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>> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." >> welcome to the "overnight news." i'm elaine quijano. the democratic candidates made last-minute appeals to new hampshire voters this weeken ahead of tuesday's crucial primary. a new cbs news battleground tracker poll shows a tight race. like iowa, bernie sanders and pete buttigieg share the top spots. but the primary is still up for grabs. only 4 in 10 say they definitely made up their mind. nikole killion is in manchester. >> hello, concord! >> reporter: with the countdown on in new hampshire -- >> it's the heat of competition, throwing elbows, making contrasts. >> reporter: the democratic presidential candidates are feeling the squeeze. >> no, we're not here to denigrate pete. he is running a good campaign. but our views are different. >> reporter: bernie sanders and joe biden on defense. >> i didn't attack pete. pete's been attacking me. he has completely misunderstood or misrepresented my record. >> reporter: against a surging pete buttigieg, now diggin into the former vice president's moderate support. >> i'm not barack obama. and neither is he. neither is anyone running for president right now. >> reporter: with all the attention on the top tier, those vying to move up not giving up yet. >> when you constantly hear names like buttigieg, sanders, biden, warren, how do you break out? >> they are very good people. they have all of them great policy proposals, but unlike them, i have results. and i think that matters to the people of new hampshire. >> reporter: just a few days out from the primary, the granite state insists there will be no repeat of iowa. >> look, all i can say about iowa is it was an embarrassment. it was a disgrace. >> i'm frustrated. i'm mad as hell. everybody is. >> reporter: democratic national committee chairman tom perez says the process will be reviewed. >> is iowa about to lose its first in the nation status? >> that's a conversation that will happen after this election cycle. >> reporter: at least one presidential candidate tulsi gabbard has called on chairman perez to resign. he says he has absolutely no intention of stepping down. elaine? nikole, thank you. his first rally since impeachment acquittal. natalie brand is at the white house. >> reporter: good evening, elaine. this is a strategy we also saw ahead of the iowa caucuses. the trump campaign is trying to steal the spotlight from democratic hopefuls and bolster its base using impeachment as a rallying cry. a rapid-fire series of sunday tweets makes clear the president is preoccupied with politics targeting those who voted to convict him and calling democrats crazed and badly wounded. thinking president is only getting more emboldened. >> reporter: while the president's impeachment inquiry may be over, but democratic and republican lawmakers have promised investigations will continue. >> the whistle-blower episode needs to be investigated by richard burr. but if rudy giuliani has any information coming out of the ukraine, he needs to turn it over to the department of justice because it could be propaganda. >> reporter: lindsey graham speaking to "face the nation" issued a firm warning not only to the president's personal attorney, but all u.s. politicians. >> after talking to the attorney general and the intelligence chairman that any documents coming out of the ukraine against any american, republican or democrat need to be looked at by the intelligence services who has expertise i don't because russia is playing us all like a fiddle. >> reporter: senator graham defended the administration's removal of impeachment witnesses eu ambassador gordon sondland and lund colonel alexander vindman from the national security council. >> i think his reassignment is justified. i don't think he can be effective at the nsc. >> reporter: but some gop senators discouraged the president from taking action against those who testified. >> i obviously am not in favor of any kind of retribution against anyone who came forward with evidence. >> reporter: a senior administration official confirms to cbs news that some republican senators called the white house and said it would be wiser if ambassador sondland was allowed to resign quietly in a few weeks. elaine? >> natalie, thanks. the defense department today identified two american soldiers killed in afghanistan. sergeant first class javier gutierrez of san antonio, texas and sergeant first class antonio rodriguez of las cruces, new mexico were killed in gang nangahar province. the two were shot when dressed in a army uniform opened fire with a handgun. chaos erupted when a gunman opened fire on strangers in a shopping mall. at least 29 people were killed. nearly 60 others were wounded. the gunman described as a disgruntled soldier was killed by police. people around the world are celebrating the chinese lunar new year today. many turned out in san francisco for the festivities, despite fears about the spreading coronavirus. tonight a team of world health organization experts is headed to beijing to investigate the deadly outbreak. in china, nearly 40,000 people have been infected. more than 900 have died. outside china, there have been more than 300 confirmed cases. here's debora patta. >> reporter: japan is scrambling to prevent the 70 cases of coronavirus on the princess diamond cruise ship from becoming a far bigger outbreak there is a lot at stake. the country is preparing to welcome visitors to the olympic games in tokyo this summer and needs to show it can contain the infection. at least 13 americans are among the confirmed cases on board. all passengers are confined to their rooms. >> we're certainly prepared to do the 14 days, but i don't think it's even safe to be here. >> reporter: hong kong is also taking no chances at its borders. now travelers not only from wuhan but anywhere in mainland china will have to submit to a 14-day quarantne monitored by gps enabled wristbands. pcrisis epicenter, over 50 he million people remain under siege. china is being criticized for failing to respond to early warnings about the coronavirus. dr. lee wen yung who died when we sounded the alarm was silenced about a virulent new virus infecting people late last year. chinese ambassador wei on "face the nation." >> i don't know who tried to silence him, but there was certainly disagreement. people were not able to reach agreement on what exactly the virus is. >> reporter: and now what is clear is that it's not only the virus but the this is the "cbs overnight news." >> across the united states, officials urge people to turn out for lunar new year celebrations. but as mola lenghi reports, the outbreak is taking a costly toll. >> reporter: hundreds of americans remain under a two-week quarantine on military bases in omaha, san antonio, and fairfield, california. more than 500 u.s. citizens have been transported from wuhan, china back to the u.s., where they were greeted by virus response teams in hazmat suits. dr. henry walk of the cdc leads the team at travis air force base in california. >> certainly it's concerning. >> reporter: dr. walk says only a handful of evacuees displayed symptoms, and are being monitored to make sure they don't have the virus, which appears so far to be having an impact on the health of u.s. businesses. it's asian american communities like l.a.'s chinatown here that are really feeling the fallout from the outbreak. business owners with spoke with say they are combatting the fear of the virus as much a they are the virus itself. with united, delta and american airlines suspending all travel to and from china, tourism officials in l.a. estimate a $920 million loss in chinese tourism to the city this year. all this happening during the chinese lunar new year, what is typically peak season for so many chinese style businesses in the u.s. in recent weeks, other cities, including alhambra, califoria have canceled their lunar new year celebrations amid concerns of low turnout due to fears of the coronavirus. the show went on in san francisco's chinatown after health officials in the city decided the risk of contracting the virus was low. >> we are safe and we are healthy here. so don't worry about whatever the rumor is saying. >>. >> reporter: new york city mayor bill de blasio and senator chuck schumer kicked off lunar new year's celebrations in chinatown with most saying they saw little impact from the virus. >> some people warned us not to come down, but it seems fine. >> reporter: mola lenghi, cbs news, los angeles. two new york city police officers were shot and wounded in separate ambushes that authorities are calling assassination attempts. this morning, a gunman walked into a bronx police station and opened fire, hitting one officer. police charge he is the same man who wounded another officer sitting in an nypd van saturday night. both officers are expected to make full recoveries. actor robert conrad has died. heis best known for his role as james west in the 1960s cbs hit "the wild, wild west." >> you are formidable. >> i drink a lot of milk. >> conrad starred and did his own stunts. he called it james bond as a cowboy. in the '70s, conrad starred in "baba black sheep." robert conrad was 84 years old. straight ahead on cbs weekend news, while failing to pay medical bills could land you behind bars. what propelled a 747 to the fastest ever new york to london flight? and he is the golden retriever with a nose for politics. we'll introduce you to mayor max. everything was so fresh in the beginning... but that plug quickly faded. luckily there's febreze plug. it cleans away odors and freshens for 1200 hours. breathe happy with febreze plug. there is at least one issue a divide electorate can agree on this election year. a recent poll finds 90% of those surveyed agreed on the importance of making health care more affordable. millions of americans remain uninsured, and as meg oliver reports in partnership with propublica, some people are even going to jail because they're squeezed by a system that's putting new demands on overburdened incomes. >> amen. >> amen. >> reporter: tris and heather's big son lane was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 5 years old. at the same time heather suffered seizures from lyme disease. >> we had so many multiple health issues in our family at the same time, it put us in a bracket that made insurance unattainable. it would have made no sense. we would have had to have not eaten, not had a home. >> reporter: biggs was working two jobs, but they fell behind on their bills. then the unthinkable happened. >> you wouldn't think you would go to jail over a medical bill. >> reporter: tres biggs went to jail over failure to appear in court over unpaid medical bills. what was that like? >> scary. scared to death, because i'm a country kid. i had to strip down and get hosed and put a jumpsuit on. >> reporter: bail was $500. how much money did you have at that time? >> maybe 50 to $100. >> reporter: in rural coffeyville, kansas, where the poverty rate is twice the national average, attorneys like michael had built successful businesses representing medical providers to collect debt owed by their neighbors. >> i'm just doing my job. they want the money collected. i'm trying to do my job as best i can by following the law. >> reporter: that law was put in place at his own recommendation to the local judge. the attorney uses that law by asking the court to direct people with unpaid medical bills to appear in court every three months and state they are too poor to pay in what is called a debtor's exam. if two hearings are missed, the judge issues an arrest warrant for contempt of court. bail is set at $500. and how do you get paid? >> i get paid on what's collected. >> reporter: from the bail money? >> well, if the bail money is applied to the judgment, yes, i get a portion of that. >> reporter: are you sending them to jail for collection then and not contempt? >> no. we're sending them to jail for contempt of court, for failure to appear. >> reporter: in most courts bail money is returned when defendants appear in court. but in almost every case in coffeyville, that money goes to pay attorneys like hassenplug and the medical debt his clients are owed. this raises serious constitutional concerns. >> rr: a deputy director at the ac. that is the criminalization of private debt. >> reporter: in a recent report, the aclu found tens of thousands of these warrants are issued annually, sometimes to collect as little as $28. >> i mean, it wasn't like we were not paying any of our medical bills. that was the problem. we couldn't afford to pay all of them. >> reporter: is jail the answer? >> no. >> reporter: we went to court on debt collection day. they wouldn't allow our cameras in, but we watched more than 60 people swear they didn't have enough money to pay. only one of them had an attorney representing them. elaine? >> such an important story. meg oliver, thank you. coming up, the floodwaters are gone, and it's time for carnival in venice. ♪ ♪wild thing, you make my heart sing.♪ ♪you make everything... groovy...♪ done yet? yeah, yeah, sorry, sorry. you sure? hmm.mmm. ♪come on, come on, wild thing. if you ride, you get it. geico motorcycle. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. - oh.- oh, darn! - wha- let me help. lift and push and push! there... it's up there. hey joshie... wrinkles send the wrong message. help prevent them before they start with downy wrinkleguard. nyquifor your worst cold andrful relieflu symptoms, on sunday night and every night. cougng, aching, stuffy head, best sleep with a cold, medicine. today in venice, italy, boats and gondolas paraded down the grand canal in style, ferrying people dressed in elaborate costumes and masks celebrating the city's annual carnival. the party, dating to the 11th century, guess on until ash wednesday and the 40 days of lent. a new speed record in the air. a british airways 747 recorded the fastest ever subsonic flight from new york to london last night. the plane flew at more than 800 miles per hour, pushed along by a jet stream powered up by a big storm. total flying time, 4 hours and 56 minutes. headwinds made the return flight back nearly three hours longer. a zoo in mexico is celebrating new arrivals, three of them. the lion cubs, two males and one female made their on-camera debut this weekend. they were born in january at the park and laurel zoo in puebla. the cubs will eventually find homes in other zoos to help conservative their species. adorable. next, news from cute cubs to a handsome old pup. they say he is a stand-up fellow, though he is known to roll over on some issues. if you want a candidate who knows how to fetch votes and sniff out corruption, look no further than a small town in southern california. that's where mireya villarreal met the friendliest politician in america. >> yay, max! >> reporter: one of the most popular tourist attractions in idyllwild, california is mayor max. max is a golden retriever. >> my favorite politician. >> reporter: he has won three consecutive elections in this small picturesque town. >> if it's a black tie event, he has a bunch of black ties. >> reporter: phyllis mueller, max's chief of staff funds and runs the mayor's office out of her house. >> he is like immortalized. >> when you refer to the mayor and tell people he is a golden retriever, do you get only in california? >> there are some people that do that and think that's funny. but a lot of people say it's a better alternative. >> reporter: idyllwild doesn't have a local government, so residents here elect a ceremonial mayor. how did this even become a thing? >> our animal rescue group came up with the idea to have it be a fundraiser where you paid a dollar to vote and you were encouraged to buy the election and vote as much as you can. >> reporter: the only time you can actually buy an election? >> that's right. >> reporter: like most successful mayors, max has a nose for politics. do you guys know he has to wear a tie? >> because he is the mayor. >> reporter: oh, and the mayors have to wear ties? >> yes. >> reporter: uniting people with different political ties is max's mission. >> a lot of people say that they like the break from the divisiveness of politics and they appreciate the lightheartedness of it. >> reporter: no bones about it. mireya villarreal, cbs news, idyllwild, california. >> and that's the "overnight news" for this monday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back with us a little later for the morning news and "cbs this morning." from the broadcast center in new york city, i'm elaine quijano. ♪ >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." >> welcome to the "overnight news." i'm elaine quijano. the democratic candidates made last-minute appeals to new hampshire voters this weekend ahead of tuesday's crucial primary. a new cbs news battleground tracker poll shows a tight race. like iowa, bernie sanders and pete buttigieg share the top spots, but the primary is still up for grabs. only four in ten say they've definitely made up their mind. nikole killion is in manchester. >> hello, concord! in new hampshire -- >> it's the heat of competition, throwing elbows, making contrasts. >> reporter: the democratic presidential candidates are feeling the squeeze. >> no, we're not here to denigrate pete. joe bin on defense.d >> i didn't attack pete. pete's been attacking me. he has completely misunderstood or misrepresented my record. >> reporter: against a surging pete buttigieg, now digging into the former vice president's moderate support. >> i'm not barack obama. and neither is he. neither is anyone running for president right now. >> reporter: with all the attention on the top tier, those vying to move up not giving up yet. >> when you constantly hear names like buttigieg, sanders, biden, warren, how do you break out? >> they are very good people. they have all of them great policy proposals, but unlike them, i have results. and i think that matters to the people of new hampshire. >> reporter: just a few days out from the primary, the granite state insists there will be no repeat of iowa. oo allayut wa is it was an embarrassment. it was a disgrace. >> i'm frustrated. i'm mad as hell. everybody is. >> reporter: democratic national committee chairman tom perez says the process will be reviewed. >> is iowa about to lose its first in the nation status? >> that's a conversation that will happen after this election cycle. >> reporter: at least one presidential candidate tulsi gabbard has called on chairman perez to resign. he says he has absolutely no intention of stepping down. elaine? >> all right, nikole, thank you. president trump returns to the campaign trail tomorrow in new hampshire. it's his first rally since his impeachment acquittal. natalie brand is at the white house. natalie, good evening. >> good evening, elaine. this is a strategy we also saw ahead of the iowa caucuses. the trump campaign is trying to steal the spotlight from democratic hopefuls and bolster its base using impeachment as a rallying cry. a rapid-fire series of sunday tweets makes clear the president is preoccupied with politics post-impeachment and acquittal, targeting those who voted to convict him, and calling democrats crazed and badly wounded. >> this president is only getting more emboldened. >> reporter: while the president's impeachment inquiry may be over, but democratic and republican lawmakers have promised investigations will continue. >> the whistle-blower episode needs to be investigated by richard burr. but if rudy giuliani has any information coming out of the ukraine, he needs to turn it over to the department of justice because it could be russian propaganda. >> reporter: lindsey graham speaking to "face the nation" issued a firm warning not only to the president's