nonessential travel. after more than 19 months of restrictions. >> i'm pamela brown in washington. you're in the "cnn newsroom" on this sunday evening. and we begin tonight with the tragedy in texas. two teenagers are among the eight people killed in a sudden and massive human stampede at a music festival in houston. many more are injured after fans rushed the stage during a performance by rapper travis scott at the astroworld music festival in houston. video from the sold-out event shows the moment travis scott pauses and looks on in confusion as an ambulance moves into the packed crowd of about 50,000 fans. witnesses describe the crush of people squeezing against them, leaving them with nowhere to go. and i'm going to be bringing in mayor sylvester turner to talk about this. he's in houston. i know things have been rapidly unfolding for you, mayor, since this tragedy happened. if you could, bring us up to date with the latest of what we know, how did this happen? >> well, that's the question that we're working feverishly to determine. we want to look at every single detail, looking at the site plans, the security plans, talking with the producers of this concert, live nation. we want to visit with as many witnesses or if people have any information, please call that information in to the houston police department. we are waiting for the medical examiner's report, but that is a question. we want to know what happened, how it happened, and to make sure we have all of the details such that this will not happen again. right now, we're focussing on the families, as you indicated. eight persons lost their lives, so we're praying for their family members, there are still two individuals who are critical, in critical condition in our hospitals. so we're prayer for all of them. >> police have put out a picture of one of the victims who had not been identified, asking for ppublic's help. do you know if they have received any more information about him and who he may be? >> the answer is yes, that person has now been identified and contact has been made with his family. and again, we want to offer as much support to all of these families, whether it's counselling, whatever assistance we can offer. we're certainly offering our prayers. in addition to our prayers, we want to provide them with whatever assistance they need because this is a permanent loss for them. and even if you lose one person, and one person dies, that's one too many. our hearts and prayers and thoughts go out, but we want to offer to them any support we can. >> mayor turner, cnn just confirmed the performer at the time of the stampede, travis scott, as well as the concert promoter and live nation, are now being sued. they cite negligence and failure to properly plan and secure the festival. will your office be involved in this lawsuit? >> we are involved in the investigation of this manner, as knroi know, there's a criminal investigation under way at this point in time. look, we don't want to leave any detail unreviewed. so we want to look at every single thing. i will tell you that my team met today, this morning, reviewing, starting to review a detailed review of everything that has taken place. it will take probably weeks if not longer. and i'm sure that what took place will be looked at from many different angles. as well as it should be. so this investigation is very active. it's very early. there's a lot that we need to know. but we want to make sure, and we owe it to the families and everyone else to have all of the details as it relates to this incident. >> mr. mayor, this venue and the crowds that arrived on friday, was never in complete control. i mean, we're seeing video of the entrance gates being overrun. the metal detectors destroyed. security guards overwhelmed. this is that video on our viewers' screens. who are you going to hold accountable for this? was that breach of the entrance gates not a warning of what might happen later? >> that was an initial breach that morning, that breach was fixed. this is the third time that the astroworld fest has taken place in the city of houston. on this particular -- for this particular concert, the security was beefed up. we had over 500 houston police officers at that event. in addition, the private security, there were over 700 private security, significantly more than what existed in 2019. but look, we owe it to every single concertgoer to do everything, all of those, all of the stakeholders, to do everything that we can to make sure that this is a safe venue for those who come, regardless of their ages. this is a concert. there are certain things you should anticipate. and so we owe it to each and every one of them to make sure that this setting is as safe as possible. that's why we are determined to look at every single detail to make sure that no stone is left unturned. and to make sure that we can answer what happened, how it happened, where there were shortcomings and what we need to do going forward to make sure that an incident of this kind does not happen again in this city. >> do you have any update on what we learned yesterday about the security guard who apparently was pricked in the neck and had to be revived with narcan, and whether there was a larger situation going on where someone was going around and injecting people with drugs? can you give us any update on that? >> that is still under review. look, anything that we hear, anything that is reported to us, we are going to follow it to the very end. and that's why we encourage people, if you have any information, please provide that information and we will track it down. so whatever we are hearing, we're going to follow through on it to check it out, to verify it, to see whether or not that in fact was the case. and i suspect this investigation will go in many different directions, as we look for all possible answers to determine what took place on friday night. >> just last question for you, you said this was the third time astroworld festival had been held there. if it continues, will you allow it to be held in houston in the future? what are you going to do to make sure that other festivals being held at that venue, that the same thing doesn't happen? >> well, right now, that's highly premature. my focus right now and the focus of others in the city, to make sure that the families of those who have lost loved ones, that their needs are being met, that we provide all the support services for them. in addition to our prayers that they need. that's number one. the second is to those who remain in the hospital, to make sure that they get all the care that they need, in addition to our prayers. so that's number two. and then thirdly, it's important for us to answer the question, what happened, why did it happen, how did it happen, whether or not there were any shortcomings, and then how can we best proceed going forward. once we have done that, then we can make a determination as to what will happen next year and down the road. >> okay. houston mayor sylvester turner, thanks for joining the show and for your time tonight. >> thank you for having me. thank you. >> i want to bring in an eyewitness to the tragedy that unfolded. reese was a concert going at the astroworld music festival. reese, thanks for joining us. >> thank you for having me. >> the stories coming from the concertgoers have been so awful. there's no word in the vocabulary to describe what people are conveying. tell us what you went through when you were there, and we're seeing video here at the concert. what did you go through? >> so initially when i got there, things were pretty erratic, but i guess typical for a music festival. once travis scott came out, about 45 minutes before his set is when i knew things were getting a little bit edgier. it was definitely getting pretty tight. and i knew anyone who was a smaller person was going to be definitely struggling to breathe and just maintain their space. it was definitely chaos, and about midway through is when i really started to notice some circles forming, people giving cpr. i saw a lot of distraught faces. it was definitely a very scary time. i myself, i felt pretty comfortable, but i knew a lot of people around me were very much on edge. it was pure chaos, that's the word i could use. >> so why did you feel comfortable? what was it about the situation where you weren't necessarily concerned for your safety, but uknew there was a crisis unfolding? >> i knew there was a crisis unfolding. i had, you know, you had people shifting around you the whole time. and i kind of was, every time i would see a new face, we got each other, don't let anybody fall. once somebody falls, it was hard to get them up because that space would fill in. i'm a little taller so i was able to look up and breathe. it was cold air, actually a pretty good weather weekend. being able to look up and catch a fresh breath was a huge factor. i just told myself to stay calm and make sure i could try to keep other people up and not get in the way. it's almost hard, you don't want to get up because then you might cause more damage and more people falling. you just had to stay and remain calm was my main goal. >> it's just fascinating. i mean, because of your height, you were able to breathe. if you were shorter, we kept hearing from some of the concertgoers, they couldn't breathe. they were panicking. how much of the crowd in that area do you think was oblivious to the crisis that was unfolding? because a lot of these concerts, it does get pretty rowdy, and people are pushing into each other. can you just help paint a picture of what it was like and what the crowd, how much of the crowd was sort of oblivious to this? >> i would say probably about 60% of the crowd was potential oblivious. i looked at some shots. there was a lot, i ended up getting pretty close when i look back at the film i had. i would say about 60% to 70% were oblivious. definitely a majority started to notice later in the concert. you would hear chants, i was right next to a pretty strong chant of, stop the show, and help us. people screaming. i mean, it was streaming on apple music. you could hear in between songs some distraught noises. definitely were suspect. >> reese, thank you for coming on, for sharing your experience with us. >> thank you so much. condolences to all the families, and prayers. >> absolutely. our condolences for sure. >> and starting tomorrow, the u.s. will open its land borders to vaccinated international travelers. the policy change affects nonessential visitors, and the border communities that they'll travel through, which were hit particularly hard during the coronavirus pandemic. let's go now to one of those communities, cnn's priscilla alvarez is in el paso, texas. pruvilla, how will this work? >> well, starting tomorrow, more people will be allowed to come into the united states via land crossings like the one behind me, as these restrictions are eased. to do so, travelers will have to have a couple items. primarily, proof of vaccination. that can be digital or paper. now, as far as what vaccines the u.s. is accepting, they say they accept fda and w.h.o. authorized or approved vaccines. now, children under the age of 18 will be exempt from these vax vaccination requirements and covid tests will not be required. that is different from air travel passengers who will need to have covid tests. now, u.s. customs and border protection is anticipating longer wait times and larger travel volumes as this kicks up tomorrow. but the overall consensus from border mayors is this is a positive development. representative veronica escobar of texas who represents el paso told me it is a, quote, long awaited day. a positive day ahead, many hope, as they start to bolster up their economies. >> priscilla alvarez, thank you so much. >> tonight, iraq's prime minister vowing to punish his attackers after surviving an assassination attempt using drones rigged with explosives. also ahead this hour, democrats taking that bruising loss in virginia as a major learning lesson ahead of the midterms. >> i think congressional dems just blew the timing of the infrastructure and work force sxejication bills. bluntly, we blew it. >> and pro football star terry bradshaw rips into aaron rodgers for pretending he was vaccinated. >> we got players that pretty much think only about themselves, and i'm extremely disappointed in the actions of aaron rodgers. >> you're in the "cnn newsroom." we'll be right back. ♪ i'm a reporter for the new york times. if you just hold it like this. yeah. ♪ i love finding out things that other people don't want me to know. mm-hmm. [beep] i just wanted to say... ♪ find yourself in these situations and see who you are. and that's just part of the bargain. ♪ don't settle for products that give you a sort-of white smile. try crest whitening emulsions... ...for 100% whiter teeth. its highly active peroxide droplets... ...swipe on in seconds. better. faster. 100% whiter teeth. shop crestwhitesmile.com. ♪ ♪ to all the kisses... ...that led... ...to this one. celebrate every kiss, with kay. (judith) in this market, you'll find fisher investments is different than other money managers. (other money manager) different how? don't you just ride the wave? (judith) no - we actively manage client portfolios based on our forward-looking views of the market. (other money manager) but you still sell investments that generate high commissions, right? (judith) no, we don't sell commission products. we're a fiduciary, obligated to act in our client's best interest. (other money manager) so when do you make more money? only when your clients make more money? (judith) yep, we do better when our clients do better. at fisher investments we're clearly different. in houston, texas, police have launched a criminal investigation into the deaths of eight people at the astroworld music festival. >> the crushing sea of fans surged toward the stage on friday night as rapper travis scott started to perform. many fans trapped in the vice-like squeeze and unable to move as the air was squeezed out of their lungs. some collapsed and were trampled. here you can see some people reaching into the crowd, trying to rescue others by pulling them over the barricade to safety. on cnn a short time ago, we spoke to one woman who was grateful to be alive. >> it was -- it was just terrifying. it was the only word i have to describe it. with everyone around us just trying to take each individual breath, and there was just no air left for anyone to breathe. we were too closely compact. everyone was too pushed up against each other. there was just nowhere to go and no air to breathe. >> i just started screaming, help, help, please help me. i can't breathe. and finally, some people around me told me they were going to pick me up and they just started saying crowd surf her to the medics. >> joining me now, criminal and defense and constitutional law attorney page pate. good to see you. so we're just getting word in, the past few minutes, that a $1 million lawsuit has been filed against travis scott, live nation, and concert promoter score more, following this tragedy. surely more will follow. what is the potential civil liability for these party snz. >> i think potentially, these parties are liable for many millions of dollars, not just $1 million. in a case like this, i think it's going to be somewhat difficult to prove civil liability on behaft of travis scott himself, although he was clearly, i think, getting the crowd into this, engaging them, even when he should have had notice that it was a very dangerous situation. the concert promoter, i think, is also being targeted for civil liability. live nation, anyone who had any responsibility for either insuring security, crowd control, or on-site medical treatment and evaluation could potentially be liable. and they should expect that. this was a situation that perhaps you could have expected some sort of crowd interaction like this, but once it happens, you need to be able to take control. this is not the first time they have had an incident at a travis scott event. they should have been ready for it. they should have expected it. if they're not, they're going to be liable. >> you mentioned travis scott's behavior. he has a history of encouraging chaos at his shows, daring fans to rush past security barriers. could he be criminally liable for egging fans into dangerous behavior? >> i think he can, pamela. i don't think this is the first time that someone has suggested that he could be criminally charged. but i think in the past, it's been more of, okay, this is disorderly conduct. this is some sort of a misdemeanor. but people died in houston as a result of what happened at that festival, at that concert. and under texas law, where this occurred, if you are reckless and cause someone's death, you have committed manslaughter. if you are criminally negligent and cause someone's death, that's criminally negligent homicide. those are serious charges that carry serious prison time. now, the investigation is still early. who knows what the facts are? but we all know a couple things. one, it was a very dangerous situation. he should have been aware of it, yet he continued to egg people on. that's negligent. >> he posted on his instagram, and his instagram story, talking about this. just saying how horrible he felt, that he's trying to help authorities, that had he known the extent of it, he would have stopped everything. and you know, you have heard from performers who say, look, it can get rowdy at these concerts. sometimes they, people pass out because they're overheated. and so forth. and they may not understand the extent of it. could that be a defense for him? >> it can certainly be a defense up to a point. yes, when you go to a travis scott concert, i assume you know you're going to be in a situation where there are crowds of people who get rowdy, who get inspired by the music and who may take it a step too far. but the issue here is, once that starts to happen, you have a responsibility to do something. and you don't wait until someone dies. you don't wait until people are trampled and then say, i'm very sorry. the insurance company will pay you off. no, once this happens, you have a responsibility. this cannot be a surprise to travis scott based on the behavior of the crowd and based on his prior shows. >> all right, page pate, thank you so much. we'll be right back. nose. with up to 50% more lotion puffs bring soothing softness and relief. a nose in need deserves puffs indeed. someday you'll catch the perfect wave. with an average of $550 worth of benefits to enjoy during your stay at fine hotels & resorts properties, "someday" can be any day you want. one of the many reasons you're with amex platinum. such tree-mendous views. i'm at a moss for words. when a cough tries to steal dad's punchlines, he takes robitussin naturals powered by 100% drug-free ingredients. are you gonna leaf me hanging? soothe your cough naturally. (tiger) this is the dimension of imagination. ♪ ♪ what does it feel like to sell your car to carvana? it feels amazing. when you get a great offer in seconds... (all cheering) it feels too good to be true. it's kicking back and relaxing as we pick up your car. and when you get paid on the spot, it feels like scoring big. you know the feeling. you just never imagined you could get it from selling your car. well, with carvana, you can. experience the new way to sell a car. moving is a handful. no kidding! fortunately, xfinity makes moving easy. easy? -easy? switch your xfinity services to your new address online in about a minute. that was easy. i know, right? and even save with special offers just for movers. really? yep! so while you handle that, you can keep your internet and all those shows you love, and save money while you're at it with special offers just for movers at xfinity.com/moving. critical race theory is something you talked about a lot. what is critical race theory? >> simple. it's what got me elected. >> right. but what is it? >> it's not important. what's important is parents. everyone knows they should run schools. >> "saturday night live" having some fun with a relatively recent rallying cry among conservatives. loud voices on the right railing against critical race theory, demanding it be banned from public schools. it popped up a lot in the very close race for virginia governor, but funny skits asides, it's true many people struggle to put into words exactly what the words critical race theory mean. one basic definition is this, the theory that systemic racism is part of american society and challenges the beliefs that allow it to flourish. let me bring in cnn's sara sidner. thanks for joining us tonight. whenever critical race theory comes up, a lot of people tend to get wrong where it exists if it does at all, what's the fact, what's the fiction here. >> here's what parents and folks in the community who show up to some of these school board meetings have been rallying about. they feel that critical race theory, which is something that, by the way, is generally taught at not just the higher education level, not just university level, but actually in law school, is generally where critical race theory is taught and debated. but they're worried that it's being taught in k-12. and the short answer to whether or not it is being taught widely in k-12 schools across america is no. it's not. we have talked to several of the school districts where some of these very volatile and sometimes violent school board meetings have occurred. and all of them have said, look, this is not a part of our curriculum. however, there have been some schools who have taught things that parents didn't like when it came to diversity training and inclusion training. there have been some books that have been recommended as extra reading that parents really saw as problematic, not just conservative parents but parents who are democrats as well, and the big worry here, and this is what's gotten everyone riled up, is the big worry from parents is are our children being taught it's bad to be white, and if so, is that making our children who are white feel bad about their whiteness, something they cannot help, just like something can't help any other thing they are born into, any ethnic background. that's the underlying worry behind all this, pam. >> how did this become such a widespread issue, and energize so many against it? >> you know, it's a really good question, and we went to find the answer to that. and it boils down to this one person, his name is christopher rufo, and we did a report that included him and we talked to him, but he basically was able to use the term critical race theory, something that's generally taught in law school, and use it and make it a big tent about teaching about racism in america and whether or not racism is intrinsic and part of the american fabric or whether racism is something that can be solved. here's what he said. >> you tweeted that it is you are going to create something toxic when it comes to the way people think about critical race theory. that's what you yourself tweeted. isn't that bad for america. >> that's inaccurate. critical race theory is intrinsically toxic. i'm merely revealing it. i'm merely exposing it. and i'm merely creating a framework for people to understand it. but it's not that i have turned critical race theory toxic. good but that is not what he tweeted in march. his tweet, we have successfully frozen their brand critical race theory into the public conversation and are steadily driving up negative perceptions. we will eventually turn it toxic. as we put all of the various cultural insanities under that brand category. so you saw there what he tweeted. you saw him denying that he was trying to create this toxic scenario with critical race theory and dumping everything that people are afraid of into that, under that roof. but then after he tweeted that, he actually ended up on fox, and he talked directly to the president. he asked the president to immediately issue an executive order and get rid of what he called destructive and divisive ideology, and he was talking about critical race theory. not long after that, the president announced critical race theory and almost a couple weeks, a few weeks later, trump did sign an executive order banning critical race theory trainings in the federal government. he was able to really get the eye of the president on this issue. an issue many will argue isn't an issue. but now parents think it is, and they're extra concerned about what is being taught in schools. i will tell you this. i have been to several of these board meetings. these school board meetings, and what is really fascinating is often the people who i talk to do not have children that are in the school district. they are citizens, they are certainly allowed to show up to these board meetings, but it is interesting that there is a confluence of a whole binch of different people, and the parents that are there are truly concerned. i don't think that should be negated. they are now looking deeply at what actually is being taught, but most school districts will tell you, this is not widespread if it is being taught, it certainly isn't being taught all over the united states. >> sara sidner, that is such important information. separating the fact from fiction on this issue. thank you so much for coming on to break it down for us. up next, from the impact of suburban moms to the trump factor. >> most people don't like him, but he's a wonderful guy. okay, tall, rich, like my sons. okay, glen, you like my son. >> please don't say that. >> snl has their funny take, but what really happens explains what happened in virginia's governor's race. two great guests are here to discuss up next. get 25% off everything. ♪ this is how we shine... at zales. the diamond store. feel stuck with student loan debt? move to sofi and feel what it's like to get your money right. (phone chimes) ♪ ♪ ♪ i jump up on the stage ♪ ♪ and do my money dance ♪ ♪ i throw some money up ♪ ♪ and watch the money land ♪ ♪ i do my, i do my i do my money dance ♪ move your student loan debt to sofi - you could save with low rates and no fees. earn a $500 bonus when you refi... and get your money right. ♪ i do my money dance ♪ ebenezer. ebenezer. marley? first you will see the past. excuse me! coming through! ugh! and then...the present. and finally, ebenezer...the future! introducing the all-electric eqs. happy holidays from mercedes-benz. ♪ ♪ there are beautiful ideas that remain in the dark. but with our new multi-cloud experience, you have the flexibility you need to unveil them to the world. ♪ i'm still wowed by what's next. even with higher stroke risk due to afib not caused by a heart valve problem. so if there's a better treatment than warfarin,... i want that. eliquis. eliquis reduces stroke risk better than warfarin. and has less major bleeding than warfarin. eliquis has both. don't stop taking eliquis without talking to your doctor as this may increase your risk of stroke. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. while taking, you may bruise more easily... or take longer for bleeding to stop. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, or unusual bruising. it may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. the number one cardiologist-prescribed blood thinner. ask your doctor about eliquis. for people living with h-i-v, keep being you. and ask your doctor about biktarvy. biktarvy is a complete, one-pill, once-a-day treatment used for h-i-v in certain adults. it's not a cure, but with one small pill, biktarvy fights h-i-v to help you get to and stay undetectable. that's when the amount of virus is so low it cannot be measured by a lab test. research shows people who take h-i-v treatment every day and get to and stay undetectable can no longer transmit h-i-v through sex. serious side effects can occur, including kidney problems and kidney failure. rare, life-threatening side effects include a buildup of lactic acid and liver problems. do not take biktarvy if you take dofetilide or rifampin. tell your doctor about all the medicines and supplements you take, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis. if you have hepatitis b, do not stop taking biktarvy without talking to your doctor. common side effects were diarrhea, nausea, and headache. if you're living with hiv, keep loving who you are. and ask your doctor if biktarvy is right for you. well, toonnight, global condemnation after an asasination attempt over the president of iraq. an explosive laden drone ta tarta targeted his residence in baghdad. criminal armed groups, a term that was used in the past to describe iranian-backed militias. this comes after weeks of tensions after the elections. president biden spoke out, saying those who carried it out once identified need to be held responsible. no one has claimed responsibility for the assassination attempt. startling election losses in virginia and new jersey serving as major warning signs to democrats as they scramble to learn the lessons of tuesday's election night bruising. >> i think congressional dems just blew the timing of the infrastructure and work force and education bills. bluntly, we blew it. >> look, i think the voters sent a message. they wanted to see more action in washington. they want today see things move more quickly. >> joining us to discuss is scott jennings, columnist at "usa today" and former adviser to mitch mcconnell, and kurt bardella, a former republican turned democrat, now an adviser to the democratic national committee and democratic congressional campaign committee. great to see you both, gentlemen. thanks for making time for us. kurt, let's start with you. who bears the blame for what happened on tuesday? and how does the party move forward? >> well, i think that what we saw on tuesday was an overall problem that democrats have had, the big challenge when it comes to branding the democratic party and our policies. for too long, we have allowed republicans to hijack a number of issues, from infrastructure to the price tag to the bill that just passed, to education, to the green new deal. to voting rights. you name it, democrats have had a hard time getting their message out in a way that connects tangibly to everyday working americans. hopefully now with the passage of the infrastructure bill, they can have the tangible deliverables to convey to the american people every single day between now and the midterms what they're doing for you. the conversation about government overall, pamela, has been so much framed in a way where it's what government is doing to you. now democrats have a chance to talk about what government is doing for you and the ways it will tangibly and concretely and in a very real way have a positive impact on americans and their wallets. >> scott, one of the big issues in the race in virginia was education. you had youngkin among other things pushing this idea of schools being overrun with critical race theory. which is not true, per cnn's fact check. that was not the case. here is part of "snl's" spoof of this last night. >> group of parents and i put together our list of books that should never be allowed in the classroom. pride and prejudice. prejudice is fine, but pride is a term that has been co-opted by the gays. for some sort of lady gaga themed parade. invisible man. what's he doing? where is he? can he see me in my home or what i google? the great gatsby, too much jazz. moby dick. title is dirty, love that the whale is white. >> so there is not evidence critical race theory has been explicitly taught with any frequency in virginia public schools. is this a case of republican fearmongering on this issue? scott. >> no, it's a case of democrats fundamentally misunderstanding the voting electorate in virginia. you had a bunch of parents who, a, spent 18 months with the schools closed. b, have to live through all of the covid back and forth and the mandates. c, for the first time, i imagine a lot of parents are getting a real look at what their curriculum really is in the schools. and d, deciding to show up and ask some questions about it. and democrats essentially flipped them off and told them, we don't want you here, in some cases they treated them like comal criminals. terry mcauliffe was campaigning with the head of the teachers union in the last week of the campaign. it was a big, hey, you don't belong here. we'll take it from here. parents don't like it. whether you call it critical race theory or whether you're worried teachers in classrooms are telling white kids there's something inherently wrong with you because of the color of your skin or telling all students, there's something inherently wrong with our country and our founding, that's what parents have questions about. if democrats want to make fun of parents for another year the way they made fun of them leading up to this election, they'll be madder than they were last week and they'll vote in even bigger numbers and it will be an even bigger wipeout. so by all means. continue to make fun of parents. >> i spoke to several white suburban moms in virginia who told me they do have valid issues, that there are valid issues with the education that their kids were receiving in virginia that had nothing to do with critical race theory. and as i just pointed out, it is not taught with explicitly with frequency in virginia schools. there were other issues they were concerned about, and they said, they told me they felt like democrats were ignoring their concerns. let's take a listen. >> definitely the education, the learning loss was number one for me. everything else was below that. >> mandates and crt did not influence my decision at all. >> how about for you, sandra? >> mine was all about the school closures. i know people who have those issues and voted accordingly, but for me, it was 100% the school closures and learning loss. >> you feel like even right now, not enough is being done to address their learning loss. you view that as a crisis. >> yeah. our kids are in crisis. the learning loss is real. the slide is ridiculous. >> so the question to you, kurt, is by reducing a lot of these concerns to republicans just trying to stir up the culture war, are democrats overlooking some legitimate concerns? >> well, i don't think those things are mutually beneficial or exclusive. both things can be true. democrats could have misread the trend on education, but there's zero doubt republicans like glenn youngkin use the invented issue of critical race theory to scare the crap out of parents. it clearly worked. it's a playbook republicans have washed, rinses, and reused time and time again on a number of issues, using the issue of race as a weapon. it's pure racism masquerading as a policy debate because as you pointed out, critical race theory is not taught in any k-12 school in america. there is no teacher out there trying to force people and students to think there's something wrong with them because they're white. but we also cannot ignore the reality that our country is founded by a bunch of white people, privileged rich white people, and that test colored the way our system is set up, which is why there are so many blind spots in our education and justice system. but there is truth to the reality. that democrats need to understand how to talk to people about education, and i want to tell you something. if in the aggregate republicans want to make every election going forward about election, about who is most interested in teaching our students, in funding our schools, in narrowing the achievement gap, we are happy to have that debate because time and again, republicans are the ones who have voted against measures that would improve education in america, that would pay teachers more. >> i got to get scott in here to reply. >> yeah, listen, i don't have much to add because i'm for kurt for democrat national committee spokesperson. i hope he gets hired to say this over and over again. if you want to tell parents, hey, you're crazy, don't believe your own eyes. >> i didn't just say that scott. do not misrepresent what i said. >> stop, really quick. kurt, hold on a second and i'll give you a second to say your piece. really quick, scott, are you wrapping up because i have to get kurt in to respond to that? >> hey, here's the deal. republicans for the first time in my political career figured out that education matters to voters. and they were able to talk about it in a way that met voters where they were. democrats, on the other hand, figured out how to throw in with the teachers union and all the education who want parents to be treated like common criminals at school board meetings. you just interviewed a bunch of moms who were ultra concerned. if you're a taxpayer or a citizen, you have a right to know what's going on in the schools. >> quickly, i have to get kurt in because we're running out of time. >> scott made some serious claims there, so go ahead. kurt. >> well, scott unsurprisingly is lying and misrepresenting what i said. nobody in the democratic party is saying teachers can't be involved in education. >> terry mcauliffe was saying it. he said it explicitly. >> and oh, by the way, last time i checked, it's ted cruz picking a fight with big bird right now if you want to have a great education debate. >> fact check, true, and you can't say that's wrong. he's picking a fight with big bird. we're out of time. wish we had longer. you guys will be invited back. that was a really interesting discussion. scott and kurt, thank you. we'll be right back. [sigh] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [typing] ♪ ♪ [typing] ♪ ♪ [typing] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ music swells ♪ ♪ ♪ [footsteps] ♪ ♪ [typing] ♪ ♪ inspiration is out there. go find it. ♪ ♪ (naj) at fisher investments, our clients know we have their backs. (other money manager) how do your clients know that? (naj) because as a fiduciary, it's our responsibility to always put clients first. (other money manager) so you do it because you have to? (naj) no, we do it because it's the right thing to do. we help clients enjoy a comfortable retirement. (other money manager) sounds like a big responsibility. (naj) one that we don't take lightly. it's why our fees are structured so we do better when our clients do better. fisher investments is clearly different. why hide your skin if dupixent has your moderate-to-severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis under control? hide our skin? not us. because dupixent targets a root cause of eczema, it helps heal your skin from within, keeping you one step ahead of it. and for kids ages 6 and up, that means clearer skin, and noticeably less itch. hide my skin? not me. by helping to control eczema with dupixent, you can change how their skin looks and feels. and that's the kind of change you notice. hide my skin? not me. don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, which is severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes, or a parasitic infection. if you take asthma medicines, don't change or stop them without talking to your doctor. when you help heal your skin from within, you can show more with less eczema. talk to your child's eczema specialist about dupixent, a breakthrough eczema treatment. with voltaren arthritis pain gel. my husband's got his moves back. an alternative to pills, voltaren is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory gel for powerful arthritis pain relief. voltaren, the joy of movement. the new cnn original series "diana" looks at the modern woman behind the princess. what happens when diana and charles' troubled marriage comes to an end. one person, diana took on the royal family and now she needs to take a step back and figure it out. >> diana was more isolated after her divorce. she hadn't just lost the royal family and her ex-husband but the whole backup, the palace machinery. the one saving grace, if you'd like for her was of course, william and harry. but when they were not around, she was quite alone. ♪ ♪ >> she would go back to the palace and there would be nobody there to welcome her home, to say well done or let me pour you a drink. >> she'd lost her sense of trust in security. >> joining us now is rachel bowie, host of "the royally obsessed" podcast. this week we see dian and cha charles agreeing to get married. >> what diana finalized the agreement, she walked away with a few different pros. she was able to maintain her residence see at the palace and gave $20 million and allowed to be an active player in the upbringing of her boys, william and harry. one of the biggest was the loss of her hrh title. she would have to courtesy to her boys william and harry and in addition to that, she was feeling incredibly isolated and lonely. she was newly single and figuring out what was ahead to her and she knew she had a lot to prove. >> as an estranged member of the family, diana embraces the role of humanitarian activist. how does she do that and what is she able to accomplish? >> what is fascinating is diana never played it safe. she choose causes that are controversial. when she traveled to angola with the red cross and walked through a field of land mines. people were up in arms for that decision. diana was adamant this is all part of her humanitarian work. she knew wherever she went the cameras would follow and used that to her advantage. she likely saved hundreds of thousands of people with her activist work. >> the media, however, as we know was a double edged sword and while she courted them to support her humanitarian causes, they wanted access to everything including her personal and dating life. >> yeah, at the time, diana quickly realized she couldn't have it both ways unfortunately. she would call the press about her humanitarian work but devastated by the attention she got over her personal and dating life. the media had actually had an obsession with her love life so much so when she started dating a pakistan heart surgeon, she felt like she found true love and happiness but the media wouldn't leave her alone. the attention was too much and ended up resulting in the end of their relationship. the media up until the end in the last four weeks of her life, she had no protection from the paparazzi, at all. >> rachel bowie, thank you so much. the all new episode of the new original series area at 9:00 eastern on cnn. nfl hall of famer terry brad show is slamming aaron rogers and dishing out advice to him. don't lie. the steelers legend is calling out the green bay packers quarterback for misleading fans about his vaccination status. >> i give aaron rogers some advice. it would have been nice if he'd just come to the naval academy and learn how to be honest. >> yeah. [ cheers ] >> learned not to lie because that's what you did, aaron. you lied to everyone. we're a divided nation politically. we're a divided nation on the covid-19 whether or not to take the vaccine and unfortunately, we got players that pretty much think only about themselves and i'm extremely disappointed in the actions of aaron rogers. >> rogers who has tested positive for covid and missed today's game against the kansas city chiefs claimed back in august he was immunized and blames the quote woke mob for the backlash that he has gotten. the reason he got that backlash is because of his own words and actions just to set the record straight. thank you so much for joining me this evening. i'm pamela brown. i'll see you again next weekend. up next, the cnn original series "diana." someday you'll catch the perfect wave. and with access to elevated benefits at fine hotels + resorts. someday can be any day you want. one of the many reasons you're with amex platinum. it's another day. and anything could happen. it could be the day you welcome 1,200 guests and all their devices. or it could be the day there's a cyberthreat. only comcast business' secure network solutions give you the power of sd-wan and advanced security integrated on our activecore platform so you can control your network from anywhere, anytime. it's network management redefined. every day in business is a big day. we'll keep you ready for what's next. comcast business powering possibilities. marriage offered stability. >> she is in a loveless marriage and living a lie. >> for many of these marriages, reality fails to live up to expectations. >> here you have her husband, the future king of england in love