reporter: it's said that if christopher columbus were to return to the caribbean, the one island he'd still recognize would be dominica. its unspoiled landscape, thanks to an environmentally friendly approach to tourism, has given dominica the name the nature island. a a peaceful place, then? not for these women. their day begins at 5:30 in the morning. maddie: i slept really good. reporter: maddie simmonds, a student from britain, is spending her vacation with a group of international volunteers. maddie: it can sometimes be quite busy. there's one little stove, so everyone is trying to make their eggs and stuff. it's often quite busy. reporter: a little over an hour later. taylor from the u.s. is considered the group's late riser. >> your shoes are wet? maddie: yeah. look i've got this huge hole. reporter: 20 volunteers are helping rebuild a day-care center and a primary school destroyed by hurricane maria in september, 2017. driven by warm ocean waters, the tropical storm left devastation bend here. for dodominica, it seems a terrible irony that the island that has been so committed

i just remembered yeah they switched christopher columbus oh.but you don't want to see that human do you see the body i was keeping them for the yellow sun no no food no destroy but i'm not all that sort of a minimum of food because one else will get local. news of this most women your men who squint of my deepest. and can put on a dubious honor consumers because mainly in the non-thinking the like you do they leave them a good deal less on this list politically chris who are worrying ruthie's says to the fans in the could think up with. the bit of the day yes sister no i love how lost my life was you know you have got to tell you we have a case out of i.c.u. and i think you said i want to hear you so i was what i then said that's a lot of that but i'm going to get what we are going to put on the map but it's going to be just you know with people from the from those who. said they know. that. i could but i missed them but i also sent up other sports or got a bunch of the best out of north america most of us it was. we. don't get the memo ski to

it said that if christopher columbus were to return to the caribbean the one island he'd still recognize would be dominique. it's unspoiled landscape thanks to an environmentally friendly approach to tourism has given domenico the name the nature island. a restful place them. not for these women. their day begins at five thirty in the morning. yeah. matty simmons a student from britain is spending her vacation with a group of international volunteers. because only last week when they're also. trying. to have. a little over an hour later taylor from the us is considered the group's late riser. should be aware. of the twenty volunteers are helping rebuild a daycare center and a primary school destroyed by hurricane maria in september twenty seventh seen driven by warm ocean waters the tropical storm left devastation behind here. for domenico it seems a terrible irony that the island that has been so committed to sustainability was hit so hard by climate change. reconstruction has been slow more helping hands a needed but no fee in pay boosh volunteers and locals here all working eight hour

i just another day i laid out a switch christopher columbus style. but you don't want to see that you know and you see the way the i was keeping them with my son no no food no to swear but i'm not all that sort of a minimum homophobic because one else will get local. news of this most women your men the response of men t.v.'s. and can put a dubious in the consumers because mainly on the non-thinking the ladies do they leave them a good deal less on this list politically chris who are worried with this is to live in the could think up with. a bit of the put a yes sister no i love how lost both my wife was knowing about what i do know about the case out of i see what i think is what i want for the so i was what i can take us out of that but the one we are going for the money management is going to leave me and just leave it with the full those. savings. that. i could but i missed out on them but i hope this time also set up all the support for good emotional and the best out of north america most of us i was going to ask but i said unless. you don't ge

i just another yeah they switched christopher columbus oh. but you don't want to say that you know and that's good to see people look at the video they are what keep them in prison my young son no no food no disorder but i'm not all that sort of a minimum homophobic one else will get local. news of those most women your men who splinter from a team of forty and can put on a dubious honor concerned this is mainly a man thinking them they like you to leave them a good deal less honestly list politically this war were a move this is to the in the could think up list. was a bit of the for us system of no one but i love how lost both my wife was knowing about what i do know about the case out of i see what i think is that i want. to so i was what i can take the fall out of that but i'm going to get what we are going to put the money in the going to be and just being with people some of those things said they know. that. i could but i missed out on them but i hope this time also set up other sports or get emotional and the best out of north america

christopher columbus was jewish. who knew. they tried to get away from the imposition. and also abraham lincoln may have been jewish. it was filled with 70 vivid stories. really funny and amusing. and a lot of fistfights. i would like to ask you steve because you and i had been asked about this. it's a totally secular. you didn't take didn't take any part in religion. this is observing. what fascinated me as you have always written about economics and politics and all that. why would you want to write a book about judaism. thank you all. and for the lovely introduction. and thanks to sally. at least 16 years has done what you are never supposed to do. why did i write this book. with my first love of covering elections. the first reason i wanted to write this book was that i think it is so important. and is so filled with conflict. that there was room to write a narrative history that would read like a great political story. that's what i tried to do in this book. i searched out episodes that were revealing and full of conflict and once when i found out then in 1850s. wi

a city named after john the baptist by christopher columbus of the united states for over a century. but one of the most tragic chapters in the long, rich history of this place was written in the last year. and it is still unfolding. it's a story of unprecedented destruction that came from the ocean and for many an even more frustrating response coming from the president in charge of protecting it. >> happening now, breaking news. monster storm. >> reporter: the summer of '17 was a perfect storm of perfect storms. first, hurricane harvey blasted texas. >> it is delivering not only punishing winds but the potential for feet of rain. feet. >> reporter: then irma careened through the caribbean on its way to the florida keys. and when it grazed puerto rico, they thought they had dodged a bullet. but then, a little storm named maria grew into the mother of god awfulness. >> maria changed from a tropical storm to a category 5 hurricane in historic speed. we had never anticipated an event of this magnitude here in puerto rico and i think that's one of the lessons learned. >> reporter: one o

a city named after john the baptist by christopher columbus on an island that has been part of the united states for over a century. but one of the most tragic chapters in the long rich history of this place was written in the last year. and it is still unfolding. it's a story of unprecedented destruction that came from the ocean and for many an even more frustrating response coming from the president in charge of protecting it. >> happening now, breaking news. monster storm. >> summer of '17 was a perfect storm of perfect storms. first, hurricane harvey blasted texas. >> it is delivering not only punishing winds but the potential for feet of rain. feet. >> then irma careened through the caribbean on its way to the florida keys. and when it graced puerto rico, they thought they had dodged a bullet. but then a little storm named maria grew into the mother of god awfulness. >> maria changed from a tropical storm to a category 5 lurk in hick speed. we had never anticipated an event of this magnitude here in puerto rico and i think that's one of the lessons learned. >> one of the primary miss

christopher columbus, his fourth voyage. to get back to spain and he doesn't have enough. he goes to the natives and says, "could you give us some of your supplies?" and they only make exactly enough to get through to the next season and they didn't have enough. columbus says, "i will summon divine forces"-- he knew in a week hence there will be a total lunar eclipse. if you don't give me your supplies, i will summon divine forces and make the moon determine disappear. they were skeptical, and a week goes by and the moon begins to disappear and they freak and give him all the supplies they want. he waits until mideclipse and steps out of the cabin and says our goddess will now be good to you because you did the right thing, and we will let the moon come back. so the second half the eclipse, the moon comes back, and he goes away. if you needed yet another reason to think columbus was a dick, that would do it. ( cheers and applause ). >> stephen: wow. >> oh! >> stephen: wow. i have some italian viewers. i have some italian vie

for one thing, christopher columbus was jewish. who knew, so trying to get away from that and also, abraham lincoln may have been jewish. >> maybe. but still, there are these little nuggets in there. the book is filled with so many vivid stories and personalities as brad has said. just really funny and amusing incidents. lots of fistfights. i would like to ask you, steve, because you and i @ but, particularly this book. and you didn't take any part in religion, you didn't take part in l.a. but there is some observant jews. >> but they observe different things. what fascinated me, why given your background would you want to write a book about judaism. >> i thought you would never ask ask. [laughter] first, thank you for coming. thank you to brad and alyssa for inviting me and to brad for that lovely introduction. thank you to sally who is such a dear friend and supporter of this book. for at least 15 years every time i see her has done what you are never supposed to do as a friend and author, which is, where's the book. how is it go

that he sawstories christopher columbus sell off and he wanted to be an adventurer. what he saw shocked him. it was an utter horror. he was converted by a priest -- i don't think the name was recorded -- who told him, look what is happening here. this is unconscionable. how can you allow this to happen? he wrote several books, one of which was a huge bestseller and he described seeing human beings hunted on horseback with spears for sport. chased down and speared. then, human flesh sold in butcher shops as food for dogs. he said, this cannot be right. he said this is a great crime. he devoted his life to the advance of the indigenous people. in 1550, he debated in front of the fathers of the church, defending the rights of indigenous people to their own lives. it is an extraordinarily powerful book. you can read it in english or spanish translation. he hammered at them and he made the point. he said, if you want them to come to church, treat them as humans. you don't bring your pets to church. you don't bring in your cows to take communion. if you want them to be in

it starts with christopher columbus's voyage, to the civil war, civil rights era and president trump's >> good morning. >> this is kind of an epic job you took on, but it seems to me we couldn't need it more than we need it now. one of the things i was struck by just in looking at this book is that a lot of us believe we're living in very polarized times. but this book shows us, in fact, that's been going on for a long time. >> it has been going on for a long time. that doesn't relief us of the obligation of why we're stuck in this now and how to get ourselves out of it. i really wanted there to be a book like this so i thought i guess i'll have to try to write it. it's understandable the day to day news is completely consuming and it's covered in such incredible detail, but it's worth pulling back and trying to look across the centuries at the origins of these patterns and how people got out of similar jams in the past. that's one of the reasons i wanted to try to cover the whole sweep of american history, all its contradictions and complexities. >> the bipartisanship and inability to

it's embarrassing, you ask people on the street, who is christopher columbus?hey don't know much about our history. what is july 4? they don't know the answer to that. -- we is a very important lost teaching that in schools. my son went to a private school. they taught civics. i was very aware of what he was reading and learning. i talked to him about politics all the time. he doesn't want to hear it so much, but it's important. i encourage people to discuss it and get involved and be proactive. that includes people in hollywood. i'm not against people in hollywood discussing politics. come on a show like this and speak. host: have you always been an independent? guest: i was registered as a republican, but i voted for democrats. i voted for bill clinton twice. i vote for the candidate and their views and policies. host: do you give money to candidates? guest: i have in the past. it hasn't been a tremendous amount. i've donated a couple of times. host: have you done any endorsements? guest: i've said that i endorsed rick perry and john mccain. i certainly met w