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NYC Reports First Person Under Investigation For Coronavirus; U.S. To Impose China Travel Restrictions On Sunday; Pentagon Will Provide Housing For As Many As 1,000 People Who May Need To Be Quarantined Amid Coronavirus Threat; Democratic Candidates Make Final Pitches Ahead Of Iowa Caucuses; Very Tight Race Right Now With Former Vice President Joe Biden And Senator Bernie Sanders. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired February 01, 2020 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[19:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Hello. I'm Ana Cabrera New York. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. Thank you for being here and new tonight, there is now a suspected case of coronavirus in New York. Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke just moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D-NY): About a week ago, I reported New Yorkers on the status of a coronavirus and I said at that point it was a question of not if but when and now we have our first case under investigation here in New York City.

This individual, this patient who is being evaluated right now did exactly as they should have. Followed the guidelines for the city of New York put out. And they met the specific criteria, they had traveled to China, they did have the specific symptoms associated coronavirus and they did come to get medical care here at the hospital.

Exactly what we want anyone in a similar situation to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Now this all comes on the heels of the eighth confirmed case in the U.S. today. This time in Massachusetts and now the Pentagon is preparing housing for up to 1000 people who maybe, perhaps need to be quarantined after returning to the country from traveling overseas.

We have a team of correspondents and experts covering the developments tonight. CNN Correspondent, Polo Sandoval is at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. CNN Health Reporter, Jacqueline Howard is on the line. CNN's Barbara Starr at the Pentagon and CNN Senior Producer, Steven Jiang is standing by in Beijing.

Polo, to you first, what more can you tell us about this patient here in New York? POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At this point on it, Ana, as health

officials in the city of Newark made it very clear. We may not know if this individual is the 9th confirmed case. For the next 36 to 48 hours, they still have to run those tests and still really have to look into this case because again as you made very clear, they're only treating this as a possible case, making it very clear that this is simply under investigation here.

And the reason that being that this individual recognize that they had been in the affected regions of part of mainland China, recognize the symptoms and then quickly start that medical attention so authorities certainly using this an example for not only people here in the Newark, New Jersey area but really across the country.

What they should be on the lookout for but right now is certainly the time to remain informed and of course most importantly, stay calm as the risk of contracting this still according to officials remains low.

And in the meantime, airports across the country are certainly taking steps to screen these passengers that are coming from those affected areas. Come tomorrow at 5:00 PM eastern is when attention will shift to six specific airports across the country.

They include San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Atlanta, also JFK and Chicago. These are the airports where according to Trump administration officials, many of these flights from China, the ones that are still continue to happen will be funneled through so that health officials can really focus on screening those inbound passengers.

This is really just some of the latest set protocols and measures that have been set up by government officials. The other one includes imposing this temporary travel ban on any foreign individuals who are potentially traveling into the United States and also any U.S. citizens who are returning from the affected areas could be subjected to a two-week mandatory quarantine. Ana.

CABRERA: Polo standby for us and joining us on the phone is CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard. For this person under observation, Jacqueline in New York, what will that testing looks like?

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: Yes, Ana, that's a great question. So we have 36 to 48 hours to wait for the testing results to come in so we don't know yet if this is confirmed but you know as the Mayor said, this is the first person identified for testing in New York City.

And what happens is sample is sent in and CDC conducts the testing and like I said, we have about 36 to 48 hours until the testing results come in and that's when we can confirm if this is a confirmed case. So that's kind of what we're waiting on Ana.

CABRERA: OK, and let me bring in Barbara Starr as well because Barbara, you reported earlier today, the Pentagon is now preparing to house as many as 1000 people who may need to be quarantined when they return from overseas. We know 195 people, diplomats and family members are already quarantine on a military base in California. Now we're talking about preparations for up to 8000 possibly. Do you know why that number?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is because the Department of Health and Human Services says it needs help in getting housing for these people during a two-week quarantine period. They have to put them somewhere where they can be monitored or they're not going to be allowed to wander around and a military base fits that description.

[19:05:00]

So Defense Secretary Mark Casper late today signed the authorization if you will, saying that he would - he would support HHS's request for up to 1000 beds through February 29. So they're looking now if the need comes, there are several bases besides March Air reserve base south of Los Angeles that they are looking at, that had been earmarked to house these people during possible quarantine.

And those bases are. We have a map to show everyone. There are training facility at Fort Carson, Colorado; Lackland Air Force base in Texas; Travis Air Force base in northern California; the marine corps air station Miramar that is near San Diego.

You know it remains to be seen exactly how many people will have to be under this mandatory federal two-week quarantine but these are the facilities that are going to be ready for them if they are needed according to the Trump administration.

What the Pentagon is hastening to add, if these people continue to be housed if you will, quarantined on military bases just like at March Air force base already for the last several days, they will be isolated. They will not be allowed to wander around the base, come into contact with any military families and military personnel and families are not expected at all to come into contact with them.

Remains to be seen if all of these 1000 beds are needed or perhaps even more. Ana.

CABRERA: OK, Barbara Starr, stand by and of course, right now we're just dealing with eight people confirmed to have the virus here in the U.S. but more than 20 countries have patients now with cases of the coronavirus, the epicenter of courses in China where more than 11000 cases and more than 200 people have died.

CNN's Stephen Jang is in Beijing for us where the situation has now gotten to the point Steven, that drones are actually being used to warn people who don't have face masks on?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING SENIOR PRODUCER: That's right Ana, and we are actually just learning new numbers from the health authorities here now nationwide. There are more than 14000 confirmed cases with 304 deaths. So these numbers just getting grimmer by the hour.

Now you mentioned these drones. That is being deployed in some parts of the country by local officials to basically, to monitor the local population's movement and to make sure that the authorities message get across by reminding these people, warning them to go indoors to go home or at least wear a mask if they have to be out and about.

But still on at the majority of these cases and deaths happened in the epicenter in Hubei province. Now the worrisome trend there is that the authorities are saying, a lot of cases actually more than half of cases now are being reported outside of the provincial capital of Wuhan.

That is worrisome because now these cases are happening smaller, poorer places with even lesser infrastructure or health care system to deal with this kind of outbreak. That's why you're seeing officials reporting - putting more even more draconian measures in place.

In one city for example, now they're requiring each household can only send one representative out every other day to buy groceries. Everyone else has to stay in at all time, Ana.

CABRERA: OK, thank you to everyone for that reporting. We will stay on top of the latest coronavirus information and bring that to our viewers as we get it. Meantime, we're just two days away until the Iowa caucus and what looks like a very tight race at the top.

Right now democratic candidates are crisscrossing the state, making their final pitches to voters as a split within the party is emerging. We're live in Iowa, next.

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[19:10:00]

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CABRERA: Just two days from right now, the race for the White House goes from hypothetical to real. It is the Iowa caucuses on Monday, the first major contest of the Presidential primary season and this weekend, influential Democrats appear to be fighting more among themselves than against the freshly impeached President Donald Trump.

And instead of looking forward, they're rehashing the past. Evidence of that just last night, sitting Democratic Congresswoman booed former Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and encouraged others to do the same.

It was a Bernie Sanders rally in Iowa. The moderator mentioned recent comments from Hillary Clinton where she criticized her 2016 opponent Bernie Sanders. Listen to this Hillary Clinton comment and then see what happened last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE 2016, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Unfortunately you know, his campaign and his principal supporters were just very difficult and really constantly not just attacking me, but my supporters. We get to the convention. They're booing Michelle Obama and John

Lewis. I mean it was very distressing and such a contrast between what we did to unite in a way and all the way up until the end, a lot of people highly identified with his campaign were urging people to vote third party. Urging people not to vote. It had an impact.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Iowa, we have three days. I don't remember if you guys remember last week when someone by the name of Hillary Clinton said that nobody - we're not going to boo, we're not going to boo, we're classy here.

REP. RASHIDA TLAIB (D-MI): I'll boo. Boo. You all know I can't be quiet. No, we're going to boo. That's our right. The haters - the haters will shut up on Monday when we win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Now that was Michigan congresswoman Rashid Tlaib, a major surrogate for Sen. Bernie Sanders booing fellow Democrat from the stage. Tlaib showed some remorse for booing, at least today on Twitter saying her disappointment with Hillary Clinton got the best of her.

Sen. Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden are head to head right now in Iowa, going into the caucuses.

[19:15:00]

They're sharing the lead pretty much among the Democratic candidates. CNN have live team coverage spread throughout the state of Iowa as we follow these candidates in the run up to Monday's caucuses. Let's begin with Ryan Nobles. He is with Bernie Sanders' campaign.

Ryan, what is the climate among the candidates as we close in on Iowa? Are things going more negative?

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, they are Ana but I do think we need to put this in context a little bit. In terms of Democratic primaries of past, this has been a relatively tiny democratic primary process. There's been a little bit of sniping back and forth between these candidates.

But for the most part they stayed in their own lane, they've really worked hard to kind of emphasize the areas where they believe that they have the best policy positions and the best opportunity to be Donald Trump and have actually gone out of their way to not too much attacking of their opponents.

Now sure, there have been some distinctions drawn. They're making a point to draw those distinctions even more as we get closer to the election itself but a lot of it is really not ben that divisive and it certainly hasn't been personal.

For Bernie Sanders though the big knock you get on him by some of his opponents including Vice President Biden is this idea that perhaps he can win a Democratic primary but in a head to head race against Donald Trump, he might not fare as well. That is something that Sanders is specifically addressing here in the final few hours of the Iowa caucuses.

Listen to what he said earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's a lot of discussion as you know about electability. Which candidate stands the best chance to defeat Donald Trump. Let's do a scientific poll.

All those who think our campaign is the strongest to beat Trump, raise your hands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBLES: So obviously, that crowd feels pretty confident in Bernie Sander's chances but I should point out that his campaign feels very strongly about this. They actually believe that the energy and in the enthusiasm in the Democratic primary process and in their party in general is with the Sanders' campaign and that it's going to take a big turn out and a lot of energy to be Donald Trump in the fall.

That's part of their closing argument here over the next couple of days. Ana, they believe that there is a section of democratic voters like Bernie Sanders that believe in his policies but are worried perhaps that maybe he can't beat Donald Trump. They're saying he can do it and if you agree with him on a lot of these big policy decisions, now's the time to stand up and support his campaign.

And they're hoping that those voters show up on Monday night. Ana.

CABRERA: Electability seems to be the word among candidates and the focus of their message really across all those candidate campaigns. Thank you Ryan. Meantime M.J. Lee is covering Senator Elizabeth Warren's campaign and Senator Warren, I understand just addressed the Clinton booing incident. What did she say?

M.J. LEE, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Ana. Senator Warren just wrapped up a campaign event here in Iowa city and she spoke briefly with reporters afterwards and CNN asked her to react to the fact that congresswoman Tlaib booed Hillary Clinton on stage at a Bernie Sanders event.

Let's just listen to that first and then we can talk more out of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I understand that during primaries, people can get heated but what's important is we come together as a party because we have one really important job and that is to beat Donald Trump and our best chance to do that is when Democrats work together, when we get out there and fight for the things we believe in and we bring as many people as possible into our party.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LEE: And the timing of this is just notable because Senator Warren

along with some of the other candidates have really been pressing the theme of unity and electability and she has been saying to voters, this weekend that she is the candidate who can have wide appeal to former Bernie Sanders supporters or former Donald Trump supporters and just interesting that she talked up this incident to things getting heated sometimes in politics.

And Ana, I will tell you know, I've been covering the Warren campaign for over a year now and the energy this weekend has just felt different, whether it's the voters or the candidates, Senator Warren herself, the energy just has been very high in these rooms where she has been campaigning and has just felt very clear that these candidates are very, very aware that this is the time for them to deliver their final closing messages.

And Senator Warren who has been in DC for all of last week trying to make every hour count. Her campaign announced that they are not going to do her famous photo lines, this weekend. Instead, she wants to make sure that she is using every minute to hit as many cities as possible.

So just another sign that the candidates are really feeling the heat in these final days, Ana.

CABRERA: And as we see behind you they really are moving quickly. They're tearing down or putting up you know, risers and these candidates are just moving from one place to the other.

[19:20:00]

M.J., thank you. I want to turn to Arlette Saenz on the trail with former Vice President Joe Biden down. Arlette, how confident is Biden heading into Monday and what is his closing message with voters there?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Ana, Joe Biden has squarely kept his focus on President Trump. He has been on the ground here in Iowa for a week now and over and over, he's been making his case that he is a candidate best equipped to take on President Trump in the general election.

He's pointed to that those attacks from the President and Republicans as a sign that perhaps they are concerned about facing Biden if he is democratic nominee. Now Biden's going to appear here in just a short while in Waterloo for his third stop of the day. He's been joined by Secretary of State John Kerry earlier in the day who is also been making that argument with Biden.

And what Biden has tried to do here is create this head to head matchup between himself and the President. He's tried to frame this campaign exactly that way for the start of the race when he entered back in April and he's also arguing that the character of the nation is on the ballot.

Now while he has been trying to present that contrast with the President, you don't hear him exactly take on his rivals in his events here but earlier today, he did offer voters, a distinction, telling them what exactly they should be evaluating when they look at each of these democratic candidates. Take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When you think about - think about who you're going to caucus for, here's what I can tell you. It's not enough to make promises.

You've got to keep them but you also have to have a record to demonstrate you're able to get them done. Get things done. You know everyone knows who Donald Trump is. We have to let him know who we are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now Biden told me, he believes that Iowa will be a toss-up. He thinks the race might be bunched up among several candidates. He also said New Hampshire is going to be an uphill race for him but he's pointing to South Carolina as a potential firewall and also looking to Super Tuesday, saying that those are states where they could have a major advantage. Ana.

CABRERA: Arlette Saenz with the Biden campaign. Thank you. Another candidate with high hopes in Iowa is Pete Buttigieg. Abby Phillip is covering his campaign Abby, you spoke with Buttigieg right before his latest campaign event in Dubuque, Iowa.

Now we have that interview live here on CNN. You talked to him about his effort to court what he calls future former Republicans. Tell us about that.

ABBY PHILIP, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Yes, that's right Ana. It's been a major theme of his campaign over the last several weeks and he spent days crisscrossing the state, going from county to county where President Obama won in 2008, won in 2012 and where Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump in 2016.

And the idea there for the Buttigieg campaign is to make an electability case to Iowa voters saying to them, I'm the candidate that can unite all of these different people including bringing back Democrats who left the party back in 2016 but there is a question and I put this to him about whether this is a strategy that is worth the effort? Will some of these Republicans stay with the Democratic Party?

There was a gentleman at one of his events who told him, he would only vote Democrat if Buttigieg was the nominee and here's what Pete Buttigieg had to say that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG (D-IN) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it's a mistake to take any vote for granted and it's a mistake to write any vote off. Look, I want to not only win against Donald Trump but win so big that it sends Trumpism itself into the dustbin of history.

I think a big win is also what it would take to send out the kind of shock waves that might actually reunite Senate GOP members with their conscience because it seems like right now, based on how they're behaving on the floor of the Senate, the language of political power and winning and losing is the only thing that they'll respond to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILIP: Now here in Iowa, it is not clear even from the Buttigieg's perspective how he's going to do on a Monday. I asked him about whether he thought he needed to win here. He wouldn't say. He says he needs a strong finish but he also characterized the race as very fluid and so in these last few days, he has been really keeping a very frenetic pace, focusing on bringing new voters into the democratic race, potentially hoping to open up some turn out advantages for him on Monday.

And I think from Buttigieg's perspective, he believes that just showing strength here in Iowa is going to do the trick for him as he heads into New Hampshire where this race is going to continue to be what seems to be really a knock down drag out fight between quite a few of these candidates. Ana.

CABRERA: Anything could happen. Thank you Abby. Now to Kyung Lah. Kyung, you were in Cedar Falls with Senator Amy Klobuchar. Talk to us more about her thinking and her message this weekend.

KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, she just wrapped up the Cedar Falls event and she's actually still on stage taking pictures, shaking hands. This is a place where she needs to do well and the campaign is hoping she's going to do well.

[19:25:00]

But I want to refer really quickly to that interview that Abby had with Pete Buttigieg because this campaign would say, you might be late to the party. That's a message that this moderate has been leaning into ever since she stepped into the race.

And you're seeing her really execute that message in these final two days at every single stop. She's been reiterating that she is somebody who can reach Republican. She is the one who has the record who can win in Republican districts that she has been able to hold on to those votes in Trump districts in Minnesota as she was introduced by Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota who also talked about that record.

The campaign hoping that it's going to work especially in districts further north of us, closer to Minnesota as well as rural areas. These are places where they need to have the turn out. As far as challenges though, the campaign is not blind to the fact that she's not in the top tier.

She is still not pulling where they want. The impeachment trial has been challenging on her time in these final days but Sen. Klobuchar will say she is still standing and she is looking forward to Monday. Here's what she told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We are punching way

above our weight in terms of what some of the people's bank accounts and what they've done.

LAH: Are you characterizing this race still as being the underdog?

KLOBUCHAR: Yes, when I look at how much money some of the people have and everything else they're doing and the staff that they have, it just shows that our incredibly devoted staff, all of these volunteers that we have here and all over the country have brought me to this place that I don't think anyone thought was going to happen when I first made that announcement in the middle of the blizzard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAH: And we've been talking to people that are showing up at her events and what's been remarkable are the number of people who still are not committed. They still haven't made up their minds or may potentially change their minds at the last minute.

So that is certainly going to be the wildcard here and in that Ana, this campaign sees an opportunity.

CABRERA: All right, Kyung Lah reporting in Iowa for us. Thank you all for those reports from the campaign trail and reminder, we have that Iowa poll coming out at 9:00 live here on CNN. We'll be right back.

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[19:31:57]

CABRERA: Welcome back and let's get back to the last minute sprint to the Iowa caucuses now just two days away.

Joining us now, CNN political commentator, Mark McKinnon. He served as an adviser to the George W. Bush and John McCain presidential campaigns. Also with us, CNN Senior Political Analyst, Mark Preston in Iowa tonight.

Mark, recent polls have shown Bernie Sanders with a lead in Iowa; nationally, he is neck and neck with Joe Biden at the top. So it appears Sanders has momentum right now. What would a win in Iowa mean for his campaign?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, it would mean many different things, and of course, the momentum of itself carrying him into New Hampshire, a neighboring state, depending on how big he could win here could be really insurmountable for other candidates in that state.

Now, for instance, you look at Elizabeth Warren, she is competing against Bernie Sanders for the same type of voters. So clearly, she's going to want to do well out of Iowa, not just because she wants to do well out of Iowa, but she needs to be able to convince those voters that she can win. And of course going into New Hampshire, she certainly doesn't want to

go in wounded. Now, that has to say the same as Joe Biden as well. You know, there's been a lot of talk about Joe Biden coming out of here.

In fact, the expectations game is now being delivered to us. We're hearing about the so-called firewall in South Carolina for Joe Biden, really downplaying expectations here in the state, as well in New Hampshire -- Ana.

CABRERA: And Mark McKinnon, if -- because we're starting to see some of the divide there on the trail and some of the rhetoric kind of turning negative toward each other.

If it turns out that, you know, Bernie Sanders doesn't end up winning the nomination, but there's this mentality that, you know, you're not representative of this party, could it put off his voters enough to then help Trump in the general election?

MARK MCKINNON, HOST, SHOWTIME'S "THE CIRCUS": It could be a big problem. The Democrats must get their act together and must unify under any circumstances.

I went to the Trump's rally Thursday night in Iowa and I took Jennifer Palmieri, who was Clinton's communications director for the campaign and campaign manager, and it gave her a chill because the one thing that she saw very clearly was that Team Trump has their act together.

I mean, they've got money in the bank, they've got their message finally honed.

CABRERA: They're united.

MCKINNON: And they are united. They are completely united. So whatever the Democrats do, whatever happens, and I think there's an argument for any five scenarios to happen, they better get together and unify going forward fast.

CABRERA: Do you see that right now? Is there a risk there?

MCKINNON: I think there's a big risk. Yes.

CABRERA: And is there a problem?

MCKINNON: Yes, I do. I see a problem because there's a lot of passion out there, and there's a fundamental argument about the future of the Democratic Party where they're not just deciding their nominee.

They're deciding where this party goes, and it could go in a very different direction than where it's gone in the past.

CABRERA: Mark Preston, I want to play this clip once again from the rally last night with Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib caught booing at the mention of Hillary Clinton.

It came just days after Hillary Clinton told reporters that nobody likes senator Sanders. Again, watch this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Iowa, we have three days. I don't remember if you guys remember last week when someone by the name of Hillary Clinton said that nobody -- we're not going to boo, we're not going to boo. We're classy here.

REP. RASHIDA TLAIB (D-MI): Oh, no, I'll boo. Boo.

[LAUGHTER]

[19:35:10]

TLAIB: You all know I can't be quiet. No, we're going to boo. That's all right. The haters -- the haters will shut up on Monday when we win.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Congresswoman Tlaib later said that she allowed her disappointment with Clinton to get the best of her. I mean, this is just one more incident that does seem to indicate a deep divide within the Democratic Party, Mark Preston. How does the party bridge this gap especially if it is a long primary fight?

PRESTON: Well, it's certainly going to be organically. I mean, we're under the assumption now that it will be a long primary fight and that we could potentially go to a contested convention and there's always talk like this.

Now, we could happen to see it in this election because of how the rules changed and how Democrats apportion their delegates, but just to continue what Mark was saying earlier, the Democrats have to come together, and they're going to need that passion that we saw from the Congresswoman funneled in against Trump.

Right now, you're not going to see that because there is a lot of passion for Bernie Sanders. Now remember, Bernie Sanders, when he ran in 2016 was not the establishment favorite. He's not the establishment's favorite.

Now, the only problem is, though, for the establishment is that they didn't necessarily have a favorite in 2020. You thought it would have been Joe Biden, they wanted to be with him. They are with him, but they're not entirely with him.

And what you're seeing on Bernie Sanders, unlike you saw four years ago is that he's in Iowa right now, to your point, not only peaking here in Iowa, peaking nationally, and he has this incredible network that he built for four years, where he's able to help fund himself.

So really, whoever comes out of Iowa, and if it is Bernie Sanders or anybody, they're going to come out with a whole lot of momentum. What's interesting this weekend, though, is from a lot of these candidates, including Bernie Sanders himself, they are talking about the party coming together. We heard it from Elizabeth Warren and heard from Bernie Sanders. We're

certainly going to hear it from the other candidates in these closing hours.

CABRERA: Okay, and now adding this curveball, the D.N.C.'s announcement that there will be no donor threshold for the upcoming Nevada debate, which means billionaire Michael Bloomberg could make his first appearance on the stage.

Mark McKinnon, the Sanders campaign is now accusing the D.N.C. of paving the way for somebody to sort of buy their way onto the stage that they're allowing Bloomberg, they're doing this for Bloomberg. Is that how you see it?

MCKINNON: Well, scratching off old scabs with Team Bernie, they feel that in 2016, they rigged the rules against him and they feel like now with moves like this that the Democratic National Committee is rigging the rules against him.

And again, they're changing the threshold for somebody to get on the debate to favor somebody like Mike Bloomberg. So yes, once again, the Bernie people are saying the establishment is coming after us. They're threatened by us.

But they do have passion. I've got to say, they've got the kind of passion like Trump supporters have, which is just on a different side of the aisle.

CABRERA: Right, but is there another way to look at it because I've heard from other candidates, I believe it was Amy Klobuchar, who was criticizing the fact that Michael Bloomberg didn't have to be on the debate stage to get his message out and therefore wasn't maybe being scrutinized as carefully as the other candidates.

MCKINNON: Well, everybody has got their own rationale for their own candidacy and why Mike Bloomberg is a problem, right? But he's kind of a problem for everybody.

On the other hand, if this comes out of the first four contests unsettled, Mike Bloomberg's strategy could pay off. I mean, if there's not a clear front runner coming out these first four states, he spent, you know, a couple of hundred million dollars in Super Tuesday states, so he could scratch pretty well.

CABRERA: Mark McKinnon and Mark Preston. Gentlemen, I really appreciate it.

MCKINNON: And by the way, he's spending money to beat Trump in the end. So that's what most Democrats appreciate about what Bloomberg is doing even if they don't win.

CABRERA: Right. And it's starting tomorrow in the Super Bowl, too. We'll see that ad.

All right. It's a week of special political coverage here on CNN. First Monday, we have the Iowa caucuses, of course; Tuesday, the State of the Union address; Wednesday and Thursday, back to back presidential Town Halls live from New Hampshire. Don't miss all of that special coverage next week, right here on CNN. We'll be right back.

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[19:43:04]

CABRERA: With the Iowa caucuses just two days away, the latest CNN poll of polls showing a very tight race right now with former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders at the top of the field for the Democratic National primary.

And this comes as Biden recently walked back comments he made about his top competitor that Sanders is not a Democrat. Those remarks highlighting just how heated the competition between the two is.

And CNN Senior Political Writer and Analyst, Harry Enten is joining us now.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN POLITICS SENIOR WRITER AND ANALYST: Getting a little hot in here.

CABRERA: I know, feeling the heat. You came out with some new 2020 power rankings in the last 24 hours. What's your guess heading into this first contest?

ENTEN: Yes, I think what's so key in these power rankings that I do with Chris Cillizza is that if you look we now have Sanders and Biden equally at the top to win the nomination. They are tied at one. That is a difference when we had Biden at number one and Sanders at number two in our last power rankings.

And the reason that that has changed is that poll of polls that you put up there, right? What you see is that Bernie Sanders is not only just gaining in Iowa, but he's gaining nationally as well. And obviously Iowa is one thing, but to be gaining nationally suggest that his momentum is carrying him in places beyond there.

CABRERA: And you have the others there, other familiar faces.

ENTEN: You have other familiar faces.

CABRERA: Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren, but I saw also Bloomberg.

ENTEN: Yes.

CABRERA: That's part of the top five.

ENTEN: Bloomberg has certainly cracked the top five in our rankings and that is partially because Amy Klobuchar, who we thought was going to be doing fairly well in Iowa, the idea that she was going to win those caucuses, although a slim shot. We thought there was some possibility that she could. But based upon the latest polling that we've seen come out this week

from, say a Monmouth University that possibility seems to be slipping by the wayside and Bloomberg has been doing much better nationally than she is and that's why he's moved up in the five in our power rankings.

CABRERA: Now, the Iowa caucuses are a little bit tricky for most of us who aren't political junkies to understand in terms of how they work, and there's a 15 percent threshold for candidates to even get their names, you know, on the table, right?

[19:45:08]

ENTEN: Right.

CABRERA: And so what happens to the supporters who may be behind candidates who don't reach 15 percent?

ENTEN: Right, so what we should point out is there individual caucus sites, very many of them throughout the state of Iowa, and if you're a candidate and most of them doesn't reach a 15 percent threshold, then one of two things essentially happens.

Those supporters can walk out of the caucus to say, adios amigos, goodbye, or they can try and join up with some other candidates, and that can lead to some very interesting things whereby the initial vote in the Iowa caucuses may favor one candidate, but the statewide delegate equivalence the way that we're going to judge the contest who wins and loses, could say something else.

And if you look back at 2016, what you saw was an estimate from Edison Research had suggested that Hillary Clinton won the initial vote by three points, but when it came down to those statewide delicate equivalent, what did we see? We saw very neck and neck between her and Bernie Sanders.

So given that the polls right now are so tight in Iowa, it wouldn't be surprising to me this year if we see something similar, whereby you get an initial winner, and then in those statewide delegate equivalents, we could in fact, see something very different.

CABRERA: So what are the odds for these different candidates?

ENTEN: Yes, I mean, if you were to look at right now, and you were to say the odds were, I think you'd essentially say is that Bernie Sanders in the poll of polls, what you'd essentially see is, he is doing the best in the field, but he is under a 50 percent chance to win that.

He may be the favorite, but the rest of the field combined has a better than 50 percent chance, has a better chance, then Bernie Sanders wins.

CABRERA: How big of a deal is Iowa going forward?

ENTEN: Yes. So basically, if you go back since 1980, you can look at who won Iowa, and then whether or not they became the nominee.

And what we see is that seven of 14 times, if you look at both the Democratic side and the Republican side, the winner of Iowa went on to be the Democratic nominee, so batting 500.

But I should point out on the Democratic side, at least, if you go back since 2000, every single winner of the Iowa caucuses went on to be the Democratic nominee.

So winning Iowa is certainly a good thing, but it is not a guarantee that you win the nomination.

CABRERA: Okay. So it may give you the Democratic nomination if you're the Democrat, not a guarantee that you go on to win the presidency, is that what you're saying?

ENTEN: I am saying that, but I'm also saying that just because you win there, you know, you can go back Tom Harkin who won the Iowa causes in '92; Dick Gephardt won in 1988, but didn't go on to be the nominee.

CABRERA: Okay. Harry Enten. Thank you. Thank you.

ENTEN: Thank you.

CABRERA: And there'll be much more to discuss from now.

ENTEN: Oh, I would think so.

CABRERA: We're excited for that. Thank you.

ENTEN: Thank you.

CABRERA: With just days until the Iowa caucuses and you have the impeachment of President Trump also creating more division in this country. Is there anything that can bring people together?

Deepak Chopra has some ideas, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:51:59]

CABRERA: The impeachment trial of Donald Trump reveals not only the widening divide between Democrats and Republicans, but also a growing distrust between voters who support the President and those who don't.

Listen to this first time Iowa caucus voter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I think I just feel like I've moved to a third world country. The last three years things are not the same. Nobody can openly talk to another person. If they are a Trump supporter, they are -- I don't know, it's just kind of scary the way things are. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Can't you just hear that anxiety in her voice? It doesn't help when the President repeatedly says things like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: How stupid is our country? We are so far behind the time and by the way, the world is laughing at us.

How stupid are the people of Iowa? How stupid are the people of the country?

I have a suggestion for the hate-filled extremists who are constantly trying to tear our country down. They never have anything good to say. That's why I say, hey, if they don't like it, let them leave. Let them leave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: How did we get here? And how do we find our way out? Author and spiritual leader, Deepak Chopra is here to help us find answers, and his new book is "Meta Human: Unleashing Your Infinite Power."

Thank you so much for being here, Deepak.

DEEPAK CHOPRA, AUTHOR AND SPIRITUAL LEADER: Thanks, Ana.

CABRERA: Deepak, great to have you here with us. This whole impeachment process, the proceedings that we've been watching playing out has really reinforced the divide in this country. It's a divide that just seems to be deepening. How did we end up here?

CHOPRA: Well, I think politicians by nature are inclined towards power mongering, influence peddling, cronyism, corruption, and selfishness. It's the nature of politics.

We've reached a place now this couldn't get worse. So I think the only way to move forward is go beyond the polarization and come up with creative solutions, and that's possible.

CABRERA: Right, and then you kind of get into that in your book. I mean, it's what you've been studying because you really have studied the human condition. What do you think is driving or fueling this divide? Is it fear amongst us? Is it a desire to be accepted?

And so you we look for different camp -- you know, the camp where we feel like we belong, and then just dig in. What do you think?

CHOPRA: It's the way we are conditioned, so you know, I naturally lean towards being liberal. There are the people who naturally lean towards the other end.

But what we all want is a shared vision, which we all want, even Trump would not disagree with that. We want a more peaceful, just, sustainable, healthier and joyful world.

And if we do want that, then opposing factions have to come and speak to each other with respect not to insult.

CABRERA: Deepak Chopra, it's so great to have you here.

CHOPRA: Thank you.

CABRERA: Thank you. OK, less than two days left for Democrats to make their case to Iowa voters.

Will the latest flare-up between progressives and moderates overshadow the upcoming caucuses? Bernie Sanders supporter, Michael Moore joins us live and he is mad at the D.N.C. for something else the party just did. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:59:59]

CABRERA: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. Thank you for being here. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York.

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