former first lady michelle obama opening up about why she was often surrounded by children during her time in the white house. >>way i tried to do as first lady is to see every child i interacted with because i'm thinking if the first lady of the united states sees you, if i'm looking you in the eye getting down, i would get down on the level with kids any time i would just want to tell them, i see you. you are beautiful. i am glad for you. i am glad you are here. we have to do that. >> the former first lady saying the first time she felt seen by her own parents was when they would sit down at the kitchen table and just talk. thanks for joining us. "ac 360" starts now. good evening. tonight what happens next after a weekend that saw the biden administration and the federal reserve scramble to intervene in the failure of two banks, both with deep ties to the tech industry. the collapse of silicon valley bank in the bay area and signature bank here in new york

shook customers and investors alike. the question was, and really still is, would it also threaten the broader market and the banking system? so far the answer appears to be no. markets largely held steady closing the day mixed though shares in regional banks similar to the ones that failed did take a beating. joining us shortly former treasury secretary lawrence summers who accurately predicted the inflation to walk us through what he thinks of the federal response so far including this promise from the president. >> every american should feel confident their deposits will be there if and when they need them. >> in addition we have cnn's christine romans and phil mattingly on this tonight. we begin with christine. so is the threat of contagion in the financial markets, does that seem to have passed? >> these two banks in particular, they put a big ring around these banks and stopped the fire here and made essentially the depositors whole. these are people who would have to go and make payroll, small

businesses, so the white house really concerned about making sure depositors are made whole but the shareholders get nothing. this is not a bail out of the bank. it is a bail out of the people who deposited in that bank. but we looked at these regional banks today, really tough day for some. there are still big concerns. >> the stock prices. >> the stock prices came down very sharply. you see some on your screen. some of these halted trading because it was so fast and furious the selling here. what is happening is investors are looking at some of these banks and saying, do they have a similar kind of profile as some of the banks that have failed and what kinds of things do they have on their books that may be a little less valuable today. i think it is going to be some bumpy going here in the banking industry in the near term. >> what should we be looking for in coming days and weeks? >> the biggest thing is what the federal reserve is going to do. a week ago the fed chief jerome powell signaled maybe there would be 50 basis points of another rate hike and we need it

to get inflation under control and suddenly you have three banks actually break essentially in the past week. are they worried about the fragility of the banking system and being able to handle more rate hikes in this environment in some of the far corners of banking? i think the going assumption now is the fed might go more slowly and, in fact, put the fight against inflation on pause while it makes sure the financial system is truly stable. >> interesting. christine romans, appreciate it. to the white house and cnn's phil mattingly, what is the white house plan? >> i think there are two key components, obviously the policy component. we saw dramatic emergency authorities rolled out sunday night and treasury officials, bank regulators have watched the effect of those efforts throughout the course of this day on the phone constantly with regulators in these financial institutions with bank ceos as well trying to ensure that they are having the desired effect. christine pointed out the regional banks were getting hammered in the equity markets. behind the scenes i'm told they were seeing some positive signs as it relates to deposits.

obviously depositors and the risks they face were a critical concern mostly on the rationale of panic. they were concerned there would be significant and dramatic depositor outflows from some of these banks. they have seen those start to slow, which they view as a positive signal. the other key element here is access to credit ensuring these banks can stay liquid, even if they're getting hit by the market long enough to maintain some level of durability and sustainability going forward. they've seen some of that as well tied to the federal reserve credit lending facility so some positive signs on that front. the other is obviously messaging the president making very clear he wanted to reassure individuals and small businesses, trying to make clear what his regulators and finance officials are saying that the market on the whole is stable and well capitalized. they need that to be believed obviously to ensure there is no panic that carries out further. >> is the white house concerned about a -- any political ramifications of this for them? >> they are keenly aware there is political fallout coming.

they have been watching and waiting for republicans to jump on this. you've seen a few of the mid tier presidential candidates like nikki haley start to jump on this and call it a biden bail out but in talking to white house officials they have moved very quickly to get in front of that. you saw it in the president's remarks blaming the law signed by president trump for some of the effects here and making clear that this is dramatically different from the 2008 financial crisis. one white house official i spoke to said this. nobody thinks we're out of the woods here but we're picking up clear signals the scale and breadth of what we deployed is having an effect. we are not going to sit back and let republicans beat the hell out of us for protecting small business owners and individuals and not going to let anyone act like this is 2008. when our actions are designed to ensure the exact opposite is true. that is a critical component here. we talked to white house officials. they made clear the president's focus was on the depositors, the small businesses, and making clear the executives at these banks like silicon valley bank,

signature bank, were no longer employed. they did not have major parachutes, golden parachutes coming out of this as well and there will be accountability going forward. the president mentioning all of those things today. that wasn't by accident. that is very clearly a message they want to get across here very much so predicting the political fall out coming in the weeks ahead. >> phil mattingly, appreciate it from the white house tonight. we're joined by our guest who served as treasury secretary during the clinton administration. it is good to see you. those wondering tonight if the country is out of the woods on this, what do you say? >> look, i think that americans should feel safe. that the money they have deposited in banks is going to be there for them. and that is the most important thing and i think that assurance was given for the banks that were closed very directly by the

federal government last night. and i think the facility, the provisions that were made to lend money on very large scales to other banks were designed to assure that come what may they would be able to take care of their depositors. so that is the most important thing that has happened here and i think a very important success. of course there are issues that lie ahead. >> let's talk about that. we saw the stock market close at a relatively stable level today aside from some of the regional bank stocks which christine talked about. for average investors what should they read into it? what do you think lies ahead? >> look, i think we have a complicated economy, because of inflation and because there are risks of recession that are ahead, but i think it is a

little bit more complicated, but not vastly more complicated than it was before the problems came to us. i think it is very important that the fed continued to do what is necessary to contain inflation. they're going to have to make some difficult judgments, no question, but that events like this are likely to mean that the banking system is a bit less forthcoming with new loans and that is a kind of monetary tightening. and because that is happening, the fed may need to tighten less than it otherwise would have. i certainly think the fed needs to stay focused on the inflation challenge that is really what the american people have said is what they see as our principal economic challenge and what history teaches us that if we don't keep inflation controlled we ultimately have much larger

recessions and much more suffering. >> so should this slow the fed down in terms of raising rates? or should they continue on the same course? >> i think, you know, many people were talking about the idea and chairman prowl certainly broechd the idea though he didn't commit to it that at its next meeting in ten days the fed should raise rates by 50 basis points, by half a percentage point. i think that looks like a much lower likelihood right now in light of the various concerns out there that this will slow the economy. and i think it is premature to try to judge what the fed should do. we'll get an important data point about inflation tomorrow, an important data point about retail sales the day after that

and we'll see how these financial measures work through but i would be disappointed if the fed, which very clearly was on a path to raising interest rates by a quarter percentage point then probably doing it again, if the fed wasn't able to raise rates by a quarter percentage point because of all of this, i would be surprised and a bit disappointed. it is very difficult to judge the future. the fed will know much more when it has to vote on that interest rate policy than it does right now. >> senator bernie sanders said he thinks the failure of the bank was a direct result of the former administration loosening regulations. do you agree with that? >> i think that the decisions made during the previous administration to exempt mid

sized banks from some categories of regulation, for example, were misguided. many said so at the time. i do think that this is a current and ongoing failure of regulation that these problems, which in retrospect look rather obvious, were not caught in advance, because if they had been caught, in advance, there are various adjustments that could have been made that might have avoided them. so, yes. the changes in rules are a problem. but frankly the ongoing process of regulation, i think, is going to need to be reviewed quite closely. >> secretary lawrence summers i really appreciate your time tonight. thank you. >> thank you. up next the former president in iowa tonight and what he is saying potentially days away

from a criminal indictment. later how a top tennessee official reconciles supporting antigay legislation with his, well, his online sending of hearts and flame emogies to a young, scantily clad, gay man, ahead. ♪ ♪ cargurus. op.buy.sell.online.

dry skin is sensitive skin, too. and it's natural. treat it that way with aveeno® daily moisture. formulated with nourishing, prebiotic oat. it's clinically proven to moisturize dry skin for 24 hours. aveeno® ♪ what will you do? will you make something better? create something new? our dell technologies advisors can provide you with the tools and expertise you need to bring out the innovator in you.

here's how tommy lost 30 lbs on noom weight. i'm tom. noom helped him use psychology to lose weight. the mindful aspect made me feel more conscious about what i was eating and why i was eating it. it's actually working. lose weight and make it last with noom weight. and we're done. hm, what about these? looks right. nooo... nooo... nooo... quick, the quicker picker upper! when you gotta get it done, one sheet is all you need. and bounty is 2x more absorbent so you can use less and get the job done with one. this works. kind of. bounty, the quicker picker upper. i got a lot of this from you. the more you learn the more you want to know, and then it just fuels that fire.

it filled my soul to be honest. explore your family story at ancestry.com works hard at hour one and twice as hard when you take it again the next day. so betty can be the... barcode beat conductor. ♪ go betty! ♪ let's be more than our allergies! zeize the day. with zyrtec.

the former president is making his first trip to iowa in the 2024 campaign and perhaps days before a criminal indictment in the stormy daniels hush money case. he told reporters he blamed january 6 in many ways, quote, in many ways, end quote, on his former vice president. he had this to say about the florida governor. >> ron de sanctis, a disciple of paul ryan. who is a rino loser currently destroying fox. ron reminds me a lot of mitt romney. >> some perspective on the campaign. the campaigner-in-chief, cnn correspondent and cnn this morning co-anchor of course covered the trump white house as well. i mean again, it is remarkable how backward looking the former president is in his comments in what he is talking about blaming mike pence for january 6th.

>> reporter: yeah he has been complaining about the press coverage pence has been getting since saturday night. i was in the room when he made the comment. no cameras allowed. that is a criticism they are pushing back on. pence did take this moment. where typically it is just laughing, making fun of other political rivals. he was doing that at the beginning and made some trump jokes but then got serious about january 6 and did go further than before. he criticized what happened that day saying he does believe history will hold trump accountable was very notable. taking that stance. going that far to say about how trump's words endangered pence, everybody at the capitol. pence was really critical of fox news which i thought was remarkable. he was going after one of the biggest hosts on fox and saying the way they portrayed what happened on january 6th with the 40,000 hours of footage they reviewed, he said, mocks decency to portray it that way because it wasn't just sight seeing and tourism. trump has been unhappy with that and so today on the plane to iowa where he is speaking now he

was saying that because pence didn't do what he wanted that day actually he is responsible for the violence that happened. that is the exact same argument that john eastman who was that attorney at the time of january 6th in and oust the oval office e-mailed to pence's attorney that day. his counsel greg jacob. he e-mailed and said -- >> while they were in hiding at the capitol. >> the riot is still going on and he e-mails and says actually you are responsible for this siege and what happened because basically you guys didn't let this happen in public sending these votes back to the state legislatures. so it is not surprising trump is saying this but i think a lot has to do with the fact that he is unhappy with the coverage pence has gotten. >> i read an e-mail you sent out which had the response by pence's guy back to john eastman while in hiding at the capitol and it was just grace under fire and just a very effective response to john eastman essentially saying you have been pushing a completely bogus legal argument and you bear responsibility for rieling up all of these people who are now attacking the capitol >> i think they knew how trump

worked. i think the phrase greg jacob used was they were a serpent in the ear of trump basically pushing these theories saying pence could do something he legally could not do. pence had attorneys look into this at the time. it is remarkable we're here. i think on the timing of pence saying this, it was behind closed doors, not on camera. it was on the record. but he is fighting a subpoena from the doj to come and testify in the special counsel's investigation into january 6th. he did not go testify before the january 6th committee. he did write about january 6th and the conversations in his book. i think a lot has to do with political timing. what pence has done by going out this far to say trump will be held accountable that day is every other 2024 candidate is going to get asked about this now. if they agree or where their stance is. he is kind of setting a standard there. >> it's interesting. he was on a book tour. he had plenty of opportunities before this to say stuff on

camera and has chosen not to. >> he has been critical of it. he has not gone as far as to say trump will be held accountable for that day. in the room it was a lot of reporters and it got very quiet as he was saying that because it wasn't even just that. he was also very laudatory of the press talking about how good our coverage was that day and what it meant as they were under siege, you know, they were still being hidden he and his security and his family with him that day. he praised the press a lot. and that was something that stood out. obviously we've seen -- >> again, not on camera. >> doesn't do it on camera so there is not that moment you can replay it. i still think the comment got a ton of attention. >> not the same. does the trump campaign feel like they are well positioned given the rivals? now everyone, a lot of republicans say well look. there can't be a repeat of 2016 where you had all of these potential candidates on a debate stage with trump and he picks them off one by one. that is what is being set up right now. >> we'll see how big it is.

i am surprised actually more people haven't gotten in the race so far. desantis it is rumored is waiting until after the legislature ends. pence has not gotten in yet. nikki haley and the other are the only two formally challenging him. larry hogan not getting in. very popular governor of maryland. he said today now he views his role in 2024 as single handedly making sure trump is not the nominee. the trump campaign, i was just talking to someone in trump's world last week, they are very worried about ron desantis. that is the reason he spent so much time on desantis going after him and criticizing him. he is bad on ethanol but if he doesn't run i won't say he is bad and ethanol. they are very worried about him. donors are not endorsing, i think they are watching all of that. >> the former president might find this latest campaign tougher going than his other two as just referenced.

it can be found in roberts county in the texas panhandle most heavily pro trump county in 2016 and 2020 perhaps though not this time. gary tuchman returned there tonight to see what if anything has changed. >> reporter: the county seat of tiny roberts county, texas is pronounced miami. also fair to pronounce it as the number one county for donald trump. in this county of about #800 people he received 95% of the vote in 2016 and 96% in 2020. both times the highest percentage of any county in the nation. but is trumpism on track for continued success here? >> i think it's time to move on. >> reporter: this is our fourth visit since trump was elected president and there is a notable shift. ron schwartz and his wife kay are retired and live on a ranch in the county. they and everyone else we ent viewed say they voted for donald

trump in 2016 and 2020. if the republican presidential primary were today do you know who you would vote for? >> probably desantis. possibly pence but definitely not trump. >> reporter: and your husband? >> desantis, more than likely. >> reporter: it quickly became clear that many donald trump voters here are ready for a different republican. >> i'm leaning toward nikki haley. >> reporter: how come? >> i like her views and the way she does things. >> reporter: if you had to vote today who would you pick? >> probably pence. >> wade jackson has lived in miami his whole life and is in the oil and gas business and also collects antique cars and does mechanic work and warns any potential intruder he is not calling 911. he is a life long conservative republican not shy about criticizing the man he voted for twice. >> he has done some shady things i'm not real fond of right now. i'll see if there is something else better. >> reporter: what kind of shady things? >> all the documents and stuff in mar-a-lago and all of that. i think he's hidden too much

stuff. we don't need that in our country. we need everything on the table and out in the open. >> reporter: rick mcdowell operates a hunting business. we interviewed the strong trump supporter in one of our previous visits but he now says in next year's texas primary he plans to vote for ron desantis. >> donald trump likes loyal people. why aren't you loyal to him and supporting him again? >> i think his time is over. he's got too much baggage. >> reporter: trump certainly still has enthusiastic supporters in roberts county. >> i'm going to stay loyal and yes i will stay with donald. >> reporter: the way he conducted himself during his presidency you have no issues? >> no. >> i'd like them to run together. >> trump and desantis. who would you want to be president and who vice president? >> that would be good. i don't know. i think desantis might could get elected more easy. trump has a lot of people that hate him. >> reporter: all and all it does appear donald trump has some challenges here, new challenges. >> i voted for him originally

because i was really voting against hillary and then against biden and then i thought he might be good for the country but he's done a lot of disturbing things not good for the country. >> reporter: trump. >> yes. i don't think he is what we want representing us. >> reporter: what disturbing in your mind? >> the capitol and his -- >> reporter: the insurrection. >> yes. and the comments he makes, you know. they're just not professional. >> reporter: do you agree with your wife? >> i agree a hundred percent. yes, sir. >> gary tuchman joins us now from roberts county, texas. it looks beautiful there. did any of the people who were skeptical of the former president that you spoke to, did they say they'd consider voting for a democrat if trump is the gop nominee? would they go that far? >> reporter: the answer is no, anderson. nobody i talked to who has become disenchanted with donald trump gave any indication they would go that far. i got a pointed answer from that couple on the ranch that's been

in their family for more than a hundred years by the way. i asked them specifically would you even consider voting for joe biden if donald trump were the republican presidential nominee? the husband answered me. his answer was, quote, i'd never, ever vote democrat. anderson? >> knows where he stands. appreciate it, gary tuchman. just ahead why was kentucky's 79-year-old lieutenant governor who has in the past supported antigay legislation sending heart and fire and other messages to a 20-year-old gay man who posted photos online? he sat down with a local reporter to explain. >> you know, trying to encourage people with posts and try to, you know, help them if i can.

i was thinking, i should probably set up that 90 day refill. walgreens is all about making life easier. i can help set that up right now for you. i'll be honest, there are days i forget what she's supposed to be taking. hey, i get it... and you're not alone in this, ok? so james, all these prescriptions. are they covered? that's right. with your medicare plan you get low-cost copays. thank you. let's talk about making things easier. walgreens is here. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

a feeling this powerful is invite only. ♪ fortunately, you're invited. experience the capability of the complete line of suvs at the invitation to lexus sales event. [ applause ] the day you get your clearchoice dental implants changes your struggle with missing teeth forever. it changes how you eat, how you feel, and how you enjoy life. it changes your smile and how others smile at you. clearchoice network doctors have changed over 100,000 lives with dental implants, and they can change yours, too. because a clearchoice day changes every day. schedule a free consultation.

earlier this month tennessee's republican led government made the state the first in the nation to restrict drag performances in front of children and also blocked puberty blockers and hormone therapies and now the lieutenant governor is trying to explain why he is sending heart and fire emogies and other messages to a 20-year-old gay man who posts provocative pictures of himself online. randi kaye has details. >> really, really sorry if -- >> reporter: tennessee's lieutenant governor randy mcnally a republican and supporter of antilgbtq legislation apologizing for his repeated interactions with a young gay man who posts

provocative photos on instagram. the progressive website the tennessee holler first unearthed mcnally's interactions with 20-year-old franklin mcclure who goes by franklin superstar on social media. in many of mcclure's posts he is scantily clad, often pulling his shorts slightly down. among the posts the 79-year-old lieutenant governor reacted to, this close up of mcclure's back side. mcnally responded with three red hearts and three fire emogies then commented, you can turn a rainy day into rainbows and sunshine. mcnally declined our interview request but spoke with our affiliate wtbf. >> trying to encourage people with posts and try to, you know, help them if i can. >> reporter: how exactly is heart and fire emogies were helping franklin mcclure is still unclear. wtbf also asked specifically

about liking this post where mcclure used language such as prostitute and referred to a sexual act. >> it was liked by lieutenant governor mcnally. >> i don't know that, you know, a lot of times on people's posts you see the name and you see what they've written and you just press the button that says like. >> reporter: so you didn't read that post? >> i don't recall reading the part about the weed. i know that. >> reporter: what about the prostitute? >> i might have read that. >> reporter: in that case was it appropriate to like the comment? >> probably not. probably not. >> reporter: franklin mclure told me the lieutenant governor has been commenting on his posts for several years. on this post mcnally responded with a hand clap emoji along with the comment super look. on this one, mcnally left a heart emoji. in this one, showing mcclure dancing outside in his underwear the lieutenant governor left a

comment saying, love it. with pink hearts. >> roll call mr. clerk. >> reporter: there is nothing illegal or inherently wrong about any of that but there is rank hypocrisy. that is because at the time lieutenant governor mcnally was commenting on mcclure's posts he and his fellow republicans in the tennessee legislature were passing a slew of bills targeting lgbtq people. or what critics call the slate of hate. >> i was not very kind to that community. and i learned some things and met some people in that community realized they're still individuals and still have value. >> reporter: just recently the governor here signed into law a bill that outlaws drag shows in public property and another that bars transgender children from getting gender affirming healthcare. democratic state senator heidi campbell >> i think it is problematic if you support legislation that

takes away freedom of rights of our lgbtq community and yet you are participating in behavior that obviously shows that you have interest in that area. >> reporter: in all, tennessee's legislature has more than two dozen bills proposed by republican lawmakers that limit the rights of those in the lgbtq community. we tried to ask lieutenant governor mcnally about all of this at the capitol in nashville. what do you say to folks who are calling you a hypocrite? >> well, i think it's in the press release. >> reporter: local reporters confronted mcnally earlier when news of this first broke and he pushed back. >> i'm not anti-gay. i also have friend that are gay. relatives that are gay. >> reporter: meanwhile, franklin mclure the young man in the images liked by mcnally told me he was surprised and flattered by the lieutenant governor's comments. he also told me this. >> he called me a couple times

on the phone ability on certain apps. >> reporter: you never responded to those? >> yeah. i didn't even know he did it, so -- >> reporter: why would he be calling you? >> i don't know. >> i've embarrassed my family, embarrassed my friends. embarrassed any of the members of the legislature with the posts. it was not my intent to, and not my intent to hurt them. >> randi joins us now from nashville. you tried to speak with the lieutenant governor today. he said something about a statement. what did it say? >> reporter: yeah. he did issue a statement, anderson, quite a long statement. i'll give you a fee key parts. he said he is pausing his social media and will be getting guidance how to use it. he insisted this characterization of him and his record as anti-gay is inaccurate in that statement of his and also said ev person has value

and deserves respect regardless of orientation but, andersson, as you know this statement comes as he continues to push through this anti-gay legislation. in fact just today on the senate floor they were debating a biological sex bill while we were there waiting for the lieutenant governor and trying to speak with him. also franklin mcclure the young man he had been commenting on on instagram told me the hypocrisy in all of this was not lost on him either. he said that he's watching him leave these very nice comments on his instagram yet he is continuing to push through this anti-lgbtq legislation and he sees that as very hypocritical, anderson. >> thanks. coming up florida government ron desantis said talk of a book ban is a hoax. a best selling author says 20 of her works were recently targeted and removed from library shelves in one florida county school system, one of those books about the holocaust. she joins us next.

♪ i'm gonna hold you forever... ♪ ♪ i'll be there... ♪ ♪ you don't... ♪ you don't have to worry... ♪ ♪ ♪ get $1500 purchase allowance on a 2023 cadillac xt5 and xt6. ♪ visit your local cadillac dealer today. eva's about to learn her fear of missing out leads to overating. i totally eat stuff to not miss out. ♪ that's just a bit of

psychology eva learned from noom weight. sign up now at noom.com

florida governor desantis was adamant last week that recent state regulations on school libraries did not lead to book bans on seemingly innocuous works and called that a, quote, hoax. earlier that week local media published a list of books removed from school libraries including beloved by toni morrison, handmaid's tale by margaret atwood, also works by judy bloom, james patterson, and my next guest jodi picoult

speaking out saying 20 of her books have been removed by officials in the schools including house rules, my sister's keeper, and the story teller. jodi picoult joins me now for her first tv interview on the subject. her most recent book is "mad honey." jodi, thank you so much for being with us. can you explain your understanding of why some of your books have been taken off the shelves? how does that actually happen? >> so in martin county school district, you do not actually have to read the books to challenge them. you do not even have to say what is objectionable in a book to have it removed from a shelf. this is actually true in a lot of florida. so it is worth saying that although 20 of my books happen to be removed this time, this is happening all over florida and the country and most of the people affected are bipoc and lgbtq authors. from what i understand the objection to my books is that they were classified by this one

parent as adult romance which is very interesting because i do not write adult romance. in fact, of the books challenged, one is a book called "the story teller" which is about the holocaust and about the rise of facism among ordinary germans. and there is not even a kiss in that book. so i was quite confused and it felt a little ironic that was one of the books banned here. >> you said 20 of your books were pulled from this one district in florida. do you know why "the story teller" if it is about the holocaust? obviously, you know, a difficult subject, emotional subject. is there something you can identify that would make someone object to it? >> i think that is the point. the laws that currently stand in fr florida are so egregious and vague that books are being pulled off shelves without a lot

of understanding why, without reason and what is important to remember is these books remain off the shelves while they are being reviewed if they are being reviewed and that can take a very long time in some cases. >> you are also a parent and i just learned a grandparent. congratulations on that. >> thank you >> i am a relatively new parent as well. >> yes. >> obviously i have concerns about what my kids are going to be reading, concerns about what they'll be seeing on television. >> absolutely. all of that you understand. what is the line here that makes this in your opinion unacceptable? >> you're a parent. i am a parent. as parents it is totally fine to make a decision about what your child can or cannot read. it is not fine for you to make a decision for everyone else's

child. that is really what is the problem here. it is also really important that america realize no matter what you are hearing this is not a hoax. it is not a hoax to the authors whose books are pulled off shelves and not a hoax to the kids who can't access titles that they want to read. >> governor desantis has said this is about curriculum transparency. do you believe that? >> i don't believe that. if it was then challenging a book should require you to read the book, to know what is in the book, and have a reason for wanting it off the shelves. >> parents are challenging books they haven't read. in some cases national organizations are sending out lists of books to communities that parents should be concerned about and parents can take the list to the school board or principal and have those books questioned. >> right. and that is what happened in the case in martin county. it is a mom.

one mom in particular who did the bulk of the banning of 92 books and she works with moms for liberty which is a national organization and she is part of the local chapter in martin county. i've seen the forms she filled out where she checked the box saying no i have not read this book in its entirety. >> your books are interesting. you're not -- you don't shy away from difficult topics and kind of different perspectives in a lot of your stories. they are very human stories. you have a book i think called "19 minutes" which deals with the aftermath of a school shooting. obviously these are things which are important topics and topics that can spark conversations between a parent and a child. >> that is how i raised my kids, you know, when my kids wanted to read a book i thought might be challenging or emotionally confusing for them, whatever age they were, i would read the book, make sure i felt it was appropriate, then use it as a

spring board for discussion. i think that is really important. i don't write adult romance. there isn't stuff in my books that would be considered vulgar. what i do write about are topics like racism and gun control and gay rights and abortion rights. things that make kids learn how to think for themselves which last time i checked was actually the job of public education in america. >> what is the big picture problem here, big picture concern for you here beyond your books, beyond just this principle. why does this matter? >> the reason this matters is because we have scientific proof that kids who feel marginalized who read books that have characters that are marginalized feel less alone. we know, also, that kids who haven't met or experienced people different from them who do so in the safe space after book also learn about those

cultures and identities. we know brooks bridge divides among people and book bans create them. that is ultimately the big problem here. kids are not getting information that they literally have a supreme court right to have. there was a case in 1982 where the supreme court decided that based on the first amendment kids have the right to receive information and it can't be removed from shelves because of political reasons and yet here we are with a state that keeps pulling books off shelves without a really good explanation of why or a plan to get them back on the shelves in a timely fashion. >> what do you encourage people to do about this? >> i encourage them to speak out as loudly as the people who are making the noise. there are far more people who don't want books banned in this country than the ones that do. i encourage them to go to

penndot org/action. you can find resources there that will help you join a rally or go up to a school board or write letters or find a way to become involved in your community or other communities. we have to start speaking out. >> jodi picoult i appreciate it. thank you. >> of course. up next march madness which lots of people in my office talk about and i don't understand what it is about or why we are expected to fill out barrackets.

oh! it's daylight saving time. what's the big deal? gasp! what's the big deal? what's the big deal? what's the big deal? what's the big deal? ♪marching band music♪ ♪marching band music♪ i'll get a cart. get two! scotts daylawn saving is the biggest deal of the year. stock up early and save up to $20 dollars on the best scotts products. ♪ hey dad, i'm almost out. i got you. any questions, chris? all good, thanks maura! healthier is managing all your family's prescriptions in one app. hold on... you're a night manager and mom,

and the bill payer, baker, and nightlight maker? that's a lot. so, adding “and student” might feel daunting. but what if a school could be there for all of you? career, family, finances and mental health. -happy birthday! -happy birthday buddy. well, it can. national university. supporting the whole you. if shannon's thinking about retirement, she'll get some help from fidelity. with one-on-one financial coaching, shannon feels so good about her plan, she can enjoy more of right now. that's the planning effect, from fidelity. heading on a family trip? nah, sorry son, prices are crazy, [son deflates] awh, use priceline. they have package deals no one else has. [son inflates] we can do it! ♪go to your happy price♪ ♪priceline♪

college basketball fans do not need me to tell them it's march madness time, and if they do it's pretty sad because i don't know what it is and i can't muster up the courage to learn. luckily harry enten has tips if filling out brackets. what's the point. >> first i come bearing a bracket. we're going to fill this out without the segment. there are 63 games. >> there are a lot of teams. >> there's 64 teams -- well, 68,

but 64 make it. i want to get an understanding of your level of understanding. on this we're going to have the logos up for the four number one seeds and i want to see if you can actually know any of these teams. can you name any of these teams, anderson? >> the bird is kansas. >> yes! okay, that's one. >> ku. i knew someone who went there. university of hawaii? >> ooh, university of houston. but that's not bad. they both have hs. >> the script "a," i don't know, the atlanta astros. >> caitlin would be very upset with you right now. >> alabama. and the "p" is for pittsburgh. >> no, it's for purdue. >> you were able to get one. >> i got ku. >> not bad. >> how many people fill out a bracket before the tournament starts and how many people get it right?

it's amazing to me that people would know all these teams. >> they don't. there are millions upon millions -- espn had over 17 million last year who filled it out. when you look at other brackets and combine it we could be looking at upwords of 40 million, 50 million, 60 million people. >> i feel there's a flaw in my character that i don't know these teams. >> no, no, don't worry about it. >> i should. i like to know who the characters are. >> i'm here to help you. that's the purpose here. >> so, what tips do you have? >> i just want to note that on the perfect bracket -- i wouldn't worry about it. because you know how many people get the perfect bracket? nobody. you know what the odds of getting a perfect bracket by chance are. >> one in 9 quinn tillion. compare that to a mega millions. compare that to getting a royal flush in poker. >> why am i in this bracket?

>> it's difficult. wouldn't worry about filling out a perfect bracket but i want to give you clues. >> okay. >> here's the big thing. the number one usually wins. 60% of the time, the number one ends up winning the entire thing. there are four number one seed wes already spoke about earlier. four number one seeds. they're the ones who get through this round, round of 64, round of 32, round of 16, round of 8, round of 4, and the final. pick one of the number one teams to win the entire thing. that i think is one thing. and don't worry about picking the early games necessarily correctly, because the truth is more bracket tournaments give you most points for -- >> i went to my special place a long time ago. >> i lost you at the number one thing. you can help me fill this out later. >> we'll check in a few weeks. >> good luck, everybody, with

your brackets. you can get more march madness insight when chris talks with -- as well as outgoing syracuse coach jim boeheim. don't miss cnn inside the madness, basketball, brackets and business. i'm glad they didn't have me doing it. i would have messed it up. we'll be right back. ♪ ♪ a feeling this electric is invite only. ♪ fortunately, you're invited. experience the elevation of electrification at the invitation to lexus sales event. julian's about to learn that free food is a personal eating trigger. no it isn't. yes it is. and that's just a bit

of psychology julian learned from noom ight. sign up now at noom.com ah, these bills are crazy. she has no idea she's sitting on a goldmine. well she doesn't know that if she owns a life insurance policy of $100,000 or more she can sell all or part of it to coventry for cash. even a term policy. even a term policy? even a term policy! find out if you're sitting on a goldmine. call coventry direct today at the number on your screen, or visit coventrydirect.com. workers' comp was about 20% of my total expenses. when we got the quote back from pie, it was a sigh of relief. we saved about 30% when we switched to pie. ask your agent, or get a quote at easyaspie.com.

type 2 diabetes? discover the ozempic® tri-zone. in my ozempic® tri-zone, i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack, or death in adults also with known heart disease. and you may lose weight. adults lost up to 14 pounds. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. gallbladder problems may occur. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems.

ask your health care provider about the ozempic® tri-zone. you may pay as little as $25. sometimes you're so busy taking care of everyone else you don't do enough for yourself, or your mouth. but eventually, it will remind you. when it does, aspen dental is here for you. we offer the custom dental treatments you need, all under one roof, right nearby. so we can bring more life to your smile... and more smile to your life... affordably. new patients without insurance can get a free complete exam and x-rays, and 20 percent off treatment plans.

schedule your appointment today. according to new reports for the first time the international criminal court plans to open war crimes cases against russia for its actions in ukraine and will issue warrants for, quote, several people. reporting from "the new york times" and reuters one case is prompted by russian attacks on infrastructure like this one targeting a ukrainian train station last year. there's also accusations of deliberately targeting a residential building and parking in c-- ukraine says in a recent report thousands of kids are being taken to russia, indoctrinated and in many cases adopted or fosters by russian