I know i wouldnt. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] sharyl welcome to full measure. Im sharyl attkisson. The biggest political story of 2016 was undoubtedly Donald Trumps election, but he wasnt the only outspoken republican leader we met during the year. Maines governor, paul lepage, has been embroiled in controversies stemming from his dislike of the press, and his unorthodox ways, which some find offensive. His supporters think hes a straightshooter whos become a political target in part because of his aggressive push to reform the welfare state. We went to find out whether his Reform Efforts are a model for the rest of the nation. And its reputation as a welfare state. But last month, governor paul lepages effort to reform that reputation was threatened by an expletivefilled voicemail he he left a critic over whether his policies are racially motivated. Gov. Lepage i want you to prove that im a racist. Ive spent my life helping black people and you little son of a socialist. Sharyl that drew National Attention and calls for him to resign. Rachel maddow this is by no means an exhaustive catalog of governor paul lepage, his controversies and his fights and even his public swearing. That would take way too long. Sharyl but lepage insists hes not going anywhere and will continue pushing aggressive welfare reforms, which helped him get elected in 2010. That year, a full 36 of maines budget was spent on welfare like food stamps and cash assistance. Well either call you back today or tomorrow. Gov. Lepage i am the example, the poster child for the american dream, and you dont do it by taking. You do it by giving and earning what you have. Sharyl lepage has launched a crackdown on fraud after discovering a shocking detail nobody else had unearthed millions of dollars in food stamps intended for needy maine residents were being spent in farflung locations like hawaii, puerto rico, and the virgin islands. What does that tell you . Gov. Lepage it tells me that it doesnt work. Thats what it tells me. It tells me that theres nobody looking after the chicken coop. Sharyl lepage is also pushed through a series of major welfare reforms. Maine was one of the few states with no restrictions on how long people could get cash assistance. Now theres a fiveyear limit. Those convicted of drug crimes can be booted off welfare if they flunk a drug test. And then there are big changes to the food stamp program. Gov. Lepage food stamps is a copout. Earn money so they can buy their own food. Sharyl under revisions made in october 2014, maine adults under age 50 with no dependents can only get food stamps if they enroll in vocational education, volunteer an hour a day, or work 20 hours a week, if theyre mentally and physically able. After one year, the results were remarkable. The food stamp caseload of childless adults dropped more than 80 from above 13,000 to under 2600. Gov. Lepage ive met some people that in 2010 hated me. Hated me. I was, when i was campaigning about reforming welfare, and i would just get these letters occasionally saying, you were absolutely right. Now im not on benefits. I am selfreliant for myself. Were productive. Sharyl but the governors brand of tough love has plenty of skeptics. Chantal brouillard is a restaurant manager in castine, maine. Chantal we cant have a state that is dependent on i think that he is potentially going to take away benefits for families and Community Members that really, really need it. Sharyl state senator nate libby, a democrat, accuses the governor of throwing the baby out with the bathwater cutting funds for critical programs, increasing childhood hunger. State sen. Libby i think the governor has created this sense in the state of maine that all welfare is bad, and that, you know, people should be cut off of the public assistance rolls at any cost, without sort of looking at the corollary effects of that. Sharyl lepages reforms and his running commentary on the causes of maines social ills have set off critics. Last year, he said most maines heroin problems are coming from black, outofstate drug dealers. Gov. Lepage guys that are named dmoney, smoothy, shifty these type of guys that come from connecticut and new york, they come up here. They sell their heroin. Then they incidentally, half the time, they impregnate a young white girl before they leave. Sharyl confronted by what he viewed as a hostile media and accusations hes racist, lepage lashed out and said he wished it were the 1880s so he could duel one of his critics. And he stood by his earlier criticism. Governor lepage we have a lot of people from connecticut, new york, the bronx, they come up to maine with heroin. Theyre killing our people. And yes, they move into they find a woman to move in with. And since were 99 white, its a white woman. Sorry, but its a fact. Sharyl the words people use about you that you dont like are often angry, racist. Gov. Lepage oh, im racist . Sharyl hateful. Gov. Lepage if i have something to say, i say it right out. And do i say things that are not politically correct . Yes. Will i continue . Yes. Do i get attention . Yes. All of the above. And i think you people worry too much about pc, being politically the person. Sharyl lepage insists his heart is in the right place and his philosophies deeply rooted in personal experience. His grandparents came to maine from canada to work in the textile mills. He grew up in an abusive home, speaking only french. Hes the eldest of 18 children, most he never knew because he ran away at age 11. It was a tough upbringing . Gov. Lepage a major tough upbringing. Major. And to the point where i just couldnt take it and i left. Sharyl what happened . Gov. Lepage it was a beating. A vicious beating. And i left home. Sharyl he lived on the streets until two families gave him work and took him in. Some would say, being someone who grew up in poverty, abused as a child, homeless for a time, that you should have the most kind of sympathy for people . Gov. Lepage i do. Sharyl going through that. Gov. Lepage i am the most compassionate person for poverty that exist in the state of maine and the United States of america. You try growing up, cant speak english, on the streets of maine. Im gonna tell you, you go to school with a hole in your shoe, and you get a piece of cardboard to keep it from freezing, and the fact that youre living on the streets, you dont have a shower every day, and you tell me we dont get discriminated against. Sharyl he became a successful businessman and father of five, including a young man he calls his adopted son, devon, who is black. Lepage says his street experience taught him what helps and what doesnt. Gov. Lepage july of 1964, we had a war on poverty and weve thrown money at it and then we turn around and walk away. But i roll up my sleeves and work with people and teach them how to get out of poverty. Sharyl on our visit, the governor took us to capitol clubhouse, a program that trains the mentally ill so they can earn their own paychecks. Thank you for visiting our clubhouse. Sharyl 30 years ago, lepage was the first businessman in the state to hire socalled transitional employees from a clubhouse project. Drowned out by the noise over the governors controversies are his supporters and successes. What do you think of governor lepage . I love him. Sharyl why . Why . Because hes not a politician. One of the things i agree with is the idea that everybody should be pulling their own weight. His concerns about the state are spot on in regards to the things that need to change in the state of maine. His approach is questionable. We all know that. Sharyl while more people have been getting on food stamps nationally, its the opposite in maine. Under lepage, the states food stamp enrollment has dropped 23 . Cash assistance cases are down 62 . And the amount of food stamp money spent outside of maine has been cut almost in half. Eric brakey is a republican state senator. State sen. Brakey welfare reform has been a very popular message here in maine. Now, maybe in some corners of, you know, the peoples republic of portland, maybe its not always as popular there. But statewide, we see that welfare reform is very popular. Sharyl so popular, theres a brand new law barring people from spending cash benefits on alcohol, tobacco, guns, and tattoos. And it was sponsored by a democrat, senator libby. State sen. Libby a lot of mainers are really surprised to learn that you can use state public assistance to buy cigarettes and alcohol. And i dont think theres anybody who thinks thats a expenditure that helps pull somebody out of poverty. Sharyl as the sun sets on the Lepage Administration hes out in two years under term limits he plans to stay the course. It remains to be seen whether maines reforms will lead to more poverty, as some critics fear. For now, the states call centers sound a little less like a welfare state. This is definitely a temporary assistance. Its not something thats permanent. Sharyl and lepage says hes out to reduce dependency, not make friends. Gov. Lepage i dont care. I wasnt this is my story about being liked. When i want to be liked, i go get a dog. Its unconditional love and i have three now. I might have to have a fourth one before im done. [laughter] sharyl coming up burning , through our precious forests and the federal budget at the same time. Robert bonnie in a bad year we spent north of sixty percent on fire related expenses. Lisa fletcher what is that in dollars and cents . Robert bonnie it was close to sharyl along the california coast, 2016 will be remembered for its fires. One of them, sparked by an illegal campfire, burned for 83 days and charred an area four times the size of san francisco. The soberanes fire has been called the most expensive ever fought by the Forest Service at a cost of at least 229 million tax dollars. Full measure contributor Lisa Fletcher went to investigate a Natural Disaster that burned a big hole in the federal budget. Lisa the picture postcard views around big sur vanished this summer. Record wildfires closed the highways and hotels, keeping tourists away from one of the central coasts crown jewels. Everyone but the firefighters. This actually crossed the creek the night before last. Supervisor of the Los Padres National forest, his job is to put the fires out. Bob the terrain is incredibly complex. Its rugged california with some of the steepest terrain in the lower 48. Lisa summer wildfires in the west have been burning bigger, hotter, and faster over the last several years, consuming not only the landscape, but the budget of the Agency Charged with fighting the fires. Robert we need congress to act and we need them to act now. Lisa Robert Bonnie is the head of the u. S. Forest service. He has spent the last four years trying to get congress to treat fires more like Natural Disasters. That would shift the cost off the Forest Service ledgers and over to funds used for emergencies like hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. Robert if you look back about 20 years, the Forest Service spent about one sixth of its budget on fire and fire fighting. Last year, in a bad year, we firerelated expenses. Lisa what is that in dollars and cents . Robert it was close to 3 billion last year, out of an Agency Budget thats about 5 billion, so you can see that the agency is being more and more less a Forest Service and more a fire service. Lisa the Los Padres National forest is ground zero for one of the summers worst fires, now surpassing 120,000 acres. So, this is a drip torch. We intentionally put fire on the ground, so that way we can create a buffer from the main fire and something that were trying to protect. Lisa thousands of firefighters are using fire to fight fire, not to mention the helicopters, bulldozers, and fleets of water trucks at a cost of 210 million and counting. With extreme fires consuming so much of the rest services budget, programs designed to prevent fires are in jeopardy. In fact, in 2015, the Forest Service had to take 700 million from prevention programs and put it into firefighting. These flammable landscapes become far more volatile when the money isnt there to manage pests like the tree killing bark beetle. Capt. Lindberry they will burrow around the tree in the layer that actually carries the water up to the top of the tree. Lisa fire captain Mike Lindbery works on some of the biggest fires across the country. Capt. Lindberry theyre estimating 60 Million Trees are dead standing right now all over the state. Lisa and what is the translation for a firefighter . Capt. Lindberry the translation for a firefighter is, one, faster moving more deadly fires and the fact even while theyre fighting these fires, theres the danger of the trees dropping on them at any point. Lisa and you already had one firefighter killed with a tree dropping on them. Capt. Lindberry there was a firefighter killed last week from a tree dropping on him, thats correct. Lisa forest fires produce a double jeopardy. After crews extinguish the flames, the barren landscape creates a threat for mudslides and poisoning local water. Robert we dont have the resources we need to invest in reforestation and we have a substantial backlog. I think it might be as much as 5 million acres of areas where wed like to plant trees postfire and we essentially cant. Lisa like here, high above big sur, where mark gerwes been on the front line for months. Is this a disaster . Mark absolutely its a disaster. And for congress and washington not to recognize that and start giving us what we need to do our job, i think they need to take a hard look at that and understand that this is, this is whats going on. Lisa for years, the house and senate have been at an impasse over how to pay for putting out the biggest wildfires. People out there are tired of hearing about so many committees and so many people involved that cant come to an agreement. Robert thats exactly right. This is an issue where there is broad agreement and we need to fix it. Its absolutely clear. I think this is becoming more and more an issue that Many Americans see every day and think the anger is for not getting on top of this faster, for congress not acting, is growing. Lisa and so are the fires. More than 14 million acres have burned in the last two years. 14 people were killed in a wildee in november as fire ripped through the Great Smoky Mountains national park. Still, the congressional impasse continues. Congress has adjourned without resolving the wildfire funding issue. One more thing for the next congress to add to its plate in january. For full measure, im Lisa Fletcher. Sharyl still ahead. Some say a cyber war is underway. So, why are some of our top agencies rejecting the bes sharyl after the claims and counterclaims over alleged russian hacking during the november election, president obama ordered a full review by the nations intelligence agencies. But when it comes to recruiting cybersoldiers to do battle in government is missing out on some of the best talent. Full measure contributor joce sterman has the surprising reason why. Joce john chase is never going to fit the mold of a buttoned down fbi agent. He didnt go to college. He admits hes used recreational drugs. And he has a criminal record. Chase does have one vital component in his skill set. In just one day, he developed a program to dig through social media data and expose thousands of accounts linked to isis. He published a list that went viral disabling one of their most successful propaganda and recruiting tools. How does it feel to take on the Largest Terrorist Organization in the world . John scary. It was definitely nervewracking. When we were writing the script and compiling the list, it didnt seem like a big deal, but when we published the list and the media became so interested, and then it became apparent that isis knew who we were, that was definitely a moment of oh god you know . Joce chase worked as part of the group anonymous, a loose collective of hackers. Hello, citizens of the world. We are anonymous. Joce made famous by a number of notorious hacks including infiltrating top level prokremlin activists, successfully disabling the website for greeces central bank, even exposing personal information that belongs to president ial hopeful donald trump. Chase claims his work drew the attention of some top level and top secret agencies interested in his particular skill set. The problem . Even if he wanted to go legit, he falls into what the government calls unclearabale talent. The hurdle . At least for the fbi, four questions to pass the background check. Have you used marijuana in the last 3 years . Have you used any other illegal drug in the last 10 years . Have you ever sold any illegal drug . Prescription drug in a manner for which it was not intended in the past three years . What do you think when you hear all of those questions . John i cant imagine one person i know who would have the skill set to actually fulfill that job that would meet all those criteria. I know i wouldnt. Joce its that culture clash thats keeping hackers with sorely needed skills, like chase, on the dark side. David johnson were trying to do a better job. Right . Were trying to increase the candidate pool. But there is that baseline were not willing to go below. Joce David Johnson leads cybersecurity operations for the fbi. He says theres a lot of discussion at the bureau about changing times and the changing threat. Hackers say, for the feds, keeping up may require looking at the potential talent pool a little differently, mining social media and the dark web, a place intentionally hidden from almost all eyes and accessed by the few with highly technical tools. If thats where they are, if thats where they play,hy david thats where some of them play. Theres no doubt about that. But from my perspective, there is plenty of equally good talent that is not quite so hard to access. Joce the second big hurdle to attracting hackers is money. And whoever said crime doesnt pay never hacked on the dark web. John i think the best people are on the black hat side and a lot of that is financially driven. Obviously, theres a lot more money in committing internet crimes than working for the government. A lot of people would probably forego some of that mone