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Candidates Make Last Pitch To Voters On Eve Of Iowa Caucuses; Senate Poised To Acquit Trump After Vote For Witnesses Fails; Interview With Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) Discussing The Campaigns In Its Final Day. Aired 3-4pET

Aired February 02, 2020 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:45]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right. Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining us. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, alongside John Berman live in Des Moines, Iowa. Hi again, John. This is CNN's special coverage of the Iowa caucuses.

All right, it all comes down to this after months on the campaign trail. Tomorrow, Democrats get the first real results from voters in the 2020 presidential race.

The Iowa Caucuses are now just one day away, and on this Super Bowl Sunday, we're seeing an all-out blitz. Candidates are canvassing the Hawkeye State in a last attempt to court voters ahead of this critical first in the nation caucus.

Win big here and it gives you momentum; will lose badly and it could mean an uphill battle to get on top of the field.'

But listening to Iowa voters it's still way too close to call. CNN is crisscrossing the state with a team of reporters to catch all the highlights on the eve of tomorrow's big vote. Let's begin in Des Moines where former Vice President Joe Biden is making another campaign stop and CNN's Arlette Saenz is there. Arlette, what is Biden's last minute pitch to voters?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, Fred, in these final critical hours, Joe Biden is really returning to something that he started at the very beginning of his campaign, trying to frame this as a matchup between himself and President Trump.

At stop after stop, he has stressed and argued that Republicans and the President are most concerned about facing him in the general election and he thinks that that's what caucus goers need to take into consideration when they make their decisions.

Take a listen to the argument he made in Dubuque, Iowa a little earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Here's the great thing. The people of Iowa tomorrow -- tomorrow night when they caucus can hold Trump accountable, causing the candidate he is trying to destroy with his spears and his lies to get to say the word what Trump fears the most. We're going to caucus for Joe Biden.

So, folks, if you stand with me, we will end Donald Trump's reign of hatred and division and begin to unify this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, Biden has also told caucus goers that they should pick a candidate who doesn't just make promises, who can actually execute on the plans that they are putting forward. That could be seen as a dig at someone like Bernie Sanders, who Biden has sometimes said that those plans might be unrealistic in actually becoming legislation and becoming a reality.

Now, Biden has been on the ground here in Iowa for the past nine days. His events tonight in Des Moines will be his 22nd event as he has crisscrossed the state trying to make his argument and his case to Iowans before they caucus.

And Biden recently told me that he sees Iowa as a tossup. He predicts that there's going to be a bunched up standing between all of the top candidates coming out of Monday night, and he also thinks that New Hampshire is going to be an uphill race.

But what Biden and his team have long pointed to is that they've argued that you don't necessarily need to win here in Iowa in order to win the nomination.

They believe that he has a strong national coalition that he will be able to draw on, especially as you head down to Super Tuesday states, but all candidates know that a win here in Iowa will certainly give a candidate momentum, and that's something that Joe Biden and his team would certainly like on Monday night -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Arlette Saenz, thank you so much. All right, meanwhile, one of Biden's biggest challenges in Iowa, Senator Bernie Sanders is also making his last pitches to voters hosting several events across the state today.

CNN's Ryan Nobles is in Newton with the Sanders campaign. So Ryan, how is Sanders spending his final campaign day in Iowa?

RYAN NOBLES, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, today specifically for the Sanders campaign is all about getting caucus goers to their precincts and doing it in support of Bernie Sanders.

So much of Sanders' day is spent at canvas locations like this one behind me in Newton, where they're basically rallying the troops, getting them out into the community to find those folks that they know are planning to caucus for Bernie Sanders and making sure that they have them in place for Monday night.

But what's been interesting about all of Sanders' trips here today is that they're supposed to be relatively small gatherings with groups of his supporters where Sanders essentially fires them up to get out into the crowd.

[15:05:08]

NOBLES: And at each stop so far today, it's turned into mini rallies, because the small locations where they're having these events have not been able to contain the number of supporters that have wanted to come out and be here to support Sanders in his campaign.

So Sanders not expected here in a little less than an hour and there's already a relatively big crowd gathering. Now, when Sanders has that captive audience, he is harkening back to these big issues that he's made his campaign successful up until this point. Listen to what Sanders had to say earlier this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What this campaign in Iowa is about and what it is about nationally is voter turnout. It is reaching forth to our friends and neighbors who in many instances have given up on the political process.

They're working two or three jobs and they're saying does anybody care about me? They can't afford child care for their kids. They're 55 to 60 years of age, they don't have a dime in the bank as they face retirement. They don't have any healthcare.

And what we are saying to those people, if you want to change this country, if we want to improve lives for working people, you must get involved in the political process. We cannot just allow big money interest to dominate what goes on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBLES: And what you're hearing there is kind of the central argument that Sanders is making here in the closing days of the campaign that his electability is built on that strength of where people view the most important issues in the Democratic field.

He firmly believes that the energy and the enthusiasm in the Democratic Party is with his campaign and his campaign pointing back to the evidence of what they're seeing on the ground here.

Last night, their biggest rally of the cycle in Cedar Rapids, the venue coordinators, they're saying as many as 3,000 people in attendance for that final rally, seeing big crowds here again today as well, Fred They are very confident, not ready to guarantee victory yet, but the Sanders team feels they are in very good position.

WHITFIELD: Feeling energized. All right, Ryan nobles in Newton, Iowa. Thank you so much.

All right, our John Berman also in Iowa in Des Moines. Okay. So you know, John, it's hard to believe that so many Iowans would be undecided at this juncture and one has to wonder if these candidates' face time is really going to crystallize minds. I guess it has to. JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I have never seen Iowa like this before in

terms of voters not sure about which candidate they're going to caucus for.

I have heard several tell me they wish they could combine all of them into one, a kind of Franken-candidate, if you will, Fred.

No, I think they really are deciding here --

WHITFIELD: Yes, they're usually so decisive.

BERMAN: There's more uncertainty than I've seen in a long, long time.

WHITFIELD: All right, special times.

BERMAN: A big issue, Fred, thanks so much -- the main issue for the voters does seem to be electability. That's what most of the candidates are talking about in one form or another as they address voters in these final days.

And today was former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg making his case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE BUTTIGIEG (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I certainly think that I am better positioned to beat Donald Trump than any of my competitors.

Here's my concern. If you look at the lessons of history, over the last half century, every time that we have won, every time my party has won the White House, it has been with a candidate who is new in national politics, who doesn't work in Washington, or at least hadn't been there very long, and it was opening the door to a new generation of leadership.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Carter, Clinton Obama.

BUTTIGIEG: Yes.

TAPPER: They're fresher faces.

BUTTIGIEG: That is the best way to win and at moment like this, why would we take a chance on anything else? Let's put together the best campaign to beat Donald Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Joining me now to discuss, Jackie Kucinich, Washington bureau chief for "The Daily Beast." Margaret Talev, Axios White House editor; and Mark Preston, CNN senior political analyst.

Jackie, I want to start with you because I do think there's been a little bit of a subtle shift in the last few days. Electability has been front and center, it has been the main issue for a long time.

Now, the candidates seem to be saying not just I'm the most electable but there are some other reasons you should start thinking about why these people I'm running against aren't as electable.

JACKIE KUCINICH, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I am more electable than X and Y and X and Y in Pete Buttigieg's case are Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.

On the stump yesterday in Waterloo, which is in northeastern Iowa, he mentioned Sanders and kind of took a jab at Medicare for all saying it's something that you know, it's something that won't be able to be implemented.

And you know, you're taking away people's healthcare, and if they don't want it, they shouldn't have to take it.

And you know, from the voters I spoke to, a lot of them like Joe Biden, but what they see in Pete Buttigieg is a new face, someone who's forward looking who is pragmatic, like the message of Joe Biden without going too far maybe of the Warren and Bernie part of the party.

BERMAN: Have you heard Ryan Nobels, Margaret, talk about the energy within the Bernie Sanders campaign and the Sanders campaign will tell you that they feel like they're surging to the finish line.

It's an interesting game to play with expectations because they seem to be raising them. The converse is that the Biden campaign, which is lowering expectations on the record talking to whoever will listen, saying that we don't need to win in Iowa, it isn't about winning here. What are you hearing and why?

[15:10:12]

MARGARET TALEV, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, that's right. I did attend this breakfast roundtable this morning. It was a Bloomberg News event where Chris Dodd, who is of course, a dear friend of Vice President Biden's and also Symone Sanders, senior adviser were talking about what matters for the Iowa results.

Symone Sanders consistently saying this is just the beginning. Iowa is not the end. That Super Tuesday is what matters. That there are multiple candidates, one front runner could take each contest in the weeks to come. So definitely, setting expectations lower.

And I'm not talking about what if Biden comes in second. I mean, that was an expectation setting like what if Biden comes in fourth, right? That's the kind of expectation setting that those kind of discussions are about.

Then you have Senator Dodd saying something that you're not going to hear. I don't think Vice President Biden saying in the next day, which is if Bernie Sanders becomes the nominee, it's going to be very difficult for Democrats to win the White House. Democrats could lose the House of Representatives.

They are direct on the record, surrogate, not the candidate himself saying, guys, pay attention. This isn't just about who's got energy in the Iowa caucuses. This is about November 3rd. BERMAN: Senator Bill Nelson said the same thing as he was sitting

right next to me a little while ago.

KUCINICH: But what's the case they're going to make to donors? Because that's where Biden is going to have a problem if he does come in something like fourth, being able to keep that campaign on the rails going forward to even get to South Carolina to get to Super Tuesday, and that's going to be difficult.

BERMAN: One of the things that people are looking at, Mark, is turnout. Right? The high watermark for Democrats is 240,000. That was in 2008.

I think five months ago, Democrats were bragging they'd have record turnout here because Democratic voters are so riled up to beat President Trump. I can't tell if there's that energy now. High turnout helps whom? Lower turnout helps which candidate?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, it all depends what the turnout is, okay. So as we are breaking down the state, if you look at Pete Buttigieg, for example, his ads had been primarily about how he is the most electable, how he can get voters who voted for Obama in '08 and '12 who went for Trump in '16 to come back to him.

So you're seeing all of these ads about how he is trying to do that right now.

Look, I do think we're going to get close to record turnout, but perhaps we will get record turnout. I do think that there's an energy here in Iowa that you don't necessarily see in the rest of the nation. And that's because of impeachment, right?

Impeachment has cast this really dark cloud and it has cast a very dark cloud over here in this state. However, these folks are used to this every four years of having candidates come through here.

They also realize that if there isn't a whole lot of enthusiasm for this caucus, then that could put it in jeopardy.

This is always in jeopardy. This contest is always in jeopardy. So I do think that we will see huge, huge turnout.

BERMAN: And the conventional wisdom is higher turnout would help someone like Bernie Sanders because it would mean new voters are showing up to the polls. You don't know though.

PRESTON: Perhaps, but here's the deal about Bernie Sanders because Bernie Sanders is no -- I mean, he's not the establishment's candidate, but he is the establishment candidate in this fact alone.

He is established as a candidate. He has a network already built. He has raised an incredible amount of money. He has been in this game now -- the presidential game -- for over five years.

He knows how to run a presidential campaign. That's why I think someone like Bernie Sanders has the advantage over others. KUCINICH: But the last time he ran, he didn't have -- I mean, it was

obviously against Hillary Clinton. There's only one establishment candidate, right? So he has a liberal in Elizabeth Warren cutting -- possibly cutting into some of those voters that were really excited about him.

I had a woman tell me in Ames, that the reason that she caucused for Sanders the last time is because Elizabeth Warren wasn't in the race.

BERMAN: I have to tell you, there are more possible outcomes from tomorrow night than I've ever seen before, too. And the difference, the margins are so small because Elizabeth Warren -- think about this for a second. She could win. Right?

I mean, she could easily win the Iowa caucuses based on what we've seen. She has a great organization. But what happens if she finishes fourth? Then next week, you could be talking about well, should Elizabeth Warren -- she could be forced to drop out before or just after New Hampshire if she doesn't win there. The margins are that small for her.

TALEV: Yes, I mean, and this is the Democrats' version of what the Republicans lived through in 2016 when you have all of these candidates, and when you have these now thresholds for viability, some of the new ways that the numbers are going to be reported tomorrow night, it changes the game.

And when caucus goers are asked, well, who's your second choice? A lot of that is predicated on, like, some of that is predicated on preference, but then some of it is going to be predicated on who meets the threshold, and those might be two different things.

Who's your second choice of the people that it's worth making a second choice?

BERMAN: I will say the second choice battle is much more prominent than I've seen before also.

KUCINICH: Yes, yes. And voters even offering it, well, this is my first choice, and this is my second choice because they're anticipating these horse trading that are going to go on and caucuses. It's going to be a really fascinating night.

BERMAN: The Biden campaign making a very direct play for Amy Klobuchar voters. Klobuchar is doing well here, but maybe won't meet that 15 percent threshold, so that could be a meaty chunk of voters.

[15:15:06]

PRESTON: It certainly could and just for our viewers when we talk about the second choice is that after the first of what we call an alignment happens, if your candidates are not viable --

BERMAN: Fifteen percent.

PRESTON: Fifteen percent -- you can then go join somebody else, either make them viable or make them stronger.

So that's why you're seeing, you know, all of this horse trading certainly quietly happening among campaigns that could benefit from each other.

BERMAN: All right, Mark, Margaret and Jackie, great to have you here. Happy Iowa caucus day nearly. Fred, let's go back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, so much of a tossup. Thank you so much, gang.

All right coming up. More than 14,000 people infected with the coronavirus and the World Health Organization is reporting the first death outside of China. What the Trump administration is saying about the outbreak and the potential impact it's having on the economy?

Plus, John Bolton has a lot to say about his former boss, President Trump, but will the House subpoena him to speak.

And these Iowa voters support different candidates but they are also finding some common ground.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am so tired of angry finger-pointing, erratic, over emotional behavior, immature behavior. You know, Trump is 73, Pete is 38, who's the adult in the room?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:20:28]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. The number of coronavirus cases continues to skyrocket since yesterday, confirmed cases around the world jumped from 12,000 to more than 14,000.

Three hundred five people have died, so far only one of those deaths has occurred outside Mainland China.

In the U.S., strict new travel restrictions take effect later on today blocking any foreign national who recently visited China from entering this country.

There was also a growing list of U.S. companies with operations in China feeling the impact of the outbreak --Apple, McDonald's, Disney and Starbucks have all closed some of their retail operations in China.

Even manufacturers like Tesla and General Motors are shutting down some production.

CNN's Cristina Alesci is with me along with Austan Goolsbee, who's the former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. Good to see you both

All right, Cristina, you first, you know how big could the near term financial impact be?

CRISTINA ALESCI, CNN BUSINESS POLITICS AND BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Look, it's really hard to put an exact number on this, Fred, but what I can give you is the bigger picture context here.

Back in 2003, the last time China faced an epidemic like this, that's a comparable, the Chinese economy accounted for about four percent of global economic activity.

Last year, that number was 16 percent, so bottom line, the entire global economy has become more dependent on China for activity.

Now, when you look at the U.S., there are three major ways that a slowdown in China can impact the U.S. negatively, but all of them are tied to the idea that Chinese workers are going to stay home, they're not going to travel for vacation, or they won't spend.

The first, as you mentioned, is the direct impact on U.S. business operations in China. Retailers like Starbucks and McDonald's have had to shut down stores. Manufacturers like Tesla and Apple, for example, that has manufacturing over there. Those guys are facing either production declines or shutdowns entirely.

And then you have Chinese tourism. The Chinese who are coming to the U.S., for example, Goldman Sachs estimated that that could shave 0.4 percent off of first quarter GDP here in the U.S. That's going to make it more difficult for President Trump to achieve that, you know, plus three percent growth rate that was his campaign promise.

And then number three, we're going to have to see how this plays out in the Phase 1 U.S.-China trade deal. Remember, China promised to buy more goods, $200 billion more, and we're going to have to see if they can fulfill and make good on that promise.

WHITFIELD: And then Austan, here, have a listen to what Nationality Security adviser Robert O'Brien said this morning regarding this outbreak.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT O'BRIEN, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Right now there's no reason for Americans to panic. This is something that is a low risk we think in the U.S.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So Austan, you know, how important is it for U.S. officials to be getting out in front of this trying to, you know, delay any panic and certainly people are really concerned?

AUSTAN GOOLSBEE, FORMER CHAIRMAN, COUNCIL OF ECONOMIC ADVISERS: Well, I think it's important, but it's also important to remember, Paul Volcker used to always tell me in the context of financial crisis, when the crisis begins, the only asset you have is your credibility.

And the Chinese government has done a very poor job of establishing its credibility. It's trying to cover it up. It's tried to pretend like there are far fewer cases than there actually were.

And so then, if we go to the next step of infection, nobody trusts what the government is saying. It's important that the U.S. government get out front, but only if it's going to do so in a credible way. So far, I think they have.

The one thing that will add to what was a pretty comprehensive inventory of problems to the U.S. or the Chinese economy that that you just heard is there's always the freak-out channel.

And the freak-out channel, other than the direct impact that how many people will not travel to the United States from China? How many factories will close down?

If you see more behavior like what we see in the markets this week, where people just aren't saying, well, I don't know, I don't know how infectious it is, what if it's a pandemic? What if we should panic? That can cause recession. That can lead to slowdowns that are far bigger than any direct impact just because people get nervous.

WHITFIELD: And don't you worry there is going to be a lot of that potentially, because you know that the U.S. is in effect, kind of at the mercy of the information coming out of China and you just said it, China's credibility is, you know, in the negative.

So how do you make sure people are not panicking and worried about their money, their investments, and business?

[15:25:01]

GOOLSBEE: Yes, look, they are worried about their investments, they are worried about business -- and that's the root of the problem. We still have big fundamental medical question marks like how fast does this disease spread? And how deadly is this disease?

We will learn information about both of those key medical numbers, if you want to call it over the next couple of weeks, and hopefully it will not be as rampantly infectious as people fear. And hopefully, it won't be as deadly as the pessimists say.

If it's not, I think we could back off of that freak out, but if your credibility is negative, you know, as you said, of the Chinese government, making announcements that no one should panic do the opposite. They lead people to panic.

WHITFIELD: Ye, people want information. All right, Austan Goolsbee and Cristina Alesci. Thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.

ALESCI: Of course.

WHITFIELD: All right, straight ahead, closing arguments on Capitol Hill. President Trump's impeachment trial expected to end on Wednesday, but not before both sides state their cases one last time. Will there be legal challenges in the future?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [15:30:36]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. Closing arguments in President Trump's impeachment trial begin tomorrow morning.

It is widely believed the President will be acquitted on the charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress after Republicans voted to not allow witnesses to testify.

House Manager Adam Schiff believes the Democrats proved their case and wouldn't say if the House plans to subpoena former National Security adviser, John Bolton anyway.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): I don't want to comment at this point on what our plans may or may not be with respect to John Bolton, but I will say this, whether it's in testimony before the House or it's in his book, or it's in one form or another, the truth will come out and will continue to come out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right with me now, CNN Legal Analyst, Shan Wu who is also a former Federal prosecutor. All right, good to see you.

SHAN WU, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Good to see you, Fred.

WHITFIELD: So, you know, just a few days ago, "The New York Times" reported that John Bolton says he was asked by the President to get involved in the Ukraine probe and asked back in May, he said that in his manuscript.

So does the House have an obligation to subpoena Bolton now that the Senate has refused to call witnesses?

WU: Oh, absolutely. I think they have an obligation, it is not a legal obligation, of course, but I mean, it's part of their continuing inquiry into what happened and Bolton's kind of like asking for them to take that step.

Now, I think there will quickly be a bunch of legal challenges the White House will continue to try to delay a lot, but it makes perfect sense for them to continue this --

WHITFIELD: Meaning saying like executive privilege, but you know, did the White House kind of lose out on that whole executive privilege thing? Because the President tweets about it. He's talked about it openly, commented about John Bolton, et cetera.

WU: I think they ultimately do lose on it, but in the short term, they'll win, because they'll get to try to bring that to the courts, and the courts generally are cautious about looking at a waiver of privilege too widely.

No question, there's arguments the President has waived it, but the court is going to be careful about considering that waiver.

WHITFIELD: Okay, so how will closing arguments differ from what the House Managers and White House legal team has already stated, you know, Friday and even you know, before the whole vote on witnesses.

WU: I think they will differ in that the House Managers now know what the defense is, so if you're a good trial lawyer and Schiff is proving to be a very good trial lawyer, you can really put the burden back on the other side because you know what their arguments are.

So for example, the Trump team likes to talk a lot about how this is not a bipartisan effort and that's why it should fail, easily put that back on them by saying you're going to hear from them that they're complaining about the lack of bipartisanship and they can change that anytime they want.

So that's the sort of thing you can do because you already know what their arguments are going to be.

WHITFIELD: All right, the President is looking for exoneration. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had said a while back, you know, impeachment is permanent even if the U.S. Senate acquits, so what about this drip, drip of, you know, e-mails, documents. Will any of that potentially impact any other legal challenges up ahead?

WU: I think it is going to impact a lot of the legal challenges, although basically all the President has left in terms of his legal defenses are going to be this testimonial, absolute immunity, which is going to fail, and then the executive privilege.

The problem for him on exoneration is unlike in a criminal trial, because this is where this analogy breaks down. When the criminal trial is done, it's done, and you can say there's still a stain on your reputation. But there's double jeopardy, they can't come after you again.

They won't necessarily come after him again in terms of impeachment. But this constant drip, drip death by a thousand cuts, more and more damaging information coming out is going to be very bad for him and the Senate Republicans in the political arena, which is really what their ultimate jury is.

WHITFIELD: All right, Shan Wu, and of course, we have the Mueller report that had already spawned investigations that are in other jurisdictions. So we'll see what may be ahead in this case as well. Shan Wu, thank you so much.

WU: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: All right. Up next, Hillary Clinton back in the headlines. Guess what? She was booed by a Bernie Sanders supporter on Friday and she also has a lot to say about her former opponent. How the 2016 nominee could impact the 2020 race.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:39:12]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FORMER MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That thumb on the scale that you've got in deciding the future of the nomination and the presidency and therefore the country.

And I'm here one more time to look you in the eye and to ask you for your support tomorrow evening so that we can begin to turn the page and bring about a better day in this country.

[CHEERING]

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: That is former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana Pete Buttigieg in one of what will be his final rallies here in Iowa. That is going on live right now where I am in Des Moines.

All the candidates are out there across the state right now making their final pitches and one of the things you're hearing from them is calls for unity.

This is after the party's 2016 presidential nominee was booed at a Bernie Sanders campaign event here in Iowa just days before the caucuses. Watch this.

[15:40:02]

(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]

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)

BERMAN: Now, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib did apologize on Twitter after saying she knows what's at stake if Democrats don't get behind one candidate in the battle to defeat President Trump in November.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton slammed the Congresswoman saying that's not the kind of behavior voters want to see from candidates and their surrogates.

Joining me now to discuss the campaign and its final day as Congressman Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California. He is a member of the House Oversight Committee and a top surrogate for the Bernie Sanders campaign.

Congressman, great to see you here. Thanks so much for being with us.

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA): Great, great to be on, John.

BERMAN: What message does it send? I know that Congresswoman Tlaib did apologize after, but what message does it send to even have that moment? To have to apologize?

The Sanders campaign apologized a few weeks ago for these phone calls, talking about Joe Biden asking questions about corruption. So these apologies have happened before.

KHANNA: Well, you've had people in the campaign call for unity. I have said that I have great respect for Secretary Clinton for the work she did to expand healthcare for children and for the work she did on the Iran Nuclear Deal.

I was a Bernie supporter in 2016 and went all out for Hillary Clinton in 2016. So we need to unify our party behind our nominee. I hope it will be Bernie Sanders, but I will be 110 percent behind whoever it is.

BERMAN: One of the things that each candidate is doing now is making the argument about electability, why they are the best candidate to defeat Donald Trump? It really does seem that that that is an issue more important to voters now -- Democratic voters -- than any other issue.

What is the Bernie Sanders unique value proposition when it comes to defeating Donald Trump?

KHANNA: Let me put it simply, Bernie Sanders is going to have huge turnout. I mean, there were 3,000 people out last night, the biggest turnout in the State of Iowa.

Everyone knows Donald Trump is going to have massive rallies. He is going to have massive financial resources and huge volunteers. We're going to have to mobilize our side like never before, and I think Bernie Sanders has proven he can do it.

BERMAN: He has proven he can mobilize certain voters for sure. There are questions about whether or not he can reach across the full breadth of the Democratic Party.

Senator Bill Nelson, former Senator from Florida was sitting right in this chair one hour ago and said he's got concerns about Florida, about suburban voters in Florida who might be more conservative than Bernie Sanders. How does he reach them?

KHANNA: Well, Andrew Gillum ran on basically Bernie Sanders's platform and came within a whisker.

BERMAN: But a whisker isn't winning, though. And I think the point that Bill Nelson did better than Andrew Gillum and Bill Nelson has lost also, but had 20,000 more votes. And he would tell you he thinks that's probably because he has a more

moderate position on some of the issues.

KHANNA: But I think, I mean, their campaign against Andrew Gillum was very unfair. There was the race card play there.

I mean, I do think that what we know is Bernie Sanders's platform -- healthcare for everyone, Medicare-for-All, no copays, no premiums, no deductibles, and massive investment in infrastructure, getting out of endless wars. I think this can resonate.

And what you will see is Bernie Sanders building bridges, reaching out to build a broad coalition. Now, people like me and others are working on doing that.

BERMAN: What is the message from Bernie Sanders to the Joe Biden voter? In some cases it is different. It could be a white working class voter that Bernie Sanders does very well with them. It could be a college educated suburban voter, or an African-American voter where Bernie Sanders is doing better than some candidates, but not nearly as well as Joe Biden is.

KHANNA: Well, I think the message is for African-American voters, Bernie Sanders has had a lifetime of advocacy for Civil Rights issues. He has a huge plan for HBCUs. He has a plan for public education and strengthening Social Security, which the African-American community cares very deeply about.

But I think more broadly, the message with Bernie Sanders is we are going to be an inclusive campaign. We want to hear what your concerns are from every wing of the party, and you're going to have a seat at the table.

BERMAN: Is Iowa the right state to go first?

KHANNA: I think so. I mean, I really do. And let me tell you why. Iowa nominated Barack Obama, and then Iowa picked a woman as our nominee with Hillary Clinton and look at who's leading here?

You have a Jewish candidate with Bernie Sanders, you have a woman with Elizabeth Warren. You have someone who is gay with Pete Buttigieg.

I mean, the idea that Iowa isn't for diverse candidates is just not true.

BERMAN: It may be for diverse candidates, but it is not itself, diverse, right? The Democratic Party is much more diverse than Iowa, which is much whiter.

KHANNA: I agree with that, but I also think Iowa is more diverse than people realize. One of the reasons Bernie Sanders is going to win here is that we have intentionally targeted the Latino community, which is prevalent across rural Iowa.

We have reached out to the South Asian community. We have reached out to the Muslim-American community. You're going to see all these new American citizens come out for Bernie Sanders.

[15:45:10]

KHANNA: So I also believe you have to look at the first four early states in their totality. And when you look at Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina, all of which are critical, then you do see the diversity of the party reflected.

BERMAN: Very important question I have to ask you as we wrap up, you represent Silicon Valley, of course, the 49ers played there.

KHANNA: 49ers in my district.

BERMAN: What's your prediction?

KHANNA: They're going to win and I have Raheem Mostert, my favorite player is going to have a huge night.

I mean, we were talking about him. Look, I mean, he was cut by six teams. Here's someone who shot his own toe at the age of four with his dad's gun. Unbelievable story. Every American should be rooting for him.

BERMAN: Every American should be rooting for whom?

KHANNA: For Raheem.

BERMAN: Yes.

KHANNA: For Raheem Mostert. He really is the all-American story. I mean, if you want to be hopeful and inspired about this country, see what he did.

BERMAN: Congressman Ro Khanna, great to have you here with us tonight. Good luck in the Super Bowl tonight.

KHANNA: Thank you.

BERMAN: All right, the Iowa caucuses just one of the many big events we're following this week.

On Tuesday, the State of the Union Address. Wednesday and Thursday, back-to-back Presidential Town Halls live from New Hampshire. That's where all the action moves after tomorrow night here on Iowa. Special coverage all week on CNN.

So as we were just talking about, it is a big night for football fans including Congressman Ro Khanna. CNN's Coy Wire live at Super Bowl 54 in Miami -- Coy.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we'll see if Raheem Mostert can run wild on this field behind me later today, John.

Ticket sales are through the roof for this year's matchup between the 49ers and the Chiefs. We will tell you how high and what to watch in today's big game coming up right after the break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:51:21]

WHITFIELD: Are you ready? We're just now hours away from kickoff, San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs set to face off in Super Bowl 54 in Miami tonight and that's where we find CNN's Coy Wire.

The countdown is on. It's a big one. How are you feeling?

WIRE: I feel great. I don't know if a more beautiful day has ever been made for a Super Bowl, Fred. Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: Fantastic.

WIRE: The cheapest ticket right now, Fred, $7,000.00 to get into this game. Excitement is off the charts. Will Demi Lovato's rendition of the National Anthem last longer than two minutes? There's a prompt bet for it.

And how hard Hardrock Stadium be rocking behind me when JLo and Shakira take the stage. Star power everywhere in this, including on the field.

The Chiefs, they're led by the reigning league MVP Patrick Mahomes. He's got the cool hair, the uplifting personality and highlight reel throws, side arm, no look -- you name it, he does it.

And did you know that Patrick will become just the seventh African- American quarterback to start in a Super Bowl.

The 49ers have a great defense, but they know they have their hands full with Patrick Mahomes. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARIK ARMSTEAD, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: It is how efficient he is. Again, you know, as offense the weapon is the ball in an open space.

DEE FORD, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: He's very, very, very efficient, very efficient. And that's the impressive part. So we definitely have got to be on the same page.

DEFOREST BUCKNER, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: I mean, he's a human highlight film. You know, he can really make you pay, you know, and so you just -- we've got to do a really good job up front, like I've been saying. Just bring in constant pressure and making them uncomfortable in the pocket.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COY: Now, Fred, the 49ers, they're led by a head coach with a heck of a story, Kyle Shanahan was just a ball boy 25 years ago when the 49ers last one, a Super Bowl.

His dad was the offensive coordinator for them, and that happened on this very field behind me.

We'll see what happens today. It's a very close matchup should be a good one.

WHITFIELD: Oh, it's in the blood. It is going to be a good one. I can't wait. We're all on pins and needles. All right, Coy Wire. Thank you so much in Miami. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:58:02]

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's about campaign contributions, you bet. And it's also about the lobbyists and the lawyers and the PR firms and the bought and paid for experts and the tilted think tanks.

It's about the influence of money on Congress, on regulatory agencies, on everything that gets done in that place.

WHITFIELD: All right, Senator Elizabeth Warren there in Ames, Iowa and her last pitch before caucusing begins tomorrow because who wins in that state is anyone's guess.

CNN Chief National Correspondent, John King talked to voters in Des Moines about which candidate they are backing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANELLE TURNER, IOWA CAUCUS GOER: I'm Chanel Turner, and I'm supporting Joe Biden.

KURT WEAKLAND, IOWA CAUCUS GOER: I'm Kurt Weakland, and I'll be caucusing for Warren.

TERRY HILL, IOWA CAUCUS GOER: I'm Terry Hill and I'm caucusing for Pete Buttigieg.

BRANDI MILLER, IOWA CAUCUS GOER: And I'm Brandi Miller and I'm caucusing for Bernie Sanders, and I think his platform is a lot broader and covers a lot of categories that mean more to all of America. So not just even my various needs. So I think he covers, I mean, climate control. I mean, he covers at all.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You were for Bernie four years ago, right?

WEAKLAND: I was, yes.

KING: So why not this time?

WEAKLAND: I feel like he's a little too old maybe. And I like some of the other candidates. I liked Warren four years ago, and kind of hoped she would come out then. But that didn't happen. So --

KING: We met when you were initially with another candidate who is no longer in the race. How did you get to Biden from Harris?

TURNER: We were devastated when she dropped out so early, it was rather unexpected. So I kind of took my time thought about it, looked at all the candidates and ultimately came to Joe.

I think he's got the actual experience and normalcy that we so desperately need right now.

KING: And Mayor Pete, why?

[16:00:08]