hi, tony, we begin in southern california where a manhunt is underway tonight for three men. the dangerous trio escaped on friday. investigatorss say they were al awaiting trial for violent crimes. jennifer london is in los angeles with more. jennifer? >> reporter: john, where they are, and how they got away, those are the two big questions tonight. authorities say two of the three escaped inmates have strong ties with vietnamese gangs in the area, and they don't believe they have fled southern california. in fact authorities say they may be hiding in the community. it was an elaborate escape from a mechanics mum-security jail, in southern california's orange county. three violent inmates cut through a steel event, got to the roof, and repelled down five stories using braided bed

sheets. three days later, authorities are k looking to the public for help. >> we absolutely need the public's help. we need the public's assistance to look at these pictures. we know somebody out there knows something. >> reporter: the inmates are considered dangerous. these are both documented gang members, in jail on murder and weapons charges. this man was being held in connection with kidnapping and torture. >> we was involved in an incident where he kidnapped an individual, tortured him by putting fire to his body. he dumped the victim in the desert and left him alone to die. fortunately he did not. he also has a prior conviction for homicide. we understand that you are in danger, and you are fearful. >> reporter: how they pulled off the bold escape is under investigation. but authorities believe some inmates staged a diversion

inside the jail friday night to detail the nightly headcount. >> there was a disturbance with a deputy was assaulted. and we preliminarily believe it may have been planned to divert attention of staff towards that disturbance so it would delay that 8:00 pm body count. >> reporter: over the summer inmates lead authorities on a 22-day search in new york. but unlike that facility which was located in a heavily wooded area, the orange county men's jail is in the city of santa ana. some of them are scared. >> you feel like they are around you. they will do something to you. just a little bit of scary. i usually walk at night. i go around and walk around for half an hour with my sister.

and right now i'm not doing that. >> reporter: the escape has compelled sheriff's officials to reassessment jail security. a $50,000 reward is being offered for any information that leads to the capture of the three inmates. meantime, john, authorities say they are reaching out to family members, friends and ascare importances of the fugitives. the u.s. supreme court has ruled inmates serving life terms without parole for murder, that they committed as minors, must be given a chance to be set free. the court ruled on a case from louisiana and jonathan martin has more from new orleans. >> reporter: more than 1,000 u.s. prisoners convicted of murder as juveniles have been served life sentences without parole. >> all of these men and woman, some of whom have been in prison for many, many decades now get

an opportunity to make their case to a judge or to a parole board for why it is, that it's safe to send them home. >> reporter: in a 6-3 decision, the high court determined the 2012 ruling giving all teenagers sentenced to life should be applied retroactively. >> this is justice is justice, and kids are kids everywhere, no matter what the accident of geography and time. >> reporter: the case involved henry montgomery who has sent over half a century behind bars. 1963 at 17 years old he killed a sheriff's deputy in baton rouge, louisiana, and was given a mandatory sentence of life without parole. but the supreme court ruled states can no longer automatically sentence teenagers to life without parole. montgomery's attorneys argued that decision should apply to people sentenced before the 2012 ruling.

>> it's very much about a level player field, about assuring that rulings by the supreme court, that sentences are unconstitutional, should be given a chance to appeal. justice anton scalia, said the decision was for the states to make. many states have already been applying the juvenile law retroactively. seven have not, including louisiana. about 300 louisiana inmates could now be eligible for parole. opening statements in the trial of a new york city policeman who shot and killed an unarmed man. he and his partner were on patrol in an unlit stairwell

inside of a housing project in 2014. prosecutors say he acted recklessly by having his weapon unholstered. he faces up to 15 years in prison. tonight washington, d.c. still digging out from the weekend blizzard. schools and government offices were closed today with city officials asking drivers to still stay off of the road. it's a similar situation 35 miles to the north in baltimore. john terrett has been following all of it, and joins us with a lot of snow behind him tonight. >> reporter: yeah, that's right, john. good evening from you from bah washington, d.c. the major says the district government will open on time tomorrow. metro is back at 5:00 am with pretty much a full service. according to the department of homeland security, all of t the -- alteryour routes are

open. snowbound washington, d.c., the massive cleanup starts small, gets bigger, and bigger still. but there's always room for the little guy shovel in hand, making a difference. it's like this all over the nation's capitol, the city's mayor says removing all of the snow could take a week. >> the district has over 4400 miles of roadway, and we are making our way through all of it. we have a lot of ground to cover. >> reporter: parts of the district resembled a christmas card, moms and dads trying to tire out the kids dodging cabin fever at the same time. city officials don't mind snowball fights but don't want to see too many drivers. >> we're doing everything we can't k to get folks to where they need to, and to get the district back to normal operations. it's still going to take some time. >> reporter: don't hold your breath, many of the district's

roads remain only one lane wide with snow piled on either side. many subdivisions remain unplowed snochl metro service was extremely limited on monday. same story at reagan national. one footnote, the "washington post" reporting the weather team at reagan lost their snowfall reader. it got buried by the snow. one reason d.c.'s total is a mere 17 inches. up the road in baltimore, they have 5,000 miles of roads to clear. the mayor joined a small group of teams the city is paying cash to help out. and she is turning to people who really know their snow. >> i have been bringing in additional resources from new york, and even canada. >> reporter: a city that can't function is no good to anyone. how much worse might it have

been had this storm struck on a weekday rather than the weekend. the forecast called for rain tomorrow evening. which should wash away a lot of snow. and no votes in congress this week because of the snow. john? >> all right. john terrett, thank you. in new jersey now, the nor'easter brought a double punch. the blizzard dropped more than two feet in some parts. scientists are convinced an early forecast undoubtedly helped people get to safety. paul brennan has more. >> reporter: that's right, john. here in sea city isles, the story is about drying out. the problem was the bay here between the barrier island and the mainland as the storm came

in, that water came up, and as they say here, it could have been much, much worse. >> cleanup is underway. >> oh, yes. >> we have water, about 10 to 12 inches here. and it goes to completely submerged everything. >> reporter: marie's fish market is a local institution here. steve romano's family has run this place for three generations. this weekend's blizzard was one of the record books. how bad was this? you have been through this kind of thing before? >> is probably, you know -- this is probably -- i don't know, top five. sandy was the worst. >> reporter: saturday morning the bay rose up, transforming these quiet streets into roaring streams. >> it was like a river. a the highest point, if you

didn't have something to hold on to, you would have gotten swept away. >> reporter: the ocean was held back by miles of protective dunes. the d une was just finished in november. without it, the ocean would have washed sea isles away. >> reporter: this is whataved the town? >> this is it right here. and the dunes did their job of what they were supposed to do. it prevented much damage. >> reporter: prevented much, but not all. this woman just opened her new fitness studio in september, and has been cleaning up for two days. >> mother nature, you have no control sometimes. >> reporter: yeah. >> luckily we picked up everything off of the floor. we are in a flood zone already. so it could be a lot worse.

>> reporter: and john, that's what you are hearing over and over again. it could have been much worse. ironically the lessons learned from hurricane sandy is what saved this town from total destruction. everyone here saying every dollar on the dunes, was a dollar well spent. now to flint, michigan where the water is undrinkable, but residents are still being charged for it. bisi onile-ere reports. >> the tragedy of flint is a tragedy of immense proportion. in words can barely describe this tragedy. >> reporter: things went terribly wrong, those were the words of michigan attorney general on flint's water crisis. >> as i have stated many times, i would certainly not bathe a newborn child or a young infant

in this bad water. and if you can't drink the bad water, you shouldn't pay for it. >> reporter: one week after launching an investigation into possible wrongdoing, the state attorney general, announced two high-profile appointments to lead the probe. reputations are earned and todd and andy have salient reputations. >> reporter: todd flood will serve as special counsel, retired fbi chief will also help determine what if any laws were broken. the attorney general calls the team a firewall, as his office also defends the state and lawsuits brought by flint residents. >> this is an investigation i can assure you we're going to open up every door, and ask the tough questions.

>> the facts will lead us to the truth. we go in with no preconceptions. >> reporter: in 2014, the financial financial financially strapped city began pulling water from the flint river. chemicals added to clean the water were corrosive, and caused the pipes to leach lead. >> it has been very hard. we worry constantly about the kids' health. >> reporter: i know the governor has been under fire. who do you hold accountable? this >> i think it starts with the city first. they were the ones that knew pipes were add. >> reporter: pipes that would cost the cash strapped city more than $1 billion to replace. the michigan national guard has spent weeks passing out bottled water and filters with no ending in sight. meanwhile, ohio is having

its own water woes, specials in sebring, ohio say water samples have tested positive for unsafe levels of lead. the head of the water department is under fire. the epa is conducting a criminal investigation now. coming up, dire prediction, why scientists say the dangerous mosquito-born zika virus will spread across the country. not just in this country, but around the world. getting the news from the people who are affected. >> people need to demand reform... >> ali velshi on target.

pro perspective parents have a new cause for concern tonight. the world health organization says the zika virus, will likely spread to much of north, central, and south america. the zika virus is a tropical infection, mainly transmitted through mosquitos. it is closely related to the west nile virus, normally symptoms are mild and last a week or less. however, many health organizations believe pregnant women who are infected are at a much higher risk. they can give birth to children with abnormally small heads and brains. the zika virus first raised concerns in northern brazil, when doctors saw a sharp

increase in cases of mic microacceptly. >> translator: there's no cure for the virus. >> reporter: just one in five people who contract the virus actually develop symptoms. the first known case was discovered nearly 70 years ago in uganda's zika forest, though it wasn't detected in the western hemisphere until the last few years during an outbreak in brazil. some travelers returning from infected regions have had the disease. >> we are advising that pregnant women seriously consider

postponing travel to these areas. >> reporter: now the world health organization is warning of massive spread of the virus. the tiger mosquito, which carries it is found in all of the americas except for two countries, canada and chile. from william is the chairman of the department of preventative medicine and the former president of the national foundation of infectious diseases. doctor, is there a chance that the zika virus will spread to the u.s.? >> oh, i think it will spread, john. you know, travelers from that part of the world and our own citizens going to central america will come back with the virus and become sick in the united states. the trick is, since this is a mosquito-born virus, can we prevent our own mosquitos from biting those people and then biting neighbors and friends

here in the united states, and starting to spread. i think we'll probably have small, shall we say, splurges or clusters, but beyond that, i'm really pretty confident that we will not have wide-spread zika virus. >> how do you get control of the mosquito population in the southern part of the united states? >> first of all you want to find the people bringing the virus in. keeping them in doors, make them use insect repellant so our local mosquitos won't bite them. and then we have a lot of mosquito abatement that could be put into play. fogging with insecticide. >> the primary concern has been pregnant women. but what sort of damage could this virus do to others? >> well, pregnant women is the big thing, because it creates

fetal damage, of course. but it has another strange effect, it produces an illness which is a parralytic illness. there have been outbreaks also in brazil. >> can you talk just a little bit more about the damage that this could do to the fetus? >> so what happens is the mosquito bites you. the virus gets into the bloodstream, goes throughout your body, finds the placenta, crosses the placenta, gets into the baby, and has an attraction for the brain, and begins to interfere with the normal development of the brain and head. >> is there a blood test for it? >> they are developing a blood test. the cdc is working on that, and

working on spreading reagents out to all of the health departments. >> what about potential for vaccine? >> they are working on that also. and, you know, this is a sufficiently large problem. i think vaccine development is clearly on the fast track, working on it as fast as people were working on an ebola vak cease. >> thank you, doctor. a new study finds about 15% of parents diagnosed with colorectal cancers are under the age of 50. patients under 50 are 30% more likely to have tumors spread to t the limph nodes. >> what i said was they haven't detected any cancer, but sometimes the cancer spots

including in my brain, which is one millimeter, which is a tiny little thing, so i'm still taking treatments regularly. and i can figure that until the doctors tell me i don't have to do it anymore. >> the former president is 91 years old, and praised his wife for keeping his spirits high. now to a lawsuit over smoking and lung cancer, a jury will finally hear the decade-old case of the people who sued philip morris. they say the company knowingly produced a defective cigarette, and could have made a safer product with fewer carcinogens. coming up, michael bloomberg considering an independent run

for president. and violence in chicago, why schools are turning to yoga to help children deal with the turmoil that surrounds them. ♪

president obama weighed in on the race for the democratic nomination in an interview with "politico." >> i don't think that democrats are going to vote for hilary just because she is a woman, anymore than they are going to vote for bernie just because

they agree with him on one particular issue. i think, you know, voters are pretty sophisticated. they are going to take all of these things into account. i am proud of the fact that the democratic party represents today the breaking down of all sorts of barriers and a belief that you judge people on -- on what they bring to the table, and not what they look like, or what they love, or their last name. the president went on to praise hillary clinton's political experience. he did not criticize bernie sanders, but said that a candidate cannot just focus on one issue. he president said he will knot -- not endorse a candidate in the primary.

these comments come as the democrats participate in a townhall tonight. michael shure is in l.a. michael, how important is this townhall meeting for hillary clinton? >> john, it's a little bit like final or closing arguments in a law case. i mean in any kind of court case. these candidates have been in iowa for quite a long time now. i was there at the iowa state fair last summer, and they had been campaigning there for months. however, what they get to do here is sort of set themselves apart without the noise of a debate. so these -- none of them are going to be on the stage at the same time. they will get to answer questions about their candidacy, and say some things that they want to be in the voters minds in iowa. >> for the last few weeks hillary clinton has been under a lot of scrutiny, and it appears

that bernie sanders and mrs. clinton are neck and neck. so -- i mean is there -- is this critical for the clinton campaign? if she doesn't do well in iowa, what does it mean? >> reporter: john, listen, for the past two decades hillary clinton has been under a lot of scrutiny, and in these past two weeks, yes, the rolling polls seem to say there is about a 5 to 7-point difference in hillary clinton's favor. but, you know, in iowa, and what clinton has to do now, what it says about her campaign is if she is able to hold on in iowa, move to new hampshire where her examinations are low, then she looks at the rest of the country, and says we have gotten a little bit of momentum. if she doesn't win iowa or new hampshire, it is a total retooling, and it will be a real come up once again for hillary clinton. and i think there are a lot of

people that will look and say what could she have done differently? and it's hard to say. >> this comes days after the news that michael bloomberg is considering an independent bid for president of the united states. if he gets into the race, doesn't it hurt hillary clinton's chances? >> reporter: certainly it does, if she does what you suggested may happen or think is possible. we all think, is that if you loses iowa and new hampshire, then there is an opening for a more moderate, but quite as conservative candidate as the republicans are offering. michael bloomberg come -- complicates things for a lot of people. gun control becomes an issue, and the democrats i think are fairly comfortable with where it is now. but it does hurt the clinton campaign, if he gets into the race that's a lot of the moderates hillary clinton will

not be able to recapture. it would be really sort of unexpected at this point, and probably unwelcome, mostly from the clinton campaign entrants into the race. >> let me bring in our expert from los angeles tonight. bill, do you agree? is this bad news for hillary clinton if bloomberg gets into the race? >> we don't know. we don't know who he will take more votes for. if the republicans dominate donald trump there will be a lot of unhappy republicans out there looking to put their vote in someplace. it depends on who the major party nominees are, frankly. >> and it does depend on that. so give me your sense of what is going on in iowa, and hillary clintons seems to be taking it on the chops for the past couple of weeks in the polls. >> because she keeps saying she

has a sensible achievable agenda. that does not get liberal juices flowing. they are flowing when they hear sanders talk about revolutions and changing the government and medicare for everybody. those are the exciting big-time projects that a lot of liberal democrats want to hear about. what she has to do tonight and in the next week is tell democrats there is an awful lot at stake here. if the democrats lose the white house, then the republicans will have control of the senate, house, and most of the state governments, and the democrats will have nothing, and they will redestroy everything that president obama and president bill clinton did for 16 years. she has to make it clear that the stakes for democrats are extremely high. >> michael you spent a lot of time in iowa. talk to us about the caucus process? doesn't it help that hillary clinton has been there before, and she has a machine behind her. >> reporter: it does, and that's what people thought would happen

in 2008 as well, john. getting out the vote is going to be very, very important for the clinton people in iowa next week. they think their organization is better than it was eight years ago. it is about communities, convincing, passion. they say that millennials are less likely to come out on cold night. i don't believe that after seeing the people that have come out for bernie sanders's rallies. the clinton people have to pitch electability. i have heard hillary clinton talking a lot more on the trail in iowa about the supreme court later, and that's an issue that she is trying to say, we need someone electable because we need to keep the court. >> so you believe it's possible that bloomberg could take the wind out of trumps sails? >> yes, that's right. if trump is the nominee, we're seeing a split.

the republican establishment in washington, they say trump is better than deals because he makes deals. he is practical, the is flexible. but the conservative group says no trump, no way. they say he is not one of us. so you are seeing a split. so if the party nominates donald trump, a lot of people are going to be very unhappy. bloomberg is going to get a lot of votes from people who don't like trump because he has the wrong temperament to be president. >> trump has made another insensitive remark about muslims. he called out a muslim protester at his rally. listen to this. >> he wasn't wearing one of those hats, was he? was he wearing one of those hats? and he never will. and he never will. and that's okay. but, you know, we got to do something, folks, because it's

not working. >> bill, you talk about temperament, and is donald trump presidential enough to be elected? >> look, by my standards no. but by a lot of people's standards -- look, trump traffics in defiance. he defies conventional wisdom, he defies conservatives, he defies everybody. a lot of people are pleased to hear when donald trump defies everything and goes his own way. >> i was asking about from the des moines register about whether or not trump coins evangelicals. there has been a lot on ted cruz's position on ethanol in iowa. is corn king in iowa? or it is a religious issue? >> the phrase is corn is king in iowa. but you look at the farmers, you

look at the money and cooperatives there, and corn is very important to them. but, again, when you look at what donald trump can bring to that argument as opposed to ted cruz, i think you hear trump saying listen, ted cruz is not on your side as a businessman, but donald trump is going to get in there and see that ethanol is difficult business. but conservative christians are the bread and budget, and as ted cruz road around on a bus a few weeks ago, he saw a lot of evangelical christians, and that's who he is going after. and if he can corner that, which it k looked like he was doing well then, there is more importance there than corn. but donald trump has hung on to evangelical. if you are defiant you are going to see something in donald trump that you like, and that's what

is happening to a lot of voters in iowa. >> all right. good to see both of you. thank you very much. now to north carolina and opening arguments today in the trial of the state's voter id law. opponents say the law is harder on minority voters, and could keep them away from the polls. >> reporter: in north carolina voters are required to show one of six specified kinds of ids. the naacp and others contend that the requirements hurt minority voters. >> this is voter suppression tactics we haven't seen since the 19th century. the first bill was the worst in the country, worst in south carolina and alabama. you can't even use a college id. >> make sure that you are registered -- supporters say the laws are designed to combat voter fraud. this week, the laws on trial in

federal court in winston-salem. >> voting impacts everything that you do from education, everything from your medical care issue, everything from your groceries. >> reporter: the department of justice and civil rights groups say north carolina deliberately sought to suppress african american and elderly voting with a 2013 law that limited early voting, same-day registration, and required a valid id. >> reporter: north carolina's governor disagrees. >> let me be direct. many of those from the extreme left who have been criticizing voter id are using scare tactics. >> reporter: the naacp says the divisive politics in the state are taking them back at least 50 years, including the governor that dr. william barber says has been interfering since the

beginning. >> we want everybody to vote. but this crowd is afraid of a fully engaged democracy, because they can't make their case in the public square. we win will stop legislators from rolling back voting rights all over the country. >> reporter: other parts of the law were challenged last summer, but the judge has not ruled on that case, and it's not known if the judge will make a decision before north carolina's presidential primaries in march. robert ray, al jazeera, raleigh, north carolina. now to syria, where peace talks are set to begin today in geneva switzerland, and have been delayed. the u.n. is backing the talks. the biggest obstacle so far, getting the two sides to the table. james bayes has more. >> reporter: the delayed talks

are now due to start on friday, but still the controversy is over who will represent the opposition, the u.n. special envoy says the decision in the end is his, and he will send out the invitations. he says his agenda will be based on the u.n. security council resolution passed at the end of september. but he knows which issues will be addressed first. >> the agenda will be already set up, the resolution about the new governance, new constitution, and new elections. the first priority will be the focus of the talks of what most syrians, if not all want to hear, the possibility of a brood ceasefire, and the possibility of stopping the threat of isil, and therefore, and thanks to a broader ceasefire, an increased

of humanitarian aid. i'll give it now to al jazeera. thank you. >> reporter: james bayes from al jazeera. most important question here. the most important question is who will you invite? how many delegations are there going to be? >> the issue about rooms and delegations will be part exactly of the creativity of the thethes these -- proximity talks. there will be, in my opinion a lot of shuffling, because there are not only different delegations, but there are civil society, women and others who deserve to be heard. the issue is they will be meeting me and my colleagues, and dhoez -- those we will be assigning as negotiators.

>> reporter: so potentially a great deal of diplomatic activity here in the u.n.'s european headquarters in a number of different rooms simultaneously starting on friday, but that of course is if the talks start on friday, and that depends whether the main fighting groups those on the so-called riyadh list decide to attend. that's james bayes. british adventurer has died after being the first person to try to cross the antarctic alone on foot. he was just 30 miles from the end of his almost 1,000 mile journey, when he called for help on friday. he died of complete organ failure on sunday. a houston grand jury has indicted a video activist that suggested that planned

parenthood was selling fetal tissue from abortions. the founder of the center for medical progress is now facing a felony charge of tampering with a governmental record, a -- a misdemeanor charges. now to chicago. diane eastabrook has the story. >> reporter: in the suffocating violence on chicago's south side, it helps to breathe. >> hold it. exhale. >> reporter: once a week, students at the school in chicago's tough engelwood neighborhood practice yoga to help clear their minds of the gangs, guns, and police that infiltrate their lives. >> how do we get into the warrior pose? >> it can help you, like, calm down, so when you get angry.

>> pull it back. >> it helps cool you down, and like same thing that helps cool your mind down. >> bend down, and you look at me. >> reporter: they are from the non-profit, i grow chicago. they started teaching yoga at the school last fall. they say it's a great way to reduce conflict. >> it helps me not focus on the negativity. because when you get into yoga, we also say be mindful of your choices and be mindful of your choices. ♪ >> reporter: this exercise is about self-control. >> we cheer loud. we say happy birthday loud. we clap loud. so i teach them, that as adults we know how to bring it back down. >> reporter: kids here face constant challenges, in fact on

this day, this school and the school next to it were on lookdown all morning because of a shooting a couple of blocks away. children exposed to constant violence can show symptoms of posttraumatic stress. director of strengthening chicago's youth, says that makes it hard for them to develop coping skills. >> we have children who are exposed to the constant level of violence and fear, and it's as if their fight or flight mechanism is always kicked in. >> reporter: this teacher thinks yoga is making a big difference at the school. she is even using it in her classroom. >> before the test today, we, you know, implemented breathing. ha have visuallize what they can do to calm themselves down.

>> reporter: for these kids a half hour of yoga is a welcome respite from the stress in their lives, a chance to just be kids. diane eastabrook, al jazeera, chicago. coming up next on the program, my conversation with master crime writer, patricia cornwell. how she writes her books and what is next for her most popular character.

patricia cornwell is the

author of nearly 30 "new york times" best sellers. tonight she talks to us about writing, versus reality fiction, and her latest novel, featuring dr. kay scarpetta. i asked her when she first knew writing would shape her life. >> i knew when i was a little kid, i was always writing stories, and would sew book covers on them. and i was always riding around on spy missions. because i had an imaginary friend named mr. owl who would send me out to solve crimes around the neighborhood. somebody once said i was like a little nancy drew. then in college, after i fled from chemistry and computer science, i said maybe you just better do it. because you are not very good at anything else.

>> so what is the process? how do you do your research? in >> i do that. i go out in the field. i -- i go out and explore. i really am a combination of a journalist and an investigator, and if i want to learn about a certain type of firearm, i'll go to texas and practice with the gun, using experts to learn about the physics of it. if it's a certain type of case, i need go to a lab or the morgue, i have seen thousands of autopsy. >> you had a fascination with the morgue? >> i didn't. i was intrigued because when i was a police reporter, the medical examiner would never answer my phone calls. they were these mysterious people that worked in dark, stinky places. so when i decided to write crime fiction, which would have been 1984, i said i don't know what the medical examiner would do

here. i have got to research this. so i got permission to go to a medical examiners office. i got a tour. one of the few people who would even want such a thing. and then i said i ain't going anywhere. i want to learn all of this. let me do anything to just hang out. i want -- they were talking about dna and lasers and all of the labs upstairs, and i thought, wow, this is a universe nobody knows about. so i decided to tackle it. and coming up next, patricia tells me why for her truth is often stranger than fiction. the only way to get better is to challenge yourself,

and that's what we're doing at xfinity. we are challenging ourselves to improve every aspect of your experience. and this includes our commitment to being on time. every time. that's why if we're ever late for an appointment, we'll credit your account $20. it's our promise to you. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible. because we should fit into your life. not the other way around.

patricia cornwell is one of the world's top-selling crime authors. and her latest book is called "depraved heart." she said there are several things that set this book apart. >> i think that all of us these days are absorbed and obsessed by technology and the good and the bad it can do. we live in a culture of surveillance and spying and hacking. this is sort of a hacking. she is at a crime scene, and she gets an alert notice on her phone. and she clicks on what seems to be from her niece, this video begins to play that was a secret

video taken of her niece when she was at the fbi academy at 20, 18 years old. and we go, she has never seen this before, who sent this to her and why? and she starts watching this, and let the games begin, because what you have to ask as a reader is this dead body on the floor in this 300-year-old mansion flying on the floor, connected to her phone. >> is true crime stranger than fiction? >> yes. true crime is worse than fiction. i have seen things in the real world that i'm not going to tell you about because they are so awful. some are so absurd, like somebody who leaves a bar drunk and they are hit by a car at 3:00 in the morning, and the straight trooper going through the wallet finds a fortune

cookie, that you will soon have an encounter that changes your life. and you say this is an absurd moment. i have seen glasses end up on a body when they really belonged to the medical examiner who put them on the table. >> this book reads and flows so well, and i wondered as i read it, how you write dialogue? how does it come to naturally to you? >> that's a great question. i used to travel a lot alone, and i would sit in restaurants with a notebook and eavesdrop on everybody. >> really? >> not because i cared about their stories, but they dialogue, because if you listen to the way people talk they don't talk in complete sentences. read hemingway. his dialogue sounds the way

people talk. >> it's also the detail, the minute detail that is clear you know the subject you are talking about. i mean how deep do you go? >> i go as deep as i need to go. i don't go around killing people to see what that is like. at least i wouldn't admit to it. but i try to dig into it, to put on those boots so to speak, because when i come back, i'm the hunter and gatherer, and i want you to have the experience. >> in this book you are also current in so many ways, you refer to "american sniper," or to technology. is this a conscious effort to say this is in our world today, and it is modern. >> it is, but it is also that i live in the same world that everybody else does, and so does

scarpetta. and i recommended his book, and i was extremely upset about his homicide, because these things just shouldn't happen. so i tend to pull them in, i try to have a fabric that reflects the world around us. >> what are your goals in the next ten years. >> my goal is my last book is scarpetta is going to work a crime on the moon. but there is possibility down the road, if you did put astronauts back on the moon, and anybody died, somebody is going to have to go get them, and that would be our girl scarpetta. >> you live through this character, yes? >> in a way. i kind of created a friend. i was a lonely little kid, that's why i made up imaginary friends.

and i did it again. >> it's a great book. >> thank you. >> it's so great to see you. >> it's so great to see you. >> that's our broadcast. i'm john siegenthaler. thanks for watching. ali velshi is next. ♪ >> i'm david schuster in for ali velshi. "on target" tonight. donald trump has taken a big lead in iowa. across the country he could run the table for the gop thom nation. plus the spoiler for the race, could it be new york's former mayor michael bloomberg? just seven days until the iowa caucuses, the first voting of