America | Redefining Hope - Preview
When CBSN visited Erie, Pennsylvania, not long after the election, we met locals who hoped that a change in Washington might result in a change in their hometown's fortunes. Erie, once a proud manufacturing town, had been hit hard by America's manufacturing decline. General Electric, the main employer, had shed thousands of jobs, leaving Erie residents scrambling to find new work, learn new skills or leave town altogether.
In the 2016 election, a majority of Erie voters cast their ballots for a Republican for the first time since the Reagan administration. It was a hopeful vote, with many Erie residents telling CBSN they saw an opportunity for a new approach, their voices were finally being heard and change might finally be coming.
One-hundred days into the Trump administration, we returned to Erie to hear if that hope had been realized.
Airing first on CBSN on Monday, June 19 at 8 p.m. ET, "America | Redefining Hope" returns to meet some of Erie's residents who are coming to terms with the reality that a swift turnaround in the nation's executive branch hasn't yet sparked a resurgence in manufacturing. We visit General Electric, once the town's largest employer, to see how the company is pivoting to deal with technological advances, and how one workplace in particular is full of new faces from a new Erie demographic.
