,

the pipeline is shut down. At the stroke of a pen,

we have to worry about things It's tough to see that happening

because you are left with this helpless feeling and you cannot do

anything about it. But this is a story we're

going to look at in two parts. We get back on the Empire Builder

train to head west, to a place where the oil industry

and climate change meet. As we left Williston behind,

and we met Brandon, an oil worker, who is unimpressed

by Hillary Clinton's What we do here is regulated

and under the control And you have places like China that

have no regulations that are dumping pollution into the atmosphere,

and there is nothing But as we approach the stunning,

rugged terrain of Glacier National That is a serious fracking

operation going on. He said man's impact on the climate

was being directly felt right here. You're not going to have the amount

of snow required to sustain the glaciers if you have the amount

of melt we have been experiencing We've just travelled seven hours

from the town of Williston to here in East Glacier,

an area that is something of a poster child

for environmentalists. The beauty of the national

park is breathtaking. But it's far harder to find

a glacier than it once was. This is what the edge

of a glacier looks like. The position it used to be

in is exactly what the climate Say we came here in 1911,

what would it look like? Some glaciers have ceased

to become glaciers. They no longer have any moving ice

and are now stagnant snow fields. Could there be a time

when in the near future where Glacier National Park

could have no glaciers? Mankind is contributing

to global warming. The world has warmed and cooled

and warmed and cooled naturally. What's going on now is the rate

of it is so much faster. Disappearing glaciers are already

having an impact on the water supplies, the forest,

and the wildlife here. But as with many issues in America,

climate change has been politicised, We cross the national park

by train, contemplating one Specifically, what the election has

done to embolden the far right. It's a pretty tourist town

by the mountains of Montana. But White Fish is also home to this

prominent white supremacist. I do care more about my people more

than other people just like you care about your family more than you care

about other children. Why is an African-American

not your family? He is not part of this extended

family that is a race that have evolved over tens

of thousands of years. They are part of

the American family. This United States was never

defined by Africans. It was defined by Anglo-Saxons,

white Europeans. Just as you are no longer European,

they are no longer African, But I think who I am ultimately

does derive from Europe. A tremendous amount of white people

want race and identity Before this election,

he and other white supremacists and separatists may have felt

on the margins of society, Donald Trump came along and I feel

like my movement and my ideology, we can be a kind of vanguard

for a presidential candidate, that his arrow is pointing

in our direction. And that is what is worrying many

Americans, that somehow unpalatable, racist views have been in a sense

legitimised by the rise of Donald The idea of Trump stepping

into leadership in our country I believe that he is a bigot,

and that he could just He is really, really

milking the ignorance He wants to pretend he's not

a racist but he totally is. They have needed a voice

and a platform for their voice, I don't think he that he

realises what he's saying, the kind of inflammatory

message he's sending. But others felt Donald Trump should

not be held accountable for every As long as they were not doing

anything illegal, there was no Anybody in the United States,

whether they're part of an organisation or not,

they have the right What are Calvin's reasons

for supporting the Trump has said he wants to put

people back to work, close the borders until they figure

out what is going on. But all the talk of shutting borders

and building walls is definitely part of Trump's appeal

to Richard Spencer, too. He has brought nationalism

into the campaign. There is a sense that our power

is going to be diminished. Average people see that Donald Trump

is going to take care of them. He may be energised by Donald Trump,

but whether he wins or loses, there are many others here who say

that they feel Trump is already helping to cause deeper divisions

in American society. After 1,700 miles and 38

hours on this train, we're finally getting off

for the last time. There is still one more important

story to look into in Seattle. Seattle is one of the most

left-leaning cities in the US. But still, inequality

is not hard to find. Just a few blocks away from the most

expensive real estate in the city, this is just one of several tent

encampments of the homeless. This, activists say,

is a tangible example of the problems

of money in politics. As a person of faith,

who is not necessarily that involved in politics otherwise,

this is really a moral issue. Hi, have you heard about Initiative

735 to get big money out Jonathan Tong is trying to raise

awareness about the problems of senators and congressmen

pandering to big-money and feeling they need to raise corporate money

for election campaigns. 70% of their work week

is spent raising money, making fund-raising calls instead

of doing the work they When they are making those

phonecalls, they are not calling people like you and me,

they are calling people on a list that their aides gave them,

people who give him This is the biggest problem

we have in America. We do not even have a democracy any

more. This region creates more and more

millionaires by the day. There are many trying to fight

the divide between rich and poor, like those at this meeting,

calling for measures to reduce homelessness, but many on the left

are furious with the Democratic presidential candidate they have

ended up with. She represents the problems

we are facing today. The corporate politics

we have been dealing with. Sasha says while she could never

vote for Donald Trump, she's going to go for a third-party

candidate to protest against Hillary Clinton,

who she does not think is interested She will get into office

and I do not think she will do much We need to give Hillary Clinton

a Congress that can continue to pull her to the left

on places where she needs At a campaign event we find this

woman, a progressive Democrat She is also upset about

big-money in politics. What, locally, can you point

to to say this is why money in politics

is a problem? We have tried to pass bills around

gun reform in the state legislature. The NRA has opposed every

single one of those. But she thinks a protest vote

for a third candidate Why would we waste that

opportunity with a candidate Because the other alternative

is to allow Donald Trump be president and I am not

going to do that. While some on the left are angry,

others think there is hope but there are large numbers who also

feel utterly despondent. He was excited last year

when he thought socialist Bernie Sanders had a chance

of beating Hillary Clinton to the Democratic nomination,

but that balloon has clearly burst. This election is everyone voting

about who they hate. Democrats are voting

against Trump and Republicans I was really excited

about Obama in 2008. For those many Americans who believe

that the amount of money in politics is the root of so many ills here,

it is not hard to see why some fear that will not change at all,

whatever the result When this extraordinary route

was created, it made northern communities feel close to the rest

of the country, But throughout our travels,

we found people united in feeling their government was far

away, and out of touch. We found the election had played

a part in law-abiding Muslim immigrants in Minneapolis feeling

under intense scrutiny. People in Fargo, on both sides

of the abortion rights debate, felt the issue was at

a critical juncture. The polarisation on views of climate

change is as stark as ever with the next president having

perhaps more responsibility than any We learned Donald Trump has

empowered extremists And that Seattle's left had

suspicions about Hillary Clinton and the claim she will reduce

the influence of money in politics. Throughout, we found an electorate

that was engaged and aware, and which, in every one

of the diverse communities we passed through, felt this election

really does matter. Some interesting developments taking

place in the atmosphere in the week ahead. I'm confident we will not see

anything as dramatic as we saw exactly 29 years ago when the great

storm of October