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CNN Poll: Sanders Leads As Buttigieg Sees Momentum In New Hampshire; Biden Takes On Buttigieg In New Hampshire; Trump Fires Two Major Impeachment Witnesses Just Days After Acquittal; Conditions Could Be Right For Contested Democratic Party Convention; No Evidence Of Engine Failure In Kobe Bryant Helicopter Crash; Fran Drescher Talks Openly About Husband Of Nearly 20 Years Coming Out As Gay. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired February 08, 2020 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:00:12]

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Hello. I'm Ana Cabrera. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And American voters are now officially choosing the candidates they want to say face off against President Trump this fall. The Iowa caucuses, full of problems. The results are still not finalized, but the caucus is done. And in just three days, the New Hampshire primary.

And we're getting a fresh look at how the candidates are stacking against each other.

In a new CNN/University of New Hampshire poll -- take a look at this -- voters just in New Hampshire asked which of the Democratic candidates is their top choice, and Senator Bernie Sanders lands on top. Former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg trailing not far behind.

Now, at the Democratic debate Friday night in New Hampshire, Pete Buttigieg saw that a new higher visibility is also making him a much bigger target.

Take a look at this new ad from former Vice President Joe Biden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, POLITICAL AD)

AD ANNOUNCER: Both Vice President Biden and former Mayor Buttigieg have taken on tough fights. Under threat of a nuclear Iran, Joe Biden helped to negotiate the Iran deal, and under threat of disappearing pets, Buttigieg negotiated lighter licensing regulations on pet chip scanners.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: This response from the Buttigieg's campaign: The vice president's decision to run this ad speaks more to where he currently stands in this race than it does about Pete's perspective as a mayor and veteran.

Now, just moments ago, Joe Biden spoke more about this growing feud with Pete Buttigieg.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: -- for the last two months, that all the problems we have today are from the recent past. Look, the last eight years I've been vice president, President Obama has been president. We even have one person in the campaign saying that in 2012, that Barack should have been -- who's running -- should have been primaried.

And so, I want to get something straight. We did an awful lot of very good things. I don't know where all this stuff from the recent past is a problem.

And what I'm pointing out is that we, in fact, are in a situation where, you know, I did an awful lot. The president of the United States of America gave me significant responsibility.

I handled the $900 billion Recovery Act out of my office. I hired people. I fired people. We put -- as a matter of fact, we put $65 million of the Recovery Act into his town.

And so, the idea that somehow Barack and I had the last -- the last eight years were some kind of disaster, if that's what he's saying, he's just flat out say it.

(CROSSTALK)

REPORTER: Mr. Vice President, you also (ph) said that Democrats shouldn't have a circular firing squad --

BIDEN: That's exactly right, but when you get attacked, you've got to respond. I've kept my mouth shut for a long time. I haven't responded at all, at all.

But it's been a constant assertion, a constant assertion that the problems that we're facing today are somehow because of our administration. That's simply not true.

And so, we want to compare records, it's easy to do. I get it.

But he's a good guy. He's a great mayor. But guess what, he was a mayor. He's a good guy.

But the idea of passing a budget as mayor of a town the size of Manchester and managing $900 billion with less than 1 percent fraud or abuse, picking up his city and thousands of cities across the country, it's ridiculous. The idea that we've not been engaged in anything when I put a billion dollars into making sure we had the most advance -- the greatest advancement of dealing with solar and wind power in the history of the United States of America is -- I mean, so -- let's get straight. What's the problem? Where is the thing that's so bad in the past?

REPORTER: Mr. Vice President, do you --

BIDEN: Pardon me?

REPORTER: Isn't his point that was that moment we're now in a different, and this moment requires different leadership?

BIDEN: That's not what he's saying. He's saying that the problems we have now are because of the past. That's what he's saying. Let's get that straight, OK? Period.

Number two, the problems we have today are we need -- not differently, we have to continue the leadership and move it on. I never said there's going to be a third term of Barack Obama. But we were going to get to the point where we got the car out of the ditch, the country off of the cliff, and we're just beginning to move. And we lost power.

And so, the idea that we're going to go back to something, it's not going back to something. It's going to where we were and improving on it, improving on it. But the idea we have problems today that Trump was elected because of the eight years of Barack Obama, I reject categorically.

REPORTER: Mr. Vice President, you served for a president -- Mr. Vice President, you served for a president who was criticized in this very way nearly at this very time in the campaign. Hillary Clinton said, Barack Obama, you don't have the experience to be president. He went onto be president.

Is this an act of desperation on your campaign to be making this assertion right now of Mayor Buttigieg?

[16:05:04]

BIDEN: Come on, man. You think -- this guy is -- this guy is not a Barack Obama.

Barack Obama had been a United States senator of a really large state. Barack Obama had laid out a clear vision when he thought the international society should look like and what the order should be. Barack Obama had laid out in detail what he thought should happen with regard to the economy. Barack Obama inherited the worst recession in the history of America's short of a depression, new coming into it, and what -- and laid out what he's going to do about it. It's a very different situation.

By the way, the reason I'm running is because of my experience, not in spite of it. I was able to put together major international coalitions. I was able -- I was the guy that Barack Obama would send to make sure things got done overseas in addition to the secretary of state. I was -- when I spoke, everybody knew I spoke for the president.

So, the idea that somehow that there's any such experience, he's not a bad guy. I'm not saying that. What I'm saying is I'm responding to the assertions that have been made repeatedly.

Yes?

REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE)

BIDEN: It was a Democratic primary. A primary. Not a general election.

Look at -- the polling data shows who can win Pennsylvania going away. Who can win in Michigan. Who can win in Florida.

Come on, man. That's not comparing that to a general election. It's just not rational.

And, by the way, as I said, name me anyone, he talks about, you know, we won. We have new blood. Well, the new blood we have is Clinton. We had in addition to that, we came up with a guy named Obama, et cetera.

But guess what, they had overwhelming support from African-American community. You can't win without that, flat out. You can't win without it.

That's what you need. You got to be able to put together coalitions. And so, we'll see. I mean, we got a long way to go here.

And from the beginning, I view this -- I told all of you because you asked me a thousand times how I view this. I view this as the first four gates you have to go through, two caucuses and two primaries. Yes?

REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE)

BIDEN: She hasn't said anything in the last three, four -- in over a month.

REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE)

BIDEN: Look, I mean, I respond to when people misrepresent my record. Like Bernie on Social Security, you know? The idea -- and I respond.

But Elizabeth hasn't attacked me.

(CROSSTALK)

REPORTER: Speaking of the debate last night, you seem to be (INAUDIBLE) expectation up here in New Hampshire. Are you writing off New Hampshire?

BIDEN: No, I'm not writing off New Hampshire. I'm going to campaign like hell here in New Hampshire, as I'm going to do in Nevada and South Carolina and beyond.

Look, this is just getting going here. This is a marathon. This is just getting going.

The one thing about this race and any other Democratic race I've seen for president is that everybody, everybody, everybody knows two things. You have to win. You have to be able to beat Trump, and you have to be able to elect Democrats in states we have to win.

You have to be able to -- win back a United States Senate if you're going to get anything done. And you have to have a record that demonstrates you could get anything done. Get anything big done.

I'm the only one that's gotten big things done as a United States senator, as the vice president of the United States. Doesn't mean they can't but let's look at the records. Let's look at who's done what and how much they have gotten done.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. Thank you, guys. That's all the time we have.

REPORTER: You're clearly a little angry (INAUDIBLE).

BIDEN: I'm not angry.

REPORTER: You're feisty, let's put it --

BIDEN: Whatever you want to call, I'm just look --

REPORTER: OK, the question, another one -- how would you describe your spirits at the moment in the run?

BIDEN: My spirits are up. Look, look at all the endorsements I've gotten since Iowa, since Iowa -- throughout the South, in California, Rhode Island, and among the unions that have endorsed me, since Iowa.

So, I don't see any dispirited nation going on in the Democratic Party at large. I don't see that. I just don't see that.

REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE) the voter turnout in Iowa was lower than expected. Does that suggest any kind of lack of enthusiasm in the Democratic Party right now?

BIDEN: The answer is I don't think there's a lack of enthusiasm. I think that it's a -- you -- in Iowa, it's hard to tell because things were -- did not quite run the way everybody anticipated to run.

[16:10:05]

I'm not saying there's any fraud or anything but it just was not run very well. And so, I don't think we should be drawing a lot of conclusions from Iowa in terms of turnout and not turnout.

Look, I think we're in a situation where, you know, you've got to be able to win this race. You got to be able to go and win in places that Trump won. I'll win Pennsylvania going away, number one. Number two, I'll be able to help elect a senator in North Carolina, in Georgia, in Arizona.

These are -- look, I wouldn't (ph) -- and I apologize for repeating myself. The press that follows me and stuck with me all the time heard me say this about 80 times.

I went into 24 states, over 65 candidates and they all invited me in. They asked me to come in. Front line states, they endorsed me. I don't recall them asking whether or not for other folks to come in and campaign for them in Alabama, in North Dakota, in Pennsylvania, et cetera.

And so, folks, look, let's be realistic here. Whether you're for me or against (ph) me, as old expression goes, no matter where you sit, the fact is that I think every -- every Democratic voter is going to have to ask themselves, who is most likely not just to win but produce a circumstance where all we're talking about can get passed.

And then, secondly, what is realistic to get passed? We talk about healthcare -- I'm not picking on Bernie but think about it. Over a trillion -- over $30 trillion minimum? And he says, how much it's going to cost, he says, we'll figure it out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: There you have the former vice president in Manchester just moments ago.

Our Jeff Zeleny is there as well.

Jeff, the former vice president really sharpening his tone after a fourth place finish in Iowa, now with the latest New Hampshire poll showing him at just 11 percent.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Ana, that was pretty extraordinary. Joe Biden unplugged, unlike any other time I can recall during this campaign cycle.

He talked for at least 15 minutes or so starting at this event saying, look, reports of my death are premature. So, clearly, he is taking a different approach here. He and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, as we've been talking all day, have an extraordinary back and forth going on about experience. The Biden campaign responding to some comments that Mayor Buttigieg had said earlier with this really sharp and attack ad, essentially belittling the experience of the South Bend mayor.

Well, we asked the former vice president about that again and again, and he said, I'm not -- I'm not attacking him. I'm just pointing out, you know, I'm responding to these things.

But, Ana, when you breakthrough all of that, what Joe Biden is trying to do is reset his campaign. He's trying to show that he's going to be running a different kind of campaign here in New Hampshire. He's going to sort of lay it all out there. And that's what he was doing here, really again pressing that electability argument.

As he's been doing all along, the question is voters in Iowa didn't buy it. Regardless of the official outcome there or not, he's in fourth place. That is not going to change.

So, he's coming here into New Hampshire trying to shake things up a bit. But it's so interesting, this question of experience because, Ana, it was 12 years ago when Barack Obama, a junior senator from Illinois, was faced with these very questions about the experience. Hillary Clinton was saying, look, you're not experienced enough.

So, I actually asked Joe Biden about that. I said, look, the man you went onto serve under as president was questioned his experience as well. And he said, look, he's no Barack Obama. Pete Buttigieg, in his words, is no Barack Obama.

Not that he ever said he has, but, Ana, this getting incredibly interesting here as Joe Biden is clearly trying to step up his divisions, as he sharpens his contrast with the other candidates.

He's doing it for one reason. He knows he needs to do better here to stay alive in this. He's sending a signal to donor. He's sending a signal to Democratic supporters that he actually has some fight in him. So, we'll see how they respond to this. But that was a very interesting session of Joe Biden unplugged. Ana.

CABRERA: Yes, interesting to hear from him. I was curious also what was happening the room around him. What was the energy like in there? How were they receiving that message?

ZELENY: Well, it was essentially just a drop by for some of his organizers and volunteers. We're at a union hall just in town hall, Manchester, New Hampshire. And, you know, it's not a big rally crowd. It's not a big town hall meeting. It's just his supporters who he was firing up a little bit, and sending them on their way to knock doors and work neighborhoods.

But then he came back and had essentially a formal news conference. Reporters, a few dozen were sitting around in chairs and he was taking more questions than his aides wanted to. His aides were standing off to the side, trying to shut it down a few different times.

[16:15:03]

He kept talking and kept taking questions, and was really trying to get certainly voters to concentrate on the reality of some of these proposals. He didn't mention Bernie Sanders by name al that often. But he said, look, what he is proposing on Medicare for All, it simply isn't possible and sort of going down the line there.

But he was also asked, what is he going to do different? What can voters possibly learn about him in the next three days before the New Hampshire primary that they don't already know? And he casts himself as a fighter and other things.

But clearly, he's trying to show a little more fight here so he can go on to South Carolina and Nevada. That's where he is holding his hopes on that South Carolina can be a firewall for him.

He actually had a pretty upbeat mood to him. He did not look like he was depressed. He did not look like he was -- sort of down in the dumps as you might be after winning or after, you know, coming in fourth in Iowa.

But, boy, on a such a different tone. He usually runs away from the press quite often. Today, he stayed and stayed, answered lot of questions. We'll see if he keeps that up or not, but, clearly, trying to draw the contrast with Pete Buttigieg.

We'll see if it works. It's a very risky to be attacking someone who is as popular and someone who Democrats see as perhaps a fresh face of their party. But Joe Biden is trying to shake them, if you will. All of that experience saying, look, I have the experience for this. He does not. We'll let the voters decide.

CABRERA: Buttigieg is up -- Buttigieg is up six in the latest polling, while Joe Biden is down five.

ZELENY: Right.

CABRERA: Jeff Zeleny in Manchester, New Hampshire, thanks so much, sir.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:20:44]

CABRERA: Welcome back.

Joe Biden had a lot more to say today in New Hampshire after this new CNN poll showing him in third place, way behind Sanders and Buttigieg, this follows a fourth place finish in Iowa.

I want you to hear what else Joe Biden had to say following the clip we just showed you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: I'll be very blunt with you. And my staff is going, oh my God, he's going to be blunt with you.

But, no, no, I will after the fact. But, look, here is the deal, guys -- I have never been very comfortable attacking somebody else. I don't think we need a circular firing squad. With you all with good reason, not being critical, judge on how much fire is there. Are you ready to respond?

You judge whether or not you go after a Democrat who's -- misrepresents you and say, well, can he take on Trump?

I can't hardly wait for Trump. Not a joke. I can't hardly wait to debate him, because, folks, this is a guy who is just a bully and a thug the way he acts. It's not who we are as a country, it's not who we are.

And the idea that he's free now to continue to do with he's always done has worked in the past for him -- well, that's going to be really making it ugly and mean.

But when you start off with a majority of the people in the United States of America, even though his numbers have gone, think you should have been kicked out of office, that's not a very good starting place, isn't in a very good starting place, but it's going to be hard. And the one thing you can't do is you can't fall into the trap of not being completely authentic about what you're going to do.

Imagine what he's going to do when he said that, OK, you know, it's going to -- I don't know how much it's going to cost and I don't know who's going to pay for it, but we'll find out later. How much fun do you think he's going to have with that one?

Well, the answer is going to be, we're going to keep from -- that person will keep him on the defensive all night, meaning Trump. That maybe, that maybe the answer, but it ain't going to because you got an answer.

So, folks, let's just be realistic and no matter who he runs against, if I'm not nominee and I plan on being the nominee, he is going to lay on label and he is going to go after them in a way until hell won't have it. This guy has no sense of propriety, he has no sense of honor and he has no sense of shame. So, no matter who it is, hang on.

But I'll tell you what, as I said earlier today, you know, like all of us, I've been down before. I've been down politically and personally before. But I'll be damned if I'm going to -- and I've gotten back up. And I'll be damned, though, if I'm going to go down when the whole country is at stake here.

The country is at stake here if Donald Trump gets re-elected. It's as simple and basic as that. As my mother would say, God bless you all and see you all later. Bye-bye.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: With that in mind, let's bring in a veteran of New Hampshire politics, former WMUR political director and anchor, Josh McElveen. He's now a political consultant.

Josh, does Biden have a point? Does he have to start going on the attack and showing a lot more passion like that?

JOSH MCELVEEN, POLITICAL CONSULTANT: Yes. I mean, clearly, he's trying to reinvent himself for a time where he probably should be been thinking about doing it a couple of months ago. There's no question about that.

I mean, Pete Buttigieg -- the Buttigieg campaign actually served this up to him and gave him an opportunity on a silver platter by giving him the microphone to respond to that ad. And by my estimation, I think former vice president missed a golden opportunity this afternoon. He spent a lot of time talking about North Carolina, helping in the Senate race down there, electability in Alabama, Pennsylvania, places like that.

You know what? In two days, we have the New Hampshire primary. You're in New Hampshire. Talk to New Hampshire voters, and that's the opportunity that I think the vice president missed right there. Came around towards the end focusing on the president but talking about what the president should be saying rather than things he should be saying. And that's what he's going to do, and not what he's done when Barack Obama was the president of the United States.

CABRERA: We've been hearing from Biden the last couple of days downplaying his chances of winning the state. He's trying to put forward a more confident front this afternoon. He also released a new ad attacking Pete Buttigieg.

I want to show our viewers what New Hampshire voters will see on Facebook, on YouTube as they get ready for Tuesday.

[16:25:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AD ANNOUNCER: Both Vice President Biden and former Mayor Buttigieg have taken on tough fights. Under threat of a nuclear Iran, Joe Biden helped to negotiate the Iran deal, and under threat of disappearing pets, Buttigieg negotiated lighter licensing regulations on pet chip scanners.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Josh, what are voters going to make of this?

MCELVEEN: Well, I mean, there's a lot of political theater taking place right now, Ana, in New Hampshire, as you can imagine. And I like to think that New Hampshire voters have a bit of experience when it comes to this.

You know, these ads can be entertaining. Obviously, this is designed to diminish the experience of Mayor Buttigieg. But then, again, Joe Biden just a moment ago compared South Bend to a city like Manchester, but didn't talk about the problems that Manchester is facing where Pete Buttigieg has been doing that.

I mean, this is a -- this is a wide open field right now. So, it's going to be interesting what New Hampshire voters think. I think, right now, it's really about focusing for all the candidates. It's focusing their energies on their base support that they already have to try to get them to spread the network out to their neighbor, their friends, their cousins and previous dog owner's hairdresser to come out on election day and vote for that particular candidate.

CABRERA: So, you really think it's a wide open field right now, given Bernie Sanders won New Hampshire handedly in 2016, 67 percent of the vote compared to Hillary Clinton's 32 percent?

MCELVEEN: Yes, I mean, when I say wide open, I guess that would be in comparative terms to what we saw in the last cycle. I mean, if I had to guess right now, I'd say that Bernie Sanders probably does win New Hampshire.

But no matter who does win New Hampshire, there's going to be a fractured party to a certain degree in terms of who supported who. And that's going to carry over into the next state, South Carolina and some of the early states moving forward. So, it's going to take that galvanizing personality. It's going to have show that ability like a Barack Obama, a dynamic, charismatic personality to bring some of these factions with the Democratic Party together.

But, yes, right now here in New Hampshire, I think this is really about who has the energy of support that can expand that support the next couple of days and get that vote out, because that's really what it's going to take to be a couple of months difference or even a fraction of a point.

CABRERA: You know, what's interesting, though, is both Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are from neighboring states, right, which some candidates have suggested gives them both some kind of inherit advantage. They also seem to both be more of the progressive lane as far as the ideological spectrum of the Democratic Party, and yet you look at the latest polling, and Bernie Sanders is polling 20 points higher than Elizabeth Warren.

How do you explain that?

MCELVEEN: Well, first, I mean, Massachusetts and Vermont maybe technically neighboring states, either one, we need to say, was two very different places. I mean, Bernie Sanders certainly caught fire and captured into a -- created new phenomenon back in the last cycle. And some of that populist momentum that he was able to generate in '16, he's been able to kind of recapture here in New Hampshire as well.

Elizabeth Warren, much different story. You're talking about Massachusetts, which is typically a liberal bastion. A lot of support from Elizabeth Warren in New Hampshire in the southern population centers of New Hampshire, just over the border, where a lot of people commute back and forth. And don't forget, you have a former Massachusetts governor still in this field in a form of Deval Patrick.

And a lot of people might be scratching their heads saying, why do you get in when he did, given the fact that there's already a Massachusetts Democrat who's running a presidential campaign here in the first of the nation primary state.

CABRERA: Let's talk retail politics. What's your advice to those candidates as they work the diner circuit over the next couple of days?

MCELVEEN: Yes. I mean, really, what they got to do is try to focus on what lies ahead.

On subconscious level, I'm sure a lot of them are going to be thinking about what they could have done differently over the last six to eight months, where they should have gone more, what they should have done, what they should have done, and also, by the way, trying to shake off Iowa a little bit, they got do keep their ball -- their eye on the ball moving forward, talking about what their plans are, try to avoid the distractions, which do come in the form of attacks, respond when needed, but try to turn some of this anger into inspiration. And I think that's what a lot of New Hampshire voters are looking for and if you -- you know, let's face it. I mean, a lot of people say that New Hampshire, you know, Iowa picks corns, New Hampshire picks presidents. Neither is true. What this does is prepare the candidates for the national conversation

and focus on the issues that matter to the collective, to nation itself. You know, the health care issues, the economy, it's the economy, stupid. That's never going to go away.

And also, just the divisiveness. Again, turning some of those anger into something else, but if it doesn't turn into something else, it will turn to apathy and that's when we're in trouble, Ana.

CABRERA: All right. Josh McElveen, great to have you with us. Thank you very much.

MCELVEEN: Sure.

CABRERA: Friday night massacre. The president fires two key figure who is spoke out against him during the impeachment saga. How it played out, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:34:09]

CABRERA: Just days after President Trump was acquitted on two articles of impeachment, he's firing back. Literally. On Friday, Trump fired two major witness who testified during the impeachment inquiry, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, the top Ukraine expert at the National Security Council, and Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union.

CNN's Kristen Holmes joins us from the White House.

Kristen, an advisor to the president was telling CNN these firing of both the witnesses was not meant to send a message that siding against the president will not be tolerated. What else are we learning?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Ana, we're learning what next few months will look like. It's clear President Trump is a man who has been empowered by his acquittal.

For month, we saw him on Twitter lashing out, slamming Democrats, impeachment, those witnesses. And now clearly we have moved on a new phase, which is acting out that discontent, taking that on, firing those two prominent witnesses.

[16:35:03]

I want to read you the statement from Lieutenant Colonel Vindman's attorney. It says: "Lieutenant Colonel Vindman was asked to leave for telling the truth. His honor and his commitment to right frightened the power. Truth is not partisan. If we allow truthful voices to be silent, if we ignore their warnings, eventually, there will be no one left to warn us."

I do want to note here something very important. It was not just Vindman escorted out of the White House. It was his twin brother, who had nothing to do with the impeachment but happened to work at the NSC.

So President Trump sending a message that says, if you cross me or if I think you're going to cross me or if I perceive you have crossed me, you will be punished. This is an incredible thing to note.

It doesn't end there. We have learned that the national security adviser, Robert O'Brien, is intending to cut down jobs within the National Security Council.

Why is this so important? President Trump has long suspected that some of these damaging leaks are coming from the NSC from these career officials, who don't have his best interest at heart, which makes it seem as if the White House is cleaning house.

CABRERA: Kristen Holmes, thank you very much for that reporting.

Coming up, it's an idea that gets the pulses of political junkies racing but a contested convention has never happened in the modern era. Could that all change? Why conditions may be ripe this time around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:40:30]

CABRERA: The political landscape is still kind of wobbly this weekend after that undisputed disaster that was the Iowa caucuses. The vote counting and reporting was late, confusing, full of mistakes. The results still aren't finalized.

For the first time ever, four Democratic candidates are poised to leave Iowa with 15 percent of the vote or more. Four candidates. None of them was the breakaway winner and that means another potential mess to be brewing in a few weeks or maybe more down the road from now.

Our senior political writer and analyst, Harry Enten, is with us now.

Harry, you broke down perfectly in your CNN.com --

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL WRITER & ANALYST: Well, thank you.

CABRERA: -- article. Could the mythical contested convention really happen this time?

ENTER: I think it really could. First, let's lay out the landscape of what we're talking about, right? A contested convention means you have no one who has a majority of the pledged delegates heading into the convention. That means you'll have a second ballot.

And on that second ballot, the pledge delegates, many of them become unbound, as well as super delegates who previously, in other years, have been big deals. They can't vote if the first ballot but they become active on the second ballot.

Why do I think we could be getting there? Number one, you mention four candidates above 15 percent. If you go back since 1992, that was the first year in which you had the 15 percent threshold for it to get delegates on the Democratic side.

This is first time in any primary, any caucus at all, all of these contests that anyone had that there were four candidates above 15 percent.

The other thing I'll note, look at the national polls. Look at where the leaders are right now and compare them from where they were in prior years.

Right now, Joe Biden is now the nominal leader in the national polls but he's significantly lower than any of the leaders were at this point after Iowa but before New Hampshire.

CABRERA: And it's the sheer number of candidates. There are 11 major Democrat candidates still. That's more than ever before at this point?

ENTEN: More than ever before at this point since 1992.

When you look at that and you look at all 11 and combine that with where the national leader is, combine that with the fact we have already seen what can happen, four candidates above 15 percent, all of this adds together to make me think, hey, a contested convention could really happen.

CABRERA: OK, New Hampshire?

ENTEN: Yes.

CABRERA: The primary just three days away.

Do you see what happened in Iowa impacting what happens in New Hampshire and, I guess, where might we be this time next week?

ENTEN: Yes. I do as a matter of fact. Pete Buttigieg has certainly seen a rise in his poll numbers in New Hampshire.

If you take a look at the average poll, what do you see? You see that Bernie Sanders is out in front with 26 percent. But Pete Buttigieg is right behind him at 22 percent. The rest of the candidates are all the way back.

Pete Buttigieg was way lower than that before he had his very strong Iowa performance. Whether he won or not, who knows?

I would say, if Pete Buttigieg is able to come all the way back and win, we could be looking at a vastly different picture. But if Bernie Sanders does, in fact, hold on in New Hampshire, it's clear to me that he is the frontrunner at this point.

CABRERA: What do we know about voter enthusiasm at this point, based on the contest that was in Iowa and what is expected in New Hampshire?

ENTEN: Yes, you know, if you look at the Iowa turnout, I think a lot of Democrats will admit it was quite disappointing, right? If you look at 2008, look at 2016, look at 2020. This looked like a lot more like 2016 than it did like 2008 when Obama and Clinton were running and there was all this enthusiasm.

I think the real question is, how does that transfer over to New Hampshire. I will say Bill Gardner, the secretary of state, has lowered his turn out estimate for New Hampshire. But he is still expecting record turnout per year in which there's only one side with a real contest going.

CABRERA: Could it really be money that ends up whittle down this race?

ENTEN: It really could. If there's one thing that kills political campaigns, it's lack of money.

But I will say, at this point, there are at least four candidates on the Democratic side who I think will have the money to go all the way.

You have Buttigieg, who has raised a ton of money since his Iowa performance. You have Bernie Sanders who raised so much money in January. And you have Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg, who are self- funding. And Bloomberg spent hundreds of millions of dollars already.

It seems there will be enough candidates to carry forward to carry on this idea of a potential contested convention. But I wouldn't be surprised if someone like a Joe Biden or Elizabeth Warren runs out of money and then say adios, amigos.

CABRERA: OK, sleep now because I feel like the longer we go throughout this process, the more tired you'll be.

(LAUGHTER)

ENTEN: I'm trying my best.

CABRERA: All right, Harry, always good to have you here.

ENTEN: Thank you.

[16:44:39]

CABRERA: Thank you.

We'll be right back.

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CABRERA: The NTSB finding no evidence of engine failure in the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, and several others.

CNN's Nick Watt has more into this investigation into this tragic crash.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[16:49:59]

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The NTSB is calling this an investigation update. This is not analysis. These are not conclusions. This is a report of the facts they have gathered so far.

But experts say it does give an indication, a road map of where the investigation is going.

One line in particular stands out. That is, "Viewable sections of the engines showed no evidence of an uncontained or catastrophic internal failure." Which suggests that engine failure has pretty much been ruled out.

Peter Goelz is a former managing director at the NTSB. Take a listen to his initial reactions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER GOELZ, CNN AVIATION ANALYST & FORMER NTSB MANAGING DIRECTOR: If they were concerns about either the equipment or anything else it would be mentioned.

In this case, they focused in on the weather. They focused in on the pilot's interaction with air traffic control. And in the end, I'm afraid that the spotlight will be on the pilot and his decision making.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATT: The report also details the condition of that helicopter. It says there's with no outstanding air-worthiness directives or minimum equipment list items. And all inspections were up to date.

The pilot, aged 50, had worked at that Island Express for about 10 years. No issues with his record either.

There was focus on the weather. Photographs. One showing - taken from a security camera showing the helicopter flying in heavy fog. Some eyewitness testimony, one line here, "Videos and photos taken by the public in the area of the accident also depicted fog and low clouds obscuring the hilltops."

We now also know that the last contact with controllers, the pilot said he was planning to climb to 4,000 feet to avoid cloud. He only got to 2300 feet before making a left turn, descending, and crashing into that hillside.

A full report might take more than a year to come out.

In the meantime, we now know there will be a memorial for Kobe Bryant at Staples Center here in Los Angeles, Monday, February 24th.

Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Thank you, Nick.

Also, she is the nanny you loved in the '90s. Fran Drescher, today, in her 60s, is back on primetime TV in a new sitcom, "Indebted." And she is also working to bring "The Nanny" to Broadway soon.

But she is so much more than an actress, writer or producer. She's a cancer survivor. She is also a rape survivor.

I sat down with her for a fascinating conversation in my role as a contributor on Christiane Amanpour's program, "AMANPOUR," which airs on CNNI and PBS. And she talked openly about life's challenges, including being married to a man for nearly 20 years who later came out as gay.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRAN DRESCHER, ACTRESS: Now I very affectionately regard him as my gay ex-husband. He had realized that he was trying to control his true orientation. And that kind of spilled over into controlling me as well.

And that became a little bit suffocating for me, which, ultimately, you know, made me realize that I have to get out to find who I am, because he won't let me do it within the relationship.

CABRERA: And it was after you divorced that he came out as gay, as I understand it, right?

DRESCHER: Yes.

CABRERA: How did that come about?

DRESCHER: During the relationship, he went into therapy because, you know, we had been victims of a violent crime, him, me and my girlfriend one night. And it was a very ill-fated night.

CABRERA: You have spoken publicly about this. You were raped.

DRESCHER: Yes. And I have written about it, too.

CABRERA: At gunpoint in a home invasion situation.

DRESCHER: Yes, from -- by a man we didn't know and his brother. And he was on parole.

So it's very disheartening to think that he was incarcerated, and then he was let go, and then he went on a rampage.

And I was, you know, not the only woman that he had raped. My girlfriend was there and she was raped, too, while Peter was tied up and blindfolded.

But I ended up, because I have a photographic memory, helping the police do these -- the artist sketch of what he looked like. And based off of that, they were able to apprehend him.

And I have at least the closure, which a lot of women, sadly, do not have. But I do. But, you know, he's locked away now for good, and will never do that again. And I don't have to think I see him every time I turn a corner. CABRERA: I can only imagine sort of the lasting pain that that causes

for somebody to be assaulted in such a violent way. I know it took you 10 years to publicly speak about what happened, right? Why did it take so long?

DRESCHER: Well, I -- I think what happened was, I had written about it in the book "Enter Whining."

I wasn't really famous. It wasn't like anybody was that interested in what was going on in the life and times of Fran Drescher. Not until "The Nanny."

When I did "The Nanny," I wrote what became a "New York Times" bestseller, "Enter Whining." In that book, I wrote a chapter called, "Bad Things happen To Good People."

And I cannot tell you how many women have asked me to sign that chapter. Because it means a lot to them that somebody like me could show that life can go on. You can somehow put yourself back together and create a new normal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[16:55:16]

CABRERA: Years later, Fran was diagnosed with uterine cancer. It took eight doctors and two years for her to get a proper diagnosis. We'll air that part of our conversation coming up in our 7:00 hour this evening.

We're back in just a moment.

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