>> face to face, finally. the presidents of two superpowers, playing nice after a year of tough talk. that is tonight on news night. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> good evening, i'm abby philip in new york. tonight, president biden calls important progress between the united states, and china. the specifics may seem small, but the american president calls the areas of agreement, important. on fentanyl, on keeping the phones open between military's, and on artificial intelligence. today, we watched carefully orchestrated diplomatic theater between these two superpowers. a handshake, a walk outside, a hollywood mansion in woodside california, but the stakes are far more consequential than fiction. to take a tumultuous year and, basically, put it to the side. >> you and i understand each other clearly, leader to leader, with no misconceptions, or miscommunications. we must ensure that competition does not veer into conflict. >> only a short while ago, at a rare press conference, the president called us discussions candid, and straightforward. his tone was measured up. >> would you say, mister president, that you trust president xi? >> do i trust? i trust, but verify. that's the old saying. that's where i am. i know the man, i know is modus operandi, we have disagreements, he has a different view than i have on a lot of things, but he has been straight. >> the president has, always, to make sure to tell the public that he knows, personally, jinping. >> i spent as much time when xi jinping is any world leader has. >> i have spoken, and spend more time when she jinping than any other world leader. >> i have probably spend more time with choosing paying, untold, than any world leader has because i had 24, 25 hours of private meetings with him when i was vice president, traveled 17,000 miles with him. i know him pretty well. >> i know one coming in strong, but i don't need that, i know she jinping. i spent more time than any other world leader. i know him, he knows me. we have very little misunderstanding. we just need to figure out where the red lines are, and one of the most important things to each of us. >> biden has been clear, do not mistake their relationship history for a friendship. >> let's get something straight, we know each other well, but we're not old friends. it's purely business. >> pure business. today was, mostly, about the rebuilding of the abc's, of how both the united states, and china, simply talk to each other. gee make sure to say, planet earth is big enough for both beijing, and washington. it is notable because the president, and the chinese leader, have spent the last year sounding like they are in the latest top gun movie. flashback to july when president biden said this to cnn's fareed zakaria about china's intentions. >> do you think that he wants to -- he wants china to replace the united states as the leading power? the defining power? >> i think he does. i am confident that he wants to have the largest economy in the world, and to have the largest military capacity in the world. >> or, this from february, after china flew a spy balloon over the continental united states, and the american military shot it down. >> i expect to be speaking with president xi, and i hope that we will get to the bottom of this. i make no apologies for taking down that balloon. >> or this, just last week. a campaign trail sounding promise to autoworkers, in illinois. >> china is determined to dominate the market by using unfair trade practices. but i will not let them. thank >> that kind of talk was, mostly, absent today, except for one moment when biden responded to a shouted question, with an answer that is guaranteed to get under xi's skin. >> mister president, after today, would you still refer to president xi is a dictator, you use world leader earlier? -- >> joining me now, republican candidate for president, vivek ramaswamy. mr. ramaswamy, thank you for joining us tonight. >> thank you. >> you tweeted, earlier today, you wanted to see president biden secure a commitment from china. not to invade, or annexed, taiwan. you have, previously, suggested that defending taiwan from invasion is not something you would commit to, indefinitely. is this a reversal back? >> i have been crystal clear. i am the only candidate that believes that strategic ambiguity is a mistake. the current policy of the u.s. government is to not state clearly whether the u.s. would, or would not, defend taiwan. i think that is a mistake. i have been very consistent on this. the correct policy is to say we will defend taiwan. at least, until we have secured semiconductor dependence. that way, we can resume this status quo of strategic ambiguity. i think china has been very strategic about when they've set up this meeting. now, and the u.s. is mired in wars another world, like in ukraine. when those were working out, potentially, in the middle east. china understands, there's a provision of leverage in the united states. that's why i laid out, if i was in that meeting, we'd be talking about accountability for covid-19, we'd be talking about the same set of rules that companies have to play by with respect to beta theft, intellectual property theft, or otherwise. i'm disappointed to not see those on the agenda in favor of climate related to a topic that biden has put on instead. >> just to be clear, mister ramaswamy, you have said that when the united states achieves semiconductor independents, you would no longer care whether china invaded taiwan, because you believe that that is the most important strategic interest? >> i would say we resume -- >> how about this, let me just go ahead -- let's just play the soundbite so that our listeners -- >> of strategic ambiguity. sure. >> we will defend taiwan. until we have semiconductor independents in this country, which is where i will lead us, by the end of my first term in office. after which point, our commitments, by definition, will, and should, change the. >> so what you are saying, today, is a little different. you are saying, the position of strategic -- >> you said in the quote, we will defend taiwan until, until, those are your words, we have semiconductor independents. you have said that will happen by the end of your first storm. so, after that point, you said our commitment -- >> which we resume strategic ambiguity. >> you said our commitments will change. >> abby, i'm right here, i can tell you my view, it's the same thing i've said before, so i don't know what gotcha game you are trying to play. we can get into a policy debate, because it's important on the subject. it's an important subject for the u.s.. right now, the u. s. posture is strategic ambiguity. both parties, refusing to say whether the u. s. will defend taiwan. so much so, you will remember, you all the right and president trump for picking up a phone call from the taiwanese president, for violating diplomatic protocol. i think that status quo is unacceptable. i think that the u.s. currently embraces the one china policy. that policy of strategic ambiguity, now, is not strong enough. i would upgrade from that. the crystal clear that the u.s. will, affirmatively, defend taiwan. something no other politician is saying with clarity, until we achieve semiconductor independents. we depend on taiwan for the chips that power or modern way of life. i do not want china having an economic gun to our head, if they control that semiconductor supply chain, it would be a disaster for the u. s.. so, we will defend militarily. after we have achieved semiconductor independents, we resume the status quo of strategic ambiguity. yes, that would be a change. a change now, and a change later. i think -- >> just to clarify -- >> she jinping would have to be foolish to invade taiwan to disrupt the semiconductor supply chain. >> just on the final point of clarity on this, once the united states achieve semiconductor independence, do you believe it will be in the united states national interest to deter china from invading taiwan. >> we will evaluate at that point in time. it will not be preferable for china to invade taiwan. >> that is not an answer to my question. >> we will then adopted what is our current -- >> you are not answering -- >> that is in the future, abby. >> you're not answering my question. >> abby, i don't think you understand -- actually, you know what strategic ambiguity means. -- i am >> asking you a simple question.. >> the current posture of strategic ambiguity. >> mr. ramaswamy, it is a yes or no answer. >> i'm happy to educate you if you are instructed. strategic ambiguity will be what we resume. it is the current status quo, that is what we will resume after we have achieved semiconductor independents. that simple. the status quo will be exactly what it obtains, after we achieve semiconductor independents. >> a simple answer would be -- >> a simple answer that question would be, actually, yes or no. i do want to turn now to a different topic, to politics. >> a simple answer is -- >> this is what your fellow republicans -- >> it's more complicated than you make it out to, be abby. -- >> here is what your fellow republican, nikki haley, said about you earlier today. take a listen. >> what happens if he comes out of the gate, he hits the female chair of the party, he hits the female anchor on the platform, and then he hits me. i'm not saying anything. >> i'm not seeing, i'm just saying. >> he might have a girl problem. i'm just saying, he might have a girl problem. >> okay, so she is laying out three different women that you have attacked. why is she wrong? >> well, she also left off that list cheney, lindsey graham, carl rove, john bolton. the real issue is, there's an old neocon wing of the republican party that i've been crystal clear critical of. what makes me crack up about nikki haley's she claims to issue identity politics, yet embraces it when it is convenient. yes, mcdaniel, if she's lost the last four elections after she took over of chairwoman of the rnc in 2017, losing in 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2023, i don't care she's a man or woman, she deserves to be held accountable. with the u. n. into -- >> when you blame president trump for that, he appointed ronna mcdaniel to that post. i think you would agree that he is also the leader of the republican party when he was president. he claims to be the republican party right now. >> the leader of the nation, the leader of the republican party. my question of this, abby, i've been in years, and others, i preach to the left, crystal clear, i stand for meritocracy. best person for the job. that's why i'm against affirmative action. i cannot preach that with good clarity if we are not practicing what we preach in the republican party itself. so, is ronna mcdaniel the best qualified person to lead the republican party on that record, when her salary has tripled in the meantime? she is not. i won't apologize for that. i think it is a shame when those who claim to distance themselves from identity politics, where identity politics, when it's convenient for them. kamala harris probably isn't running for president, if you want to run in the party of identity politics, there's a slot there. here, we are based in meritocracy. i want to apologize for that, men or women, skin color, does not matter. speak the truth, and we need to be willing to hold failure accountable. that's kristen welker, and her lies she's told. >> mr. ramaswamy, i'm going to stop you right there because there is no reason to bring kristen welker into your dispute with iran mcdaniel. i want you to listen to -- >> the very quote you just play it, listen. >> you literally paid tape of nikki haley, talk about kristen welker, so i am responding to the tape you just played for your viewers -- >> the question you are answering -- >> the question you are answering -- >> this is your claim that there is a girl issue which is my statements about kristen walk. >> are you going to let me finish my question, or continue talking? i was asking you, why would you blame ronna mcdaniel -- >> we are going back to the viewer tape displayed. >> she was appointed to her position by donald trump, the president at the time -- >> appointed by donald trump, she was elected by the chair persons of the rnc. >> a lot of the losses you blame her for have been under his watch, and you will not blame him for that. but, putting that aside, mr. ramaswamy -- >> 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023. that spans multiple different administrations. i believe in facts, abby. >> a final thing i want to ask before i let you go, over the weekend, let me just play this from what president trump said to his supporters. >> we will root out the communists, marxists, fascists, and radical left dogs that live like vermin within the confines of our country. the threat from outside forces is far less sinister, dangerous, and grave, then the threat from within. >> that language, they live like vermin, do you believe that that is, as a republican colleague chris christie has said, is neo-rhetoric? >> this is a classic, mainstream media move. pick some individual phrase of donald trump, focus on data word, without interrogating the substance of what is that issue. >> the word was chosen for a reason. >> you want to cultural war in this country. >> it is actually describing a series of behaviors. you have antifa, and other related groups, burning down cities for three years in this country -- >> would you describe them as vermin? >> they're violating the rule of law, we have an innovation on our southern border, we have millions of people crossing our southern border, let's talk about the substance of why we have to recognize we are not an ordinary times. >> we do use that language? >> the vocabulary is not what is important. >> i haven't used that language. >> would you? >> my track record on the campaign trail, i talk about the issues, we all talk about them differently, but what i won't do is play some game of focusing on some word, somebody else said, without ignoring, entirely, the substance of what we are talking about. a border crisis, of historic proportion. economic stagnation we haven't seen in 50 years. a national identity crisis, and a loss of national pride in the next generation, potentially, existential for this country. let's talk about our dependence on china, today, we're actually talking about xi jinping, picking on donald trump's word vermin to, talk about the status quo. you know what is vermin? what's running around san francisco on a given day, before gavin newsom cleaned it up on a dime, to rule out the red carpet for xi jinping. if he can do that for the she jinping, he could've done on an ordinary day. yet, we're sitting, talking, not the substance about that, but onward donald trump said in a speech in miami? this is what's wrong with the mainstream media. focus on the substance, let's have a policy debate, rather than talking to a presidential candidate, and instead of the policy substance of what is going on in the country, picking on somewhere that donald trump said on a certain day, and asking me for comment on it, give me a break. >> mr. ramaswamy, the former president saying that people on the left live like vermin in this country, that is a substantiated thing. the word choice was not accidental. >> look at the way people live in san francisco, normally. >> i think it is important to talk about it, but we appreciate your time tonight. thank you very much for joining us. >> i think it's important to talk about the substance. thank you abby.. >> up next, a cease-fire protest, turning violent. tonight, in washington. i speak with a lawmaker who is just evacuated from the building you see there. plus, elon musk, accused of antisemitism tonight, over a post about whites, and. kari swisher, and carrie champion, joining me on that. and, critics say, the tv network, univision, is shifting to the right after a controversial interview with former president trump. we speak with the former univision host about all of that. >> tonight, a rally in washington, calling for a cease-fire in gaza, turning tents. take a look at this. it happened outside of the headquarters of the democratic national committee. it looks like, there, hundreds of protesters, in favor of a cease-fire, pushing, and shoving, coming face to face with u.s. capitol police and d. c. metropolitan police. some members of congress, having to be evacuated from the building. california congressman, brad sherman, posted on x, formerly known as twitter, he was one of them. he joins me now. congressman, thank you for joining me. can you tell us what happened when you were inside of the building? >> well, we were gather together to meet candidates from all over the country, that will be our candidates, and swing districts. our leadership was there, but most of them had left. there were many others there. we had heard the demonstrators outside, they disrupted us a bit, and then we were told we were in lockdown, and would not be allowed to leave. then, the police came in, the capitol police, who didn't outstanding job, and evacuated us into the basement. >> you said, there were members of leadership there. which members were there? did they leave before the protesters turned violent? >> hakeem jeffries, catherine clark, and pete aguilar, our three top leaders, were all there. of course, as soon as they were, they headed through. one of our top leaders was there when the evacuation took place. >> we know there were some arrests and, the area is now open again. senator schumer says, there will be a vote tonight on the stopgap spending bill. how were you able to get out, and were you concerned, at all, for your safety as this was going on? >> i've been doing this for 27 years. i didn't get that concerned. some of my other colleagues were more concerned. we were evacuated in police vehicles to the capital, and then went on from there. at one point, that i want to make is, yesterday, there was 200,000 to pro israel demonstrators, with a permanent, entirely peaceful. and, here, you have a demonstration, less than 1000 this large. this also getting publicity. it is getting publicity because their willingness to attack police, as they did with pepper spray, is a force multiplier. a few demonstrators, willing to attack police, getting a fair amount of publicity, where is the amount of publicity for 200,000, peaceful demonstrators, proportionately, less. >> i just want to make a note here, we do not know exactly who was responsible for the pepper spray, but as we continue to report on the story, we will learn more. congressman brad sherman, thank you for joining us tonight. >> i believe the capitol police. >> all right. thank you. tonight, elon musk, under fire, after apparently signing on to an antisemitic racist rant on x, formerly known as twitter. we have kara swisher, and carrie champion, next, to discuss that. discuss that. discuss that. discuss that. discuss that. discuss that. discuss that. discuss that. discuss that. discuss that. discuss that. discscuss that.. >> elon musk, once again making headlines for all of the wrong reasons. musk, cosigning to an antisemitic, and racist rant on x, formerly known as twitter. this post, accusing western of supporting, court, hordes of minorities who, essentially, hate white people. musk, responding by replying to that post and saying, you have said the actual truth. they've discuss this to cnn contributor scary champion, and kara swisher. kara, starting with you here, look, must calls himself a free speech absolutist, but the problem is, this is not the first time he has used his own platform to amplify these hate messages. when is this going to, actually, have an impact? this is in business, after all. >> it is having an impact. the woman -- >> zachary, no sorry. she is having trouble right now, dealing with advertisers. she's been going on, trying to get more, ads trying to improve the business, and does this all the time, he just can't seem to help himself. it's the issue, he can't stop. now, sometimes, people misspeak online. sometimes to make mistakes, look, everyone is a little emotional, and people have said stupid things, or got an overrun, et cetera, that makes sense given the stakes that are happening here, and the difficulties of watching a lot of this. but in this case, it is a consistent behavior for him to do this, and not just for a short time. then, everybody is surprised he does it. i don't know what to say. this is what he likes to do. he wants to create controversy, he wants to create attention, he's an attention sponge, and he is saying, sort of, reprehensible things, especially in replies. that's where he does it. so that he gets in less trouble, but everybody sees that. >> everybody sees it. >> the other thing is, you've talked about everybody being overwrought, or whatever, but this is pouring gasoline on a hot fire, right now. the role of social media, and whipping up anger in, this particular story, on the israel-hamas war, really, is a big part of this. do you think that twitter, or acts, or whatever, right, now is indifferent to its role in a hyping up these kinds of rivalries on both sides? >> i think anything that calls attention to him is what he wants to do. he doesn't differentiate between declaring a fight with mark zuckerberg and this. any attention he can get. he's always been a permanent state of grievance. it is always about him. this has nothing to do with elon musk. what he is doing is promoting, hey, there is a difference between free speech, and speech designed to hurt people. that's precisely that. just like he called paul burrows who's trial going in around his attack, and he drummed up a fake conspiracy theory, right after this poor man was beaten with a hammer. he just wants attention. he doesn't care how he gets it. >> carrie, some of this has spilled into the sports world. a civil rights group, calling for the suspension of cleveland cavaliers minority owner, gary gilbert, after he sent threatening messages to a pro palestinian group, calling for a protest. here is what he wrote an instagram. we will be armed and ready for you cowardly punks this wednesday. he also wrote, we are armed, and ready for you punks, and we do not have any ounce of fear. he said these messages have been misconstrued, but, man, what is the nba going to do about this, carry? >> it's interesting that you bring this up. the nba has a zero tolerance policy. they have referred to issues such as hate groups, or people promoting hate, as something that cannot be a part of their fraternity. in 2014, they made donald sterling sell the clippers because of behavior that he said he didn't like black people, or want to be around them. most recently, robert sarver, who won the phoenix suns, was also, unfortunately, forced to sell the phoenix suns because of his racist remarks, and massage an in the workplace. so, there is precedent for the atc to do this, however, the difference is that gary gilbert is a minority owner. he doesn't, really, have, as the cleveland cavaliers have said today, a major role within the company. his brother, dan gilbert, owns the franchise. so, i do believe, the nba will address this, i think that they will take their time, in response, but i also know, adam silver, the commissioner, has been clear, there is no room for that in the nba. now, the cleveland cavalier is find themselves answering for an instagram post that a minority owner felt like he needed to share because he was emotional, understandably. >> look, sports is typically a place where people tried to go to escape the, maybe the news of the day, escape the tensions, the infighting, but this is a story that has boiled into even that space. does that surprise you, carrie? >> you know, abby, i would like to say that it does, but it does not. the intersection is so fragile. i think the common denominator is that because we're all humans, we all feel, and we cannot separate the two. not in this day and age. you cannot separate the two. i think the problem here is that most people use social platforms to express themselves. this topic, will be so nuanced, is not a place for however many characters, or an emoji, or emotional outburst. so, no matter how right you feel you are, and what you have to say, these conversations need time. they need to be massaged. we are seeing extreme forms of people trying to express their righteousness, if you will, on a platform that just doesn't allow for that. >> social media has been such a toxic force in these conversations around something that is really complex, and people shouldn't shy away from that. cari champion, kara swisher, great to have both of you on, thank you. >> the abby, thank you. >> tv network univision, now under fire for a controversial interview with donald trump. i speak with a former anchor of that network, next. c'mon, we're right there. c'mon baby. it's the only we need. go, go, go, go! ah! touchdown baby! -touchdown! are your neighbors watching the same game? yeah, my 5g home internet delays the game a bit. but you get used to it. try these. they're noise cancelling earmuffs. i stole them from an airport. it's always something with you, man. great! solid! -greek salad? exactly! don't delay the game with verizon or t-mobile 5g home internet. catch it on the xfinity 10g network. >> tonight, a major shake up in the country's biggest banners language media companies. an acre, among the most prominent voices in the u.s. latino community, abruptly announcing his exit from the company today. his departure, coming just days after univision's controversial interview with former president, donald trump. and, washington post article that reveals behind the scenes stressed, in a social media post, his commitment to journalism, amplifies the voices, and illuminates the stories of those who go unheard, and unseen, continues. in a statement, the company thanked him for his service, but did not divulge further details about the reason for his departure. joining me now, maria celeste former anger for television, and telemundo. thank you for being here. there is so much going on, it seems, with this univision situation. first, there's trump's controversial interview, and then there is this high profile exit of a top anchor. what do you think is going on? >> well, there is a lot going on, as you said, abby. thank you for inviting me. i think this interview with donald trump a few days ago was a missed golden opportunity. i think the interview was sugar coated, there was a lot of questions that needed to be asked, that weren't asked. considering the fact that donald trump has not given any recent interviews, and has not been in any debates, this was an opportunity to ask many questions, especially questions that hispanics needed to have the answers for. this did not happen. i think during the interview, there was several assertions that were false, that needed to be heavily challenged. there is ample evidence to prove the contrary. that did not happen. the question is, why? the there is this news situation in which tele-visa, which is a powerful mega media company from mexico has, now, great influence on univision, which is a number one hispanic television network. it helps shape the perception of the viewer. perception, as you all know, turns into reality, eventually. >> tel aviv's, as you pointed out, and univision, merged in 2021. trump also hosted several of the univision executives at mar-a-lago during this hour-long interview. one of the things that democrats are pointing out, a couple of facts that are from the reporting, is that univision ad reps canceled biden campaign spots, and that were purchased run during trump's interview. they say, because they have a rule now against airing campaign ads during interviews like this. do you think that there is an effort by univision executives to get cozy with trump? is that what is causing this shift in, what seems to, be a shift, in this network's posture? >>. >> honestly, it seems to be that way. first of all, i think it is very unusual to have an interview with a former president, and have the executives of your company present a few steps away. i could not imagine this stress this reporter, who's a great reporter, must of been throw under those circumstances. knowing that trump's buddy buddy with his bosses, and the bosses are good friends with the son-in-law. very few people can stand up to that. there were several instances in which the reporter was smiling every time trump answer the question. i do not think that is correct. i have conducted many interviews with former presidential candidates, and that is one thing you just don't do, because it seems like you agree with what they're saying, even if you don't. but, it gives way to be misinterpreted. you know, what people have to understand is that tel aviv's, and these executives, are very powerful in mexico. they are a mega media giant. who, for decades, influenced the programming to favor their political cronies, and friends. it had a lot of benefits, in return, because of that philosophy. we don't want is to have a mega media company, from another country, influencing our do, electoral, process of electing a president. that is something we should be very worried about. >> that's interesting, and you are the first person to raise tel aviv's israeli tayshawn in mexico. one other scenario here though, just the sheer politics of it all, and the business of it all. there is a new cnn poll showing, the former president only trails biden by four points among hispanic voters. i think we have all seen trump trying to gain inroads with hispanic voters. our univision executives looking at that and sayiying, well, , some of our viewers maybe trump fans, and maybe the network needs to make a shift? do you think some of this is, also, just about politics, and perhaps, public opinion? >> no, i don't think so. i've been in both networks, as was said, and i have worked for the networks. the command, at all times, when you're in the newsroom is be objective, be conscious, that you have to be in the middle, and be factual about things. however, like i said, when you have a mega media company from mexico, who is used to doing this kind of, and exerting this kind of undue influence on their viewers, through their programming, the danger is that they try to do the same here. there is a reason why the fcc is so cautious about media company mergers, especially with one so powerful as tele-visa, to make sure that they don't have undue influence in the american electorate. >> it is very serious, i think, allegation, and questions that are being raised. maria, before you go, let me ask you one more thing. this week, texas, governor greg abbott, expected to sign an immigration bill that would make illegal border crossings in that state to crime. it would also give local law enforcement the ability to arrest, and deport, migrants. civil rights organizations are leading that this could cause racial profiling. what impact do you think this will have on that state, where latinos make up 40% of the population. >> first of all abby, i think that there is a real problem at the border, and action needs to be taken. but, everything that happens at the border will be controversial, no matter what. there are a lot of latinos, in texas, who agree with these strong laws, contrary to what many people would think. however, the danger with this law, as you mentioned, a simple. it is allowing law enforcement, at the local, and state level, to arrest people that they suspect, keyword, suspect, to be migrants that have crossed the border illegally. that is where the danger comes. suspecting is very subjective. that can lead to, as you said, racial profiling or, people that live in texas, people going about their own business, and getting into trouble while it gets sorted out, just because they have brown skin, to give you an example. also, what worries me, is that this law does not contemplate funding anything for the education of the agents, or ensuring that they have knowledge of immigration laws, so that there are no issues that can affect an arrest. you know all of the things that we have seen in the media throughout the years concerning law enforcement, immigration, and migrants. so, those are concerns that must be raised. we will keep an eye on them. >> certainly, we will keep an eye on the story. it's an important one. maria, thank you so much for joining us. it >> thank you so much abby, good night. >> pop singer, pink, handing out thousands of banned books at her florida concerts. cnn, at tonight's concert, and we will have the scene, next. >> at tonight's pink uncertain, sunrise florida, fans are getting more than a huge concert with the highflying popstar, pink. also giving away 2000 banned books, in partnership with the literacy, and free expression group, pen america. she told her fans on instagram, why. >> i am a voracious reader, i'm a mom of two kids, who are also voracious readers. i cannot imagine my own parents telling me what my kids can, and cannot read, let alone someone else's parents, let alone someone else who doesn't even have children, deciding what my children can read up. >> cnn's carlos suarez, outside of the pink concert at the emory and bank arena. carlos, tell us what it was like there, earlier today? >> well, abby, under a torrential downpour here in south florida, all of the fans who spoke to tonight told us, they were excited to see pink perform, and they were excited to pick up some of the books that have been restricted, or removed from school libraries across the state of florida. pink gave away thousands of these books at both of her shows, here, in south florida. now, one of the books that were handed out here, earlier tonight, was by amanda gorman, the hill week line. that is the poem that she read at joe biden's inauguration. now, earlier this year, that book, and access to that book, was restricted at a school in miami-dade county, after a single parent, one parent, complained that the poem had no educational value, had hateful messages, and was indoctrinating students. abby, at the time, when i reported on the story, i spoke to the parent to make that complaint and she all but admitted to me, she had not read amanda gorman's book, she could not point to a part of the poem that she found troubling, and she really could not explain why she thought the book had been authored by oprah winfrey. now, school districts across the state of florida have been dealing with this issue for sometime, after a new state law went into effect, banning the discussion of sexual orientation, and gender identity, in the classroom. supporters of these parental rights say, the law allows them to challenge these books, and that a lot of these book titles, and we are talking about hundreds of them at this point, really, are not age-appropriate. but, critics of these book bans, essentially, say, this is about silencing brown and black authors, as well as othering the lgbtq+ community. here's some of the fans we talked with earlier tonight on the broader message out here. up supporters of these parental rights say, the law allows them to challenge these books, and that a lot of these book titles, and we are talking about hundreds of them at this point, really, are not age-appropriate. but, critics of these book bans, essentially, say, this is about silencing brown and black authors, as well as othering the lgbtq+ community. here's some of the fans we talked with earlier tonight on the broader message out here. up >> one of the things i have heard her say is when you have a platform this big, you need to be responsible with the message you carry. so, it's amazing to have someone like her staying in support of people like us. >> reading is the best thing you can do. i think this is phenomenal what pink is doing. >> good for her for allowing the fans to represent, and i'm giving this to my grandkids. they should learn that everybody should be accepted. >> so, the concert is just wrapping up, and abby, 1000 books handed out here tonight. another 1000, given out a pink's concert in miami. abby? >> so interesting. you can see, they're young and old, picking up books, and enjoying the pink concert. interesting decision from pink, and a great night for the people who get to take home a ton of books. carlos suarez, thank you for staying out in the rain for us. just into cnn, we have a new statement from u.s. capitol police, giving an update on those tense protests we just told you about in washington d. c.. in a statement that, they say, six officers were injured during that protests that you see there, including being pepper sprayed, and being punched. we will be right back.