Return to Transcripts main page

The Situation Room

CNN/WMUR Poll: Trump Leads in N.H., Rubio Now Second; Bush Ad Includes Former President; New Development in Hillary Clinton E-Mail Controversy; North Korean Launch Imminent. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired February 04, 2016 - 17:00   ET

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

JAKE TAPPER, CNN: -- @TheLeadCNN. That's it for "THE LEAD." I'm Jake Tapper. We'll be live in beautiful Hanover, New Hampshire, tomorrow. But until then, I turn you over to my friend, Wolf Blitzer, who is right next door in THE SITUATION ROOM.

[17:00:15] WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, breaking news. Shakeup. Our new poll just out shows Donald Trump leading in New Hampshire, but Marco Rubio is surging into second as Ted Cruz slips into a battle for third place with a pair of so-called establishment candidates.

Trump's old tricks. The GOP front-runner again casting himself as the outsider, attacking other politicians as he drops another S-bomb in front of the campaign crowd. Tonight, I'll talk to CNN and the voters he's trying to win over.

Final push. Hillary Clinton scrambling to catch up to Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire. After a revealing personal performance at CNN's town hall, can she persuade voters to change their minds? We're standing by for our new Democratic poll results in New Hampshire.

And countdown. North Korea starts fueling a rocket for what it says is a satellite launch, but concern is growing that it's really testing a long-range missile that could one day carry a nuclear warhead.

I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

BLITZER: The breaking news, a stunning shakeup in the first primary state. Our brand-new CNN/WMUR poll is just out, and it shows Donald Trump with a big lead. But Marco Rubio is now charging into second place, passing Ted Cruz, who's in a fight for third with John Kasich and Jeb Bush.

While the Republican race is a slugfest, the two remaining Democrats are going sort of touchy-feely, talking about faith, spirituality and their own mistakes in our CNN town hall.

But Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders most likely, they will take the gloves off before primary day. We're standing by for our latest New Hampshire Democratic poll results, as well.

And there are now signs that North Korea may be fueling a rocket, which it says will launch a satellite into space. But there's growing concern that a launch will be simply a cover for testing a long-range missile, which could one day threaten the U.S. with a nuclear warhead.

Our correspondents, analysts and guests, they'll have full coverage of all the day's top stories.

The Republican candidates, they're going all out in New Hampshire right now, where for some the upcoming primary may be all or nothing. CNN political reporter Sara Murray is in New Hampshire for us.

Sara, it's getting pretty rough out there on the campaign trail. What's the latest?

SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, Donald Trump is on top in New Hampshire, but he is certainly not taking any chances, barnstorming today and doubling his schedule.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MURRAY (voice-over): Tonight Donald Trump still on top in New Hampshire.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Folks, February 9, it's the beginning. We're going to take our country back.

MURRAY: And taking incoming fire from Iowa winner Ted Cruz.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump is very rattled right now.

MURRAY: In the final days before New Hampshire, Cruz is unloading everything he can at Trump, looking to bite into the businessman's lead.

CRUZ: He told the entire world he was going to win Iowa. And then he didn't win.

MURRAY: This time Trump is not quite predicting victory.

TRUMP: I don't know if I'm going to win, but I have a good chance.

MURRAY: As he tried to fend off his rivals in the Granite State.

TRUMP: It's called crunch time, right?

MURRAY: Trump using some bombastic language to slam his fellow contenders as insincere politicians.

TRUMP: These people, I'd like to use really foul language. I won't do it. I was going to say they're full of (EXPLETIVE DELETED), but I won't say that. No, it's true.

MURRAY: All while Cruz aims at Trump's core, using Jimmy Carter's suggestion that he would prefer a President Trump over Cruz.

JIMMY CARTER, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If I had a choice between Cruz and Trump, I think I would choose Trump.

MURRAY: And turning it to his advantage.

CRUZ: Jimmy Carter yesterday, he said, "Between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, I would support Donald Trump." And he explained why. Carter said, "Because Trump is malleable. He doesn't have any core beliefs. So he'll work with us and do what we want. But Cruz, that guy believes this stuff."

MURRAY: For some Republicans, New Hampshire could be their last shot at victory.

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We haven't even gone to the first primary yet. I would say take a chill pill.

MURRAY: And now is the time to punch up. With Marco Rubio moving up to second place in New Hampshire, Chris Christie is throwing everything he has at him, even painting his anti-abortion views as too extreme.

CHRISTIE: He's made it very clear that, on the issue of pro-life, Marco Rubio is not for an exception for rape, incest or life of the mother. Now, you know, I think that's the kind of position that New Hampshire voters would be really concerned about.

MURRAY: With sleep-deprived candidates spending weeks on the trail, the campaign was bound to take on a zany twist.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Every ad is either for a politician or for Geico. You know the one where the guy is fighting on the roof and his mom calls him. I love the line she says, "The squirrels are back." I'm way off topic.

TRUMP: Seriously, who would want to leave? Although I'm building a hotel right next door, which is also located on (UNINTELLIGIBLE). You know, I have my alternative. If this doesn't work out, I'll still be on Pennsylvania Avenue one way or the other.

CRUZ: Would it kill Republicans to tell a joke? Actually, some of them, I think it might. You know, have some fun.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MURRAY: Now, Wolf, that's the lighter side of the campaign trail, but you can expect things to get tougher in the upcoming days. We've seen Ted Cruz go after Donald Trump, and plenty of people start going after Marco Rubio. But I think the big question is when does Marco Rubio start going after Donald Trump here in the Granite State.

BLITZER: We'll see what happens. All right. Thanks very much, Sara.

The breaking news, our new CNN/WMUR poll, conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, shows Donald Trump with a big lead, but Marco Rubio is now surging into second place.

Let's go to our CNN political director, David Chalian. He's in New Hampshire for us with the results. So David, what are you learning about this new poll?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Wolf, let's take a look at those numbers, because they're pretty eye-popping. Look at these top two contenders right now in New Hampshire. You've got Donald Trump maintaining that big lead he has had in New Hampshire all along with 29 percent and now Marco Rubio in that second place slot with that 18 percent.

Then take a look at that battle for the next tier, because a lot of folks are bunched up there. You've got Ted Cruz at 13 percent, John Kasich at 12, Jeb Bush at 10, and Chris Christie trying to break into that tier a little lower down.

BLITZER: How does all this compare to the New Hampshire polls before the Iowa caucuses?

CHALIAN: It's such an important question, Wolf. It's why we took sort of the measure of the New Hampshire electorate right before Iowa to see its impact. And you see that Donald Trump has maintained his strength. He was at 30 percent before. He's at 29 percent now.

The biggest differences you see between pre-Iowa and post-Iowa is in that establishment lane. Marco Rubio, John Kasich, Jeb Bush, all making significant progress from their pre-Iowa numbers.

BLITZER: Have people basically already made up their minds in New Hampshire? For example, does Trump have some room to move up or down?

CHALIAN: Well, it's really interesting, Wolf, because a third of the Republican electorate says they're still open-minded about this. That is a huge swath of voters available with just five days to go. Lots of undecideds.

So we will definitely be on the lookout to see how the candidates are now changing their appeals, making their appeals to still persuade and win people over, not just lock up their base of support. And if you look at this one last number that's really interesting in the poll, 37 percent of New Hampshire Republican primary voters, likely Republican primary voters, say they would not vote for Donald Trump under any circumstance, none whatsoever.

That's a big chunk of the electorate that he now has to sort of leave on the sideline and focus where he can be sure to maintain and protect the lead that he has.

BLITZER: Is it fair to say, David, that polls in a primary like New Hampshire are more accurate than polls going into a caucus state like Iowa, because in a primary people go in. They go to the voting booth. They vote. They leave. They don't have to listen to speeches. They don't have to go into corners. They don't have to be public. They don't have to be cajoled. So presumably these polls in a primary are more accurate than they were in Iowa.

CHALIAN: Well, I know one thing is definitely easier in a primary state than a caucus state, and that's the part of the campaigns to actually get their voters out. It's a little easier to mobilize voters, as you said, to just go and cast that vote and then on their way to work or the rest of the day. They don't have to commit to that long meeting at the caucus site.

In terms of polling, it is difficult to poll a caucus state because of the nature of the event. I don't know that I can say these polls are any more accurate or less accurate. I think each poll sort of is on its own that way. But that's what we have to go on. And looking at the preponderance of the data that's available to us, Donald Trump's lead is still quite significant here in New Hampshire, despite his second place showing in Iowa.

BLITZER: All right. David Chalian, thanks very much.

Joining us now in THE SITUATION ROOM, the Trump campaign national spokeswoman, Katrina Pierson.

Katrina, thanks very much for joining us. First of all, your reaction to these new CNN/WMUR numbers.

KATRINA PIERSON, NATIONAL SPOKESWOMAN, TRUMP CAMPAIGN: Hi, Wolf, it's great to be here. We are really excited about our position in New Hampshire. Again, this is much different than Iowa. New Hampshire is the "live free or die state," so it's a little bit more tailored to Mr. Trump's policies and positions as a businessman wanting to hold government accountable and get things done in Washington.

BLITZER: He's still way ahead with 29 percent, but look at Marco Rubio. He's up 7 points since the last poll. He's firmly in second place. What do you make of that?

[17:10:10] PIERSON: Well, I think coming out of Iowa, he -- he showed a little bit better than predicted. And I think that's really helped him and that's given him a bounce.

But at the same time, New Hampshire is definitely a state that is tailor-made for someone like Donald Trump, who really isn't interested in telling you how to live your life but more interested on governing and giving you the environment to succeed on your own.

And so I think what we're going to see next week is a very different turnout for Mr. Trump, and I do think we're going to do well in New Hampshire. But we are definitely there. We are fighting. We have added more campaign stops in New Hampshire and not taking anything for granted.

BLITZER: What if he loses in New Hampshire?

PIERSON: Well, I don't think he's going to lose in New Hampshire, but if he does, we're on to South Carolina.

BLITZER: Take a look a little deeper, and David Chalian was just pointing this out to our viewers, Katrine: the new CNN/WMUR poll. It says that Trump has been ruled out by more of the likely voters in New Hampshire than any of the other Republicans in the field. Thirty- seven percent say they would never vote for Donald Trump. Does that worry you? PIERSON: It doesn't, because in all states you have a cutout of

voters who won't consider you. And Mr. Trump, you know, he's brand- new to politics, and there are some people that still prefer your simple politician that's going to go out there and tell you what you want to hear to get your vote and then govern differently.

There's going to be those slivers of groups in all states. New Hampshire, though, I think we're going to see something different. I feel very good about Mr. Trump's chances out there, particularly this cycle when people are very tired of the same old politicians with the same old promises.

BLITZER: Is Senator Rubio now Donald Trump's main threat in New Hampshire?

PIERSON: Well, Senator Rubio is moving up into the polls, but I think, you know, the competition is going to be for second place. Here we are again, having the same discussion, and the polls are probably going to be more likely to be spot-on than they were in Iowa.

So really the competition is going to be in second place, not necessarily for first, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Katrina, stand by. There's more to discuss. We're getting new information at the same time. Much more with Katrina Pierson when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Breaking news. A brand-new just-released CNN/WMUR poll showing Donald Trump clearly in first place heading into next week's New Hampshire primary. But with Senator Marco Rubio soaring into second place. The Iowa caucus, caucuses winner, Ted Cruz, he's locked in a fight for third place with Governor John Kasich and former Governor Jeb Bush.

We're back with the Donald Trump campaign national spokeswoman, Katrina Pierson.

Katrina, we saw a more combative Donald Trump last night. Earlier today, he seemed to have dropped that softer, more presidential tone that he initially took right after his second-place finish in Iowa. Does that seem to be the case? Is there a shift going on back to the -- let's say the old Donald Trump?

PIERSON: Well, I think what we've seen is after the Iowa caucus, as things began to trickle out like some of the things we're still hearing today with the dirty tricks that have happened, Mr. Trump, one of his biggest tenets, Wolf, is the fact that he hates this corruption and the lying and cheating in politics. And that's one of the reasons why he's running. He wants to put an end to that.

But now that we've seen what happened to Dr. Carson in Iowa, he actually wanted to get out there and let everybody know just how wrong it was. And so that's what we've been seeing over the last couple of days. BLITZER: Following his second-place finish in Iowa, can we expect

Donald Trump to change his strategy on the ground, for example, in New Hampshire and then moving on to South Carolina?

PIERSON: Well, definitely, Wolf. He's definitely putting more time and more energy into the ground game. And, you know, I'll just remind you in Iowa, this was a state where no one thought he had a chance just because of the makeup, which is completely opposite of New Hampshire. So he didn't spend a lot of time and a lot of money in that state.

He would spend about a quarter million dollars compared to tens of millions of dollars of other candidates and still came in second place, so we're very proud of how he produced in Iowa.

Then moving forward, we've had organizations in place for quite some time, and they've been out there working very hard.

BLITZER: We know he's been very tough in going after Ted Cruz. Is he going to start doing the same thing to Marco Rubio, now that -- now that Rubio has surged into second place in our brand-new CNN poll in New Hampshire?

PIERSON: Well, Mr. Trump has always had this -- this concept of not going after anyone until they go after him. And he has pretty much held true to that.

You know, this whole thing with Senator Cruz started when he was talking bad about Mr. Trump that leaked from a private room meeting. And if Marco Rubio goes after Trump, Mr. Trump is going to respond in kind. This really isn't about being where you are in the polls. It's about defending yourself.

BLITZER: His ground game in New Hampshire seems to be accelerating. Today there were, what, four different events scheduled for him. That's pretty unusual, isn't it?

PIERSON: Well, it is. He's definitely added events. Like I said, we're not going to take anything for granted. We have a very strong lead in New Hampshire. We have a lot of supporters in New Hampshire. We want to let them know we support them just as much.

Katrina Pierson is the spokeswoman for the Trump campaign. Katrina, thanks very much.

PIERSON: Thanks, Wolf. Good to be here.

BLITZER: Please be sure to stay with CNN. My colleague, Anderson Cooper and New Hampshire voters, they will ask Donald Trump some tough questions. You can see it later tonight, 8 p.m. Eastern, on "AC 360."

Right now let's get the insights we need from our political experts. Joining us, our CNN political commentator, Bakari Sellers. He's a former member of the South Carolina State House of Representatives. CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein. He's the editorial director of "The National Journal." Also with us, our politics executive editor, Mark Preston, and CNN political commentator, S.E. Cupp.

[17:20:12] All right, guys. Just stand by for a moment. I want to take a quick break. I want to get this new information we're coming in. We've got lots to discuss. Much more right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: All right. Let's get back to the breaking news. A just- released CNN/WMUR tracking poll shows Donald Trump holding onto a big lead in New Hampshire just ahead of next Tuesday's primary there.

We're back with our political experts.

Mark, you studied this poll closely. Trump is still in the lead in New Hampshire. Is it make-or-break for him in New Hampshire right now? If he wins, obviously, Tuesday, great news. What happens if he doesn't?

[17:25:09] MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Well, Wolf, I mean, a couple things. One is there's the expectations game, and there's the reality.

Now, the expectations game was created by Donald Trump, because he said he was such a winner. He always talked about the polls. Certainly in Iowa and how well he was doing.

The media loves a good story, so when Donald Trump is supposed to win in Iowa and yet comes in second place, it's an amazing story. Ted Cruz comes out of nowhere.

But the reality is that Donald Trump has an incredible amount of money. He has the fuel to keep his campaign going. Look, we're looking at Marco Rubio, who came in third place in Iowa, and a lot of people think that he has the momentum to get the Republican nomination.

Donald Trump comes in second place in Iowa, has spent zero money, basically, is up 11 points right now here in the state of New Hampshire. He could keep going.

So as much as we talk about it, Wolf, that Donald Trump might have a problem. If he doesn't win here in New Hampshire, it's not the end of his candidacy. He's got enough fuel, enough money to keep it going.

BLITZER: And right now he does have a double-digit lead over Marco Rubio in New Hampshire, according to our new poll. Bakari, Rubio clearly, though, has jumped into a strong second place. We've heard some Democrats suggest he's the candidate that makes them most nervous in a general election. Are Democrats nervous about Rubio's rise?

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think any Democrat that's honest with themselves and honest with the American public would say that Marco Rubio is the most appealing candidate, inspirational candidate that the Republican Party has on their side.

With that being said, Marco Rubio also has the ability to appeal to nonwhite voters, depending on his immigration stance for that day of the week.

But Marco Rubio has one major flaw in that no one can point out a GOP primary state that Marco Rubio can be successful in and actually get a "W." I know he's counting on South Carolina, but right now he's running behind Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. So I'm not sure that Marco Rubio will actually get the nomination, but to answer your question specifically, Marco Rubio does pose some problems for Democrats in November. Not anything we can't overcome, but he definitely poses problems.

BLITZER: S.E., Chris Christie right now, according to our brand-new poll, not doing so well in New Hampshire. I assume he's losing some votes to Marco Rubio right now. If you take a look, Trump 29, Rubio 18. But Christie is down at only 4 percent right now.

S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes. As Rubio has surged, he's eaten into what was a comfortable position for Chris Christie in New Hampshire. He'd gotten that "Union-Leader" endorsement. He was doing really well. But Marco Rubio is on the rise. And that's why you've seen Chris Christie train his sights on Marco Rubio, really going at him hard. We should have expected Chris Christie to turn to the senators and question their experience. He's a sitting governor. That makes total sense.

But what Chris Christie has to understand is coming out of Iowa, among voters who said that political experience was the most important criterion for them, Marco Rubio led. So it's not -- it's just not hammering the effect that Chris Christie wants to have with Rubio and his supporters.

BLITZER: Ron, Chris Christie has really been attacking Marco Rubio, almost nonstop over the past few days. Why is it Rubio hitting right back at Christie?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Rubio is more focused in the other direction. I mean, he's more focused in eating into the Trump and Cruz support. The view inside the Rubio campaign is that eventually all of the other centrist candidates will fade away -- Kasich, Bush, Christie -- and those voters will have no choice but to gravitate toward Rubio, who they will see as more preferable to Cruz and Trump.

I mean, you do have out of Iowa the potential for New Hampshire to cement a three-way division in this race. And Republicans will be talking about it. Never really had an extended three-way race. But if you have Ted Cruz consolidating evangelicals and then what we saw in Iowa, where the voters were not evangelicals. The blue collar ones went with Trump. And Rubio hasn't really gotten much attention; already won in Iowa the white-collar voters who aren't evangelicals.

And Wolf, that is the biggest single bloc in New Hampshire, so he may have more room to grow if he can separate more from Christie, Kasich and Bush.

BLITZER: Mark, George W. Bush, the former president, now appearing in a brand-new ad for his brother, Jeb Bush. Is that a good strategy? PRESTON: It is a good strategy. Certainly, when you're looking at

where the race goes next, it goes to South Carolina. George W. Bush is very well-liked down there.

You know, the big question about George W. Bush in playing a role in his brother's campaign is why did it take this long?

Now, we could, you know, go back and forth and say that he still has problems. You know, the Iraq war still dogged by that. The economy collapsed at the end of -- at the end of his presidency.

But yet with Republican voters, if you go back and ask them what they think of George W. Bush, they still like George W. Bush. So I think that when we do a dissection of this campaign, when it's all said and done, Wolf, I think one of the main points is going to be, is that George W. Bush probably should have played a bigger role in his brother's campaign.

BLITZER: You know what? Let's listen to a little bit of that. We'll hear a little piece of this new George W. Bush ad supporting his brother.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[17:30:03] GEORGE W. BUSH, 43RD PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The job of the president is to protect America. Our next president must be prepared to lead. I know Jeb. I know his good heart and his strong backbone. Jeb will unite our country. He knows how to bring the world together against terror, he knows when tough measures must be taken. Experience and judgment count in the Oval Office. Jeb Bush is a leader who will keep our country safe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jeb Bush, Right to Rise USA is responsible --

BUSH: The job of the president is to protect --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: It's interesting, Ron Brownstein, originally Jeb Bush, he was just running under the name Jeb, exclamation point. And Bush wasn't even there and now his mother is coming to campaign for him in New Hampshire. We see George W. Bush now with this new ad. He seems to be running back much more assertively towards his family trying to get them involved on behalf of his campaign.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: You know, if you think about this in the long sweep, Wolf, the Tea Party began initially more as a reaction to George W. Bush than to Barack Obama. It began as kind of a backlash against the sense that Bush had been a big -- quote, "a big government conservative." And I think when Jeb Bush started this campaign and was kind of looking at appealing across the GOP spectrum, George W. Bush was more of a dual-edged sword.

Now he has certainly been squeezed out anything, you know, well to the right of center. His sole hope is consolidating as much as he can about center right establishment lane and with those voters I think that he thinks George W. Bush is probably more of an asset than he was when he was looking to appeal more broadly across the Republican spectrum.

BLITZER: All right, guys, stand by. We have a lot more to assess, including the Democratic side. The fallout from the CNN town hall. Bernie and Hillary, what's the result. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:36:22] BLITZER: We're getting some breaking news in Hillary Clinton's campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. News her campaign probably will appreciate.

A brand new report from State Department investigators has just revealed that classified information has now turned up in the personal e-mails of two other former secretaries of state, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice's staffers, top aides to Condoleezza Rice, not Condoleezza Rice herself.

Clinton's e-mail, as you know, under FBI investigation right now. Hovering sort of a cloud over her campaign right now.

Let's go to our senior Washington correspondent, Jeff Zeleny, who's following the Democratic race.

I assume this is good news for the Hillary Clinton campaign. She's not the first former secretary of state to have had classified information in her private e-mail account.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: No question, Wolf. This is something the Clinton campaign has been pointing out all along. They said that she did nothing that different from previous secretaries of state. Of course she did set up her own e-mail server, that's slightly different, but she said that none of her information was classified at the time.

But while that's sort of on the backburner now, Hillary Clinton has another fight on her hands here in New Hampshire with Bernie Sanders.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZELENY (voice-over): The battle lines are drawn for Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I was somewhat amused today that Senator Sanders has set himself up to be the gatekeeper on who's a progressive.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I do not know any progressive who has a super PAC and takes $15 million from Wall Street.

ZELENY: The CNN presidential town hall shined new light on their competing visions for the Democratic Party and competing definitions of what it means to be a progressive, otherwise known as liberal. SANDERS: Secretary Clinton said some people call me -- I'm

paraphrasing. Some people call me a moderate, and I proudly, you know, say that I am a moderate. That's what she said.

ZELENY: Under that standard, Clinton said few Democrats would fit the bill.

CLINTON: Barack Obama would not be a progressive, Joe Biden would not be a progressive.

ZELENY: Five days before the New Hampshire primary, a sharp point of contention, Wall Street. And today, Sanders solicited $3 donations, telling his supporters that the CEO of Goldman Sachs called his campaign dangerous.

A not-so-subtle reminder of how Clinton struggled to explain her speaking fees in 2013 from that same investment bank.

CLINTON: Look, I made speeches to lots of groups. I told them what I thought. I answered questions.

ANDERSON COOPER, MODERATOR, CNN TOWN HALL: But did you have to be paid $675,000?

CLINTON: Well, I don't know. That's what they offered so --

(LAUGHTER)

ZELENY: Sanders faces obstacles of his own, even among admirers who aren't sure he could actually govern.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have worked for many years to say it's my way or the highway.

SANDERS: People may portray me in this respect. It is not accurate to say that it's my way or the highway. .

ZELENY: He embraces an outsiders' appeal, but Sanders served in Congress for a quarter century. As a former chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee, he conceded being slow to react to the V.A. wait list scandal.

The candidates also revealed a side rarely seen on the campaign trail. A rabbi asked Clinton how she balances ego and humility.

CLINTON: I don't know that there is any ever absolute answer. Like OK, universe, here I am, watch me roar or, oh my gosh, I can't do it, it's just overwhelming. I have to retreat.

ZELENY: She says she's guided by faith.

CLINTON: I get a scripture lesson every morning from a minister that I have a really close personal relationship with.

[17:40:07] ZELENY: Sanders says he's guided more by spirituality. SANDERS: So my spirituality is that we are all in this together. And

that when children go hungry, when veterans sleep out on the street, it impacts me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZELENY: And there's no question that this campaign in the next five days, it's an uphill battle for Hillary Clinton. Bernie Sanders holds a commanding lead here but they are not taking anything for granted.

You can see the rally here behind me is just about to start here in the town of Rochester. They're going to be campaigning aggressively for the next five days until the New Hampshire primary. The second stop on the road to the White House is next Tuesday -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And at the top of the hour we'll be releasing our new CNN- WMUR poll numbers on the Democratic race. I think our viewers will be interested to see what's going on. Stand by for that. In the meantime let's go back to our political experts.

Mark, what do you make of this new development, Colin Powell and staffers, top staffers to Condoleezza Rice, both Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell, while they were serving as secretary of state under George W. Bush, also received classified information on their personal e-mail accounts. How is this going to play out as far as the Hillary Clinton campaign is concerned?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Well, certainly they're going to try to use it as cover to say that she wasn't the first to do it and that this was a common practice, you know, not only during her tenure but also previous secretary of states, but it's not going to quell the criticism that she has received for doing it and certainly it's not going to quell the criticism for the fact that she had a private server in her house, Wolf.

You know, the bottom line is, is that this is going to be an issue that is going to dog her. It is not necessarily going to dog her here in the primary, although it will cast some doubt on Democrats who are comparing her -- between her and Bernie Sanders. If she wins the nomination, that's where it's really going to become an issue or at least Republicans will try to make it an issue.

BLITZER: Ron, do you think when Hillary Clinton was asked last night by Anderson Cooper if she prefers being considered the underdog right now, do you think that could actually help her in New Hampshire that she's not necessarily favored to win?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, it certainly did last time, you know, in 2008 and there was an emotional moment in a diner where she seemed to be on the brink and tears and that definitely propelled her forward.

You know, I don't think a lot of voters really are moved by that kind of question. I mean, you know, the big issue for Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders is not going to be settled in New Hampshire. New Hampshire is likely to kind of reinforce the lines we saw in Iowa where generation, age more than gender, or anything else, loomed as the biggest divide in this race.

The big remaining question we're not going to see answered until we get to Nevada and South Carolina, which is how that diversity of the Democratic Party weighs in. African-American and Hispanic voters, Bernie Sanders has to improve among them to really contest this.

BLITZER: We're going to head to South Carolina, Bakari. Does Bernie Sanders have the same support among young, let's say minority voters in South Carolina? There's a much bigger percentage of Democrats who are minorities in South Carolina than either Iowa or New Hampshire for that matter. Does he have what it takes potentially to win in South Carolina?

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, that's a question that's yet to be answered. What we do know is from the election in Iowa, Bernie Sanders lost nonwhite voters by 24 points to Hillary Clinton. That trend will probably move forward into New Hampshire and it's going to have to see if his message can be tested here in South Carolina and in Nevada.

I mean, what we're talking about is an overwhelming swath, a majority of voters in South Carolina in the Democratic primary are African- American. Hillary Clinton has the infrastructure, she has the message, but what you saw last night in that Democratic forum was Bernie Sanders in criminal justice reform and other issues begin to talk to voters in South Carolina.

I'm not saying that Bernie Sanders is going to get blown out, but it's definitely going to be an uphill battle for him here in South Carolina, a lot like it is for Hillary in New Hampshire.

BLITZER: Very quickly, among women voters according to our entrance polls in Iowa, Hillary Clinton did much better with older women. The younger women overwhelmingly went with Bernie Sanders. That's pretty unusual.

S.E. CUPP, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, Bernie Sanders is really tapped into millennial support, especially among women. That's significant, although if we look at past elections with high youth voter turnout, for example, 2008, Obama which is the highest since 1972, it was a sizeable amount but Obama still would have won had all of those youth voters stayed home. So Bernie is going to have to do a lot better with some other coalitions to turn that youth vote into a nomination win.

BLITZER: All right. Guys, stand by. We're about to release new details of our brand new poll showing how the Democratic presidential candidates are standing right now in the crucial first primary state of New Hampshire. We'll release those right at the top of the hour.

Meanwhile, there are now some more disturbing signs that North Korea is fueling a rocket which Pyongyang says will lift a satellite into space, but the U.S. is deeply concerned right now it's cover for testing a long-range missile which could one day carry a nuclear warhead.

[17:45:01]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: There's growing activity at a site where North Korea says it will soon launch a satellite. There's growing alarm about Kim Jong- Un's real intentions.

CNN's Brian Todd is tracking the latest developments for us. Brian, what are you learning?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tonight, Wolf, we're getting indications from U.S., South Korean and Japanese officials that a launch is imminent. We've got these new satellite images showing vehicles, some of them for personnel at the launch site. And we've learned Kim Jong-Un could give the go order as early as Sunday in the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): New indications tonight that Kim Jong-Un is about to launch a long-range rocket into space.

[17:50:04] A U.S. official tells CNN North Korea may already be fueling a rocket at its Dongchang-ri site.

THOMAS KARAKO, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: Whenever they get real close is when they'll move it over to the launch pad. We won't have a lot of warning at that point.

TODD: Newly released satellite images from the monitoring group 38 North show the presence of vehicles, including buses for personnel, at the launch site. The images show another ominous sign about the launch tower.

KARAKO: They've made it higher. Ten meters higher since the last time they tried one of these launches.

TODD (on camera): What does that mean?

KARAKO: Well, it could mean that it's a bigger rocket.

TODD (voice-over): A bigger rocket with a longer range possibly capable of hitting the continental United States.

Kim's regime has already declared it will launch a satellite into space as early as this weekend. While the regime says it's an earth observation satellite, experts say that's a cover.

BRUCE KLINGNER, FORMER CIA ANALYST: They can claim it's a civilian satellite but that's the same technology that you would need to put an ICBM warhead anywhere you want on the face of the earth.

TODD: The expected path of this launch has the U.S., South Korean and Japanese militaries on alert tonight. The first stage of the rocket is supposed to drop into the Yellow Sea off the coast of South Korea. A cover for the actual satellite should fall into the East China Sea. Then another stage drops into the Philippine Sea, but the U.S. and its allies say they'll shoot these components out of the sky if they go astray.

Coming on the heels of North Korea's fourth nuclear bomb test, analysts believe Kim's doing this to build his stature inside his country to show he can stand up to the U.S. and his other enemies. But they worry the young violent dictator might miscalculate.

KLINGNER: We know less about him than his father and his grandfather. We even have concerns that perhaps he doesn't understand the concepts of red lines. That he might stumble across a red line that his father or grandfather would have known to stop short of.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD: Experts also worry about Kim's dangerous partnerships. They say North Korea cooperates a great deal with Iran on missile and nuclear technology. Now one analyst told us he wouldn't be surprised if when this rocket is launched there are several Iranian scientists at the site. They want to learn about North Korea's missile technology and possibly buy some of it -- Wolf.

BLITZER: You know, there's a lot of concern about this North Korean cooperation, if you will, with Iran.

What are the main obstacles Kim's regime has to overcome to be able to send a nuclear warhead to the United States?

TODD: Well, experts tell us, Wolf, they've got the nuclear warheads, they've got the long range missile capability. What they have not done yet is test whether these missiles can carry something as heavy as a warhead that far. And these long range missiles have to go into space then re-enter the atmosphere near their targets.

One analysts says the North Koreans have not yet tested the capability of these missiles to hold together upon re-entry into the atmosphere. But of course as evidenced here, they're working on all of that.

BLITZER: All right. Brian, thanks very much.

Meanwhile, Washington is watching all of this very, very closely. And for good reason.

Let's bring in our global affairs correspondent, Elise Labott.

Elise, how concerned is the U.S. right now based on all the interviews you've been conducted about this possible launch?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS REPORTER: Well, they're very concerned, Wolf. Whether the launch is successful or not, every time North Korea does one of these launches, as we've been saying, they're perfecting their long-range ballistic missile capability. And given the advances that they have in other areas, where we call weaponization, fitting a warhead on a missile, the U.S. is very concerned that eventually North Korea will have all the components to put together an intercontinental ballistic missile to hit the United States.

And officials say that this is on the heels of the North Korean nuclear test. Usually North Korea waits for a launch to see if the international community will respond with sanctions. This time they're just going for it and consequences be damned. And officials say this signals how erratic and unpredictable Kim Jong-Un is.

BLITZER: So what, if anything, can the U.S. do about this?

LABOTT: Well, they're considering a lot of things. Right now all the main action is that the United Nations in New York to respond to this nuclear test. The main thing is the Chinese are dragging their feet right now, as usual.

I was in Beijing with Secretary Kerry last week. Some very tense meetings there. U.S. also considering some other unilateral sanctions against the North Korean economy. And then they're also looking to boost missile defense, not just in Seoul but also possibly in Hawaii and Alaska, in the United States. But right now the main action is that the U.N., they feel that they want to see what they can get out of the Chinese because any unilateral actions are bound to upset the Chinese.

BLITZER: And as Brian reported, how concerned are U.S. officials about North Korean nuclear cooperation with Iran? We know the North Koreans helped Syria build a nuclear reactor which the Israelis blew up. But what about Iran?

LABOTT: It's something they're watching very closely, not just in terms of Iran gaining more ballistic missile and other capabilities. That's a very big concern, but also they want to deny North Korea that source of income so it's a two-prong concern, really. Denying North Korea any more money to continue its nuclear program and also denying Iran missile capability because the U.S. is very concerned about that.

[17:55:09] BLITZER: And we know the Iranians have billions of dollars more right now.

LABOTT: That's right.

BLITZER: To potentially spend that money.

LABOTT: From those things, that nuclear deal.

BLITZER: I know there's a lot of concern about that. All right. Thanks very much, Elise, for that.

Coming up, our brand new poll shows Donald Trump leading in New Hampshire. Marco Rubio surging into second place among the Republicans. We're standing by. Moments away, we'll be releasing our brand new poll results for the two Democratic presidential candidates. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Happening now, breaking news. Bernie's big number. A new CNN poll just being released right now shows Senator Bernie Sanders with a commanding lead over Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire, a state she won back in 2008. Can Hillary Clinton turn it around --