c-span: what is ann compton going to do that would be you what is ann compton going to do in retirementguest: i'm going to take my time to figure that out. i've got good health. i have got some speaking engagements. i have got i have got a plan that i would not accept from a politician who told me. i have scoffed for years of politicians who say i'm going to leave elected office to spend more time with my family but it's true. i'm 67 years old. i have a husband who supports me for all these years of travel for brilliant children. my husband bill hughes is a medical doctor and has never traveled so he was always home. four kids will ted annie and michael who are wonderful young professionals a doctor, lawyer and entrepreneurs and a business exec does and i want time to do things with them. honest truth. >> host: ann compton 41 years with abc news, 40 years of the white house. thank you very much. >> guest: thank you. the congress congress continuing on their two-week spring recess this week we are featuring booktv in primetime. up next on booktv in primetime sub five editor of "more than

. >> ann compton, abc news, white house. ann compton with the president.of great crisis covering the white house is trying to drink from a fire hose, there is so much coming at you. >> i started at the white house on march 17, and on march 19 we were at war. and i remember just thinking this is history. i'm not going to see anything like this again. >> it was christmas day, 1991, left the kids at home opening the packages on christmas morning and i stood on the white house lawn all day long as the gorbachev job declared the soviet union was dissolved. it changed the face of the planet, and to have been there and cover that, and be there when the president flew back from camp david on christmas night to address the american people, that day was history. >> joe biden comes out, beaming from ear to ear. >> being in grant park when barack obama was elected president of the united states was a turning point moment for the entire country and a kid was never going to cover the white house and frankly always wondered if he would ever see a black president. >> pres

there's a new documentary out, nerd prom, and it's showing ann compton begging the room to be quiet sot they could honor these scholarship recipients who are alleged lyly the reason this dinner is giffin and nobody's paying attention or ann compton, they're talking to each other and that's why everybody's there, but it makes for the people on the stage feeling like they're not talking to anybody. >> another point, you have to follow the president, so that could be very very difficult because most of the presidents dlir well. also, it depends on who's in the room. people you target are they going to laugh, be upset. are the jokes going to fall flat on tv? she said she's not going to try to be mean. fun funny. not going for the mean. she's got seth meyers, who's hosted before, very successfully and she's looking at him as a mentor, so i think she'll do fine. >> not going to be bloody. >> it's a technical thing, the room is is not that well miked. this goes back to 2006 with stephen colbert, the most fears will, brilliant, best performance and inaccurately portrayed as he bombed. you just

. >>> this inning on c-span 2 q & a with ann compton talking about the presidents she has covered from gerald ford to barack obama, at 7:00 eastern. booktv timetime at 8:00 with authors writing about education, and then at 9:00, on the book "cheated" the unc scandal. the education of athletes. and at 10:00 why schools are obsessed with standardized testing but you don't have to be. begins at 8:00. >> here some over of our features programs for this weekend. on c-span 2 booktv saturday at 10:00 p.m. eastern, president of americans for tax reform grover nordquist, says americans are tired of ther is and is our tax system. and sunday night at 8:00, author susan butler about franklin roosevelt and joseph stalin, and their unexpected partnership beyond the war. and saturday night at 8:00 eastern on american history tv on c-span3, on lectures and history, university of virginia's college of wise professor jennifer murray on how civil war veterans reunions have changed, and at 1:00, american history tv is live, commemorating the anniversary of the confederate surrender and the end of the civi

. >> ann compton with the president. >> at times of great crisis, covering the white house is trying to drink from a fire hose, there is so much coming at you. >> i started at the white house on march 17, and on march 19 we were at war. i remember just thinking this is history. i'm not going to see anything like this again. >> it was christmas day 1991, let the kids at home opening the package is on christmas morning and stood on the white house lawn all day long as the calgary job declared the soviet union with resolve. it changed the face of the planet, and to have been there and cover that, and be there when the president flew back from kent david on christmas night to address the american people, that day was history. >> joe biden comes out, beaming from ear to ear. >> being in grant park when barack obama was elected president of the united states was a turning him -- moment for the entire country and a kid was never going to cover the white house and always wondered if he would ever see a black president. >> president obama made clear the efforts to build a more perfect union.

she's interviewed by ann compton whitehorse correspondent for abc news.this is about one hour. >> host: april ryan i don't think anyone, any african-american reporter has covered the white house as long as you have and now you have taken the clinton bush 43 and obama years and written about them through the prism of something that's important to your listeners on american urban radio networks. john kennedy. john kennedy and martin luther king. >> this was growing up in baltimore. >> host: what was it? did they kind of resent this newcomer? >> guest: they did resent this newcomer. he was an enigma really. he was someone who had tried unsuccessfully for a congressional seat against one of their fellow members, and they're very loyal to one another in that group. because they are a small group on the hill and they're very loyal to one another, so that was one strike against him. the second strike was he was a senator. he was a black senator, something that really rarely happens in this country. and he also was on a different schedule than the house. the sena

former abc news reporter and white house correspondent ann compton talks about covering presidents geraldrack obama. that begins at 7:00 eastern. then at 8:00, booktv in prime time, tonight with authors who have written about education starting with who wrote more than a score. at 9:00 eastern mary willingham, and kay smith. cheated. athletes in big time sports. at 10, anya kaminez. why our schools are obsessed with standardized testing but you don't have to be. coming up tonight on booktv. >>> each night this week at 9:00 p.m. eastern conversations with a few new members of c,ngress. >> and as a result i try to stay disciplined in my message in a football sense i try to stay between the hash marks. i understand, i represent everyone in montana and that is one congressman. i represent not only the republican side. but i represent the democrat side. independent side, the tea party side. i represent everyone in montana. i think if we take that value set forward, congress represents america. truly articulate the values and needs and desires of your district. but the purposes to make america

. >> ann compton with the president. >> at times of great crisis, covering the white house is tryingre is so much coming at you. >> i started at the white house on march 17, and on march 19 we were at war. i remember just thinking this is history. i'm not going to see anything like this again. >> it was christmas day 1991, let the kids at home opening the package is on christmas morning and stood on the white house lawn all day long as the calgary job declared the soviet union with resolve. it changed the face of the planet, and to have been there and cover that, and be there when the president flew back from kent david on christmas night to address the american people, that day was history. >> joe biden comes out, beaming from ear to ear. >> being in grant park when barack obama was elected president of the united states was a turning him -- moment for the entire country and a kid was never going to cover the white house and always wondered if he would ever see a black president. >> president obama made clear the efforts to build a more perfect union. >> he talks about barack obama'

[inaudible conversations] >> an encore showing of q&a, former abc news reporter ann white house correspondent and comptonlks about covering presidents from gerald ford to barack obama at 7:00 o'clock eastern. a clock book tv prime time. more than a score. 's. >> each night this week at 9:00 p.m. eastern conversations with a few knew members of congress. >> as. >> as a result i try to say discipline in my message. i understand i represent everyone montana and montana has one congressman. i represent not only the republican side of the democratic side the tea party side of the union side. represent everyone. take that value set forward. congress represents american to to qa the values in the needs and desires of the district but the purpose is to make america better. >> five newest members of congress talk about their careers and personal lives and share insight about how things work on capitol hill. join us for all their conversations each night at 90 quite eastern on c-span. >> supporters and opponents of the health care law recently took part in a discussion of the us health landscape talking about the