Support. Once again, donald trump is proving to be the singular no show in iowa. Of the main contenders, hes the only one not here. Trump instead in New Hampshire. Boasting about his move to skip the Republican Debate in des moines is the right thing. He raised 6 million for veterans. Number one, we have february 1st. I think were going to do really well in iowa. Were leading in the iowa polls now. Leading pretty good. And cruz is in second place. He got really pumped last night. Actually, im glad wasnt there because i guess he got pummeled, wow and, you know, they didnt even mention that he was born in canada. Trump is due back in iowa tomorrow. Let me turn to our executive editor of cnn politics mark pressen who is joining me now. To that pummeling note he mentioned, is it really fair granted, a lot of people agree it was not a great night for ted cruz but is it fair for the guy who didnt even show up at the debate to say the guy got pummeled . Who uses that type of language in a president ial race . We could have said that five months ago. They didnt even say he was a canadian citizen. Look, this is a campaign we have never seen in our lifetime. Donald trump is doing things we would never ever think a candidate could do. But hes right, cruz had a terrible night. It was because of the other candidates on stage who decided to turn their fire on trump. In fact two of them, rand paul and marco rubio who served with him in the senate, had this to say about him. What is particularly insulting, though, is that he is the king of saying, oh, youre for amnesty. Everybodys for amnesty except for ted cruz. But its a falseness. Thats an authenticity problem. That everybody he knows is not as perfect as him because were all for amnesty. This is the lie that teds campaign is built on. Hes the most conservative guy and everyone else is, you know, a rhino. The truth is ted throughout this campaign u be campaign, youve been willing to say or do anything to get votes. You worked for bushs campaign. In the committee you said i want to bring people out of the shadows. Now you want to trump trump on immigration. Here we go, the reason why that is significant is because you have marco rubio on one side, cruz on the other side. From different political sides and they came together. A lot of people are talking about rubio. About how he really shown last night. And we know its all about getting that evangelical vote. He was try to steal those voters away from ted cruz. Whats interesting is we havent highlighted it enough in the media is marco rubio talks often about his faith when hes on the campaign trail. It doesnt get picked up by us but we talked about his faith often and we saw that last night. As rubio and cruz sort of fumbled over what they do or dont support when it comes to immigration specifically, Chris Christie jumped in, winning some of the biggest cheers of the night by saying, you know what, its okay to change your mind. I feel like i need a washington to English Dictionary convertor, right. I mean, heard what they both said. I saw it on the video. The fact is this is what makes a difference when youre a governor. You can change your mind. Ted could change his mind. Its perfectly legal to change your mind. When youre governor, you have to admit it. You cant hide behind parliamentary tricks. Thats the difference. Stop the washington bull and lets get things done. So lets follow through on who supported what when it comes to immigration. With me now republican strategist and cnn political commentator Margaret Hoover and david yapson, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois university. And formerly with the Des Moines Register. Youre back from a phenomenal maternity leave. Want to say. Welcome back. So david, to you first. On immigration and the fact that, you know, the moderators did show some videos highlighting how one person said one thing back in the day and how theyve evolved or flipflopped, whatever word you want to use. Who is closest to telling the truth on immigration . I couldnt do a truth watch on that. They really do confuse the issue. They both have been on different sides of this. So theyre both trying to drive to each others negatives. Its a hot issue with republicans. Its not the only driving issue but it is an important issue. What did you think on it . Well, in the room played differently. And in the room people who watched it say that was marcos weakest moment. On television i thought he threaded the needle well. He said were not going to deport 11 million people. But theres foregive the term a centrist way handling this that is humane and consistent with the principles that made this country great. I want to stay on marco rubio. Let me pull my prop. Because everybodys been showing the cover of the de mine register today and talking about yes, rough night for ted cruz. Who else is in the picture. Marco rubio. Yes, the paper has endorsed him. To me, it was a strong night for him. And my question though is when you think about marco rubio, listen, hes not going to win iowa. You think ahead to South Carolina when a lot of those, you know, primary state republican voters, theyre not going to they dont typically show up. Hes losing to trump. What rubio has said all along. I think the plan high in the sky before trump was three, two, one. Third place in iowa, second place in New Hampshire, first place in South Carolina. From multiple people in the party that rubios on the rise. He did himself good last night. Most iowans have not made up their mind. The decision, many of then, the last day of the caucus. There still is an opening for marco maybe third or maybe even better. Hes sort of a default candidate for a lot of people. I heard people say rubios good or okay or i want to know more. Dont underestimate the power of what happened at the caucus site itself. Explain that. This isnt the primary where you go in and cast the vote. You meet with your neighbors. You talk politics. If i think you know something about politics and you say you like candidate a, maybe ill join with you. That neighbor to neighbor thing is very powerful. Thats where i think rubio comes in. Kind of the default candidate who everybody in the party can see as something they like. Tea party people, prolife people, moderates in the party. But youve seen he is coming up. Were in the final crucial three days. Youve seen the numbers how trump and cruz are neck and neck. What does camp rubio need to do to change that in the final stretch . Theyre doing it. Remember, polls are a lousy predictor of what happens on caucus night. Lots of margin of error. So rubios doing what he has to do. Moving around. Getting some buzz going. I think margarets right. He did hold his own stylistically on that immigration debate. Thats important, how he handled himself. Yeah, hes moving up. Final thought from you. Sprint to the finish now. I mean, everybody will tell you here in iowa, nobodys ever seen anything like this. Even as we talk about the nuances and immigration, it doesnt matter. This is a donald trump year. He has changed the table and is running it. 30 years at the paper here, ever see anything like this . Obama campaign on the democratic side. You know, theres something that happens. Two candidates get into it the way cruz and trump have gotten into it on immigration. The third candidate could be the real winner and that could be rubio. David yepsen and Margaret Hoover, thank you. This weekend, Ted Cruz Marco Rubio Bernie Sanders they will all be on state of the union right here on cnn. If iowa is not bellwether for the eventually nominees, is the nations first prize overrated . Also ahead, the ratings are in. Trump predicted the debate would be a disaster. Find out exactly how many people tuned in to his event compared to the debate with the rest of the candidates. Also ahead, Hillary Clinton releasing an ad featuring attorney general, former attorney general eric holder. Critics say shes fearmongering with this. Decide for yourself. This is how banks used to see me. Ever since i had a pretty bad accident three years ago. The medical bills the Credit Card Debt all piled up. I knew i had to get serious my credit. Whfight back fastts tums smoothies starts dissolving the instant it touches your tongue and neutralizes stomach acid at the source tum, tum, tum, tum smoothies only from tums hi this is conor. Usic sorry i missed you. Im either away from my desk or on another call. Please leave a message and ill get back to you just as soon as im available. Thank you for patience at this busy time. Join Princess Cruises for stargazing with discovery at sea. Book now for savings up to 1,000 per stateroom plus up to 600 free onboard spending money. Call your travel consultant or 1800princess. Princess cruises. Come back new. Every Auto Insurance policy has a number. But not every Insurance Company understands the life behind it. Those who have served our nation have earned the very best service in return. Usaa. We know what it means to serve. Get an Auto Insurance quote and see why 92 of our members plan to stay for life. And were back. Youre watching cnn. Brook baldwin live in des moines, iowa. With the exception of donald trump who is in New Hampshire at the moment, republicans and democrats are busy crisscrossing this state today with only three days remaining before the nations first president ial contest of this election year. They are busy, busy, holding rallies and town halls. Even though the road to the white house begins in iowa history shows since the 1970s only three republicans and five democrats who won here have actually gone on to win their respective partys domination. The question were asking today is iowa overrated. Joined now by political reporter may wesson and in new york republican pollster kelly ann conway. Shes also the president and ceo of the Polling Company and does analytics for one of ted cruzs superpacs. Maev, im just going to turn to you, why does iowa matter . Its the first in the nation contest obviously and a lot of people in the party would like to change that. But this goes back to even the 70s when someone like jimmy carter came to iowa. Little known georgia governor who was able to work his way around the state and really reshape the president ial contest. And so its a place where people can come without huge advertising dollars. Levels of playing field. Really stand out by going to these tiny towns, you know, sometimes with just 20 people in the room and thats why people like Rick Santorum Mike Huckabee have been able to win in these last contests because they really worked it and people over time got to know them and then they pulled off the surprise on caucus night. And then ultimately they didnt win the partys nomination. Then barack obama, obviously was a different story for him in 08. If the caucuses arent the best indicator, then why continue the tradition . Because in politics inertia is the most powerful force until taken over by friction. These conversations happen almost constantly. Lets change it and why are iowa and New Hampshire so dominant. Next week, well talk a little about iowa and then it will fade to you. We have four contests, two ux ka caucuses, just in the month of february. There are candidates for whom iowa makes this difference. It puts them on the map because the shoe leather and the showing up is how you win iowa. I do suspect the way you started this segment is the way everybody who does not win on monday night will come out on tuesday. They will say well it doesnt really matter because i want to be the nominee and iowa has a bad record of picking the nominee. I think to maeves point, if you had someone like donald trump who just rolls in and chunks a bunch of money down for ads, it wouldnt be fair to everyone else. Quote, iowa looks nothing like the rest of america. As a result, the winners mor s often than not. Youre supposed to recognize the fraud of cruz and how trump is playing you. Youre not doing your job. Your bull manure detector is broken. Youre smiling but is there any truth . The people you meet out in these towns really do reflect, you know, what people are thinking in the heartland. So to that ek stent it is important. Someone like ted cruz has really connected with evangelicals here. At the same time, donald trump has upended every piece of this race here in iowa by coming in. Its really just all conventional wisdom might not matter and the vetting might not matter of the other candidates because donald trump may just blow it out. In three days, what could be the Biggest Surprise . That donald trump does not win. Hes been leading every single poll nationwide. With most states with the exception of one or two polls. Like the entire time, six months. If he doesnt win, it doesnt mean the polls are wrong it means exactly what maeve just said that voters have a funny way of repeating history or making it. Theyre poised to make history because i think the establishment candidates are actually getting nowhere in iowa. Theyll start going New Hampshire. The other big story, if trump does win iowa, by how much. Because its not winner take all. Four or five people at least will walk out with delegates in their pockets. And to everyones point, you know, here in iowa you can change your point. This is not checking a box. This is a coming in, listening and change your mind. Maeve weston and kelly ann, thank you. Liked the inertia quote by the way. Coming up next you can have it. Thank you. Did donald trump steal the show without showing up to that Republican Debate right . The ratings are in. Well see what the debate numbers look like without the front rrunner on the stage. Also ahead, was it an inside job . We have to talk about this today. Reports of a Major Development involving that Russian Airliner suspected of being bombed out of the sky over egypt. Focus now turning to an airline mechanic. Thats straight ahead. A card game is always different when theres no trump but it appears thats not the case for the seventh republican primary faceoff. It did not feature trump. The trumpless debate clocked 12 million viewers. Thats the Second Lowest viewership of the debates thus far this season. Far more than the 2 millionplus people who watched coverage of trumps competing event. With me the man who watched all the numbers with us at cnn. Host of cnn reliable sources john stelter. A great to have both of you on. Brian, i can imagine your eagerness getting the numbers. How did it stack up against previous debates . It is a fascinating case. Donald trump knows hes a ratings magnet. We can show how much this is comparing to prior debates. You can see here december 15th our debate in las vegas from about a month and a half ago, 18 million. There was a more recent debate. It was on fox business. You can see in the middle of the screen, it had 11 million. So the message today from the fox news side is we beat the ratings from two weeks ago. The debate on fox business was on a harder to find channel and it wasnt nearly as much drama and anticipation. This debate was hyped like no debate had been before. I think when we see there were only 12. 5 million viewers, it means that some of trumps fans definitely did not watch fox. Instead, they went to find trump on cnn or msnbc or online or on cspan so there was clearly some impact. I think trump did do some damage from foxs ratings. Ted cruz, marco rubio, they were still in front a big audience last night. They had a great opportunity to speck speak to 10 million voters. The question is did they squander it or not. Jill, do you think it was a risk worth taking for trump seeing those numbers . I absolutely do lly do. I dont see how he could have avoided it because fox made a little box they couldnt get out of. Once those nasty comments were made about mr. Trump, not by a columnist, not somebody like bill oreilly whos paid to give his opinion, but by the Public Relations department. Once that was made, then mr. Trump had a perfect excuse to get out of the debate. Whether or not he was afraid of megyn kelly, didnt know. Kind of doubt that. I find her to be a very tough interviewer. So i think mr. Trump actually ended up on top once again. And, you know, perception really does, to use a phrase, trump reality. And if in the minds of viewers, mr. Trump comes off as the person who has shown a powerful leader as i think he did then regardless of whether you like him or not, he won the day. There was a risk though with if there is a check in the win column for trump, does he dare try Something Like this again . Well, wow. Go ahead, brian. Brian, im going to give this one to you. Well, this time next week, theres a debate on abc. If trump doesnt go to that debate, everybodys going to say the same thing. You are afraid to debate. I think he has no choice. Hell have to go to next weeks debate. You raise an interesting question down the road. Can he continue to do this if he gets upset with the Television Network . Can he threaten to take himself away . I do think its possible. Unfortunately i think the Campaign Manager went a little too far setting expectations this week. He said on morning joe i think without trump this debate might only get 1 million or 2 million viewers. That was obviously an overstatement. So although he does have some ratings pull, its not 100 . I would agree with that. Jill, last question to you. Go ahead. And then ive got one more. I agree with that because you know, first off, the abc debate is logically going to be viewed by more people because the networks have a bigger draw then the Cable Networks do. In fact, a lot of my students arent even subscribed to cable television. So the only way theyre going to say it aint so, jill. Well get them hooked up for you. Actually, in this season, cable is doing better than broadcast for the first time and fox news does live stream its debates. People are able to find them at least. Well, thats the key. Good for you, brian. Its going to be done through unconventional ways. And it still will work for them if they and it ended up on social media for example so there you go. Those young people have cell phones. Even if trump wasnt on the stage, he still dominated twitter. People were still talking about him. It almost didnt matter he didnt show u because he still won the night. Incredible. Brian stelter and jill olmstead, let me leave it, thank you so much. And make sure you tell your young people that theres cell phones and a little thing called cnn. Com and cnn go and they can find us wherever even if they dont have cable, no excuse. Thanks to both of you. Really appreciate it. Coming up next, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton holding competing rallies as the candidates sprint to the finish. Hear what one viewer just asked Hillary Clinton. That caught her offguard. Plus, hes feeling the burn. Comedian tommy chong throwing his support behind senator sanders. Why he said Bernie Sanders should be the next president. Tommy chong joins me live next. Y and stowingability. Rackability and hvacability. Its fully customizable and sized just right to give you cupcakeability, entourageability. Garageability and even affordability. Starting at 28,950. Available in cargo or passenger. From mercedesbenz. Is youyou may be muddling through allergies. Lode . Try zyrtec®d to powerfully clear your blocked nose and relieve your other allergy symptoms. So, you can breathe easier all day. Zyrtec®d. At the pharmacy counter. Human maintenance guy would acti got to hang a picture. Am. It may not seem like much, but to that resident it was the best thing in the world. Its amazing to me because it takes me seconds. But yet, when i go into the apartment, im there for half an hour. 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Call to learn more. Switch to Liberty Mutual and you could save up to 509. Call Liberty Mutual for a free quote today at see Car Insurance in a whole new light. Liberty mutual insurance. Welcome back. Im Brooke Baldwin live in iowa. Statehouse just over my shoulder, absolutely gorgeous. Were three days away from the first in the nation caucus. This is an especially high stakes day of campaigning for the democrats. Hillary clinton and Bernie Sanders are neck and neck. Both have launched their fair share of ads in iowa. Now clinton is rolling out a radio ad in South Carolina featuring former attorney general eric holder. Heres a piece of it. I served with Hillary Clinton in the president s cabinet. Ive known her for almost 25 years. Shes fought her whole life for children. To protect civil rights. Voting rights. And today hillary is pushing hard for tougher gun laws and police accountable. Lets talk about that with our cnn senior washington correspondent jeff zelleni. Beginning with that ad, we know you know when you look at the polls that she does well when it comes to africanamerican voters. Bernie sanders has had a tougher time. Do you think this is her attempt to shore up that fire wall . No doubt about it. They are trying to do everything to prepare in the in case of a Bernie Sanders win here. The long game situation. They dont want anyone to be kind of up for grabs. Eight years ago, barack obama was struggling as well. Hillary clinton is different. She has a longer relationship with africanamerican voters, no question. They did not think it would be this close. You can tell it in the sound of her voice. As shes asking voters to please caucus for me. Eight years ago, she thought she had this won and she didnt. They are doing everything they can to get those people out to vote. You mentioned the president p with we know being he hasnt officially endorsed anyone yet. But he is hitting harder at some of the republicans, at some of the rhetoric. Here he was speaking. Right. Were not going to build progress with a bunch of phony tough talk and bluster over the top claims. That just play into isils hands. Were not going to strengthen our leadership around the world by allowing politicians to insult muslims or pit groups of americans against each other. Thats not who we are. Thats not keeping america safe. The president has said he wanted to remain relevant in this final year for him in the oval office and is commenting on the race. Do you think thats his attempt to stay germane . Also that is his rebuttal to last nights debate. He does not want independent voters to think everythings on the wrong track here. He wants to remind people hes the biggest surrogate democrats have. He wants to remind voters of the progress hes made. The question is if this democratic fight continues to the convention or the spring, will he become more involved . I want you to watch this. Were turning around some sound from Hillary Clinton from an event happening just a bit ago. About three years ago on my birthday, i was 55, my daughter called and said they had found a mass in her forehead. And we found out that it needed to be removed. She at that time was at the age where she could be on my insurance from my workplace one more year. Dont think that that wasnt amazing for us. So she was on my insurance through the surgery, the radiation, the chemo, which the whole thing took about a year. And then once again she is without insurance. And we had some of those prescription drugs that cost everything that you would have for the month. But she then was able to use medicaid for a year. And just recently she then i quit my job. I was 55. Too young to retire. I needed Health Insurance. But i also wanted to stay home with my daughter. And so i looked to the market place and got myself some Affordable Care insurance. And so obamacare has helped us twice then. And recently my daughter got married in september. She was a beautiful bride. Her husband had Health Insurance through his work. But it was a skyrocketed price. They couldnt afford it. So then she went on the marketplace to find herself some Health Insurance. I have preexisting conditions but the marketplace never asked me. My daughter had brain cancer and she was never asked do you have any preexisting conditions. So it was a great gift to our family. Thank you so much. Thank you. I want everybody to everybody whats really at stake in this election. People cant wait. Your daughter called and says she has a mass in her forehead. You cant wait. You quit your job to take care of your sick daughter. Something i think a lot of us can relate to. You cant wait. We now have a system where you can go into the marketplace and as joe said, you dont get asked you have a preexiting condition. Just asked what kind of policy you want and how much help will you need paying for it. This is a truly big difference in this campaign. And its one that i want you to think hard about between now and monday night. So what shes saying but not saying from this raleigh that you just raced back from is the Bernie Sanders Health Care Plan would blow this to bits. Right, she is saying as great as it might sound to liberals to have universal Health Care Coverage for all she said at this country at this moment it would not happen. Secretary clinton is using real people who are asking these questions to make the point now is not the most to blow up the Affordable Care act. Bernie sanders says look, we should dream big, it is time for universal Health Care Coverage. I think this is an effective Closing Argument in the end here, closing days. Shes pragmatic, experienced. That was a moment at the rally the room was silent. It was the university not far from here. Senator sanders also has supporters. You think, you know what, its time to blow up the status quo here. So thats why its so fascinating in the final hours before the votes finally begin. Were about to talk to a sanders supporter. These are moments they which will resonate. Jeff, thank you. Now to this, this comedian known for his fondness for smoking marijuana, is coming out with a video supporting Bernie Sanders, talking about tommy chong, one half of the pot smoking duo cheech and chong. First, chongs new video explaining why bernie is his pick for the white house. So the question is which one of these plants are ready for harvest. Some are obviously too immature. They need a couple more growth cycles. And yet others are done, finished. But theres one candidate that stands head and shoulders above them all. Who has weathered many storms and is totally ready to be the commander in chief. Or commander in kush as i like to say. Oh, and yes, bernie does support that other form of legalization that i care so deeply about. Legalization of the supermedicine marijuana. Here he is joining me now. The man himself comedian tommy chong who by the way is preparing to sell his own line of marijuana products. Nice to have you on the show. Well, thanks, nice to be here. All right, so bernie is Bernie Sanders is your man. What was it that really said, all right, im supporting Bernie Sanders, im putting this video together . Bernie obviously is the most qualified of both parties. You know, hes got the experience. Hes got the heart. Hes got the brains. Hes got the age. You know, a lot people knock him because hes older than the rest. But hes at the age where the only thing that matters is the people that he cares so dearly about. As far as him wrecking health care, forget it. He will improve on obamacare. He will improve on everything that deals with the middle class. His whole thing is take care of the people of america. Hes like an accountant. He wants to come in and take care of the buook of america. Theres so much money being wasted and not being collected in taxes that could go to help the working class. So personal ybernies my man. Some of it is about his stance on decriminalization not necessarily. I know its more than that. Talk to me about that. But also its about immigration for you. Is what . Its about immigration as well. The republicans, you know, especially the frontrunner, you know, hes got so many cockamamy racist attitudes, its scary. Bernie is donald trump with brains. Hes like a donald trump with soul. You know, that recognizes that there are other people than rich white people, you know, and thats why i like bernie. Bernie is like a donald trump with brains. What do they have in common . He commands a big crowd. People come to hear him. Donald trump is telling the truth to a small minority of americans. Racist americans mostly, you know. Bernie is telling the truth to people like young people or people turned on. People that are not afraid, you know. Has everything that trump does, except he has the heart and soul. Hey, have a great show tonight. Have a great show in alberta, tommy chong. Thank you, thank you. Coming up next, there is a lot of talk today about the winners and losers of the debate and rand paul scored major major points on that stage. Were going after specifically Hillary Clinton. Well talk to his Campaign Manager next. With unique extended release technology, helps prevent the urge to smoke all day. I want this time to be my last time. Thats why i choose nicoderm cq. Whose long dayis sheldon setting up the news starts with minor arthritis pain and a choice. Take tylenol or take aleve, the 1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. Just two aleve can keep pain away all day. Back to the news. Thats why i switched from uverse to xfinity. Now i can download my dvr recordings and take them anywhere. Ready or not, here i come whispers now hideandseek time can also be catchuponmyshows time. Here i come cant find you anywhere dont settle for uverse. X1 from xfinity will change the way you experience tv. Senator rand paul is getting plenty of praise today for his debate performance. Hes even being called one of the winners as he and other president candidates faced off without having to share the stage with trump. Paul seized upon the moment and pounced on fellow senator ted cruz. He also drew strong applaud after weighing in on democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton and her husbands past indiscretion. He cant have it both ways. What is particularly insulting is that he is the king of saying oh, youre for amnesty, everybodys for amnesty except for ted cruz. But its a falseness. Thats an authenticity problem. Everybody he knows is not as perfect as him because were all for amnesty. I dont blame Hillary Clinton at all for this it i dont think shes responsible for his behavior. But i do think her position as promoting womens rights and fairness to women in the workplace, that if what bill clinton did, any ceo in our country did with an internal with a 22yearold, 21yearold intern in their office, they would be fired, they would never be hired again. Lets talk about that moment and that candidate. Joining me here in des moines, rand pauls Campaign Manager. Just beginning with that, do you think senator pauls personal attacks on the clintons, did you think theyre sticking . Well, i dont know if theyre personal attacks but i think they have resonated. Talking about indiscretions. Well, it was strongly considered the strongest debate performance. Weve seen a surge of vol teunts and momentum. This is something hes done for a while. Im curious do you think he feels its chipping away at her . Absolutely. When she wants to talk about womens rights and yet she takes the Clinton Foundation takes millions of dollars from countries that treat women like cattle. Shes shifting. She talks less about some of those issues. That she wanted to be part of her standard stump. So shes definitely been thrown off her game and shes struggling. With regard to the debate and how it was referred to as the elephant not in the room. Mr. Trump. Has he never entered this race, how do you think your candidate would be doing today . Well, i think everybody would agree that trump transformed the race. There was a Washington Post that had rand paul first place nationally with primary voters. The reality is he changed the dynamic of the race. But nobody has voted yet. We feel good were putting together that coalition so we can make a big impact on women. How do you take the momentum from last night . Obviously translated into caucusgoers saying yes to your guy. What one moment are you hoping for in these final 72 hours that really could change play for him . Sure. Votes are going to be counted on monday night. We wanted to we think we can surprise people with a strong finish so we can move on heading into New Hampshire. What do you expect him to do . Hes barn storming the state. Hes all around. Hes speaking today for example a series of events. At iowa university, we were at drake university. Ron pauls going to be coming and holding big rallies. Theres a lot of energy. Right now at our office weve got 150 volunteers from all across iowa. Some from even across the country. Who come in because they believe in this message and theyre excited. Okay, a few days to go. Chip englander, thank you very much. Rand pauls Campaign Manager here in iowa. Just ahead, ted cruz. Doubling down on his promise to carpet bomb isis. But not everything he said is entirely accurate. Well talk to a Lieutenant General and factcheck that. Also ahead, my colleague Brianna Keilar cornering donald trump on an issue he repeatedly ducked. You will watch the exchange, judge for yourself coming up. Melodic, calm music. 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Its a cold friday but the stakes are high, it is heating up ahead of the first in the nation caucuses. Election season absolutely under way. Both republicans and democrats hoping to earn caucusgoers support in these final days. That is except for donald trump by the way. One of the main contenders. The only one not here in the state of iowa. He is in New Hampshire at the moment. Boasting about how he has moved to skip the Republican Debate and how that was quote unquote the right thing and that his competing event raised 6 million for veterans. Lets go to our senior White House Correspondent jim acosta who is in New Hampshire following trump today and he really went after his prime rival in iowa. What did he say . Thats right, brook. You know, we are in New Hampshire. That does say a lot about the confidence level inside the Trump Campaign. When you see that map weve been putting up that shows all the other candidates canvassing the state of iowa and heres trump New Hampshirep in. It shows theyre pretty confident about their changes on caucus night. Trump was basically saying he won that gop debate last night by not showing up. Allowing moderators to basically hammer each other all night, essentially leaving donald trump unscathed and he went right after ted cruz, saying ted cruz was pummeled during the fox news debate, you know, made light of the fact there was some pretty rough and tough estimates. There was that front page of the Des Moines Register that said rough night for ted cruz. Lets play a little bit. I think were going to do really well in iowa. Were leading in the iowa polls now and leading pretty good. Cruz is in second place. Pummel pummeled, wow. They didnt even mention he was born in canada. There you go. One more dig at ted cruzs place of birth being in canada. The other thing we should point out the Trump Campaign released its schedule for the next few days. There are only 72 hours before the iowa caucuses. Were going to see a side we have not seen a whole lot of which is basically hes going to be doing multiple rallies per day. He sometimes does two a day. Well see two or so a day between now and when the caucusgoers start going to these caucus sites. Donald trump likes to talk about high energy and low energy candidates. We were going to see just how donald trump stacks up when it comes to energy on the campaign trail. I think the only way this back first on donald trump is that because cruz was seemingly hurt somewhat by his performance last my, does that give rubio an opening and i think the last thing trump wants that the point is to have a fight between donald trump and marco rubio heading into these early contests. That might give the establishment an opportunity to coalesce around marco rubio which might not be the scenario donald trump had in mind. Everybodys talking about cruz but its the other guy in the picture marco rubio we will be talking about as well. Donald trump may have dodged questions from the debate moderators but he could not avoid cnns senior Political Correspondent Brianna Keilar. She tried again and again to pin donald trump down on the topic of lateterm abortion. Watch. Not just ted cruz but also those who support him have been hammering you when it compaes t your previous views on lateterm abortion by the way, hes very weak on illegal immigration you said to my colleague just recently dana bash, you said i dont want to talk about that when you were asked about your previous support for late term abortion you know why, because everybody it is false, i am prolife. Everybody knows im prolife. You know, ted cruz also took a commercial wait a minute, ted cruz took commercial that i ripped down an old ladys house. He said ripped down. They said he destroyed because of imminent domain. Which by the way is very important because you wouldnt have roads but can you explain this . You said presley wait a minute, the house was never ripped down. Ultimately i said lets not do it. Let me ask you this question now wait, why are you brianna this my question now brianna, he did a big commercial. He said i ripped down a persons house. What does this have to do with this issue of lateterm abortion . Excuse me, it has a lot to do with it because hes very dishonest in what hes doing. He said i ripped down a house of an elderly lady. And i didnt rip it down. And he never apologized. And you said that certainly no, but he never apologized. Was this you bailing on this debate so you didnt have to talk about things like this issue that you clearly dont want to address . Not at all. Im doing an interview with you. Im doing interviews with bill oreilly. But youre answering questions im answering every question. Youve been here a lot longer than you were supposed to be. Susan page, Washington Bureau chief, usa today and Ron Brownstein here as well, cnn political analyst, editorial director of the national journal. Welcome to all of you. As we watch the exchange with brianna, listen, shes a friend, i say good for her for really pushing. Looking at you, you know, he kept saying to her over and over, listen, ive done the most interviews than any candidates. That may be true. When it comes to, you know, dodging certain questions, that Exchange Went on if you clock it about 2 1 2 minutes. I heard imminent domain, discussion of tearing down a home. I dont know if you heard an answer there. Is that his strategy . Yes, hes available and not available, right. Hes available, he does interviews. Good for him. That doesnt necessarily mean he answers the question. If you looked at the debate last night, you saw those brutal Video Montages for both cruz and rubio that really called them to account on changing positions on immigration. Im sure that i dont think thats the reason he didnt do the debate. I think when they saw that they were probably glad they werent there to see the same thing. We were both at that same press conference in marshall town. There were questions specifically about social issues. Where trump said im not going to answer that at this time. He would not come out and take a position. Look, frontrunners often find r reasons not to debate. In trumps case, theres a lot going on. You have a guy who believe hes ahead in iowa. Certainly is ahead in New Hampshire. And didnt see a lot of incentive to give his opponents a chance to rock the boat. The fact is he wasnt at the debate. Doesnt give us issues and material and substance to factcheck a day later. He doesnt have to be factchecked today. To be honest fact checks havent hurt him yet. Hes not been hurt by someone pointing out that he said something that wasnt true. What i think was ron was saying is right on though that he was not at the debate, he hasnt had to face that Video Montage yet you used to see on meet the press. That was killer showing him clearly flipflopping and showing things that were completely different. We havent seen him try to get out of that. That would have been something much harder to do. Hes a winner by not being there. And stated, he wanted to turn himself in. If i remind you that bac duong his charges include assault with a Deadly Weapon and shooting at an inhabited dwelling. He has been in custody since december 2015. He was ineligible for bail due to an immigration hold and it is a Santa Anna Police department case. Our number one priority throughout this event has been safety of our community. We have dedicated all available resources to this search and investigation to bring all three inmates back into custody. We will continue with those same efforts using available resources to capture the additional two escapees who are outstanding. Okay, so quickly what you just missed as weve been talking the better part of the week other than politics these three inmates, one of whom was convicted of murder by the way. The three of them escaped. They tied their body sheets together and essentially repelled from the fourth floor of the jail. The news is the inmates surrendered. Thats good news for law enforcement. Thats the update from santa ana, california. Where we were . Ted cruz is making the argument. Saying particularly to social conservatives you cant trust donald trump. One of the things most striking about this race is how well donald trump is doing unexpectedly with evangelical christians. His appeal to blue color republicans is crossing that religious boundary. A big reason why. Probably the single biggest reason why he is ahead here in iowa. But marco rubio did say last night, when he was asked about being we do have it, being asked about being on the cover of Time Magazine being the savior, this was his response. The truth is, ted, throughout this campaign, youve been willing to say or do anything in order to get votes. You worked for george w. Bushs campaign. You helped design george w. Bushs immigration policy. And then when you got to the senate, you did an interview with cbs news where you said on the issue of people here illegally we can reach a compromise. In the committee, you said, i want to bring people out of the shadows. Now you want to trump trump. He told the people of florida if you elect me, i will lead the fight against amnesty. When i ran in texas, i told the people of texas, if you elect me, i will lead the fight against amnesty. We both made the identical promises. But when we came to washington, we made a different choice. Time magazine once called you the republican savior. Rush limbaugh and others said you likely will be president some day. If you look at the recent average of polls in your home state in florida, youre in third. Trailing donald trump by 24 points. If the people who know you best have you there, why should the rest of the country elect you . Let me be clear about one thing. Theres only one savior and its not me, its jesus christ who came down to earth and died for our sins. Thats what i wanted to play. I think what hasnt gotten as much maybe media pickup. When you cover marco rubio on the trail, he talks a lot about his faith and especially here in iowa where ted cruz has resonated among the all important evangelical voting bloc. Not just in that exchange but three or four times he mentioned his faith. He referred to it. We should remember the last time around in the republican caucuses, 57 of republicans who attended caucuses identified themselves as an evangelical christian. Thats what got santorum the victory. Thats what cruz hopes theyll give him a victory monday night. I think i agree on one of the strikes things is the success trump has had with a group that surely would find his lifestyle 2 corinthians, pummeled by that as well. When asked who was his favorite philosopher and he said jesus christ, you know, you have to wonder as the caucuses are coming up if people are making changing their minds in the evangelical community, if maybe marco rubio is jumping into that consideration between cruz and trump. He is trying to appeal across the full spectrum of the republican coalition. Hes basically singling to evangelicals last night. That is a crowded lane. The lane more open for him is the more secular managerial. Its a door he does not want to walk through even though it is the lane i think is the clearest for him to advance as the counterpoint to both cruz and trump. Doesnt want to go down that road. Lets do this for the next couple of days, shall we . Were not missing a beat. Were here in iowa of course through the caucuses monday night. Do not miss cnns state of the union sunday morning. Jake tapper will interview cruz, rubio and Bernie Sanders just one day before the all important iowa caucuses. Sunday only here on cnn. Coming up next, is Donald Trumps political strategy comparable to, say, an episode of Celebrity Apprentice . Someone who knows a thing or two about politic, trump and his former show, former apprentice runner up and former congressional candidate clay aiken joins me next. Also, the breaking news. One of the three inmates who escaped from that california maximum security jail now in custody surrendering the Orange County Sheriffs Department says he turned himself in to police about 20 minutes ago. The other two are m. I. A. Youre watching cnn special live coverage of whats happening here in iowa and beyond. Well be right back. The best simple veggie dish ever . Heart healthy california walnuts. The best simple dinner ever . 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If you think you have ibs with diarrhea, talk to your doctor about new xifaxan. Wwell you dont want to live with mom and dad forever do you . Breakfast noogie laughs how do i check my credit score . Credit karma, its free. Credit karma. Give yourself some credit. Youre watching cnn. Were live here in des moines, iowa. Im Brooke Baldwin. Heres some number for you. 6 million for 22 different veteran groups. That was the final tally of Donald Trumps rival political event turned fundraiser in iowa. He started out by pretty much doing a roll call of his billionaire buddies who pitched in for the cause. Hes giving ike and betty pearlmutter 1 million. J. J. Cafaro from florida and from cleveland, a man would made a lot of money in cleveland, does a good job, a fantastic man, 50,000, j. J. , thank you. When he gives 1 million, thats like 10 cents but for him, very important. Phil, just saying a couple of wo words. This is a man who likes to talk about money no surprise there. My next guess knows that showmanship show better than most. He is mr. Clay aiken. Ran for congress, also was on Celebrity Apprentice. A trip down memory lane. And a clip from the show first. Clay, i love simon cowell, hes a friend of mine, whos tougher, him or me . Its tough, you know, i think simon has a certain degree of knowledge on the music business but his knowledge of music business compared to your knowledge of the Business World business is much more minimal so theres a certain degree of nervousness we get around you because theres kind of that level of respect. All right you gave the right answer. Okay, clay, im just going to ask you, just be real with me. Do you feel like with this trump event last night and the reading off of the names and the money that was raised and the outstrategizing and oneliners and stunts, are we watching a reallife episode of Celebrity Apprentice here . It sounded like when we were on apprentice and we were naming off the celebrities who gave who donated to our charities while we were raising money too. So i noticed that myself. And i thought it was pretty interesting. He mentioned that he gave 1 million. I thought that was a little bit i dont know selfserving. It was funny that he didnt leave himself out. What was that experience like for you . As youre watching this pretty successful bid by mr. Trump. What about what you saw firsthand and the showmanship and the brains behind the whole operation thats really working for him now . The truth is is hes a very nice guy in person. I dont think you become as successful in business as he has without knowing how to, a, get along with people and, b, get your way in some way, and hes become successful in business and sort of in that reality world. He knows how to play the room. I think even last night was a strategic move on his part because he knew if he wasnt there then people were going to attack ted cruise and thats who he wanted to attack the most, thats who he needed to bring down notch, so in a way, it was strategy to get out the way so he wouldnt be the target and ted cruz would be the target. Hes smart and he knows how to strategize. Let me ask you about the dems. I know you have compared Hillary Clinton to leaky boat. Do you still feel that way . Explain that analogy for me. I do. I think at types weve seen a lot of trouble coming out of the clinton camp and the clinton campaign. Weve seen her struggle with this email server issue, the fbi investigation issue. For me, i was rooting for Vice President biden to get into the race because i thought he was a straight talker like the republicans have been sort of touting on their end. I do think clinton is a person who is qualified, ready to be the commander in chief. I think in a race between her and donald trump, for example, youd end up finding yourself with someone you didnt necessarily think was qualified but who you knew was going to say what they felt in donald trump versus someone whos qualified in Hillary Clinton. A lot of people in the country dont necessarily thinks she says what she needs but says what she has to in order to get elected. I do want a Democratic Administration next time. No, i know you do. I remember we talked about your love for the Vice President. With regard to the president , i know during your unsuccessful congressional campaign, you distanced yourself from prm president obama. When you watch Hillary Clinton on stage, shes like bear hugging the president. Im curious what you make of that. First of all, it would be a misnomer to say i distanced myself from the president. Ran in a distract that was incredibly gerrymandered and incredibly red. When youre running in a district where you have a lot of people who are not in the say party as you are, you have to look for opportunities for common ground. What i did was certainly not distance myself from obama. I said all along i supported obamacare. Initiatives that the Current Administration has. I looked for places where i might agree with folks who didnt agree with him. Education policy was one of them. Nsa surveillance was another one. I certainly in my district was running against very red electorate. And for clintclinton, youve go appeal to a democratic base. And as i saw during my primary, which wasnt that easy. You have to appeal to folks who are in support of the party because those are the ones who vote in the primary. Hillary is bear hugging the president because thats what folks who vote in the primary want. Clay aiken, thank you. He mentioned the emails of Hillary Clinton. Weve got some breaking news involving that. A state decision now not to release some 22 email chains because they contain top secret information. Well have that for you on the other side of this commercial break. My name is kieran griffin. I work here at five star auto care in rocklin california. A lot of thought was put into the change to solar and we couldnt have done it without pg e. Pg e is very committed to clean energy. Working with five star auto care we looked at how we could make their business more Energy Efficient and save them money in the long run. With solar we have saved about 85 on our energy cost. With this extreme drought were using the savings from our solar system to save every last drop of water. If you are looking for ways to save energy, your first step is to call pg e. Together, were building a better california. All right, breaking news here. The state Department Says it will not release 37 pages of Hillary Clintons emails. Cnn correspondent jinl shom scis going to report on this and i have Ron Brownstein, editorial director at the national journal. Jim sciutto, first to you, which emails are these . Heres what we know. The state department announcing that it will not release 37 pages of clinton emails. These were seven email chains they say that add up to 37 pages. Because those emails contain what state Department Says is a category of top secret information. Now, to be clear, the state Department Says these emails were not marked as classified when they were sent. This information not marked as classified when it was sent. But let me add another qualifier here because this is confusing stuff. Whether that information was indeed classified at the point they were sent is something the state Department Says will look at independently. In effect, another investigation to see when that determination is made. Weve been following this for months now, this question. Some of the information can be determined after the fact to be classified. Doesnt relate to all these emails that have been sent and released. But some could be determined to be classified after they were shared. Regardless, the key headline here, 37 pages of these emails, seven email chains do contain information that the Intelligence Community says is not a lower level of classification but a top secret classification. This is a very high classification in the Intelligence Community. One final note i will say brooke is this, this is all the result of a failed request releasing these emails kept on Hillary Clintons private server while she was secretary of state. All those documents, some 50,000 pages, were meant to have been released by tonight. Theyve been coming out every couple of weeks. This was meant to be the deadline but because of these emails and this determination that contain top secret information, they wont meet that deadline. Some emails wont be released because they have discovered this after going through them. It means the story continues to keep alive here. Something the state Department Says its going to continue to investigate. So on that point Ron Brownstein, turning to you, it keeps coming. More in iowa. Whats happening in three days, the caucuses. How does she get past that . You hope you begin to rebu t rebuild. This does not breach her final line of defense where she says i did not receive anything that was marked classified at the time. The fact it was so sensitive it cannot be released even in redacted form has to compound the questions about the judgment in going down this route in the first place and the shadow is real. Its affected her. Its not necessarily decisive in her ability to win the nomination of the presidency but does have a real cost. Apparently now in mere minutes the Hillary Clinton campaign has responded and they oppose blocking of the release of the emails so there you have it. This is not the argument you want to be in heading into iowa and New Hampshire where you face a very difficult challenge on both fronts. Ron brown steen, thank you. Lets talk more politics here in des moines. Cnns been Fact Checking the republican candidates claims including several points senator cruz made at that Republican Debate. One in particular. Help made this comment about the 1990 gulf war and the use of carpet bombingstyle attacks. You know, you claim it is tough talk to discuss carpet bombing. It is not a tough talk. It is a different fundamental strategy than what weve seen from barack obama. Carpet bombing is what we did in the first persian gulf war. 1,100 air attacks a day. Saturation bombing that utterly destroyed the enemy. Heres the truth to that. Its entirely false. Here to explain why, Lieutenant General mark hurtling, a veteran. Why is that wrong, what really happened . In desert storm, brooke, youre talking about an air campaign that was geared against the fourth largest army in the world with a lot of targets at the time. The iraqi army was the fourth largest in the world with tank divisions and infantry divisions and they also had a huge amount of infrastructure in baghdad. It was not carpet bombing then either. It was precision bombing against those divisions and against the infrastructure in baghdad. The same kind of targets dont exist in such large scale now. So trying to compare whats going on against isis against what happened in desert storm is like campaigning apples with tennis rackets, theyre two different campaigns. When you talk about precision strikes versus carpet bombing, we heard from former secretary of defense gates who said carpet bombing doesnt work because it kills too many innocent people. Thats true too. The fact of the matter is even in desert storm when there were those 1,100 air strikes a day and i was there and experienced some of that, they were precision weapons for the most part as well. The air force was using whats called dumb bombs at the time but they were very even on that occasion they were youd precisely on specific targets. When you talk about an air Campaign Like this, the target packa packages, the things youre attempting to strike, are very specific in the age of modern warfare. There is a thing you could do in terms of carpet bombing. The russians are doing some of that in syria. Its generating quite a few enemies for them. This is not the kind of aerial campaign we like to use anymore because we like to be more precise. Its first of all less expensive but its also it doesnt create as many enemies when youre killing n ing innocent civilians. Its also usually not a war crime. Lieutenant general, thank you for the fact check, sir. Thank you, brooke. Coming up next, trumps comments on cruzs canadian birthplace. Also, marco rubio touts his deep religious beliefs on the debate stage. Thinking about what to avoid, where to go. And how to deal with my uc. To me, that was normal. Until i talked to my doctor. She told me that humira helps people like me get uc under control and keep it under control when certain medications havent worked well enough. Humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. Before treatment, get tested for tb. Tell your doctor if youve been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if youve had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flulike symptoms or sores. Dont start humira if you have an infection. Raise your expectations. 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Myrbetriq may be right for you. Visit myrbetriq. Com to learn more. Carry the centimeter, divide by 3. 14 something something something. [ beeping, whirring ] great caesar salad and now the name your price tool shows people policy options to help fit their budget. Is that a true story . Yeah people really do save an average of over 500 when they switch. I mean about you inventing it. I invented the story, and isnt that what really matters . So. What else about me . All right, so we have even more news on these Hillary Clinton emails. Specifically what were hearing now from the state department that they will be withholding these initial emails, deemed top secret, these 37 panel page emails. Were now hearing, additional from the state department, 18 emails, eight different email chains between specifically Hillary Clinton and president obama are being withheld. Whether or not those are classified emails, thats not been confirmed yet. So again this between Hillary Clinton and barack obama. How does this affect Hillary Clinton as were sitting here in des moines, iowa, three days before the iowa caucuses. Gloria, to you first, i mean, this just keeps coming at the Hillary Clinton camp. How do they move past this . What theyve done is saying, look, we want every email to be released. We believe nothing should be classified. Theyve called this overclassification run amok. They believe the state department wants to classify too much. That was the first shoe to drop today. The second shoe is the question of Hillary Clinton emailing the president of the United States and the state department has said, you know, the president needs to feel that he can receive and respond to emails in a free and unvarnished way and that theyre withholding it i think largely because it was a communication with the president of the United States not necessarily that its classified. But just that theyd like to keep it private. However, all this nuance is this the Biggest Development in this whole email story . Well, i think these two choose together. Really, really feed the republican line that Hillary Clinton shouldnt have done this, that she has something to hide, that thats the reason she established her own private server, that she went around the law and i think youre going to be hearing more and more of this. You know, republicans havent stopped talking about the emails. Bernie sanders may not want to. Well see how he reacts to this. But i think that this just fans the flames here once again. And no matter what the nuance is about whether things are overclassified or whether it was a communication with the president , it doesnt matter. Its more of the same. And its right before the iowa caucus. Im reminded of course of the Bernie Sanders line about enough about these damn emails and im wondering if hes going to be changing his tune in the final stretch here in iowa. Michael let me bring you in and just ask you here about donald trump slamming the debate performance of his closest rival in iowa, ted cruz, even though trump didnt even show up at that debate. At a rally today, he even went there and mentioned canada again. Ted cruz may not be a u. S. Citizen. But hes an anchor baby. No, hes an anchor baby. Ted cruz is an anchor baby in canada. But canada doesnt accept anchor babies. They just waited a long time. He responded with the statement, the only anchor here is the one being dragged behind the ss new york values causing Trumps Campaign to stall out as voters learn about his affinity for Hillary Clinton and his previous stated support for supporting abortion. I happen to think that last night was a net clust for him by not showing up. By not being on that stage, he put ted cruz in a tradition where everyone else focused on cruz and yet trump received mostly favorable press. He left all the dirty work behind to those republican opponents. Let me add to that calculus. When you look at the optics, theyre like standing behind him at this podium, which is where you normally see people when theyre endorsing a candidate, gloria, what do you make of that . Can you spell evangelical . Because donald trump in order to stay ahead of ted cruz needs to get some evangelical support that he wants desperately. While these two folks did not endoers him, obviously, theyre participating in the iowa caulks. Just having huckabee and santorum two former winners of the iowa caucuses, who appeal to evangelical voter s on the stag with him is a very good picture for donald trump to have, just like Jerry Falwell was and, you know, evangelicals are the base of ted cruzs support. I went to a cruz rally in iowa the other day. It was kind of like going to church, right, thats what his rallies have become. And anything that trump can peel away from him among those voters is going to be good for trump. You mentioned church. That also makes me think of marco rubio, michael smerconish. I know the rubio camp talks about three, two, one, in terms of finishes here, New Hampshire and carolina. Whats the headline . I think rubio adjudicated himself fine. I dont think there was really much blood drawn in that skirmish between he and cruz on which is more for amnesty. And i think that probably most folks who are watching that last night said yeah, i can see rubio in third position and then in second position except john kasich is Still Closing in New Hampshire. So thats who he has to be worried about. Yeah, and by the way, the rubio people are low balling everything. You know, you say to them is there a chance you can come in second in iowa, do better than you think, and theyre low balling it because they want a lower expectation so that anything he does looks terrific. Uhhuh, gloria borger, michael smerconish, thank you very much. Next, more on our breaking news involving those Hillary Clinton emails. State Department Decision not to release emails, some seven email chains because they contain top secret information. Also learning about exchanges between president obama and Hillary Clinton. Well be right back. Ahh. Yeah ahh. You probably say it a million times a day. Ahh. Ahh ahh. Ahh but at cigna, we want to help everyone say it once a year. Say ahh. Ahh. Cigna medical plans cover one hundred percent of your innetwork annual checkup. So america, lets go. Know. Ahh and take control of your health. Cigna. Together, all the way. As Bernie Sanders momentum builds, it is possible he could become americas first jewish president but he could be the first modern president who is not especially religious. The vermont senator recently told the Washington Post he believes in god but doesnt participate in organized religion. Contrast that with the democratic frontrunner, Hillary Clinton. She and her husband speaking now more and more openly about her United Methodist faith. In the methodist church, the founder, john wesley, said that we live under a simple obligation to do all the good we can in whatever ways we can to all the people we can for as long as we can. She lived by that. Joining me now, buzzfeeds senior political writer, mckay koppens, author of a book about the republican party. Didnt to see you. Hello. On faith and especially with hearing bill clinton talk about Hillary Clintons faith, Hillary Clinton talking so openly about it, yes, were in iowa where this pew poll found four out of five people identify as christians. Is that what this is all about . I think if you go back i dont want to be too cynical but if you go back to every iowa caucus forever forever . You hear candidates talk a lot about their faith in the last days. And that crosses party lines. Its not just that most of the voters here identify as christian, you also have much higher percentages of church going and church going frequency in iowa than other states. So democrats and republicans have to show their faith on their sleeve a little bit more than they might in other states. Do you think iowans see these candidates rolling into town, theyre listening to them talking about their faith. Are they hip to whats going on . Thats the thing about iowa voters. They are very concediscerning. We talk about how theyre very knowledgeable, Pay Attention and take the process seriously. Thats true. They also know a charlatan when they see one. I think thats why you see on the republican side a lot of people in these last days accusing each other of authenticity or phoniness when it comes to christianity. On the republican side weve heard a number of them talk about it, especially last night on the stage, marco rubio. Take a listen. Let me clear about one thing. Theres only one savior and its not me. Its jesus christ who came down to earth and died for our sins. The bible commands us to let our light shine on the world. For over 200 years, americas light has been shining on the world and the world has never been the same again. My goal is not simply to live here for 80 years but to live in eternity with my creator. I will always allow my faith to influence everything that i do. And that wasnt the only moment on the stage last night from marco rubio to talk about his faith. A lot of the headlines are marco rubio trying to steal evangelical voters from ted cruz, but it is something that he talks about that doesnt get a lot of coverage from the media out on the trail thats important to him. I think theres a reason for that. I think its a little too cynical to say things like what rubio said are just plays for the religious vote in iowa. He does talk about his faith quite a bit. He has a very interesting faith journey. He was baptized mormon when he was young. Hes catholic now but attends an Evangelical Church with his wife and thats something voters think is interesting. Its something reporters dont always think is as interesting partly because we tend to be a secular bunch and also because its not necessarily what political reporters cover. But i just i think that he is some of that is sincere and i think that voters will see that. Its a huge part of the story here in iowa, that is for sure. Mckay coppins, good to see you about buzzfeed. Coming up next here on cnn, see what happened when jake tapper went hunting with the trump family. Do not miss this, well be right back. [ scanner beeping ] sir, could you step aside . Sir . Come on. You know who i am. Progressive insurance . Uh, i save people an average of over 500 when they switch . Did you pack your own bags . Oh right the name your price tool. It shows people policy options to help fit their budget. [ scanner warbling ] crazy that a big shot like me would pack his own bags, right . [ chuckles ] so, do i have the right to remain handsome . [ chuckles ] wait. Uhoh. Its gotten squarer. Over the years. Brighter. Bigger. Its gotten thinner. Even curvier. But whats next . For all binge watchers. Movie geeks. Sports freaks. X1 from xfinity will change the way you experience tv. Will donald trump voters turn out monday night after he didnt turn up at last nights debate . The lead live from iowa starts right now. The politics lead, down to the wire in iowa. Trump says his big bet going awol on last nights debate will pay off with iowans, but with three days to go, did ted cruz already blow his chance to break through . The national lead, they got one. Now police still need to track down two other dangerous inmates who escaped from that jail in california, as were learning more details about how they got out and why a prison tutor