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Democrats Make Final Push For Votes Just 48 Hours Before New Hampshire Primary; Two NYPD Officers Shot In What Officials Call "Assassination" Attempts; More Than 800 Dead From Coronavirus, Surpassing SARS Pandemic; Passengers Coping With Cabin Fever On Quarantined Ship; Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) Says, Iowa Caucus An Embarrassment And Disgrace; Two U.S. Service Members Killed, Six Injured. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired February 09, 2020 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:00:16]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. We are by city, by anchor today.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Atlanta.

RYAN NOBLES, CNN HOST: And I'm Ryan Nobles live form Manchester, New Hampshire -- Fred, where we're just now two days away from voters here in the Granite State and they're going to get the chance to decide who they want the Democratic presidential nominee to be.

WHITFIELD: And already it's pretty tense. As the race heats up, the gloves are coming off. Democrats are fanning out across New Hampshire this weekend, each making their case to be the next president.

And now there is a new battle brewing within the party. This time it is former Vice President Joe Biden on the attack. He released a blistering new campaign ad criticizing Pete Buttigieg's record as Mayor of South Bend, Indiana and mocking his lack of experience on the national stage. Buttigieg fired back today on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE BUTTIGIEG (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's a typical political attack. And it's too bad because, you know, so many communities -- communities like mine in South Bend -- we know that we might look small from the perspective of Washington, but to us it's what's going on in Washington that looks so small and small-minded.

And you know, communities, whether they're my size or rural communities or even neighborhoods in our biggest cities that feel completely left behind are frustrated with being made into a punchline by Washington politicians.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: All right. Now, with just two days before the New Hampshire primary, we're getting a clearer picture of where this race stands. A brand new CNN/University of New Hampshire poll out today.

This one was partially taken after Friday's Democratic debate. It shows little change at the top. Senator Bernie Sanders maintaining a strong lead heading into Tuesday's vote.

We have a team of reporters covering every corner of New Hampshire. And we begin with CNN's Abby Phillip who is covering Pete Buttigieg's campaign from Nashua, New Hampshire.

So Abby -- you know, certainly an intense time on the trial ahead of this first in the nation primary race.

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: that's right -- Fred. The kid gloves are off here in New Hampshire. And it really marks a real change of tone for all of these candidates, but particularly for Joe Biden who is now really trying to contrast his long experience in Washington, serving as vice president, with Pete Buttigieg's.

However, I think what we've seen on the campaign trail these last two days is that the Buttigieg campaign is now taking this and pivoting this to the message that he's been saying all along which is that that's exactly why he believes that he should be elected president.

Buttigieg telling supporters here in Nashua just a few minutes ago that it's time for outside of Washington experience to bring change to Washington and that, you know, politicians should start listening to small-town mayors and to small communities across the country. So he's now pivoted that attack.

But, you know, there is an element of this where now there are some comparisons being made to former President Obama who, back in 2008, was a relatively inexperienced senator. And Joe Biden was asked about this comparison. He said Pete Buttigieg is no Barack Obama.

Now, Jake Tapper on "STATE OF THE UNION" this morning, took that to Pete Buttigieg, and here is how he responded to those comparisons that are being made.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: After CNN's Jeff Zeleny pointed out that Biden made a similar "inexperience" attack on Barrack Obama in the 2008 presidential race former vice president Biden replied quote, "This guy is not a Barack Obama". What do you think of that?

BUTTIGIEG: Well, he's right. I'm not. And neither is he. Neither is any of us running for president. And this isn't 2008, it's 2020.

And we are in a new moment calling for a different kind of leadership. Look, we are facing the most disruptive president in modern times. And I don't think the same playbook that helped us get here is going to work against him. We're also facing the most divisive president in modern times, which is why I'm equally concerned about a new message that says if you're not -- if you're not for a revolution, you must be for the status quo because I think that leaves most people out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIP: So there's no question here -- Fred, that the Buttigieg campaign is totally fine actually with this conversation. They are appreciating it as an opportunity for them -- for him to repeat his message that he's been saying since he was in Iowa but for a new audience here in New Hampshire.

And there's some evidence that no matter what happened in Iowa, and how uncertain that outcome is, there is a lot of energy here on the ground. Just in this middle school gym here in Nashua, they had a pretty large crowd, one of the largest we've seen here in the state of New Hampshire, plus a very large overflow crowd.

[14:04:59]

PHILLIP: So long lines here for the Buttigieg campaign as he's getting a second look and maybe a third look from some New Hampshire voters. And as that poll indicates, he's right up there in the top tier right along with Bernie Sanders. And they're hoping that some of this attention that he's getting frankly from being attacked by Joe Biden is something that they can use to make their case to New Hampshire voters in these final days -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Trying to look for ways to turn things around in their favor in these last couple of days. That's the name of the game.

Abby Phillip -- thank you so much.

So as we count down to Tuesday, Senator Bernie Sanders has to be feeling pretty good about his chances. New Hampshire was a state he actually won by over 20 points in the 2016 primary with Hillary Clinton.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny is at a Sanders an event in Hanover, New Hampshire. So Jeff -- how is the Vermont senator handling these last 48 hours before Tuesday's vote?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well Fred -- there's no question that Senator Sanders is going into the final hours of this New Hampshire primary campaign in a confident footing. He is relishing in the fact that the Democratic establishment, in his words, are nervous. He says that at every event. I suspect he will here as well.

He'll be arriving here in a short time. We're on the campus of Dartmouth here in Hanover, New Hampshire. A mix of Vermont residents of the Senator's home state, of course, and a lot of students. And that is what the senator is trying to get for the primary on Tuesday -- to turn out a lot of students, to turn out a lot of young people.

That, of course, is one of his strengths. It is what explains his lead over Pete Buttigieg in our new New Hampshire poll this morning. He's leading 28 percent to 21 percent. But of course, things can change, things can happen here in New Hampshire.

But take a listen to Senator Sanders earlier today on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm running against a candidate, Pete Buttigieg among others, who has raised contributions from more than 40 billionaires, including the CEOs of some of the largest drug companies in America. So we are independent of our revolution. All these other groups -- they are legally to do what they want.

So my message to all of the candidates, let's end all of that stuff right now. You want to do it today? Let's do it today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENY: So Senator Sanders clearly using a similar message he's been talking about really for years to try and rally voters and explain that this is their time, in his words, for a revolution.

Fred -- I can hear him in a couple of rooms over. He is firing up an overflow crowd. Certainly a lot of people here excited to see him as he travels across the state.

New Hampshire can surprise frontrunners, though, so that is one thing that, of course, Senator Sanders well aware of that. He won by 21 points, as you said, four years ago, but it was only 12 years ago that Hillary Clinton pulled off a surprise win over Barack Obama that kept this race going.

So New Hampshire clearly can surprise on primary day. But Bernie Sanders clearly is in a confident position going forward here.

Fred -- the question is, rather, how the other candidates fall down the list here. Certainly many candidates have some key moments. They need to do well here.

Senator sanders says they need to do well. He thinks he will do well. This is going to be a long delegate fight. Potentially his biggest number of the month -- Fred, raising nearly $25 million in the month of January alone. That is going to keep him afloat for a long time to come. His supporters are still with him -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Ok. Well, we know New Hampshire can be an unpredictable outcome, but almost -- I mean very traditionally it is a very engaged state as the first primary state.

Jeff Zeleny -- thank you so much.

All right. Lots of anxiety, lots of excitement. Ryan Nobles -- you're in the thick of it all. What are people saying and thinking and feeling just 48 hours ahead of voting? NOBLES: Yes, Fred -- let's get a look at the situation here on the

ground. I was with Sanders yesterday in an event in Rochester similar to the one that Jeff Zeleny was at now. Similar situation where too big of a crowd to contain the Sanders folks there. They had to have the overflow -- Sanders actually went outside and spoke to folks in 25-degree weather and they stuck around for a while to hear from him.

So let's talk more about this. I've got a New Hampshire perspective and a national perspective. Dante Scala is the author of the book, "Stormy Weather: The New Hampshire Primary and Presidential Politics", and also joined today by Lisa Lerer who is the national political reporter for the "New York Times" who's covered one or two of these New Hampshire primaries before. She's also a CNN political analyst.

So let's get the local perspective for us -- Dante. You know we have the benefit right now in New Hampshire of a lot of these of tracking polls which if you're not familiar with that, it's basically a three- day sample where every day we get rid of the day that was furthest away and add the day that's closest.

And in these tracking polls and the one that CNN has out right now is an example of this. You see a Pete Buttigieg surge, but I've noticed in the last 24 hours or so, it seems to have stabilized.

[14:09:58]

NOBLES: Should we reflect that these polls probably are going to tell us what Tuesday night is, or can New Hampshire voters still surprise us?

DANTE SCALA, AUTHOR: The surprise could be -- I do think that Pete has reached a plateau. And now the question is, is anyone else's support out there about to melt further?

And so we think about Elizabeth Warren, for example. Is her support going to melt and would it go to Bernie Sanders, or would college- educated voters who like Warren, accept Buttigieg as a substitute?

We think about Joe Biden? Can he melt more because going negative against another Democrat often boomerangs on the person delivering the attack.

NOBLES: Right.

SCALA: Where would they go? Because white working class voters, if Bernie Sanders can add them to the college kids and the progressives -- that's a formula for say a big victory, not just a small one.

NOBLES: Yes. So let's talk about Biden -- Lisa. He's been -- for the most part kind of stayed above the fray because he has been running as a frontrunner up until people actually started voting. And we saw that change pretty drastically yesterday. He was out with an attack ad, championing his own experience, trying to downplay Pete Buttigieg's experience.

Is this an example of a desperate candidate or is this a smart strategy because he's so far behind?

LISA LERER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, it's clearly a shift in strategy. And that's coming out of Iowa. Biden and his team didn't expect to win Iowa but they did worse than they expected. And you see that now despite all the chaos in Iowa and the lack of like firm resolve you see that now boomeranging into New Hampshire.

and I think for Biden the question becomes whether he can do very poorly in Iowa, poorly in New Hampshire, which is what he expects, right. He entered the debate this week lowering expectations for how he would do here. And still be able to support his case that he's the most electable Democrat.

Or does that support start to crumble once he gets to the place that was supposed to be his firewall, South Carolina? So I think, you know, he didn't have a lot of moves left and this was the move he had to play. He had to go after his opponents because he has to try to undercut them.

But as Dante puts out quite wisely like that can boomerang particularly an electorate where Democrats are focused really on staying unified against one goal which is defeating President Trump.

NOBLES: And then, of course, there's the financial aspect for Biden as well. Does he make it all the way to South Carolina when his campaign is clearly running out of money.

Let's talk more about this digital ad that the Biden camp put out about Buttigieg, going after him and comparing the Buttigieg experience to the experience that Vice President Biden had while serving with President Obama. Let's play a little clip from that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I mean Barack Obama was a different story. Barack Obama came from a large state. He was a United States senator. He had run before. He'd be involved in international -- he had a clear vision of what he thought the world should look like, and so on. But it's a very different situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBLES: Obviously that's not the ad. It's from this week on ABC this morning, but essentially the same message here -- Dante. And we've always known that one of Joe Biden's strengths is his connection to President Obama, who I think most people still agree is the most popular Democratic politician in the country.

New Hampshire voters -- will they agree with that? Will they connect and give Joe Biden credit for his connection with Barack Obama?

SCALA: You know, I can't help but think that this just resonates even more the message of Buttigieg which is turn the page. You know, it's time for a new generation to take over and it being delivered by Joe Biden in particular, I think, you know, New Hampshire voters are willing to take a chance. They took a chance on Gary Hart way back in 1984, they took a chance on Jimmy Carter. Enough of them are out there who might say, you know what, let's take a chance on Mayor Pete. And I don't know that Joe Biden's attacks are going to help with voters who are looking for change -- period.

NOBLES: And Lisa -- we always say these things always come down to turnout and you wrote a very interesting piece about the turnout in Iowa. It was much less than we expected. Certainly what the Sanders campaign expected it could be.

Can that translate into something -- does it tell us something about the enthusiasm of Democratic voters right now? And should Democrats want to see more turnout here in New Hampshire on Tuesday?

LERER: They should definitely want to see more turnout in New Hampshire. And they may, right. Caucuses are really -- as we've all -- a very quirky process. It's pretty hard for people to vote, they have to be there for three hours, and that can depress turnout.

But this is a year, you know, in the Trump era, Democrats have seen extraordinarily high rates of turnout, and they've come to depend on that to win back the House in 2018, to win back those off off-year elections in 2019 like in your home state of Virginia.

NOBLES: Right.

LERER: And so they have really come to depend on those numbers, and they did not see them in Iowa. They saw a turnout that was much closer to 2016 than the high water mark which was 2008.

And so Democrats are already pretty anxious, particularly when they look at what happened in Washington this week with President Trump getting acquitted. And this is just adding another layer of anxiety to them.

NOBLES: Right. Ok. So that will definitely be something to look for on Tuesday night.

Lisa, Dante -- excellent perspective as always. So much to talk about here in Manchester and we'll do more of that coming up a little bit later.

[14:14:56]

NOBLES: But first, Senator Bernie Sanders slamming the Iowa Democratic caucuses as, quote, an embarrassment and a disgrace. So who should be held responsible? A member of his campaign will join me in a moment to discuss that.

But first, there is some breaking news. A man has been arrested for what officials are calling attempted assassinations of two New York City police officers. We'll have a live report coming up next.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back.

We're following breaking news on what is now being called multiple assassination attempts on New York police officers.

This is police surveillance video of the shooting that took place this morning. The suspect is seen on the left of the screen entering the 41st precinct in the Bronx. Within seconds, he opens fire on several police officers inside the precinct.

The gunman injured one officer in that shooting before police were able to take the suspect into custody.

[14:19:56]

WHITFIELD: Police believe the same man is responsible for opening fire on two officers sitting in a van 12 hours earlier. One officer was injured by a gunshot wound in that Saturday -- Saturday night attack, rather. He was released from the hospital just moments ago as a crowd of police officers applauded. He is expected to make a full recovery.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO, NEW YORK CITY: This was an attempt to assassinate police officers. We need to use that word because it was a premeditated effort to kill. And not just to kill other human beings but to kill those who wear a uniform that represents all of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN's Polo Sandoval is covering this for us. So Polo -- what more are you learning?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred -- they're using the word "confident" right now to describe what they believe -- or at least what they believe in this case took place. They said they're confident that it was the same individual that was involved in both these shootings -- the one from last night and also the one from this morning.

As for the suspect, they have not officially identified him quite yet. The suspect surrendered to authorities after the second shooting, however, they do say that he had a lengthy criminal history, had been convicted of attempted murder in the past and then had also been paroled only about two years ago.

Investigators speaking just a short while ago said they will give more information about the case and also how the fact that these two officers are still alive today is nothing short of a miracle.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COMMISSIONER DERMOT SHEA, NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT: DE BLASIO: He immediately pulls out a gun and fires multiple rounds toward the desk area where several uniformed members of the service in uniform were present. He then walks into an area beside that desk and again fires several rounds at point blank range directly at uniformed members of the service and a civilian member of the New York City Police Department striking none in that room.

It is only by the grace of God and the heroic actions of those inside the building that took him into custody that we are not talking about police officers murdered inside a New York City police precinct.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: And you saw those powerful and emotional pictures shot outside this hospital earlier this morning where that one officer who was injured yesterday was released as his brothers and sisters in blue were supporting him. The officer -- the lieutenant that was injured this morning continues to recover.

But as we heard from authorities, Fred -- both are expected to make full recoveries.

WHITFIELD: All right, Polo Sandoval, keep us posted. Thank you so much for that.

All right. Still ahead, new alarming details on the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. The number of people who have died is now more than the SARS outbreak. Can authorities contain this outbreak?

[14:22:37]

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WHITFIELD: There's been another spike in the coronavirus deaths. 89 people died on Saturday in China, bringing the worldwide death toll to at least 813 and making it more deadly than the SARS epidemic nearly two decades ago.

There are now more than 37,000 confirmed cases around the world. More than 1,000 Americans have been evacuated from the city of Wuhan, China -- the epicenter of the outbreak.

There is some good news for the roughly 3,600 people who were stuck on a cruise ship in Hong Kong. They were allowed off the World Dream ship after everyone tested negative for the coronavirus.

Well, a much different situation for a cruise ship called Diamond Princess docked in Japan. The number of cases on board that ship now at least 70.

CNN's Matt Rivers with the ship in Yokohama.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: An early morning takeoff in a flight to see the Diamond Princess, the ship where dozens of people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus. Passengers on board under mandatory quarantine until February 19th.

The ship is actually returning to harbor for about 24 hours to take care of some maintenance issues, including some the fresh audits (ph). You would have to think for the people on board it may have the added effect of maybe bringing up some (INAUDIBLE) on board this ship.

People below saw our helicopter flying around. Rose Yerex INAUDIBLE) even shot us on her cell phone. We asked her and husband Greg to show us their cabin.

GREG YEREX, QUARANTINED ON DIAMOND PRINCESS: You saw maybe a fridge on the right, desk on the left. Swing around, there's Rose. And you can see there sure isn't much space in here.

ROSE YEREX, QUARANTINED ON DIAMOND PRINCESS: It's hard being stuck into a small room, but we are keeping ourselves occupied with all kinds of things from watching movies and reading books.

RIVERS: Breakfast dropped off at the door each morning. Yesterday they were allowed out on deck for an hour, masks on, at least two meters apart from others. It's all part of the quarantine.

Health officials say it's the only way to stop the virus from spreading further. Some on board say it's like being in a cage.

MATTHEW SMITH, QUARANTINED ON DIAMOND PRINCESS: The time I really sense this is when a crew comes by and knocks on the door to hand you your food, and then the door is closed as though somehow it's feeding the zoo animals.

RIVERS: Matthew Smith says he gets it, though, and praised the action of the cruise company and the government. He feels the quarantine will work and is a good idea, even as others on board have said they're afraid of catching the disease and have asked to get off.

SMITH: I think they could avoid that fear if they were a little more rational but I understand. It's a stressful situation for everybody.

[14:29:58]

RIVERS: Despite some people wanting off, the Japanese government said there is no chance the quarantine will end before February 19th. Tests will continue. Anyone diagnosed will be taken off.

If you're not sick, prepare for your room to be disinfected and settle in.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we're really, really looking forward to being able to get home.

RIVERS: So as we watch ship docking into the harbor, it's strange to think the passengers on board won't be able to get off. They are so close to land and yet so far away from being able to be on it.

Matt Rivers, CNN, Yokohama, Japan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. So are the quarantines and other methods of containing the virus working? I want to bring in Dr. Howard Markel. He is a professor of the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan. He worked with the CDC during the H1N1 and is the author of When Germs Travel. All right, good to see you, Doctor.

So let me start with the spike in deaths over the past couple of days. We're talking about 89 deaths in China just yesterday. Should these numbers be concerning to everyone, and are they concerning to you?

DR. HOWARD MARKEL, HISTORY OF MEDICINE PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: Well, yes, they are concerning, and so is the spread of the virus to other countries. Because it's so unpredictable, we could see even more deaths and certainly we'll see more cases. And the WHO is worried that this will become a true pandemic, a word that means all people and is spread all around the world. So it's a very contagious disease and we need to be concerned about it.

WHITFIELD: Are you concerned that it could become a pandemic?

MARKEL: Yes, I am. I'm more concerned, to be honest with you, with influenza. Influenza will kill 35,000 to 60,000 Americans this year, and HIV killed 14,000 people today. But we tend to be far more interested in the spectacular epidemic, so this is one of them, than the things that kill us on a daily basis.

So, yes, we have to be concerned but it's not the highest concern on my list right this moment.

WHITFIELD: Okay. So, yesterday, I spoke with Congressman Ami Bera. He's a medical doctor and he headed House hearings into the coronavirus last week. And here is what he said he has learned.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. AMI BERA (D-CA): It's okay to quarantine, for instance, instead travel ban. It's probably not going to be as effective as folks think it will be. This virus has already spread globally and it is very hard to contain at this moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So what are your thoughts about the effectiveness of quarantines?

MARKEL: Well, you know, everyone is using the word, quarantine, but they're using it with different definitions. So when China quarantined Wuhan and 14 other cities by putting a giant ring around it, that is a quarantine that is not likely to work. In fact, 5 million people left Wuhan before the so-called gates closed. And so they went to other parts, and presumably some or many of them had exposure to coronavirus.

Now, in terms of the ships that are coming in to a dock, and you're concerned about one or seven or a dozen cases, that's not a bad idea to keep those people isolated or quarantined for about 14 days. The incubation period is anywhere from 2 to 14 days. And make sure that no one is positive for the coronavirus.

Similarly, for those people who have flown in from Wuhan to the United States who are in a military base and there's a similar situation in Canada. That's more of a true quarantine that's fine-tuned for this particular virus and could limit the spread if they are, indeed, on that vessel or ship or airplane.

WHITFIELD: All right. Dr. Howard Markel, we'll leave it there for now. Thank you so much.

All right, still ahead, just days before the critical New Hampshire primary, Bernie Sanders is blasting Pete Buttigieg over campaign donations. But could this infighting backfire in the race to beat Donald Trump? We'll talk to a member of the Sanders campaign, next.

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[14:35:00]

NOBLES: Just two days to go to the New Hampshire primary, and Bernie Sanders continues to claim victory in Iowa. Sanders blasting the caucuses as an embarrassment and a disgrace, but he says he doesn't think that the Democratic National Committee was trying to hurt his campaign with a call for a re-canvass. He spoke to our Jake Tapper this morning on State of the Union.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: All I can say about Iowa is it was an embarrassment, it was a disgrace to the good people of Iowa who take their responsibilities in the caucuses very seriously. They screwed it up badly, is what the Iowa Democratic Party did.

We are confident that we, in fact, the Iowa caucus and I thank the people of Iowa for that.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: Do you think that the Democratic Party, whether the Iowa Democratic Party or the DNC, was trying to hurt you though?

SANDERS: I have no idea. We're going to monitor the situation closely, but that's not my impression at this point.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBLES: All right. Let's talk more about this. I'm joined now by the co-Chair for the Sanders campaign, former Ohio State Senator Nina Turner. Nina, thanks so much for being with us. I know you're at an upcoming Sanders event in Claremont, New Hampshire.

I want to ask about your comments about the situation in Iowa. And I want to spend a ton of time on Iowa because I do want to talk about New Hampshire. But you did tell -- you did say in a recent interview that the actions by DNC Chair Tom Perez in the way he handled this re- canvass situation to you looked fairly intentional that they were trying to hurt the Sanders campaign. But it seems as though Senator Sanders himself disagrees. Where do you stand on the issue right now?

NINA TURNER, CO-CHAIR, BERNIE SANDERS CAMPAIGN: What the senator said is that we're going to keep watching. It's vitally important you have my congresswoman from the great State of Ohio, Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, talking about the disarray that the Democratic Party is in with his leadership. We know that Iowa went awry. I do agree with the senator that something really terrible went wrong there, and the people in the great State of Iowa were the ones who were really hurt by this, because they do take great pride in caucuses.

[14:40:06]

And so what we must is ensure fairness, transparency and also that something like this never ever happens again.

But, Ryan, you know a lot of things are going on at the DNC from changing rules for billionaires. But meanwhile, when you have two African-American Congress senators in the race and also the secretary of HUD, Mr. Castro, in the race, they couldn't bother to change the rules for them. So there is something going to file (ph) at the DNC.

NOBLES: Now, I know that your campaign has submitted evidence of inconsistencies to the Iowa Democratic Party, and the Buttigieg campaign has, the Warren campaign has as well. Now, what were some discrepancies that you guys have found? And there had been some reports that maybe some of these errors actually benefited the Sanders campaign. What can you tell me about what you submitted?

TURNER: What we know is that that shouldn't have happened at all, the timing of the announcement. Really, my major concern is how they rolled out the numbers in that way. They should have waited until they had 100 percent, but they kept playing games with those numbers. We have certainly seen and heard from people who were at some of those sites who say that the app was not working properly and that you need instructions for the instructions.

So there are still lots of work that has to be done in Iowa to find out what went wrong, who knew what when and how we make sure that that doesn't happen again. We have Nevada coming up, as you know, Ryan, and we cannot have that happen. And I want to give kudos to the Nevada leadership for seeing what happened in Iowa and trying to take steps to ensure that the next -- at the next caucus, nothing like this happens again.

NOBLES: All right. Let's move on and talk about the race as it currently exists. And let's talk now what appears to be a two-person race at least here in New Hampshire for the lead between your candidate, Senator Sanders, and former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Of course, the mayor himself has been claiming victory in Iowa as well. But Senator Sanders has really gone and put him -- you know, kind of put him on notice in terms of his donations from wealthy donors. Let me just play a clip of what Senator Sanders has been saying about that. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FMR. MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG (D-SOUTH BEND, IN): Well, Bernie is pretty rich, and I would happily accept a contribution from him. Look, this is about making sure we bring everybody into the fight at a moment when we're going to be going up against Donald Trump who, with his allies, are raising -- I think the other day, they raised $25 million in one day. This is the fight of our lives. I'm not a fan of the current campaign finance system, but I'm also insistent that we've got to go into this with all of the support we can get.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBLES: So that's the mayor right there responding to Senator Sanders' comments about his donors, Nina. This is a comment referring from a lot of Democrats. They don't like the current campaign finance system, but these are the rules as they currently exist, and they don't want to go into a fight with Donald Trump with one hand tied behind their back.

I know your campaign has said repeatedly, even when you win the nomination, you're not going to change the way you raise money. Are you putting yourself in a disadvantage? I mean, can you blame the mayor for taking advantage of the rules as they currently exist?

TURNER: No, we're not putting ourselves at a disadvantage. Dr. Maya Angelou once said, when you know better, do better. It is time for us to do better in this country. We now that we need real campaign finance reform in the United States of American, that in this country, unfortunately, more money gives you more voice.

Senator Bernie Sanders shoed very clearly in 2016, as he is showing by example in 2020 that you can raise the requisite amount of money needed to compete and for president of the United States of America. We are outraising all of the other candidates and we're doing it $18 at a time. We're raising that money from teachers in this community, from nurses in this community, from workers who work at Walmart and Amazon and the U.S. Postal Service.

So cry me a river about people who want to tap dance in this system that they know is corrupt and then claim that this is the only way that they can do it. Well, you know what, it's not the only way that they can do it because Senator Bernie Sanders has proven otherwise.

NOBLES: All right. One more quick question before we go, Senator Turner. You've become kind of the opening act for Senator Sanders. I've seen you speak many, many times to these crowds, you're always well received. And your tag line has been, hello, somebody. You say that often to try and rile the crowd up. It always receives a big response. Just explain to me where that term came from and what do you think of the way the folks at Sanders' campaign responds to it.

TURNER: Well, I love it, Ryan. I love the Berners. As you know, we have the most enthusiastic supporters. The Berners don't play (ph). But it really came to me when I was in Queens with the senator. I'm not sure if you were there. But when we did our Queens rally, and it's just something that came to me, hello, somebody, so it's a call of response. It's very much in the black church tradition which I'm the daughter of a preacher, and so those skills come out from time to time. [14:45:07]

So, hello, somebody.

I see it all over social media and it really makes me proud and it brings a smile to my face even now. And today, ion Claremont, you know I am going to get the crowd riled up by saying, hello, somebody. That means that they can really participate and feel very much a part of. And I love that call in response. It means a lot to people to know that they are an integral (ph) part of this campaign, not me, us. Hello, somebody.

NOBLES: All right. I was there at that rally. I didn't realize that was the first time you used it. Senator Turner, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it. And good luck to you and your campaign on Tuesday night.

TURNER: Thank you.

NOBLES: We'll have much more on the race for 2020 in a moment. But, first, we're learning new details on an attack in Afghanistan that killed two U.S. Special Forces. We're back in a moment.

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WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back.

Looking for a way to relax the mind? Well, it may be time to pick up a book. Here's this week's Staying Well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NOREEN TOMASSI, BIBLIOTHERAPIST: Bibliotherapy is the practice of meeting one-on-one with a person to help them solve a problem through reading great fiction. The idea behind it is that great fiction can really change lives.

I'm Noreen Tomassi, and I'm New York City's resident bibliotherapist.

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

AFSANA ISLAM, MARKETING AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR: As a 33- year-old in New York City, I'm entering into a stage where I'm thinking a little bit more about my career, about my path to parenthood or something long-term.

There's a lot of changes that have been going on.

MARIA EUGENIA PANERO, YALE CENTER FOR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Reading a work of fiction can change our perspective and lives because we step into the shoes of these characters. It helps you practice these different emotions so that if you do experience them in real life, you've already kind of had this training. It can also help you understand yourself.

TOMASSI: I select 12 books for each client, and the hope is they'll read one book a month over the course of a year. They're structured to take the reader on a journey.

ISLAM: I hope this brings a lot of insight and contemplation for me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:50:00]

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back. Two U.S. Soldiers were killed and six more injured in an attack at a base in Eastern Afghanistan. A military spokesman says someone in an Afghan uniform began firing a machine gun on U.S. and Afghan forces. The two soldiers have been identified as Sergeant First Class Javier Gutierrez of San Antonio, Texas, and Sergeant First Class Antonio Rodriguez of Los Cruces, New Mexico. Both were just 28 years old.

13,000 U.S. troops are currently serving in Afghanistan, fighting terrorist groups and assisting local forces in that country.

John Kirby is a retired rear admiral and a CNN Military and Diplomatic Analyst.

Admiral, good to see you.

So this shooting happened during a joint U.S./Afghan operation. Are these operations common and, typically, what kind of dangers come with it?

JOHN KIRBY, CNN MILTIARY AND DIPLOMATIC ANALYST: Well, first, let me pass out my deepest condolences to the families of both Sergeant First Class Gutierrez and Rodriguez. I mean, those families are getting some horrific news this weekend and are going to be grieving for a long, long time. And I think it's important for all Americans to remember that we are still very much at war in Afghanistan and that there is very high price of freedom and that is being paid by men and women in uniform out there every single day.

The kinds of missions that they are doing every single day are, in many cases, partnered missions. I don't know the specifics of this particular one, this operation that they were on, but it's not uncommon for our troops to be out in the field with Afghan National Security Forces on the ground. We have a counterterrorism mission there too that these were Special Forces soldiers, could mean that they were on some sort of counterterrorist mission.

That doesn't mean necessarily, Fred, that they were going after a specific target. It could have been an intelligence run that they were trying to make to get better ground knowledge of the terrain or the topography or the people in a certain village. We just don't know enough yet. But they are out and about every single day.

Point two is that our Afghan partners still continue to need U.S. assistance, such as these two sergeants first class were rendering as well as air and intelligence and logistics assistance that the United States provides them. WHITFIELD: And what can you tell me about the direction of the investigation into this person who wasn't in Afghan uniform and how that person may have gotten, that, how they may have gotten so close to this personnel on this operation?

KIRBY: Well, they're going to sift through that right now. I'm sure they're working really hard interviewing as many witnesses as they can. There are survivors from this attack, so I'm sure once they are able to talk, they will be talking to them as well.

This could be Taliban-inspired. It could be somebody that has sympathies with the Taliban and meant to do this all along, or it could have just been a dispute. It could have been just some sort of argument that broke out and unfortunately turned violent. We just don't know.

And I suspect that the military will investigate this fully in concert with their Afghan partners and they will be very transparent about what they learn when they learn it.

[14:55:00]

WHITFIELD: All right. Our hearts go out to the families for sure. Admiral John Kirby, thank you so much.

KIRBY: You bet.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still ahead, Senator Sanders In the lead, Buttigieg on the defense and Biden on the attack. The frontrunners in the Democratic race for president have just 48 hours now to woo voters in the key state of New Hampshire. Our live team coverage continues, next.

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[15:00:00]

WHITFIELD: Hello again, everyone.