primary in historic by a historic margin. plus, i will talk to the only women and only black person to ever win e prestigious national book award for fiction, two times, jasmine ward joins the velshi banned book club today. and an in-depth look at why the red sea is so crucial and it's not just the trillion dollars worth of goods that passed through it every year. another hour of velshi begins right now. good morning. saturday, january the 13th, i'm ali velshi. we're just two days away from the iowa republican caucus. is the first in the nation nominating contests kicks off the 2024 election season into high gear. caucuses, as you may know, originates from old school political traditions that demand participants physically attend a meeting in order to participate. caucus goers have to sign in. they reported their respective precincts on monday night. then, at seven pm local time, representatives from each candidate will give brief

speeches in each precinct before the caucus goers vote for their candidate of choice. in a secret ballot. no early voting. no absentee voting. no veil in voting in this instance. the process can take a little while, but this, year could be the coldest iowa caucus ever. current forecast for monday night include record sub-zero temperatures, which, of course, could affect turnout. at this point, a force of nature might be the only thing that could prevent donald trump from winning the state. the latest poll of iowa conducted by suffolk university earlier this month shows the former president leading the pack with 54% of likely republican caucus goers saying they plan to support him. his closest rival, nikki haley, is 34 points behind. a 20%. if these numbers hold, trump has the opportunity to smash the record for the largest margin of victory in iowa gop history for a non incumbents. that's a record currently held by bob dole, who won the 1988 caucuses by 13 points. over pat robertson. historically, however, iowa has

been a poor predictor of the eventual gop nominee. bob dole, who won iowa, did not win the gop presidential nomination in 1988. george h. w. bush did. he s the distant third place finisher in iowa that year. since 2000, the winner of the iowa caucuses has only become the entual republican presidential nomee once. that's when george w. bush won the state. mike huckabee won in 2008, with rick santorum in 12, florida senator, i'm sorry, texas senator ted cruz, you got a victory over trump in 2016. but none of them became the nominee. a victory this time around it's going to be a comeback of sorts for trump. it will be the first time that he will compete in an election of any sort since he lost the 2020 presidential contest. inciting the january six insurrection, and was indicted on 91 criminal charges. a victory will signal his official return to electoral politics, even as his own eligibility to run for office

is under review by the supreme court. trump also wants to wrap up the nomination as soon as possible in order to avoid a prolonged primary battle, so he could shift his attention to the general election and his myriad legal troubles. the result in iowa was set up the race to come, revealing who trump's main challengers are going to be, and at that moment, the very clearly appears to be the former south carolina governor, nikki haley. she's still a very distant second place in the iowa polls, but she's showing strength and new hampshire, which is going to hold its primaries just eight days after iowa. a poll conducted by cnn at the university of new hampshire last week showed hillary clinton, sorry, showed nikki haley trailing by only seven points, but a second poll conducted around the same time found haley trailing trump by 20 points. it's a bit of a mixed bag. but they're two important takeaways for nikki haley here. it shows she is continuing to grow support in new hampshire, and that she's putting some distance between herself and ron desantis. plus, both polls were taken before christie dropped out of the race.

on thuday night. polls also indicate that halle is poisedo nefit the most from chris christie's absence in the race. the vast majority of christie supporters say that nikki haley, 65%, say nikki haley is their second choice. take a look at that. only 1% say it's vivek ramaswamy. 0% say it's ron desantis. make no mistake. donald trump has a commanding lead in national polls. he remains the outright favorite for the republican nomination. but there are some factors that could work in the key haley's favor. that could give her a fighting chance as the race heads to her own state of south carolina in february. among those factors, lawsuits, criminal cases, outstanding constitutional questions, and eradicated it with authoritarian tendencies who could end up in jail. a boost of momentum out of iowa could help nikki haley last long enough to be the candidate waiting in the wings, should something historic a bit upend the race. joining me now from des moines, iowa, nbc news correspondent vaughn hillyard, along with us as well.

political journalist michael short. guys, good to see you both. again, vaughn, let me start with you. i think you thawed out over the course of the last hour? tell me what you think about the. situation in iowa on monday, and what you are specifically thinking about and looking for. >> this is a part where it's hard not to look at the results of the 2016 iowa caucus here, and when you are looking at the polls, it's such a stop donald trump's only built on what he initially was able to garner back in 2016, when he was taking on the likes of ted cruz and marco rubio. i kind of view marco rubio as the nikki haley of this presidential race here. she's focused heavily on the des moines suburbs. these are places where marco rubio actually won before coming in third place. but the question is, can ron desantis mimic a ted cruz type of performance? he has worked just as hard. he has gone to all 99 counties. but frankly, ron desantis and ted cruz are different people, and have different appeals. so, for donald trump, what 99

is going to show us here is just how firm of support he is able, then able to cement over the last eight years, because i can tell, you i haven't met many folks who caucus for donald trump in 2016, who say they're not going to caucus for him this time around. you don't come by those folks, but you do come by a lot of folks who caucus for marco rubio or ted cruz years ago who are now coming to trump rallies. the weather dynamic is going to be interesting. or talking windchill factor of negative 35 degrees, ali. i was with michael just last week, in events and sue center there, and it was cold. but you still had hundreds of people waiting outside to get inside those stores, so trump supporters have shown enthusiasm in the past, and even if it's not 50% overall of the electorate, even if donald trump could still walk with 35 or 40%, he would still be able to pull off a caucus when. >> michael short, what a lot of people don't know is it in that 2016 nominating contest, 2015, 2016, you were my sherpa at

these things. we were up there together, and you are the guy i turn to to say, what's going on here? tell me what this means? i'm doing the same thing to you right now. looks, it's obvious don trump's gonna win, but what's the rest of the story here that we need to be talking about? >> yeah, look. looking at vaughn, right now, -- dial up tomorrow, putting that out there. i think that what you look at, we covered the story well but now. one of the parts of this is looking ahead. what, in fact, is there that donald trump can do to bring momentum to it? vaughn talked about the weather, you talked about the weather. it's going to be super cold. i don't buy into the fact that's gonna matter, necessarily, it's gonna be better for one candidate or not, with both things to say. but the point is, donald trump wants to win this with an exclamation point, and he wants to get momentum for new hampshire. it's also a little bit cliché, because so many of these campaigns who have done well in

iowa have not done well in the -- and i think the numbers for chris christie, i spoke to somebody out of one of the chris christie fundraising things earlier this week, when he dropped out of the race, and he said to me that part of the calculus for chris christie dropping out was the most damage he could do for donald trump would be in new hampshire, by leaving the race and having his support go to nikki haley, where it seems heading. >> but on, let's talk about new hampshire for a little while, because nikki haley, with anything better than the predicted performance that the polls are showing, goes into new hampshire, depending on how you look at this. a close contender for second. it just a contender for second, and some people think with a possibility of winning new hampshire. what has to happen on monday night to nikki haley and how does that relate to what ends up happening to ron desantis and for the crime of swami? >> independents in new

hampshire donors to change their party registration in new hampshire, unlike here in iowa. they can go and take part. and we are looking at potentially, you know, 40% of the republican primary electorate in new hampshire, a little over a week from now, being independents. registered independents here. so, by and large, that could really give nikki haley a boost. but with chris christie stepping out of the race, he was pulling out about 12% there. frankly, chris christie, what was so striking about his what you could call concession speech the other day was not only his clear disdain for nikki haley, but also, you hear that among voters. you know, at conversations with one voter here in iowa, who is not following every single punch of this political process here. but she told me that she viewed nikki haley much more in the lane of ron desantis and donald trump, because of her advertising, her messaging, as opposed to the asa hutchinson, chris christie, liz cheney lane,

if you could call it that. , so that is part of nikki haley's it's sort of that catch 22 here. in order to pull off this primary, she will need to cut into that trump maka constituency. but also, need to pull off those folks who are purely anti trump, who are sympathetic to the list cheney wing of this republican party. and that is a really tough balancing act, and it leads others to determine whether she does it or not. >> let's talk about that lane, but nikki haley lane, whatever that happens to be. she does have the support of a number of mainstream republicans who are still republicans. she does have the support of coke foundation. she's got the support of the popular new hampshire governor, chris sununu. she's getting the money that was going to ron desantis. but it's not clear, because she often says she would pardon donald trump or she doesn't dissenter self as clearly as she might on many key factors, including her ability to not say the civil war was caused by

slavery the other day. she's still not fully carved out in her own lane. >> it's a tough job she has, in terms of -- as a trump supporter doesn't want to go after them, but she doesn't need them -- machines carver own path. she needs to be able to convince voters she is going to be different than donald trump, while not letting go of all of his policies, all of his politics. we saw in republican circles, they still remain popular. the lines of these offense of iowa, people are still adhering to what donald trump did as president. they do not like joe biden won it, and if they end up looking for an alternative to trump, they don't want the person who's been bashing them the most. so, it's a very fine line. it's a very -- politician has to do. in order to do that -- going to be appealing to different voters. i think it's important, you, know i look at endorsements -- pursue news endorsement --

right there. ali, i think it's important in a state like new hampshire, where he is a popular governor. as a matter of fact, so many wanted him to run for president, , so i do think it's going to matter. how much of a divide she has but that point, it's too hard to tell. nothing but a favor donald trump's book. >> michael, all i could say, the only advice i could give you, looking at vaughn, is trust very warmly for iowa. good to see you, my friend. thank you for being with us. vaughn, as always, thank you my friends. go get warm a little bit. vaughn hillyard in iowa for us. michael short, running us as well. tonight at 9:00 eastern, msnbc's katie tur is going to have special coverage to states before the caucuses begin. she'll be joined by e eat steve kornacki and a crew of reporters on the ground to break down the latest on the race. that's tonight, 90 am eastern, msnbc. first, congresswoman from primala jayapal calls the strikes on yemen, quote, unceptable violation of the constitution. she will join me to discuss that yes. plus, today's meeting of the velshi banned book club is

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another series of strikes against houthi rebels in yemen. this follows thursdays targeted strikes by the u.s. and the uk on 60 different sites of the houthi controlled western part of yemen. the houthi rebels have been attacking a vital international shipping wrapped in the red sea for several weeks. president biden noting in a statement the houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the red sea jeopardize trade and that's quote, more than 2000 ships have been forced to divert thousands of miles to avoid the

red sea, which could cause weeks of delay in product shipping times. i want to take a look at the shipping route, and what's been going on in the red sea. the houthi attacks on freight trips are happening here at the bottom of the screen. you can see the bab-el-mandeb strait. it's the only way for ships from the east coming through the gulf of aden to get into the arabian sea, and ultimately, get into the suez canal. now, right, here the suez canal, which you could see towards the top of the screen is, one of the most important shipping passages in the world. even in 2024, ocean shipping remains the beating heart of global trade, and the suez canal is one of the important major arteries. last time i talk to you about the suez canal was in 2021, when a colossal container ship got jammed in the passage, blocking the waterway for six days. the suez canal rivals the newly opened arctic passage as one of the quickest routes between asia and europe. 17,000 ships carrying a trillion dollars worth of goods

passed through its every year. that's 12% of annual global trade, according to loyd's lists, a global shipping news outlet. but the houthi attacks have forced shipping companies to reconsider using this vital wrapped. at least, six of the ten biggest shipping companies in the world have either decrease the number of ships they sent through the red sea, or diverted their entire fleet from the area. after u.s.-led strikes in the area began on thursday, even more ships are diverting from the route. so, what's plan b? currently, shipping companies could keep using the gate of monday of straight, and the red sea, but that risks are ships being attacked by the houthi rebels, and will come at a steep price. the cost to ship containers through that passage has skyrocketed. according to the jury, a london-based shipping analysis firm, in the week of november 21st, when the attacks began, it cost $1,148 to ship a 40 foot container from taiwan to

the netherlands. that's just a good example of a place in the east and their place in europe. ships hold thousands of these 40-foot containers, fueled in part by sharp trump's, a sharp drop in insurance premiums. prices are now at $4,406 per container. it's almost four times as expensive. many shipping companies are going with the safer option and diverting most of their ships to where are they sending them? the most viable alternative, especially in winter, in the northern hemisphere, is to go all the way around the cape of good hope, and go past south africa. the very bottom of african. but take a look at how much longer this journey around the cape of good hope is compared to passing through the suez canal and the red sea. it would add 7 to 10 days to the trip. the ships are going to face more extreme weather conditions sailing down the east side of africa and up the west side of africa than they would in the red sea. these sorts of delays could have knock on effect for the global economy. the shipping industry today

works on what's called a just in time basis. ships are meant to reach the reports exactly on schedule. port space is limited. even one late vote could trigger a domino effect. diversions like this could mean delays in consumer goods. logjam supports, and increased shipping costs, which translate to longer wait times and higher prices for consumers. the longer the issue remains, the more adverse effects are going to be. ikea has already warned of product shortages. companies like tesla and volvo half pause production at some of their factories to avoid having a backlog of supplies. but some experts say this won't be as bad as the impact of covid area supplying, covid ever supply chain issues, because fleet capacity is higher. there are more ships. the shipping rates we've seen in recent weeks are still much lower than what we saw in january of 2022 during the peak of covid related supply chain issues. by the way, the u.s. led military response to houthi attacks on the red sea is not without economic consequence itself. u.s. crude oil prices jumped

four and a half percent on friday morning, as a response to these strikes.

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just to clarify, what is it

you are getting two? it is the object district some selves, or it that the president engaged in them without congressional approval, or both? >> it is the latter. it is the president engaged in these strikes without seeking congressional approval, and this is a long debated issue, of course, because article one of the constitution gives the power to declare or two congress, article two if the power to the president to direct military forces as commander-in-chief. so, just backing up, in 1973, amidst a you know, the disastrous war in vietnam, and the ways in which the dynasties was pulled into that conflict little by little, congress decided to reassert our congressional authority by passing the war powers resolution of 1973. in the war powers resolution, it's pacific lee articulated

the instances where the instances or the president can uninitiated use of force and military actions that commit united states forces. and there were three instances. one was a declaration of war. too was a statutory authority, is given. and three's instances or the united states faces an emergency attack on the united states or on its possessions or territories. now, the intent here was to say that the president must be in consultation whenever possible with congress. in fact, section three of the war powers resolution says that. it specifically says in every circumstance where possible, the president must consult with congress. so, we have both congress and the president weighing what the course forward should be. in this situation, ali, what the president did is consult with a huge number of allies. it took weeks and, in fact, the

white house was telegraphing that there was going to be some retaliation, so, there was certainly time and space to come to congress and consult with congress, and ask for our authority, particularly given that the reason the houthis and you, know, this is a violent extremist group. we, obviously, have to deal with the houthis, but particularly because the houthis were saying the reason they're doing this is because of the war in gaza. so, i think the implications of all of this are that the united states could be pushed into a significant set of hostilities, and committing of our resources, and that is something congress should consider. i don't think we can anymore say we are in danger of the gaza or spreading. it is already happening. it's happening right here, before our eyes. >> so, i spoke to your colleague, gregory existed.

he was saying that the president did inform congress. there's a distinction here and what you're talking about about informing congress versus consulting with congress. some might say you are splitting hairs. other might say we got ourselves into a war for a very long time in iraq. by the way, vietnam, which was never a war. it was some kind of action. so, the war powers act was meant to constrain the president, not give them extra freedoms. >> that's right. and there is a big distinction. it isn't splitting hairs. it's a big distinction between informing and consulting with. and seeking authority from congress. so, in this case, you know, that third instance that i mentioned of when there's an emergency attack in that situation, the president must inform within 48 hours, must inform congress. and so, i think that this situation is one or clearly, there was the time and space, and the intent of congress in the war powers resolution was

to say that in every circumstance, democratic president, republican president, whatever the circumstance is, we need to ensure that congress is consulted. and again, i would just say that particularly given the circumstances here, given that this is in the middle east, given that israel's war on gaza is continuing and it has significant consequences for us to be drawn in as the houthis want us to be drawn in, i would argue, i think that this is absolutely a circumstance where the president is required to consult with congress, and i think needs to come to us now and ask for authorities for anything further that they intend to do. >> i'm an economics guy, so i'm very interested in the shipping route and things like that. definitely, a valid economic concern. i wasn't sure how that constituted an imminent threat to the united states, but i talk to congressman mix and i said, well, why did the president have the ability to take this action without consulting congress?

he felt that the houthis had demonstrated their ability to threaten u.s. interests, and certainly had launched some attacks in that direction. the argument being needed to be done quickly, as opposed to the process of getting approval from congress. what's your take on that? >> well, look. certainly, the united states and our allies have an interest in defending the freedom and the shipping routes. they are very important economically. but again, i would just say, what is the problem with coming to congress and asking for authority, again, given the context of this particular situation that's even more enhanced, i think? but you know, that is not a reason. that is not with the war powers resolution says is, you, know any threat that's out there is a threat, and therefore, the president has the right. no. it says that, and it specifically says this within the war powers resolution.

that's in any situation or the president can consult with congress and ask authority of congress, he or she should do that. so, that's the situation here. we've had weeks where the president could come to congress and say this is the plan. and in fact, i had a conversation yesterday with the top state department official, where they explained all of their rationale. , well great. can explain it to congress, let us have that conversation, because in my mind, this is both about how we protect our shipping routes, but it is also about the war in gaza, and how do we make sure that that does not expand? there are serious consequences here, and that is why i have been as, you know, calling for a cease-fire, because violence does beget violence. we have to stop ourselves from getting pulled into these conflicts with more violence, because it will have a long term ramifications. that is what happened exactly as we've talked about in the vietnam war. in other conflicts.

and that is why, in 1973, congress said, we are going to reassert our constitutional authority. >> congresswoman, always good to talk to you. thank you for taking the time to join us this morning. the democratic representative of washington from elegiac will. up next, we now have the results of the major presidential election in taiwan. they're important. we're gonna head to taipei, after this. after this ♪3, 4♪ ♪ ♪hey♪ ♪ ♪are you ready for me♪ ♪are you ready♪ ♪are you ready♪

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on this morning. lai ching-te of taiwan's democratic progressive party has won that country's presidential election. this is a crucial election that could determine taiwan's future stands and relationship with china. beijing has accused lai of being a troublemaker and a separatists. china's leaders have described this as quote, a choice between war and peace, quote, warning taiwanese voters against supporting lai, whose party has been in control, by the way. one of the main concerns for voters was policy with china, which claims taiwan is its own territory, and it's not ruled out a military invasion to fully control taiwan. joining me now is nbc news correspondent, michael, front janis mackey flare live from taipei. can, is tell me what this means for taiwan? >> well, lilia lai campaign got -- to the status quo, who voters who want things in taiwan to stay the same. that independents, not

reunification with the mainland. he got about 40% of the vote. going into it today, he was almost neck and neck with the main opposition candidate, hou yu-ih of the kuomintang. just a few hours into counting the ballots, hou realize the numbers were not going in his favor. he actually conceded quite early. the third contender conceded within an hour of that. basically, anointing lai as the next president of taiwan. he takes over from -- who didn't run again because of term limits here, and in winning this, he has made history, because the dpp has now had three consecutive terms in power. but he's selling himself as a -- 2.0, if we want to call it that, in that he is not going to stray much from the policies that she has set, not in dealing with china hou and not

in dealing with the united states in his victory speech, he said that this victory shows that taiwan, in this battle between democracy and authoritarianism, taiwan is on the side of democracy. he thanked people here for helping him write this new chapter. all of this, of course, not going over well in beijing. there were already official statements coming up in the taiwan affairs office, and the ministry of foreign affairs, reminding people that taiwan is an internal affair for china, and that its intentions remain unchanged. they see the reunification of taiwan with the mainland as on stoppable. >> janis, when the story came out, but news of the election broke, at that myself, i really want to cover this. somebody told me, janice is there. a very happy about that. thank you for joining us this morning. note to everybody, taiwan counts it's ballast really, really fast. right after the break, we got today's meeting of the velshi banned book club. we're taking a look at that winner of the national book

award for fiction, salvage the bones. i have to say, this book is one of the most powerful we have covered. poetic writing, visceral scenes, and characters that will stay with you long after this meeting ends. g ends after antacid all day long but with prilosec otc just one pill a day blocks heartburn for a full 24 hours. for one and done heartburn relief, prilosec otc. one pill a day, 24 hours, zero heartburn. the days velshi banned book

club features salvage the bones by jesmyn ward, begins with a berth. 15 year old esch, her brother, he got randall junior, under,

father watch in a small, dilapidated shed as china, sketches white hateful, delivers puppies for the first time. one comes into the world already death, five of them are fragile. they are bored fighting. this moment masterfully written over the course of an entire chapter, introduces themes we are going to see again and again. the thin line between life and death, the intricacies of him with dynamics, the all-encompassing restriction of racialized poverty, and, the complexities ofove. set in the 12 days leading up to and after hurricane katrina makes landfall, salvaged phones is broken down into vignettes that read as complete stories of their own. every chapter is a single day, as told to us by our esch, our teenage protectionist. we join her as she and randall steal crucial supplies for their family. we join her as she tries to save china's puppies from the deadly floodwaters, and we join her as scovs that she's pregnant. quote, i look at the stick,

remember what it said on the packaging at the store. two lines means that you are pregnant. you are pregnant. i sit up and curl ovemynees, rubbing eyes against m kneecaps. the terrible tf what i am players like a dry fall fire in my stomach, eating all the fallen pine needles. and quote. esch whatever notion you may have a pregnant teenage forecheck just. esch it's commanding of her sensuality, sensitive. she rely got comparisons between their life in the gek mythology spent a time for school. quote, in every one of the greek mythology tales, there is this. a man chasing a woman, or a woman chasing a man. there is never meeting in the middle. there is only a body in a ditch, and only one person walking toward it or away from it. end quote. while salvage the bones is, at its core, a story chronicling the lives of and impoverished family in the american south, it's also a story of discovering love. rejected by manny, the father of her child, abandoned by a

mother dead from childbirth, and without a present father, esch has little basis for understanding love. but those constant and honest example of love and devotion is between skeetah and his pit bull, china. the book's most tender and striking scenes are between skeetah and china. they are a true partnership, even when skeetah subjects china to brutal violence in a dogfight ring, they appear asa team. both, victims of their circumstance. ski thought whispers in her ear, quote, china, make them know, even though they want to, they can't live without you, china. they walk together out of the ring. once you finally finish salvage the bones, it's entirely clear why it won the national book award for fiction in 2011. the rich imagery, the nuance characters, the awards, the amazing ability to poetically depict beauty and gore almost interchangeably, make for a book that is nothing short of a modern classic. this book changes you. and finally, i have a message for the two parents wholodged

a formal complaint against a teacher in guilford county, north carolina for a signing this book to her ap english class. for anyone else targeting this book in classrooms around the nation, i urge you to read it. cover to cover. calling salvage the bones quote, trash garbage and pornography, and quote, like those two parents did, proves to me they didn't read it. we featured nearly 70 books on the velshi banned book club, and there are few that are as compelling, as thought-provoking, as this one. this is the sort of literature that should be assigned to every english class in america, discussed esch family dynamic, pick apart the, writing and i solutions to nature, and decide what survival looks like. you will be better for it. i know i am. i'm joined now by jesmyn ward, the only woman in the only black person to win the national book award for fiction twice. she is the author of numerous all-important books, including today's velshi banned book club feature, salvage the bones.

jasmine, thank you for writing the book and thank you for being with us this morning. >> thank you for having me. >> i want to start with the depiction of motherhood in salvage the bones. esch's mother dies in childbirth, her own pregnancy about rejection from the father, and, then some of that was talking about with cnawhich killed one of her own puppies. quote, china is a bloody mouth and bright eyed as medea. if she could speak, this is what i could ask her. is this what motherhood is? end quote. talk to me about this. >> you know, much of the book is spent, all of the book is told from esch's point of view. so, throughout the entire book, she is trying to figure out what it means to be a mother, because unfortunately, as you mentioned earlier, she doesn't have any models for it. right? so, she has to look for models of motherhood in unlikely places.

one of the models she looks to is she looks to china. she also looks to the myth of media. and in the end, or near the end of the book, she realizes, she begins to look at the hurricane, which is hurricane katrina, as sort of a model of a type of mother. i know that sounds strange, so, she has to, you, know she has to look to unfamiliar, you know, unfamiliar things to figure out what it means, to figure out what it means to care for something else. and in a brutal world, right? she sort of learns that unfortunately, sometimes, caregivers can be brutal. sometimes, caregivers can fail those that they are supposed to

care for, even though they love them. so i think you learned a lot of complicated lessons about love from these unlikely sources. >> there is greek mythology through line throughout the book. you just mentioned the story of medea. why this story as a vehicle? >> because i [laughter] i'm gonna offer an unsatisfying answer to that question. i happen to have edith hamilton's mythology on my desk that i was writing the rough draft of salvage the bones. and i have always loved that book since i was 12 years old, and i wanted esch to have a source, you know, something outside herself she could reference and she could read. i looked at that book and thought, why can't she read edith hamilton's -- youth hamilton's with-ology?

so, i was i was writing as his story, and as esch was reading edith hamilton's mythology, i was writing at the same time. so, when i got to the part, when i read, when i happened upon the tale of jason and the argonaut's, that's when esch happened upon the tale of jason and the argonaut, and it just clicked in that moment, right? it seems to me, right, that esch would stop there and pay attention to that tale, because it's so different from all the tails that come before it. >> salvage the bones and two of your other novels, seeing, on, very sing, and where the line bleeds, take place in the fictional town of loss to vanish. you said before that is based on your hometown and where you are raising your family now. tell me more about that. >> yeah, this town is a fictionalized version of my hometown, which is the will, mississippi. it's a small, rural town in the mississippi gulf coast.

that's where you know, i grew up in a way, i don't think a lot of people grow up. they don't have the opportunity anymore. i was very firmly rooted in a large community, a large black community, a core, you know, family large extended family. i have over 200 people in my extended family, so, there are a lot of us. so, i think that that keeps me there, and makes me committed to, you know, living in a place that inspires me, because i am so firmly rooted in my family and my community, and also, you know, the landscape is very beautiful to me. the place is very beautiful to me. so, you know, that's what draws me there and keeps me there.

>> you included three quotes in your epigraph. one is from deuteronomy, and the old testament. one is from the poet, gloria verandas, and one is from the atlanta hip-hop roop, outcast. the last one reads, we on our backs, staring at the stars above, talking about what we gonna be when we grow up. i said, what you want to be? she said, alive. what's the significance of that? >> i love southern wrap. i love outkast, i'm a huge outkast fan. i feel like southern rap and music was so necessary and instrumental to my life when i was growing up, and informed so much of my ideas about myself and the world that i was moving through, and what was possible and gave me keys to understand that world. i wanted to reference southern wrap in you know, the beginning of the book, in one of epigraph's. and i was listening to outkast,

and you know, of course, andre 3000 wraps those lyrics and i thought, this is perfect, right? it is such, i think, and expression of what i think esch and what i would be struggling with in the book, right? what these characters wants more than anything is they want to lay. if they want to survive. they want to tell their stories. they want witnesses. so, i think that epigraph expresses that. >> jesmyn, amazing. thank you so much for joining us on the velshi banned book club. thank you for writing this amazing book. thank you for sharing. i could go one for an hour with all of the great parts about this book, but i really appreciate having you here. thank you. >> thank you. thank you. >> jesmyn ward it's the two time winner of a national boo award for fiction. the author of salvage the bones and many other books. including lettuce descent. all right, that does it for me.

thank you for watching. catch me back here tomorrow morning from 10 am to noon eastern. don't forget, velshi is also available as a podcast. you can follow and listen for free wherever you get your podcasts 2024,, so not gonna make the joke about how i'm always wearing the vest in the podcast, because it doesn't matter what i'm wearing in the podcast, because you can't see me. but you can hear. mr. wherever you are, my friend katie phang picks up our coverage, after a quick break. k break. my skin has been so much smoother so much more hydrated. it's olay! with olay hyaluronic body wash 95% of women had visibly-better skin. and my skin is so much more moisturized. see the difference with olay. your best defense against erosion and cavities is strong enamel- nothing beats it. new pronamel active shield actively shields the enamel to defend against erosion and cavities. i think that this product is a gamechanger for my patients- it really works. (son) dad. you ok? gamechanger for my patients- (dad) it's our phone bill! we pay for things that we don't need! bloated bundles, the reckless spending!

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january six we've never seen before, even during the civil war. insurrectionists waving confederate flags inside the halls of congress, vilifying slate americans. >> i want to testified publicly in the chairman keeps blocking it. i'm not sure what there is to hide. >> let me tell you why nobody want to talk to all behind closed doors, because you all are lying. -- >> that is wrong, you support all that money going over. there >> you are so desperate. >> it's clear to me tonight that there isn't a path for me to win the nomination, which is why i am spending my campaign. >> robert and i said we usually agree to -- >> a president united states, i'm not talking just, me but any president has have immunity. >> our top line agreement remains. we are getting our next steps together and we're working towards a robust appropriations process. stay tuned for all of that to develop. >> i am katie