griner? one legal expert warns, it can be a very bad thing for the wnba star. i'm going to talk to an investigative journalist who has it helped -- who was captured himself by the taliban. later, a new kind of book fanning. one tongue and cheek protests against publican repel -- by law should be banned in state schools. i want to know, could stuff like this actually make a difference? all of this and more is coming right up. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> a good saturday morning to you. i'm katie fang. sean hannity, one of the most powerful man in media, now says it should not matter that he teamed up with the trump white house as they tried to overturn the 2020 election. wait until you hear this. >> yes, i'm a member of the press i have 675 radio affiliates, i'm on the fox news channel, which is a news channel. i do not claim to be a journalist. i claim to be a talk show host. >> talk show host. this talk show host was reacting to a newly-released text messages obtained by cnn that show hannity acting more as a gop operative advising and taking direction from the trump administration before and after election day. on november 29th, hannity talked to mark meadows quote, i've had my team digging into the numbers. there is no way biden got these numbers. just mathematically impossible. it's so sad for this country that they can pull this off in 2020. we need a major breakthrough, a video, something. to which meadows responded, a quote, you are exactly right. working on that breakthrough. hannity's defense, that he is just a talk show host and not a journalist, that is thin. he is an employee of a major news network. this goes beyond the pale of any normal press relationship with the white house. for more on the text messages, and what we can expect from the january six committee public hearings, we are joined by nbc news course bonded allie raffa on capitol hill. >> yes, katie, these text messages that were first obtained by cnn between former white house chief of staff mark meadows and sean hannity were part eight of a trove of textures that he voluntarily gave to the committee when he was cooperating with the panel last year. we know that these texts take place between election day and january 6th with sean hannity, who we know has been a close ally and defender of the former president for years. reacting to the results of the election and the text messages, and offering advice and strategy for how to challenge the results of the election. as you mention, hannity rosa reacted to this on his show yesterday saying he is a top so show host. he does not consider himself a journalist. for this, he should be held to a different standard. the committee is interested in what hannity knows about the presidents thinking of, on, and after january six. the panel asked him to voluntarily come in and testify in january, before the committee. he never showed up. it is unclear whether he will be asked to voluntarily come in again or subpoena him. katie, what we do know, the committee is now asking for several gop lawmakers in the house and in the senate to also come in and testify before the panel, after text messages between the lawmakers and mark meadows surfaced. they show that gop lawmakers had knowledge of what the president was capable of and thinking, and what's the planning was behind january six. we also know that chair, benny thompson, of the committee, told reporters this week that the panel will ask gop lawmakers for their cooperation soon. they also said that the panel will hold a total of eight public hearings, the first of which will begin on june 9th. some of these will take place during our primetime. others will be during the day. he also said that they will include, quote, a combination of exhibits, staff testimony, and outside witnesses. as the committee finishes this investigation, we know that they want to hear from the former president son, donald trump jr., as well as a former ally and attorney, rudy giuliani. both of them are scheduled to voluntarily talk with the committee soon. we do not have an exact date a scheduled for that yet. this is all finally coming to a close. the committee is tying up the loose and after nearly a year long investigation, katie. >> our thanks to allie raffa with the latest from capitol hill. i also want to know whether these text messages increase the chances that the january six committee could subpoena hannity. what can we expect out of these public hearings come coming up. let's speak to the chief deputy of the caucus, congressman dan. first, off to ukraine after months of war where americans are among those killed in battle. russia continues to strike in major cities but a senior defense official says, russian forces are behind schedule. raf sanchez is on the ground in lviv with the latest. >> katie, president zelenskyy's office said yesterday that they thought they were getting closer to an infatuation of civilians in the mariupol steel plant. more than 24 hours later, there is still no way out for the women and children who are stuck inside. we are seeing no indication that the deal for humanitarian corridors have been reached. sources inside the plans are telling us that the fighting is continuing to rage all around. the russians are using heavy weapons to bombard what is left of the factory. conditions are growing ever more dire by the hour. we spoke to the wife of one soldier who is in that plant. she said that he is doing his best to reassure the children in their. there are a lot of orphans down in the tunnels. she said, at this point, his biggest wish is a drink of clean water after weeks of surviving on filthy water and little food that there is still inside. president biden is joining a chorus of tributes to willie joseph cancel, the 22-year-old of former marine, who is the first known american to have been killed fighting here in ukraine. the president noted that he had a baby daughter. the daughter has now lost her father. meanwhile, the fighting continues all along the 300 mile front in the east of this country, in the donbas. ukrainian forces say, they were able to recapture a strategic village near kharkiv, that is 15 miles from the russian border. it is extraordinary to think that after two months of fighting, the russians are still that close to their own national border. every day, more and more flights are arriving from the u.s. carrying weapons, getting into the hands of ukrainian troops. u.s. officials say, ukrainians have the first of their phoenix ghost drones. they are kamikaze drones, designed by the united states air force in record times, specifically for use in ukraine. forces will be putting the is to use against russian forces in the east, katie. >> our thanks to raphael sanchez. back here in the united states, the former of the -- the family of the former military read, are celebrating their release. what about reiner? we have not heard from the state department but is this part of the strategy to get her home safely? coming up, i'm going to ask investigative journalist, david rohde, and former director of counter intelligence. now to another crack down on abortion. the oklahoma government is expected to sign a texas style bill, banning abortions after six weeks before many women know they are pregnant. the house approved of the measure without any discussion or debate. as stephanie gosk reports, it comes as the supreme court prepares its ruling on a case that could overturn roe v. wade. >> as early as six weeks, that is when a heartbeat can be detected. after that, the state of oklahoma says that abortions are banned, except in medical emergencies or pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. the new law allows private citizens to sue doctors and anyone else who facilitates the procedures. >> we are very excited. it means a lot to the state of oklahoma. >> earlier this month, a bill was passed outlying abortion altogether with a few exceptions. >> the law that the governor signed last month is effectively saying to supreme court, overturned roe v. wade. >> it is more complicated than saying overturn roe v. wade. we want to see the genocide of unborn babies and did america. >> the law will not go into effect until august. this new ban is immediate as as soon as it signed. the oklahoma heartbeat act is identical to a texas bill passed last fall. it forces would be seeking abortion across state lines to oklahoma, where there are only four clinics. >> we had a tremendous increase in volume of patients. >> she runs one of the clinics. it has to start turning women away. >> this law not only impact the oklahoma women but it impacts the women from surrounding states as well. >> in some cases, they may not have to pass one state border, it could be two or three? >> correct, yes. >> in addition to texas and oklahoma, there are ten states that have passed heart beat bands. the laws are blocked or have failed to hold up in court. the landscape could change dramatically with a supreme court decision, which will decide if mississippi abortion ban after 15 weeks is constitutional. the most direct challenge to roe v. wade in 30 years. stephanie gosk, nbc news. >> our thanks to stephanie gosk. now to breaking news out of kansas, we have stunning video of tornadoes tearing through neighborhoods, leaving behind widespread damage. tara brown has more. >> thank you, katie. this morning, crews are surveying damage across kansas after possible tornadoes tore through wichita and a suburb east of the city. look at this video. you can see a funnel of one twister start to form. powerful winds left thousands without power. i one point, nearly 20,000 customers were in the dark. fortunately, no critical injuries have been reported. kansas governor, laura kelly, tweeted that she activated disaster response and recovery plan. here you could see cars overturned and homes destroyed. the wichita mayor says that anywhere from 50 to 100 buildings in the region were damaged in that city. the officials from the national weather service says that they will complete the assessment this morning. >> coming up, marjorie taylor greene a lawyers say they are making a stunning claim that she is a victim of the january 6th riot. we are going to get reaction from congressman dan, who is dealing with ptsd himself from the capitol attack. oh boy, do i have a lot to say about that too! a lot to say a lot to say about we've got bonnie right here on a video call. we don't take kindly to video calls. oh, in that case just tap to send a message. we don't take kindly to messages neither. in that case how 'bout a ringcentral phone call. would you can it eugene! let's just hear her out. ha ha ha, i've been needing a new horse. we've got ourselves a deal. ♪ ♪ ♪ ringcentral ♪ this is not the stallion i was imagining. do your eyes bother you? because after all these emails my eyes feel like a combo of stressed, dry and sandpaper. luckily, there's biotrue hydration 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[ cheers ] are we actually going? yes!! and once in a lifetime moments. two tickets to nascar! yes! find rewards like these and so many more in the xfinity app. and that is worth the reporting i don't recall if they are. they do not say i am calling for marshall not. law that was moscow congresswoman taylor greene saying that she sent to mark meadows days after the attack on the capitol. according to cnn, greene told meadows that some gop lawmakers said that trump should call from marshall law. under oath, greene said that she cannot recall advocating for martial law. now, her lawyers are saying that she has become, get this, a victim of the attack on the capitol and a political smear campaign victim. talk about rewriting history. days before the january 6th insurrection, reed said this on social media. >> we cannot allow this to be gone, to let it go. we cannot allow it to transfer power peacefully like joe biden wants and allow him to become our president. >> you heard that right greene told her followers that they cannot allow a peaceful transfer of power. greene was aided in her efforts to overturn the results by two powerful people in the media. in text messages obtained by cnn, sean hannity strategized with meadows to challenge the election results. fox business host amplified the false claims about a rigged election on air while texting with meadows. these revelations come as the january six committee is set to hold public hearings in over a month, in which they promised to tell the story about what happened during the capitol attack and the events surrounding it. for more on what we can expect from these hearings and reactions to these newly-exposed text, we are joined by chief deputy whip of the democratic caucus, congress man met dan. >> it is so great to be in person. thank you for being here this morning. i want to start out of the gate with the following. you've been very opened about the need for therapy because of the ptsd that you have suffered as a result of what happened on that violent day on january six. what is your take on marjorie taylor greene claiming she is a victim of what happened on that day? >> it is too much to take. the experience i had was very difficult and other people had a far worse experience. i really worry about what those capitol police officers think, as they guard the capital today and to see marjorie taylor greene and some of these other pro insurrection members of congress come and go. they are still committed to protecting her. she is denying the basic facts that they lived through. these capitol police officers went through hell, and many of them could not take it. many of them lost their lives as a result. it is an insult to many of those that were wounded and dying to hear a member of congress to take this at such a cavalier fashion. you bring a really good point at, it's not like january six happened and everything frozen time, right? you see these interactions. these are your colleagues in congress. and the u.s. capitol officers, they respected the duty they were sworn to uphold and protect. it was these members of congress, and people like you. have you had any conversations with these officers to see how they are feeling? that months later they are still seeing this conversation in the public with people like marjorie taylor greene saying, it was a rigged election. she said she is a victim of this type of offense. >> i thought these officers almost every day. they know the experience i had. we have a really good report as a result of it. they do not say anything publicly, many of them do not. they are really focused on doing their job. i know that deep inside this hurts them. it hurts them because they have dedicated their lives to doing something to protect the catapult, and safeguard the capitol and our democracy. to have a person like her, and others as well, treat this like it did not happen, or try to minimize that, or in this case not make sure that the record of that day is accurate, that is painful. >> i am glad that you say that. jamie raskin has indicated that these public hearings are going to start in june. what is really important is what is going to be presented to the american public. we emphasized time and time again in the media that the january six committee is not a prosecuting body like the doj. they are fact finding body. do you think that raskin making statements that this will blow your socks off, is that over promising. is it giving the fear of under delivering to the public? >> i think the facts are dramatic. i think jaime has it exactly right. one people are able to take a close look at what really happened, and examine these text messages and what was behind them, it is stunning. it is not so stunning to see news analyst, or talk show host talk about the staff. it is the fact that they were speaking with administration officials. people in the white house, that is going to really be a dramatic. i do not know that it will change public opinion. really, it should not be the goal. the goal is to make sure that the long view of history, ten, 20, 100 years from now looks backs on this day and says, that is an accurate record of just how far the past administration was willing to go in order to try and stay in power. it is chilling. it is frightening. it is dramatic. i think we will see that as these hearings unfold. >> quickly, congressman. i only have 30 seconds with you. i am glad you brought up the hannity text messages. should people like hannity go and testify and talk about what their involvement was in the instruction? >> anyone who is a patriot, anyone who believes in this country, they should be willing to tell their story to u.s. congress to make sure that the record is accurate. if they are embarrassed, or ashamed of what they did, i understand why they would want to stand mute on all of this. it does not mean that the committee should pursue the facts wherever they go. my concern is not so much with these outside forces we are trying to do. but the fact that they were collaborating with people who had control of the tools of government in the white house is what is really chilling to me. >> well, congressman, we appreciate your service. we thank you for being here this morning. >> thank you. >> coming up next, after former u.s. marine is released from a u.s. prison, -- one expert is warning the news may not be good. plus, ron desantis signs another bill. this one creating an election police unit in his state. a rather interesting priority for a potential candidate. that lines up quite nicely with trump's bid by. we will talk through that story in a few minutes. in a few minutes landscaper larry and his trusty crew... were delayed when the new kid totaled his truck. timber... fortunately, they were covered by progressive, so it was a happy ending... for almost everyone. ♪♪ three times the electorlytes and half the sugar. ♪♪ pedialyte powder packs. feel better fast. numbers... ...move you but some can stop you in your tracks. like the tens of thousands of people who were diagnosed with certain hpv-related cancers. for most people, hpv clears on its own. but for those who don't clear the virus, it can cause certain cancers. gardasil 9 is a vaccine given to adults through age 45 that can help protect against certain diseases caused by hpv. including cervical, vaginal, vulvar, anal, and certain head and neck cancers, such as throat and back of mouth cancers, and genital warts. gardasil 9 doesn't protect everyone and does not treat cancer or hpv infection. your doctor may recommend screening for certain hpv-related cancers. women still need routine cervical cancer screenings. you shouldn't get gardasil 9 if you've had an allergic reaction to the vaccine, its ingredients, or are allergic to yeast. tell your doctor if you have a weakened immune system, are pregnant, or plan to be. the most common side effects include injection site reactions, headache, fever, nausea, dizziness, tiredness, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and sore throat. fainting can also happen. help protect what counts. talk to your doctor or pharmacist about gardasil 9. what counts. i was injured in a car crash. talk to your doctor or pharmacist about gardasil 9. i had no idea how much my case was worth. i called the barnes firm. when a truck hit my son, i had so many questions about his case. i called the barnes firm. it was the best call i could've made. your case is often worth more than insuran call the barnes firm to find out i could've made. what your case could be worth. we will help get you the best result possible. ♪ the barnes firm, injury attorneys ♪ call one eight hundred,est resul eight million ♪ cancer research requires bold and innovative thinking. everyone's experience with cancer matters. it is in our stories and data that the answers can be found. i want effective treatment for the next generation. if you're a cancer patient in the u.s. and its territories or canada, you may be able to help science uncover the next breakthrough by sharing your patient data and unique experience with researchers. for our family. for our friends. for us all. join stand up to cancer, count me in, and patients already participating at standuptocancer.org/countmein. i don't just play someone brainy on tv - i'm an actual neuroscientist. and i love the science behind neuriva plus. unlike ordinary memory supplements, neuriva plus fuels six key indicators of brain performance. more brain performance? yes, please! neuriva. think bigger. new projects means new project managers. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. when you sponsor a job, you immediately get your shortlist of quality candidates, whose resumes on indeed match your job criteria. visit indeed.com/hire and get started today. this week, former u.s. marine trevor reed was released from russia in a prisoner exchange after being detained since 2019. now that it's raising questions about britney griner's fate. the wnba player was arrested in russia back in february on drug charges. she was accused of carrying cannabis oil in her luggage. president biden and secretary of state anthony blinken say that bringing american hostages back home is their top priority. but, one legal expert's warning that reads released could be quote, a very bad thing for griner. he says it shows that griner's of higher value to russia. it is going to be harder to get her out. joining us this morning to talk about this, and more, is the new yorkers david rohde. he was held captive by the television for seven months before escaping in 2009. holden triplett is a -- for counter intelligence at the national security council. gentlemen, thank you for being here. holden, i will start with you this morning. do you agree with this legal expert who is saying that trevor reads released could be a bad obe for britney griner as it indicates that she is considered one of the most high-profile american athletes in russia. she is in custody in russia. >> i agree in the fact that she is certainly more high-profile. because of the, russia may be looking to get some more interest, probably victor boot, that is probably who they are aiming for. that is a russian citizen arrested by the united states that they have been looking to bring back home for quite some time. i think it really depends on the administration. if they are looking to continue to trade like this. she is certainly considered more high-profile. >> david, in statements made on wednesday, praising trevor reed's release, the president and secretary of state both named the high profile case of paul whelan. people noticed, they did not mention griner. they have been pretty quiet about her. when you were kidnapped by the taliban that was the strategy. not to elevate your status as a hostage. do you think it's possible that a similar tactic is being deployed here for britney griner? >> to me it is important to do with a family prefers in a case. there are press reports that britney's family is trying to do the same strategy that my family did. the idea is that if you keep it low profile you can get the person released if the demands won't be as high. this is as you have been talking about. i have respect the family's wish. i do not think that is going to work. it did not work in my case. there were crazy demands made from the taliban for my release. i got lucky and an afghan helped me escape. an afghan journalist kidnapped with me. this is a worldwide problem. currently, around 50 americans are being held hostage and there has been a big change in the last five years. during the war on terror it was an warming -- there were criminal scrapping americans. it has changed now. 90% of these 50 americans are being held by governments, authoritarian governments, russia, china, saudi arabia, cuba, iran. the biden administration has to develop a policy to address it. they need to do it with the europeans as well. it is a new challenge for americans. it is going to grow. >> so, holden, david makes a good point. you have state actors now that are doing this versus individuals or organizations. hold on, i am confident that be our high into the scenes there are negotiations taking place. what is really being done to get britney griner out of russia? >> as you said, i am sure there are negotiations. i could not agree more with david. i actually think that the family should get loud and stay loud. the one of the main points of doing this from the russian governments side is to push the narrative, and the whataboutisms of americans doing similar things with criminal charges, and all sorts of things to. acquainted with significantly more bad actors on the u.s. side of russia. i think it is really important for the family to push this. they should push a must different narrative that this is all about taking hostages for political purposes. it is not about law enforcement. it is cloaked in law enforcement to make it seem legitimate. it is absolutely one way to score points and leverage over the u.s. government. >> david, holden talks about the timing of this. let's be frank. the timing of it is very suspect. the russian invasion of ukraine timed very interestingly with what is happening with the united states aid. david, we are seeing statements come out from the russian government that britney is doing well and getting a lot of reading done. we like to be frank, i cannot imagine that is the actual case. you have been in that position. what is brittani actually going through over there? >> i think she is incredibly frustrated. i want to emphasize one thing here. she is a political prisoner. this is an outrageous detention of an american on some silly drug charge. it is absurd when russia says that. i think she is, frankly, going to have it and quickly you think, but you feel terrible for your family and loved ones. i feel so deeply for her. she has got to hang in there. and then, this can be very long. paul whelan remains in prison. he was the first one taken in 2018. i agree, her family needs to get loud. the reed family was promised a meeting with president biden, it did not happen. they picketed in front of the white house. they met with the president and the deal was made for him. i know these deals are unseemly. jason, a journalist for the washington post, he was detained and wrote about bernie's case and others. there are deals on the table for half of these americans to come home. they all involve an seemingly sepsis or prisoner exchanges. i am blast, and i think these families need to get loud or the president needs to develop a broader, and more aggressive strategy to address the situation. brittani is innocent. she must come home. situholden, very quickly, less n about 30 seconds but i do want to ask you this. these hostage situations. they are bargaining chips. they put power in the hands of the hostage takers, as david notes. what is the u.s. government leaving to do to make it clear they will protect their citizens and other countries cannot snatch them and hold them? >> i think they are in a really difficult position. the best thing to do the government can do, is make a clear message to americans that if they travel to these countries that pick up these kinds of bargaining trips that there are risks. americans urging completely innocent things. they are there for visiting purposes and nothing more. they risk being picked up and being made upon in a political landscape. >> gentlemen, thank you for being here. we will wait anxiously to see what happens with britney griner. coming up next, growing speculation that ron desantis could run for president after yet, another controversial move. setting up a potential clash with donald trump. if they ran against each other, is there even a choice to be made? we will show you interesting similarities we have notice. speaking of ron desantis, an activist in florida has figured out a pretty clever way to use the governor's own bill that makes it easier to ban books against him. this man is petitioning against the bible. i will talk to him about his plan in just a few minutes right here on that katie fang show. that katie fan show we exercise. i noticed i wasn't as sharp as i used to be. my wife introduced me to prevagen and so i said "yeah, i'll try it out." i noticed that i felt sharper, i felt like i was able to respond to things quicker. and i thought, yeah, it works for me. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. 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(brad) apartments-dot-com. the place to find a place. this is my zen time. it's... ...like a video game! people say, 'well, what are you? are you a farmer or a brewer?' so, i say... i am definitely a lines guy. there are millions of ways to make the most of your mow. learn more at deere.com. more presidential rumors are swirling around florida governor ron desantis after the other controversial move. he signed into law a police election -- this is to pursue voter fraud cases. actual voter fraud is incredibly rare. and associated press investigation said that they found fewer than 475 potential cases along 25.5 million ballots in 2020. this is where donald trump disputed his lost to president biden. life you are wondering, if ron desantis could go up against the 2024 gop nomination. my question is, is it ultimately any difference between the two? take a look at this. they even have some of the same mannerisms! >> judges are a priority. >> we [inaudible] >> thanks to a recount for that incredible very geo comparison. i'm glad to welcome my guest on set here in d.c., a national syndicated writer for the ronald. we had to have the miami connection. the 305 is represented today. first question, straight out of the gate, who is a greater threat to democracy, ron desantis or donald trump? >> i think, actually, desantis, ultimately. a lot of us speculated, years ago, during the beginning of the trump regime that the thing that would make trump even more dangerous than he was was if he was smarter and less crippled by his ego. less crippled by his need for constant praise and i formation. ron desantis in this sense is to trump two point oh. he is not as easily malleable. he is not the guy who was responding to the last thing said about the last person in the room. >> sure. >> he is less predictable in that sense. he scares me even more than trump does. he knows what he is doing. trump was not that guy. desantis is. >> so, desantis now has this election police force unit. i am awaiting for the brownshirts to be running around taking people into custody, investigating nonexistent voter fraud. what are your thoughts about the fact that ron desantis is doing this move in terms of the nonexistent for voter fraud? >> i am thinking that it is a good thing, but from him, a bad thing, that the old sheriff is no longer available. he would be perfect ahead this up. jim clark and ron desantis have the same goal in mind. it is to stop people who they don't they should vote from voting. people whose votes they consider in a legitimate. it is frustrating and calling that he puts this into effect to stop a problem. as you just pointed out, for all practical purposes, does not exist. meantime, florida has a famously troubled child wear fair system. florida has mass shootings from four years ago a parkland. miami beach is disappearing under the atlantic ocean. but let's stop a problem that does not exist as opposed to confronting a problem that is at the front door. >> this is not a novelty for him. critical race theory, is social learning, a book banning, we are on to talk about this. you wrote an op-ed yesterday titled a bad monday for freedom. sadly, i do not know if it's just mondays, leonard. in it you wrote, if it is true that uninformed electorate is the bedrock of democracy than the dangers of even a pretended journalist behaving as hannity did should be obvious. we talked about the report of hannity's 80 text messages with mark meadows and the coziness between the trump administration in places like fox news. should there not be accountability. you are a real journalist. should there not be accountability for people like hannity for closing up and perhaps hesitating in an insurrection, basically? >> there would be an accountability if fox news was a news organization. there would be accountability, no question. what he did, violates every tenant of journalism. he calls himself a journalist when it is convenient. he said he is a can talk show host when it is convenient. the bottom line is if it does not matter. if you are an opinionated person on a news network you need to be abiding by the tenants of journalism. one of those is you do not campaign with, collude for, a person in public office. this is basic. the reason i wrote the column that you mentioned, the whole thing of him asking mark meadow for election day direction of what his message should be and then saying, got it, yes sir, that sticks in my craw as a journalist. i cannot imagine any circumstance under which a true journalist goes to the chief of staff, or any public official, and tells me what do i do, i will do it. >> people like that, like hannity, etc, should be an asterisk with a footnote that's as, i'm not really a journalist. you are. thank you for being in. i appreciated. thank you to leonard pitts junior for being here. coming up, another florida connection for us. banning the bible. the unique approach won florida activist is taking to target gop hypocrisy overbrook book banning. overbrook book banning. nnie boon i'm calling you out. everybody be cool, alright? 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[copy machine printing] ♪ ♪ who would've thought printing... could lead to growing trees. ♪ when tired, achy feet make your whole body want to stop, it's dr. scholl's time. our insoles are designed with unique massaging gel waves, for all-day comfort and energy. find your relief in store or online. waxed. natural. sensitive. new dove ultimate antiperspirant. our unique water based formula and 6x more glycerin. helps restore skin to its best condition. new dove ultimate. it seems that some textbook publishers will make whatever changes florida republicans want to get their books back in schools. the states is that publishers have been changing the content of those bucks to match florida's new laws about the so-called, wokeness. the state education department said it's been able to put 17 books back onto approved lists because of those changes. one florida man has been keeping a very close eye on the story. he is using an unusual method to show what he thinks of it. chavez stevens has filed petitions with dozens of school districts to ban the bible. those petitions point out that bible passages include references to things like bc alecky, cannibalism, pro slavery position, murderer, adultery, sexual immorality, and fornication. he sums up his tongue and cheek complained about the bible saying quote, it is all very troubling for trying to keep our youth from learning about race, gender, sex, and such. stevens has used colorful stunts to make political points for years. he once put up a seinfeld style fastest poll at the florida capital to protest the christmas nativity scene. for more on all of this, we are joined by the man himself, chavez stevens. good morning chad's. thank you for being here. explain to our viewers the method to your madness here. you are partitioning to remove the oxford english dictionary. >> good morning katie, how are you. the method is very simple. merely, using the legislation that folks at the tallahassee past. they allowed citizens like myself to question books. what's other book to question about wokeness and fornication than the bible? >> check, as you make such a good point. what you are doing here is, all jokes aside, all kidding aside, highlighting the absurdity of the kind of laws that are being passed in the backyard of florida. you are doing it in a way that has results, right? my understanding is that you actually made a maneuver before where people got arrested on a school board. is that right? >> close. back in 2000 93 of the five elected officials here in deerfield beach were removed because of my work. i am a lightning and a bottle, if you will. i am very effective. >> you know, there are legal experts who are saying, for example, one legal expert told the washington post that this stunt you are doing involving the bible could actually make a difference and lead to serious litigation down the line. the quote is, petitions could showcase that the new law may cause school boards to engage in viewpoint discrimination, or removing information because of dislike of the ideas it contains. it is in permissible per the supreme court. chavez, was that the intended results that you are seeking from the petitions you have just sent out concerning the book banning that is going on in florida? >> my role here, like my role in the past, is to point out the hypocrisy. internal bureaucracy we want to turn it on the tenth. elected officials will eat each other alive on this. hopefully, smarter minds and citizens, and volunteers will join with me. they will make a difference. i am the tip of the spear. i am not the spotlight behind all this. i am a guy with the shiny keys. >> what kind of reactions have you received so far, either from voters or even from the school districts themselves that receive your petitions? >> in one county, a local member of the school board is wonderful. she has been very helpful. the folks in orlando, orange county told me to pounce in. i expect 63 different ways of them telling me no. i will not know how that will arrive, but come july 1st, i expect to be told no. if i get a win, if the bible is removed from one library, that is a win for everyone. the world will rejoice. it is fair play. >> i read somewhere, though, that for example, one of the districts responded and said to you you don't have kids in my district, so you don't have standing to file this petition. are you trying to galvanize support by doing this type of maneuver by petitioning to ban the bible, so that you can get more people to file petitions that may have children in school districts that are affected? >> good question. i am a web nerd. i am building a web app. we are going to make it really simple for people to follow petitions across the state. economy is a scale. i do not want to do this alone. if i can get hundreds or thousands of people to join with me and fled the school system saying, remove the bible, there is something to say about that. that is my hope. sorry? >> it's fine. chavez, there is an embarrassment of riches in florida. you could pick from that. how do you decide which issues you want to take on? what are the headlines that are making you stand up and say, you know wet, i have to do something about this today. >> when we put up the festival's poll in 2013 and they approved us, and by the way, since we did that and put one up on december, the state of florida has denied every single one of our exhibit since then. first time in a decade. in 2013 when we put it to festivals poll my thought was, what is the most utterly ridiculous thing i can think i've. i looked around, i looked at the sheer stupidity of this, banning math books, come on. i thought, what better book than the bible. it is going to really tighten someone's granny panties, i think. >> chest evens, man of the people. we thank you for your advocacy. take care. >> stick around, after our show, tomorrow they have the author of the handmaid's tale, margaret atwood. she joins ali live for the latest expansion of the velshi book club. we will be back after a quick break. k after a quic break. ntime, and delivering on time depends on t-mobile 5g. and with coverage of over 96% of interstate highway miles, they've got us covered. 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