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Republican Presidential Candidates Campaign in Iowa; Bernie Sanders Leads Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire Polling; Carly Fiorina Will Not be On Stage at Republican Presidential Debate; Bernie Sanders to Appear on "Saturday Night Live"; Hillary Clinton to Visit Flint, Michigan, to Address Drinking Water Crisis; Company Allows Fans to Follow Sports Stars on Social Media. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired February 06, 2016 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:04] CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: It's 10:00 on a Saturday. We're so grateful to have you company. I'm Christi Paul.
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good to be with you. John Berman is in Manchester, New Hampshire, leading our coverage. We are now three days away from the primary. John, good morning.
JOHN BERMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is getting awfully close, guys, a lot going on this morning. Right now, any moment Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina set to hold a town hall a Goffstown few miles from here in New Hampshire. You can see they are getting the stage set. You see that sign there, "Let Carly debate." Carly Fiorina will not be part of the final Republican debate tonight before the New Hampshire primary. I guarantee you she will talk about that when she takes that stage today. She is no happy at all. We will bring you that event when it happens live.
The rest of the candidates, they are ought all over the state today. Let me give you a sense of where things stand in the polls right now. There is a brand-new CNN/WMUR poll. Donald Trump out on top 28 percent, Marco Rubio is 17 percent. You see Ted Cruz, John Kasich at 13, Jeb Bush at nine, everyone else pretty far back.
On the Democratic side, a much different story. There it is Bernie Sanders way out in front, nearly two to one margin over Hillary Clinton right now. A 30-point lead just three days to go before the actual voting. Lots to talk about this morning. Let's start with the Republicans. Joining me now CNN senior political reporter Manu Raju. We are about to hear from Carly Fiorina. She is not happy. Jeb Bush has got an event a little bit later. All these people out on the stump today, Manu.
MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: That's right. Interesting thing about the polls, John, is that even though Donald Trump is up 28-17 to Marco Rubio, holding about a double digit lead, which he's had for quite some time, this race is still rather fluid. That margin can change come Tuesday.
Why? There are a couple of reasons. One is that 30 percent of voters according to that most recent CNN/WMUR poll, those 30 percent of voters are still undecided. That really raises the stakes for tonight's debate and really a warning signs to Donald Trump. That poll also says that 36 percent of likely Republican voters have ruled out supporting Donald Trump. That is far more than any other candidate in the race. The next closest actually is Ted Cruz, about 14 percent, and the rest are among the single digits.
The one who has the most room to grow according to that poll is John Kasich. Only two percent New Hampshire voters ruled him out, which is one reason why he is pushing very hard here for a second or third place finish.
Now, I'm here with a Jeb Bush event who is going to be addressing voters here. He has really invested a lot in his ground operation here and has invested a lot in this state. They know they need to have a big showing here. And what that means according to some of his supporters, including Lindsey Graham, a top surrogate of his, a South Carolina senator, told me yesterday that Jeb Bush needs to do better than the other governors in the race and be very close to Marco Rubio. That's what they see is their path to getting back into this because, as we know, Jeb has really struggled in this race and needs momentum going into South Carolina, John.
BERMAN: Jeb Bush has an event where you, Manu.
Donald Trump going after Jeb Bush on Twitter today. Let me read you what Donald Trump wrote. "Wow, Jeb Bush's campaign is a total disaster. Had to bring in mommy to take a slap at me. Not nice." Donald Trump talking about the fact Jeb Bush brought in his mother Barbara Bush to campaign. And Barbara Bush, she doesn't mince words. I don't think she's going to vote for Donald Trump anywhere in this country. Manu, our thanks to you with Jeb Bush.
Carly Fiorina getting ready to speak at any moment in Goffstown not too far from here. Again, the issue there, Carly Fiorina will not be part of the Republican debate tonight. We expect she will have some fiery comments when she takes the stage in just a few moments.
Let's talk about the state of play right now. I want to bring in Mark Preston, executive editor for CNN Politics as we're looking at the Carly Fiorina event getting ready to go. That debate tonight, this really is a pivot point in this campaign. Just three days to go with so many New Hampshire voters who decide late, what do these candidates need to do tonight.
MARK PRESTON, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, CNN POLITICS: Across the board, I think Donald Trump needs to have a solid performance. He needs to be probably a little careful and not get so personal and go after Jeb Bush as he did.
BERMAN: Saying wow, he brought in mommy.
PRESTON: He brought in mommy, not nice. So he's going to have a solid performance. I think Marco Rubio, there is an expectations game on him right now. So now he's needs to rise up. He's done well in polls already. It's Kasich, Christi, and Jeb Bush, their all crushed together. There is really only one ticket, one lane for them to come out of New Hampshire. They need to do well.
BERMAN: Do they go after each other or do they go after Donald Trump, or is it Marco Rubio? These three guys, three will enter, one will leave. But they don't seem to be hitting each other very hard.
PRESTON: I think Jeb Bush is in an interesting position because he has to go after Rubio, but he has to do it in a way that compares and contrasts his executive experience with Marco Rubio as the young, unfinished, unpolished politician.
[10:05:005] For Chris Christie, he needs to go after Marco Rubio very hard. He's done it on the campaign trail all week. And if he doesn't do it tonight, then it's going to be a Tim Pawlenty moment. It's going to be one of those moments where he had an opportunity, Tim Pawlenty did, back in the last campaign to go after Mitt Romney and he totally whiffed. He didn't do it. If Chris Christie does that tonight he's finished.
BERMAN: There is no reason to leave anything on the table right now. You might as well go for it. Carly Fiorina, again we're waiting for a Carly Fiorina event to start in just a few minutes. She will not be part of the debate tonight. That is a real blow to her campaign.
PRESTON: It's effectively over. At this point, if you look at her in our polls, if you are not on the debate stage at this point there is no way you are going to get on the debate stage. We did see Chris Christie who did not appear at a debate, a FOX debate, or CNBC debate, but then he came back and he appeared in a CNN debate and he was able to move up. Now there's too little time for that to happen.
BERMAN: Let's talk quickly about Democrats as we're waiting for the Fiorina event to start. Hillary Clinton as Bernie Sanders both with interesting schedules this weekend. Hillary Clinton going to Michigan, going to visit Flint. That is interesting to leave New Hampshire just days before the campaign. What message does that send?
PRESTON: Sending to the African-American community, right? She is 30 points down. She is not playing for New Hampshire anymore. She's looking down to South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama. She is playing down to that constituency. Flint, Michigan, very symbolic, very smart for her.
BERMAN: And of course Bernie Sanders going to "Saturday Night Live" playing for people who like comedy.
PRESTON: Very smart, sure.
BERMAN: That's because "Saturday Night Live" is very kind to Bernie Sanders. They do not make fun of Bernie Sanders as much as they celebrate Bernie Sanders. So it's a good move for him. Mark Preston, great to have you hear with us.
Let's talk about the Democrats for a moment a little bit more. Bernie Sanders, as we've been saying, he is way out in front in the latest CNN/WMUR poll. Nearly a two to one margin over Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton said she is not giving up here, though. She will campaign hard until the end, even though she has taken a brief detour to Flint, Michigan, which is not in the state of New Hampshire. Chris Frates following the story for us in New Hampshire. A Bernie Sanders event getting ready to get underway at the top of the hour. Chris?
CHRIS FRATES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, John. So I am here at Franklin Pierce University, folks are starting to trickle in. At 11:00 Bernie Sanders is going to get going. But we saw last night both Sanders and Secretary Clinton, they talked to about 6,000 Democrats in Manchester, New Hampshire. And Hillary Clinton making the case even though she is down by double digits in the polls that she is not giving up on New Hampshire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Over the past few days, some people have looked at the polls that show Senator Sanders with a big lead here and suggested -- yes --
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: That's a fact. And suggested I should just look past New Hampshire and focus on the next states.
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: Well, New Hampshire's never quit on me and I'm not going to quit on you.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRATES: So Bernie Sanders, on the other hand, starting to look forward to the next contest which is in South Carolina. He's trying to build support with the African-American community. So no surprise there that he talked about the police action. And that comes on the heels of a big endorsement from the NAACP president. And Bernie Sanders needs to compete among the African-American vote, and it's very strong in South Carolina for Secretary Clinton. She has always had a strong ground game there. Let's take a listen to what Bernie Sanders said about policing yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERNIE SANDERS, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When we talk about criminal justice reform, we say that we are tired of seeing unarmed people shot down by police.
(APPLAUSE)
SANDERS: What we are saying is that a police officer who breaks the law, like any other public official, must be held accountable. We must make police departments all across this country look like the diversity of the communities they serve.
(END VIDEO CLIP) FRATES: So Bernie Sanders there and Hillary Clinton pretty civil last night. But we saw yesterday a little bit of a Twitter spat. It was a little bit of Donald Trump in the Democratic race. Bernie Sanders saying to Hillary Clinton, quote, "I urge Senator Clinton to join me in saying loudly and clearly that we will never cut Social Security." Hillary Clinton firing back on Twitter saying, "Bernie Sanders, I won't cut Social Security. As always, I'll defend it and expand it. Enough of the false innuendos." So there you go, a little back and forth. So things getting heated here in the days up to the New Hampshire primary.
[10:10:002] And John, worth point out, this is kind of a last big campaign day of the weekend here in New Hampshire. The Super Bowl tomorrow is going to suck up the media oxygen in the room. So as you can see, big rallies for Sanders. Clinton also going to be on the trail. But tomorrow not as much activity, John.
BERMAN: Really compressed schedule which makes it very, very exciting. Chris Frates, thank you so much. Again, we are watching Carly Fiorina. She has got an event in Goffstown just a few miles from here. We expect her to come out swinging about the fact she will not be at the Republican debate tonight. You can see the people introducing her right now in New Hampshire. We'll try to bring you Carly Fiorina when she takes the stage.
Plus Ted Cruz here in New Hampshire, he's running third in the polls right now. Fresh off his Iowa caucuses win, what can he do here in New Hampshire to try to make a difference going forward? We will speak to one of his key supporters in this state, a former New Hampshire senator.
Plus winter warfare, John Kasich in a snowball fight. And oh, so much more. I'm going to give you a hint. This ends with a whitewash, something I've never seen from a Republican candidate or a Democrat or an independent. There it is, never seen that before. My goodness. Dramatic on the campaign trail.
Also Bernie Sanders, he's getting out of the snow here in New Hampshire. He's going to New York. He will be live in New York, you might say. He'll make an appearance on "Saturday Night Live." What will go on there?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Larry David is hosting "SNL" this weekend. He does a pretty good imitation of you. Do you do a Larry David imitation?
SANDERS: Anderson, I know you've been a journalist for a long time.
COOPER: Are you doing Larry David right now?
SANDERS: I am Larry David. And you didn't get it.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:15:15] BERMAN: You are looking at live pictures in New Hampshire. This is an event for Carly Fiorina. She has a lot to say right now. She will not be at the Republican debate tonight at St. Anselm's college. Seven candidates will. She will not. She is very, very angry. She thinks has she earned the right to be on that stage. And there are other candidates who think she is right. Ted Cruz has said she should be there. Mitt Romney has said she should be there. The New Hampshire senator Kelly Ayotte has said that Carly Fiorina should be on that stage. I expect when Carly Fiorina speaks at this event in just a few moments, that she will come out swinging about the fact she will not be there. We will watch this. When Carly Fiorina takes that microphone, we will go there live.
All the candidates out campaigning hard today. We were at a town meeting last night for Senator Ted Cruz from Texas. You see all the candidates bunched up around Manchester today, trying to get the last- minute votes before the debate tonight. Again, Ted Cruz running about third place right now in the WMUR/CNN poll, tied with John Kasich, Marco Rubio in second, Trump out in front.
Joined now by one of Ted Cruz' strongest supporters in the state of New Hampshire, former senator from the state of New Hampshire Bob Smith. Thanks so much for being with us, senator, really appreciate it.
BOB SMITH, FORMER NEW HAMPSHIRE SENATOR: Good morning, John. Thanks for this live shot outside since I left my jacket in the car today for the first time.
BERMAN: You could be in a t-shirt. This is nothing.
SMITH: This is a spring day.
BERMAN: Exactly. We were at the event last night for Senator Cruz. And one of the things that was striking about it was his play for supporters of Rand Paul. Rand Paul has dropped out of this race. And now for Ted Cruz, I think getting those votes is crucial.
SMITH: They are very important. The senator has worked very hard, talked to several of the leaders here in the state of Rand Paul supporters. Look, Rand Paul, is an advocate for liberty, probably one of the greatest ever, and Ron, his dad, and we respect those voters and we would like to have them.
And our point is, if you voted for Ron Paul or Ronald Reagan or Bob Smith or Mel Thompson or Gordon Humphrey, all the conservatives, you should be together here. This is very important. It's more than one person. It's more important than one person. It's a cause. This is why we are appealing to people to unite. If we unite, we can win here.
BERMAN: You've won 11 races here?
SMITH: I've won 11, primaries in general. I have counted, so at least 11.
BERMAN: So you run and won 11 races. You have lost a race or two in your day. Ted Cruz is the type of candidate who national analysts say can win Iowa, can't win New Hampshire. The evangelical vote here doesn't make up that big a percentage of the vote. What is the ceiling for a candidate like Ted Cruz here?
SMITH: I think the main thing is that there's probably a misconception. Ted Cruz appeals to a lot more than evangelicals. He has strong support as a fiscal conservative, as a social conservative, also in foreign policy and defense. And there are a lot of those people here.
BERMAN: We didn't see that in Iowa. We saw him win among evangelicals, the votes he was targeting. In other groups he did not do as well. How does he expand his base here?
SMITH: I think he expands his base the way he's been doing it here, door-to-door. I've been on the bus with him the last five or six days. A couple of weeks ago we will on another bus tour her. We are meeting thousands of people, 200, 300, 400 people at a pop.
BERMAN: Senator, stand by one second. Carly Fiorina right now started her event. She is talking about the debate tonight Let's listen in together.
CARLY FIORINA, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: -- because of the people of New Hampshire, because you take your first in the nation primary responsibilities very seriously.
But ever since I started running for president in May of last year, I have been telling you the game is rigged. The media establishment, the political establishment, the special interests tangled up in this vast bureaucracy that has become our government in Washington, D.C., all of these things aren't working for us anymore. They are working for themselves.
And if you've ever doubted the game was rigged, look at what is going on that debate stage tonight. Sorry, I thought votes counted in elections. Sorry, I thought delegates counted in elections. Sorry, I thought the people in New Hampshire had a responsibility to vote and pick presidents. But apparently the media establishment, the political establishment has decided they know better than you.
(BOOS)
FIORINA: I will not falter. I will never stop fighting, and neither can you.
(APPLAUSE)
[10:20:03] FIORINA: I will never stop fighting because what we are fighting for is incredibly important. We are fighting for our politics now. We are fighting for our government to take it back. We are fighting for our future and our country and that is why I'm running for president. And that is why you have to stand with me and fight with me and vote for me. I will never stop fighting, and neither can you.
(APPLAUSE)
FIORINA: You know, we used to think about this as a nation of limitless possibility. We used to be certain our children and our grandchildren's futures were going to be brighter than ever, but we don't know that any more. It's certainly been a nation of possibility for me and my husband, Frank. Frank started out driving a tow truck for a little family-owned auto body shop. I started out typing and filing and answering the phones at a nine person --
BERMAN: All right, you are listening to Carly Fiorina at an event in Goffstown, New Hampshire, saying the game is rigged. You see that sign behind her, "Let Carly Debate." They will not let Carly Fiorina debate, not tonight. She will not be part of the final Republican debate before the New Hampshire primary, which is Tuesday. She is not at all happy about it. She says she is right there in the fight with money, right there in the polls in some cases, right there in the delegate hunt as well. But she will not be right there on the stage.
I'm joined by former New Hampshire senator Bob Smith who supports Ted Cruz for president. Ted Cruz has said he would like to see Carly Fiorina on that stage tonight. What do you make of her comments? Do you think she has a legitimate gripe?
SMITH: First of all, I'm speaking for Senator Cruz. I know this directly when I say this. She absolutely should be on the debate -- in the debate. She was a good candidate, is a good candidate. She has been basically insulted by Donald Trump. She's run a strong, issue-oriented campaign. She beat some of the people in Iowa that are on the debate card tonight. I'm not involved in the debate criteria and all that, but all I know is in the interest of fairness she should be in it.
BERMAN: Do you think the New Hampshire voters will react to this and say, you know what, we agree with Carly Fiorina and maybe it could boost support for her?
SMITH: You never know. Maybe you do well because you're not in it. Who knows?
BERMAN: Let me ask you this. I know you support Ted Cruz. We were talking about your reasons for supporting him. But as an expert on New Hampshire voters and New Hampshire voting, leave Ted Cruz out of it and let's talk about the grouping of the governors. John Kasich, Chris Christie, Jeb Bush. That battle right there, and then maybe also Marco Rubio, put him in there. Among those four candidates, who do you see moving in a positive direction into Tuesday?
SMITH: It's hard to say because you have to base it on polls. But I'd like to base it on just the ground game, what we hear out there. Cruz clearly has a strong ground game. But Rubio and the three governors you mentioned, I think they are all competing for that establishment vote. When I say "establishment," when you look at what's being said, Marco Rubio ran as a Tea Party guy. Then he came in and joined the gang of eight and fought hard to pass amnesty. He led the fight. It's not like he was a passive partner.
So this is a situation that people are going to have to decide. Cruz is running as an outsider who is sick of what's going on in Washington, who is sick of all this inside stuff, the Washington cartel and the deals and the deal making and making promises and not keeping them. Ted Cruz is about stopping that. If that's what you want, then you should vote for Cruz to stop it. That's why, why do you think everybody is attacking him? Because he's the only one who standing up for those of us on the ground out here in cold New Hampshire and Iowa and --
BERMAN: You were telling me you weren't cold.
SMITH: No, it's not. Look, he represents everything we all want to do, the outsider, change America. It's a cause. And so I think once the voters see that -- I don't know where they are all going to bunch up, but I feel confident based on our ground game and the response we're getting that we're right in the middle of it.
BERMAN: Senator Bob smith, thanks very much for being with us.
SMITH: Glad to be with you.
BERMAN: One programming note. You do not want to miss "STATE OF THE UNION" tomorrow morning with Jake Tapper 9:00 a.m. Look at the range of guests he has, the contenders. Donald Trump, John Kasich, Chris Christie, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, all with Jake Tapper. This is a special show. It is commercial-free, 9:00 a.m. eastern only on CNN. Let's go back to Atlanta now. Victor, Christi, back to you guys.
PAUL: Thank you so much, John. We're going to have more from New Hampshire a little bit later in the show. But we are also watching today rescue workers who are frantically digging through the rubble in Taiwan after a massive earthquake leveled an entire building.
[10:25:00] BLACKWELL: And that developing story out of Oregon where a police officer was shot and killed. It happened earlier this morning. We are getting new details about the circumstances surrounding the shootings. Stay with us for those.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:28:52] BLACKWELL: The time now is 28 minutes after the hour. And rescue operations are under way in Taiwan's oldest city of Tainan. A devastating earthquake killed at least 11 people there, injured more than 475 others. Rescue workers are at the site of the collapse of a 17 story apartment building that crumbled after that powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit today. People were sleeping at the time. More than 200 people have been rescued.
PAUL: And investigators this morning saying the murder of a Virginia teen was premeditated and the plot was conceived in a fast food restaurant. The body of 13-year-old Nicole Lovell was found in North Carolina last Saturday three days after she disappeared. Investigators say Virginia Tech students David Eisenhauer and Natalie Keepers plotted to stab the seventh grader and planned how to dispose of and hide her body. The details came to light as a judge denied Keepers bail Thursday. Eisenhauer is going to appear in court late next month. He is accused of killing Lovell to hide their inappropriate relationship.
BLACKWELL: A police officer has been shot and killed in Seaside, Oregon. According to CNN affiliate KGW, this happened as two officers were serving a warrant last night. One officer was shot as he walked up to the suspect. The second officer was able to shoot back. The suspect is now in the hospital, but there is no word on his condition.
[10:30:10] PAUL: And the Zika virus is prompting CDC to issue new safe sex guidelines. Remember the virus causes a neurological disorder in newborns resulting in babies being born with abnormally small heads and sever development delays. Officials say man who have been exposed to the virus and who have a pregnant partner should use protection or not have sex at all until the baby is born. Officials also say pregnant women who have been exposed to Zika should get tested for the virus.
BLACKWELL: All right, we're going to go back live to New Hampshire as we count down the days to Tuesday's primary.
PAUL: The thing is the GOP candidates are gearing up for a debate before that. How much will what they say tonight drive what happens Tuesday?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BERMAN: All right, John Berman in Manchester, New Hampshire. I want to show you live pictures from Bedford, New Hampshire, where Chris Christie is about to begin an event. He will be joined by the Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker, the Maryland governor Larry Hogan. Chris Christie from New Jersey trying to show there is support out there for his candidacy.
[10:35:00] He needs a big, convincing showing in this state, one of the three governors battling to make a name for himself here. Very, very important for him. We'll take this event when it begins in just a few moments. Just a few moments ago we heard from Carly Fiorina. Carly Fiorina very, very disappointed in the party here and ABC because she was not invited to attend the big Republican debate tonight. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FIORINA: If you ever doubted the game was rigged, look at what is going on that debate stage tonight. Sorry, I thought votes counted in elections. Sorry, I thought delegates counted in elections. Sorry, I thought the people in New Hampshire had a responsibility to vote and pick presidents. But apparently the media establishment, the political establishment has decided that they know better than you.
(BOOS)
FIORINA: I will not falter. I will never stop fighting, and neither can you.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: Carly Fiorina saying she is not giving up despite the fact she will not be on the stage tonight. Seven candidates will. So what do they have to do? What do they have to avoid? I want to bring in CNN political commentator Ana Navarro and Ryan Lizza. Ryan writes for "The New Yorker," well, a Washington correspondent for "The New Yorker," writes beautifully for "The New Yorker." Also joining us is Ana Navarro, a friend of Marco Rubio and a Jeb Bush supporter. Let's tick through these candidates as quickly as they can, maybe 20 seconds each. Ana, what do they have to do, what do they have to avoid tonight on the debate stage? Donald Trump?
ANA NAVARRO, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Donald Trump needs to make a comeback. I think that he had a gracious moment right after the Iowa defeat. I think if he can find that graciousness again it would be good for him. But he is going to duke it out with Ted Cruz. He can't help himself. We've been seeing them go at it very hard at each other, both of them, for the last week.
BERMAN: Ryan, what do you think he has to avoid?
RYAN LIZZA, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, "THE NEW YORKER": Trump, I think he has to figure out a new strategy. He was so confident and so overwhelmingly confident that what he was doing was working, not having a ground game, not having the traditional infrastructure in Iowa. Ever since then he seems a little bit rattled, a little bit unsure. Does he switch strategies? I think tonight he's got to show a side of himself that maybe is a little bit more mature than he's been. But the big thing is the infrastructure. He didn't have that infrastructure in Iowa and he just decided he didn't need it. You can't do that overnight.
BERMAN: You can't do that on a debate stage either. Marco Rubio running second in the polls. Ryan, start with you. What does he need to do?
LIZZA: Rubio is the sort of "it" candidate of the media. You have a huge chunk of especially the conservative media establishment cheering for this guy right now.
BERMAN: Pretty much literally cheering for him.
LIZZA: Literally cheering. And it's been six, seven months of people trying to get the Rubio thing started. His campaign has reportedly landed on the strategy three, two, one -- third in Iowa, second in New Hampshire, first in South Carolina. He did three in Iowa. And frankly expectations aren't that high in New Hampshire, but I think most people are going to watch to see if he can slip into second place here. If he doesn't, he's in trouble.
BERMAN: What does he need to avoid tonight, because he will have people coming after him? Chris Christie calls him the boy in the bubble.
NAVARRO: Which is a "Seinfeld" reference. You have to have a little levity at some point. Marco is going to take incoming fire from every which side. I think he has got to figure out how to define himself. Marco is trying to thread the needle. He's is trying to be all things to all people. He's trying to be the establishment guy and base guy and offer himself as a uniter. Will he be able to thread the needle?
More stylistically I think he needs to slow down. I think he needs to show the genuine Marco. I think he needs to go off script. You keep hearing over and over again from people in New Hampshire that he comes across as too smooth, too practiced, too packaged, too slick, too scripted. Show them the real Marco. Come up with some new story. Slow down a little. Slow down so the folks can digest everything he is saying, because he usually has a lot of meat on his answers, but it's really a fast delivery.
BERMAN: So John Kasich, Chris Christie, Jeb Bush, who do you think will come out harder tonight?
LIZZA: I think Christie will come out harder tonight. This is the last hurrah for Chris Christie. His fundraising has been pretty slight recently and eh is not polling very well. Frankly, if you look at the three governors, if you look at Kasich, Jeb, and Christi, just objectively, I think it's fair to say Christie's record in New Jersey is not as good as theirs. I think that's been a big problem. That's what's been holding him back. Every time he talks about his record, he gets whacked by someone talking about the downgrades or the bridge scandal. And Kasich and Jeb have a lot more to brag about as governors. And I think that's his big problem, so he has turned it more into an attitudinal campaign, telling it like it is and trying to build the campaign around his personality rather than his record. And when you've got Donald Trump in the race, that kind of attitudinal campaign doesn't sell like it used to.
[10:40:03] BERMAN: Ana, last question. They take on each other or do they take on Trump?
NAVARRO: I think you're going to see the governors take on Rubio. We are in a fight here for number two and number three out of New Hampshire. I think you are going to see them take on Rubio. I think you're going to see them take on Cruz because they can't help themselves. I don't think that Jeb needs to take on Trump. He's been doing it in ads and on the stump. He did it last event. He's got to do it with Donald Trump standing there, and you've got to land the blow. Chris Christie is going to be Chris Christie. He's not going to become snuggly the bear in the fabric softener commercial at the last debate in New Jersey. He is the New Jersey brawler. It is his authentic personality, and I think that is what we are going to see on stage. And by the way, he is so entertaining to watch.
BERMAN: Ana Navarro, Ryan Lizza, great to have you with us. Looking forward to watching this debate tonight, as well. Christi and Victor, back to you in Atlanta.
PAUL: All right, thank you. BLACKWELL: Thank you, John.
PAUL: So Larry David of course is hosting "SNL" tonight. And we are expecting to see him as Bernie Sanders. Here's the kicker. None other than Bernie Sanders is expected to join him.
BLACKWELL: We know Hillary Clinton is heading to Flint, Michigan, this week. We know also city and state leaders there are blaming each other for the water crisis, as the city's former emergency manager is served with a subpoena.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Senator Sanders, some of your opponents believe regulating Wall Street is enough. What is your position on the big banks?
[10:45:00] LARRY DAVID, COMEDIAN: Not a fan on the banks. They trample on the middle class. They control Washington. And why do they chain all those pens on the desk? Who is trying to steal a pen from a bank? It makes no sense!
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BERMAN: That is Larry David, Larry David, who is the host of "Saturday Night Live" tonight. I guarantee you will reprise his Bernie Sanders character. How do I know that? That is because the real Bernie Sanders character, the one running from president, is leaving New Hampshire to go to New York to be part of "Saturday Night Live." Joining us is senior media correspondent Brian Stelter. Brian?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: We saw Donald Trump do it earlier this season, right, John? We saw Hillary Clinton make a cameo. And now it is Bernie Sanders' turn. The show won't confirm it yet. "SNL" won't admit it, but Bernie Sanders' own campaign had confirmed he will be in New York. I think they had no choice to reveal it ahead of time because it would be rather odd for him not to be on the campaign trail this weekend. Remember, he's been on the show twice, Larry David playing Bernie Sanders. Here is one of those two times from earlier in the fall.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID: We're doomed.
(LAUGHTER)
DAVID: We need a revolution, millions of people on the streets. And we've got to do something, and we've got to do it now!
(LAUGHTER) DAVID: I'm the only candidate up here who's not a billionaire. I don't have a super PAC. I don't even have a backpack. I carry my stuff around loose in my arms like a professor.
(LAUGHTER)
DAVID: You know in between classes. I own one pair of underwear. That's it. Some of these billionaires, they got three, four pairs.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STELTER: Now the Sanders' campaign has wholeheartedly embraced this impersonation. And of course showing up tonight may be the latest way to do that. It may help Sanders among younger voters. "SNL" is popular among younger viewers. But let's be honest, it also has lot of older viewers as well. We know Sanders tends to have an advantage among younger voters. But perhaps by going on "SNL," perhaps the reason why it matter is because he'll have exposure to a wide audience, including some right up where you are in New Hampshire.
BERMAN: He gets incredibly favorite treatment by "Saturday Night Live," so it's a great place for him to go tonight. Brian Stelter, thank you so much. Brian is in New York. I'm in New Hampshire. Let's go back to Atlanta now with Christi and Victor.
BLACKWELL: John, thank you so much. We are going to talk about Flint, Michigan, now, where they are learning unfortunately this new normal. These burning rashes, people losing hair, and the daily lead testing.
PAUL: Look at these pictures. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is actually taking a break from her New Hampshire campaigning and she is going there to Flint to highlight the water crisis.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:50:00] BLACKWELL: Hillary Clinton is headed to Flint, Michigan, tomorrow. She says the trip will help to highlight the need for extra help there as the city recovers from the lead contaminated drinking water crisis. CNN's Sara Ganim is live with the latest of that ongoing crisis. Sara, good morning.
SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Victor. Despite lead level testing that shows that lead levels have come down in Flint drinking water, in a Congressional hearing we learned that the water is still not safe to drink. At that hearing it was so apparent to me that the people who live in Flint still have a whole of stress and anxiety about the water flowing through their taps.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GANIM: It isn't just the lead in the water that has people in Flint upset and on edge.
CHRIS MAYS, FLINT, MICHIGAN, RESIDENT: It looks like you skid on a tarmac for five miles, and would feel that way, too.
GANIM: Rashes like these on Melisa Mays and her three boys.
MELISA MAYS, FLINT, MICHIGAN RESIDENT: When you try to put lotion on the rashes it would burn like a chemical burn. So we were thinking this isn't right.
CHRIS MAYS: It basically feels like you are dipping your arm in melted iron because it burns super horribly.
GANIM: This week Michigan officials announced they'll investigate accounts of rashes that residents say they've been getting two years now since the water flowing to their homes was switched from the great lakes to the corrosive Flint River. Experts say the water wasn't treated as required. A local doctor says people could tell right away.
DR. MONA HANNA-ATTISHA, DIRECTOR, PEDIATRIC RESIDENCY PROGRAM, HURLEY MEDICAL CENTER: Right when the water switched in April, 2014, the residents were complaining. It looked gross. It was brown. It tasted gross. It smelled gross. And there was all these vague medical complaints of hair loss and rashes, and there's high levels of E. Coli and bacteria in the water. Then they put chlorine in the water which was irritating people.
GANIM: In October, 2015, when high levels of lead were found in the water and in Flint children, the water supply was switched back to Lake Huron. State officials apologized and some stepped down as a handful of investigations and then class action suits were launched.
As residents protested, officials knew of the complaints of rashes months before they knew of the high levels of lead, and they still did not act. There are calls for Governor Rick Snyder to resign. He says he's sorry and will fix it.
GOV. RICK SNYDER, (R) MICHIGAN: That makes you feel terrible. I wish you would have done something different. In hindsight, there are all these permutations. That's just something I will have to live with.
REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS, (D) MARYLAND: Why would they be paying for water that they cannot even use that is poisoning them. That is not American.
GANIM: The water still isn't safe to drink. And at a heated congressional hearing this week, it was clear people are still worried.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have rashes. They start off red and leave little white spots. And this is coming from the water. I'm scared. I'm scared. We don't know what's going to happen to us, you know, down the line.
GANIM: Would have the last two years really been like?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stressful.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sick, sick, sick, sick.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Constant struggling, sick and stress.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GANIM: Today Flint's congressman Dan Kildee is holding a congressional delegation in Flint. They are holding neighborhood meetings to talk to the residents. And tomorrow as you mentioned, Victor, Hillary Clinton is taking a break from campaigning in New Hampshire to visit Flint and discuss the issues there.
BLACKWELL: Sara Ganim reporting for us this morning. Sara, thank you so much.
PAUL: And we have a live report from Super Bowl 50 in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:57:04] BLACKWELL: We are just one day away from the kick-off of Super Bowl 50.
PAUL: And Coy Wire is out in San Francisco, probably in all his glory right now. Coy, how's it going?
COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christi and Victor. I am like a little kid at Christmas out here. It's so wonderful to be back in San Francisco. I'm in the heart of Super Bowl city, downtown San Fran. The Bay Area is the heart of Silicon Valley as well, and all week long we've been talking about the intersection of sports and technology. You can't talk about that intersection without talking about social media in this day and age. So today we are introducing you to a maker Brian Wilhite who found a new way to capitalize on athletes' social media presence. Check this technology in "Bleacher Report" by Intel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRETT FAVRE, FORMER NFL QUARTERBACK: Hello, everyone. Just want to give a shout out to Sqor and to all the fans who have joined. Sqor keeps you connected to current as well as former athletes. It keeps you updated on what's going on in their lives.
BRIAN WILHITE, CEO SQOR: The athletes really want to embrace their fans and really want to interact with them. They are possibly trying to improve on the field and doing the same thing when it comes to digital media.
WIRE: Meet Brian Wilhite, founder and CEO of Sqor, the S-q-o-r. After working for years to help musicians maximize their social media impact, Wilhite started to gain interest from athletes who wanted to do the same.
WILHITE: We went ahead and focused on the company, really sports- centric.
WIRE: Now Sqor is teaching athletes how to capitalize on their digital presence and improve their engagement with fans.
FAVRE: I'm always on the run as you can tell. It bridges the gap between fans, friends, followers, and myself.
WILHITE: We're giving them insights in developing tools they would never be able to do on their own. And so we really make them better when it comes to interacting with their fans and knowing about them.
FAVRE: I'm happy to be a part of it. I'm glad you're part of it, as well. Get your friends to join. And we'll see what happens Super Bowl.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Guys, Sqor is taking advantage of the Super Bowl being in town. They are arranging live chats between fans and athletes so they can talk about the big game. They have also got huge party planned for Friday night to bring together this new technology to the Bay Area audience and the athletes.
Now, we are going to have so much more on Super Bowl 50 today, "Kick- Off by the Bay, "a CNN "Bleacher Report" special at 2:30 eastern, hosted by our man Chris Cuomo and hall-of-famer Dan Marino. You're not going to want to miss that one. It's some good stuff, guys.
BLACKWELL: Coy, we look forward to it. Coy Wire, thank you so much.
PAUL: Have fun there, buddy.
And in just three days, of course New Hampshire voters casting their ballots in the first primary of the 2016 presidential race.
[11:00:00] Today the candidates are making their last stops, rallying their supporters, counting down. It is a little bit madness in New Hampshire.
