ool lounger. or, a big-room relaxer. with 22 brands — and the best value for your money — choice hotels has a stay for any you. book direct at choicehotels.com. where travels come true. gotta get the corners. ♪ ♪ will: love that. sunrise over seattle. pete: just waking up. we want to thank all four of our viewers in seattle. laugh. [laughter] rachel: lots of conservatives -- pete: i've met a lot of conservatives in washington, especially eastern washington. will: thanks for being with us. we'll be back tomorrow morning. rachel: see you tomorrow. >> final hours are here, the bitter battle is on. now "cavuto live." neil: i love that guy's voice. don't be fooled by the bitter

cold, the heat is on in iowa where candidates are making their final pitches before caucus-goers head out in what will be the coldest voting day in iowa caucus history. and the wicked weather not just hitting iowa, it's slamming the upper midwest as we speak heading east. it's already knocked out power for more than a quarter million americans and delayed thousands of flights. more on that storm coming up. but first, to the candidates far from hunkering down. and in the case of one vivek ramaswamy, picking up a surprising late endorsement. he's here to tell us all about it. and that run-in he had at a campaign event. and our hawkeye state-palooza doesn't end there. former governor terry branstad on why he's not endorsing, well, anyone. and iowa's longest serving senator, chuck grassley, on why he isn't either, at least not yet.

bundle up. "cavuto live" is starting now. ♪ neil: welcome, everybody. i'm neil cavuto. it is remarkable, i am not snowing you, it is uncanny how remarkable des moines looks just like midtown manhattan. you'd also think i was on avenue of the americas, and you'd almost think we were in midtown manhattan. truth is, we are. we are in midtown manhattan. we couldn't make it out last night because of blizzard-like conditions in iowa that essentially shut down all flights to and from des moines, but we are hopeful today, we plan to yet out right after this show for our iowa coverage tomorrow at 4 a.m. again, fingers crossed and monday at 12 p.m. on fox business, 4 p.m. on fox news for voting day itself. like i said, that's the plan anyway. for the meantime, we're imagining that we're in iowa as we speak. i don't have to imagine and neither does aishah hasnie,

she's been in the middle of this all week, not once complaining about the snow and the cold, a quality of hers that i do not admire. anyway, she's with us now. aishah, how are things over there? >> reporter: we are inside, so i'm really, really well. we're inside smitty's ors, one of the most popular place here in des moines where people are going to come in in just a few minutes and talk politics expect weather as well. this has been around since 1967. they've seen a lot of caucuses. this is going to be the coldest one ever, and i want the talk to my friend, owner ben smith. i want to ask you, do you think there's going to be a good turnout monday? >> i do. i've talked to several iowans, and there are going to be a lot of people turning out. >> reporter: yeah. we'll find out if the diners come in today, that'll be a good sign that they're going to come out monday as well. you know, the weather has already impacted a lot of campaign events though. want to talk about the biggest headliner, of course, the front-run orer, former president donald trump. he had to cancel two rallies today and a third one tomorrow which means he just has one

rally left on the schedule -- the schedule. that's going to be a big hit for him, he says on truth social he's going to arrive possibly saturday night into iowa, so tonight. extreme hi cold and snowy here. here's what iowans are telling us about what they think's going to happen with the turnout. >> it feels like it's going to hurt probably all the candidates. >> there might be a few people, but for the most people, i don't think that'll stop them. >> we're iowans. we'll come out in it. >> reporter: i'm going to pop back out here and tell you how i feel. yep, no, we're not doing it. it's too cold. [laughter] we're going to stay inside. and i think you should too, neil. everybody should just be very, very safe. neil: all right. you've been great through all of this. but we'll see what happens. you know, these hangnails are not getting any better, aishah. i might not be able to show. look forward to seeing you, aishah hasnie in the middle of that. let's got to the iowa gop chairman, what he's making of all of this and the cold

weather. iowans are used to this, i understand that. this is record cold, and i wonder for folks wolf to make it to these thousand plus precincts, most of them people's homes, that sort of thing, how do you think that sorts out? i honestly think wince we do have the 1,567 precincts, nobody has to travel a long ways, neil. and i just got in here today, the snow has stopped, the snowplow plows are out. i would say it's darn near balmy out here. [laughter] and we're used to taking precautions. honestly, neil, this might depress a tiny bit with. i think it's evenly distributed who it affects, maybe we go from a record turnout to a terrific, great turnout. we truly are used to this, and we've got some good sun ordered up for you. i've ordered that perm ifly just for you -- personally. neil: when you used the word balmy, i knew right away you've been working too hard. [laughter] let me get your take on that

because caucuses are a weird beast. i say that respectfully because it is such an iconic, american-type event. it's unique to yours and a couple of oh states. nevada comes to mind. i'm just wondering though, or it's a process. i often times think that polls can be misleading regardless because it's a series of candidate affiliations that could wane as the night if ensues and you go to a second round and third round. how do you see that sorting out? >> well, and the movement around the actual building, that was actually how the democrats did it before they screwed everything up and lost their first in the nation status. and so republicans have always a been much more straightforward. we move in, we listen to the candidate or the surrogate speeches, and then we vote either a ballot or they write that down. so our system is very simple. it's the part of the reason why we've had terrific caucuses in 2020 and 2016. it is though, neil, and the premise of your question is very accurate. this is every bit as much of an

organizational contest as it is a popularity contest. and i have to tell you the four leading candidates in iowa, they've got game for monday. i don't think i've ever seen this many candidates at this point in the caucus cycle -- this'll be my seventh -- that have been ready for game time. in other words, heir ready to turn out their people. -- they're ready to turn out their people. and, you know, this might be the coldest caucus, but this is also the greatest disaster we've ever had in washington d.c. i think iowans desire to stop that knop sense. i think it's -- nonsense. i think it's going to overcome any discomfort in terms of temperatures. neil: how do you feel -- i didn't know you'd been doing this for 28 years, but how do you feel and iowans feel about a, essentially, democrats saying we can't be bothered? >> it's, i mean, it's the very disappointing. i mean, what you had in the democrat, what you have9 with the democrats is essentially joe biden knew he couldn't one iowa.

he tried twice and failed miserably. and and then you've got the coasts, california and new york, thinking that somehow we're not progressive enough out here, so they just take it away. and our iowa democratic party, quite frankly, didn't fight back. i'll barn guarantee i would have had somebody tried to pull that on the republicans, and they've socially just given away first in the nation. as far as iowa goes, we're going to have a terrific organization, a terrific, transparent if process on monday, and i start angling for 2028 on january 16th. neil: that's funny. you know, jeff, how do iowan withs feel, how do you feel -- and i'm sure she didn't mean the personal slap to iowa, but nick nikki haley seemed new hampshire straight thenned out what happens in iowa. how dud that go down? >> i think most people understood that the ambassador was trying to kid. i think, i think a lot of candidates don't realize we have

a friendly rivalry with new hampshire. you know, new hampshire likes to say we raise corn, they, they raise presidents. but the bottom line is both iowa and new hampshire are here for one reason. it's not necessarily to pick the president, the it's to give an even, neutral playing field for these individuals, any individual that wants to including rick santorum are, including jimmy carter to go out there and make their case to the people. and the difference between iowa and new hampshire, we have a caucus. i pay as the head of the party for everything. in new hampshire i could be on a beach right now and run a primary because the state pays for it and runs it. here in iowa we are responsible for everything in the eyes of the world -- and the eyes of the world are on us. i think it was an attempt at humor, i don't hold that against ambassador haley, but i would say first in the nation, i'll hold us up to any state in the nation. neil: all right. if you pay for everything, jeff, maybe i'll put you down for a space heater when i get there.

it's always good seeing you, jeff. and you've been one champion cheerleader or if your state, and -- for your state, and i appreciate it very much. honored to have chuck grassley with us, iowa senator, longest e serving senator, at that, kind enough to join us on the phone. senator, how are you doing? >> very good. glad to be with you, and glad you're paying so much attention to this historic thing that goes on in iowa every four years. finish. neil: yeah, there are one or two ores doing so, but it is getting a lot of attention. how do iowans feel after it's over? all a these candidates leave, they don't come back -- >> well, remember -- neil: what happens? >> this has been going on since 1972, and iowa takes its first in the nation very seriously. people doing retail politics, talking to people face to face answering their questions. you know, it's something i've had as part of my political career going to every county every year to hold a q&a, and

you find some of these candidates doing it, and it's detail poll politics, and iowans take it very seriously as you can see the large number of people that show up at these rallies for the individual candidates. neil: how important is it to them? because you would think that candidates like vivek ramaswamy who, you know, has gone to every corner of the state, ron desantis says i visited all 99 counties, are they rewarded for doing that? how does that play into with this, the candidates who really put their heart and soul into this? whether you like them or not, they're there constantly. >> well, i suppose we know monday night who's rewarded and who isn't, and i think the reward doesn't come just exactly from the fact that people, some of the candidates are visiting every county for a, and and -- q&a with the candidates. but if you want to be taken seriously in iowa, paying attention to iowa's pretty darn

important. and i think you find it done in different ways. you find that the rallies of president trump where a thousand people can come, and then you have a few hundred people at a town meeting in this city or that city. so it's just different ways of doing it, and you've got to do it according to how -- what fits your campaign in the most practical way to get the job done. neil: senator, you have not committed to any candidate even though i hear all the candidates were vying for your support. why was that? if why is that? >> well, it's because iowa's first in the nation, and, you know, we started out with about 13 or 14 candidates. we got it down to 3 or 4 now. and we wanted everybody to feel welcome, and i think senator ernst feels the same way. and we -- i guess i didn'tens doer anybody if because -- endorse anybody because we just don't want if chuck grassley's

for somebody, well, why bother to go to iowa. we want everybody to be welcome in iowa, and that's the reason. now, in 1996 it was a little bit different because i worked hand in glove with robert dole when he was running for president, and he was kind of like a favored son in iowa. and that was an easy job. but most of these caucus issues i stay out of for the reason that i give you with. neil: so whoever ultimately wins the nomination, you'll support that person. >> yes. it won't be just because they win iowa necessarily -- neil: i understand. because the last three iowa winners have not won the nomination. but you'll support the republican nominee, whoever -- >> the answer is -- listen, the answer is with open boarders and with -- borders and with inflation the way it is and the way our foreign policy is going to pot according to how we respond to iran and all that, we can't have four more years of

biden being president of the united states. neil: all right. senator, very good catching up with you. be well. >> yeah. thank you very much. good bye. neil: all right. [laughter] senator chuck grassley on all of that. we've got vivek ramaswamy coming up. his campaign has actually picked up some momentum in the last couple of days. also some controversy. he was trying to deal with a climate activist at one rally and then there was this out of the blue endorsement from a former desantis supporter. so a lot going on with him. he's next to tell us all about it. ♪ ♪ veteran homeowners, car payments are getting out of control. get a newday 100 va cash out loan at lower mortgage rates to pay off those high rate car loans. ♪ ♪ every day can be extraordinary with rich,

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night at a campaign if event trying to deal with these climate activists. i think he handled it very well. that was suddenly thrust on him, but he was able to try to talk down some of the craziness. that's what these candidates are dealing with these days. something similar with ron desantis earlier in the week, and these last minute events sort of test their mettle. vivek ramaswamy kind enough to join us out of des moines. what happened here? >> look, i think we had a normal campaign event, and i believe in free speech, neil. some people disagreed with maine i gave them the mic, and we had a respectful conversation, and i think's how america was built. we don't all have to agree on everything, but we do have the right to actually say it. they disagreed with me on my climate policies. i gave them the mic. we had an open conversation, and i think it was a respectful and good way to demonstrate the what happens. i don't prefer to silence protesters, i prefer to give them the chance to speak. but at the same time, we owe it to this country to make sure that every voice gets heard, not just the people who try to shout

each other down. so i think it was an instructive moment, a teaching moment, and i think something positive came out of it last night. neil: i give you credit, you did let them speak. some of them wouldn't let you speak, and some of them even interrupted you as you were trying to say i'll listen, i'll listen. but this is the kind of thing that does pop up on the campaign stump, and you know that more often than not for a lot of candidates. what's your advice to candidates in dealing with this? >> my advice is don't be thrown off. i think a lot of times you've seen other instances of campaigns that have thrown people out of events, i think some of the same people end up at ron desantis' venn, it went very differently over there. but the truth of is matter is what happens with young people in many cases, it's not that they're against us, they're lost. they're hungry for direction and purpose and me meaning. they want to be heard. and after you've given them a chance to be herald, that allows us to actually open up what the actual truth of the matter is. so we had a productive discussion about climate policy last night after those outbursts. i think we have to persuade --

[inaudible] if brought a lot of young people along with forms of nuclear policy that many in the climate movement have wrongly rejected. my advice is if you're running to lead the nation, run to lead the entire nation, not just the people you agree with. and that's the way i do hope to lead this nation the from the white house, neil. neil: you know, you got a big enforcement out of the blue from a republican congressman in iowa. now, a lot of people say it came late in the game, but he explained earlier on he likes you, likes your message, he thinks it's very promising, and he doesn't buy the polls. tell us a little bit about that. >> we've seen a lot of late endorsers that have shocked people, steve holt, one of the -- [audio difficulty] was one of them. he had endorsed desantis before, he came over to me and largely because of the principled positions that i have taken against the carbon capture of disturb -- [inaudible] in favor of free speech and in

favor of the constitution. steve king is another endorsement. many people expected him to endorse donald trump. he's endorsed me because of my principled positions here as a well. we're seeing a lot of these late endorsers coming in late in the cycle. we're seeing a late surge, and i think we're going to have a shock to the system on monday night. i'm excited about that, and i think the mainstream media's entirely missing that groundswell of grass roots support, neil. i'm grateful for it, and i think the people of iowa understand it's not about the media narrative. this is why iowa goes first, and i really respect that process. if -- i've had more events here than all the other candidates come wined, and i think iowans reward people who show up, who are honest and transparent, and there's a reason why this state goes first , and i've grown to appreciate that through this process. neil: obviously, the weather could be a factor. your supporters are very vocal in loving you, and there are others who might be, well, i like the idea, i don't know if i'll brave, you know, 30 degree

below 0 temperatures to vote for the guy. are you worried? >> i think i feel very confident about monday night. most of our supporters certainly that i see, neil, are actually hard line. so if george washington could brave the delaware and didn't complain about the weather, that's what i tell many of our supporters here. in fact, i've been campaigning even over the last several days where other candidates canceled their events, and we've seen people coming out in droves. we've encouraged everybody to be safe, and everybody should make their own decision. approach it safely, drive carefully, but i do think it's important for people to come out on monday night. i'm asking all my supporters to come out and support me and actually the to do the right thing for our country. i think a lot's at stake this year. we're skating on thin ice as a nation, and i do think it's going to take somebody with fresh legs to reach and lead that next generation of americans, to lead us to victory in this war that we're in in this country. and i'm optimistic, neil, that do our days can be ahmed of us, but it's not -- ahead of us, but it's not going to happen automatically. it's going to take every one of

us doing our part, not just one present president coming down from on high to save us. but every one of us playing our part. if we're going to be saved, it's because we saved ourselves, and i do think that starts on monday at the iowa caucus. it's also martin luther king day, a day where we commemorate a lot in this country. i think it's an important day for our country's future, and i'm confident we're going to deliver a big surprise that night. neil: vivek ramaswamy, thank you very much. we'll be following you closely and in person in iowa. in the meantime here, another round of strikes against houthi rebels in yemen. they're not happy. after this. be - a cowboy or a gangster. and a gangster's outta style. i got back to my roots... we come from a long line of cowboys. my grandfather, my great-grandfather, my aunt even rode horses. when i see all of us out here on this ranch,

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>> we would hope that the houthis get the message loud and clear that it's not in their best interests to continue to conduct these kinds of attacks. neil: but it seems like you are

open to follow-up attacks in yemen. what made this distinct and unique besides oh responses is that they never involved going in to yemen to do them or launching attacks in yemen, that that now is open to you, right? >> it's not the first time we've conducted strikes in yemen. of course, if you go back to 2016 -- neil: right. >> but in this particular case, you know, as secretary austin made clear in his e statement last night, you know, we will continue to do what we need to do to protect our force, protect the global economy and make sure that this type of activity is not acceptable going forward. neil: all right. you might have noted from that exchange with pentagon press secretary patrick ryder the reference to lloyd austin, the defense secretary, who called these strikes, the first wave of strikes on houthi rebels, from a hospital bed, we're told, and was the same with this second wave of strikes. or so we are led to believe. lucas tomlinson at the white house with more on all of this. hey, lucas. >> reporter: hey, neil. yemen is the third country where president biden has authorized strikes against iran's proxy

forces. the president spoke about those strikes yesterday in pennsylvania. >> i've already delivered the message to iran. they know not to do anything. >> [inaudible] will you continue the strikes, sir? >> we will make sure that we continue to respond to the houthis that continue this outrageous behavior, along with our allies. >> reporter: while many democrats blasted the president launching those strikes, many republicans rushed to the president's defense. >> i do commend the administration for finally hitting back. and i would say it's about time. they only understand one thing if that -- in that part of the world, and it's force and power. and they question our resolve in the region, and we need to show them that we're serious, that we're not going to back town to their threats, and we're going to hit them back. >> reporter: a smart question of general ryder yesterday, neil, because u.s. forces carried out another strike early this morning in yemen. the guided destroyer uss carney

if fired at a houthi radar site to cripple their efforts to fire missiles and drones against commercial shipping. general jack keane says the next strikes should be in iran. >> the center for gravity of aggression in the middle east is iran. we have said this time and time and time again. and to deter the proxies themselves by hitting them will not be sufficient. finish we have got to go after iran. >> reporter: president biden just departed for camp david. i asked the president if he called the situation on the southern border a crisis is, the president said no, but he acknowledged major changes are needed. neil: and, lucas, just to confirm that lloyd austin was a ace ware not only in the first wave of attacks, but the second wave leading them, and the president was okay, they're okay with each other so far and that relationship, the push to push him out doesn't extend to his boss, the president. >> reporter: that's right, neil. lloyd austin remains in the

hospital today, and he's been there nearly two weeks, but he was informed and took part in these strikes. of course, he's the one who has to give the order. but it's notable yesterday in pennsylvania, while the president says he has confidence in lloyd austin, he did say it was not right for the defense secretary not to notify him that he was in the hospital. neil: all right, my friend, got it. the fallout from the former centcom commander. commander, i do want to pure were -- pursue a little more the role lloyd austin had, has in this, doing so from a hospital bed. what do you think? >> yeah, i think -- first of all, it's good to be with you. i think the location is less important than the ability for him to be on the mend and provide the leadership and advice and expertise that he does. so, you know, the u.s. military has the capabilities for commanders or for the secretary in this case to perform their duties from literally any mace if that they are whether it's in the air, the ground, in their

office, wherever it happens to be. so i am, i'm, i would not be concerned about that capability. neil: so let me ask you to that end then, commander, obviously you have to have all of the various perrer if nail ya, or at least the -- paraphernalia, at least the communications in his hospital room to follow up how the attack's going and orr orders that are necessary. can you to that from the hospital? >> absolutely. yeah. i mean, he has secure or mobile communications, the ability to talk to his commanders around the world and, of course, he's got a staff there that is really focused on enabling him and making sure he has the information that is required. so, again, i think think the location, at least from my own experience, the location is less important than the capabilities and the ability to tie in to the broader network which clearly he has the ability to do it from wherever legs. neil: -- wherever he is. neil: general, while i have you, taiwan has essentially kept the ruling democratic progressive

party in power, and he's no fan of china. of course, he was a very big advocate of taking on china, of independents -- independents. he weareded -- watered that down a little bit but has worked with the united states to build up taiwan's defense. the chinese not at all completed with this, calling it a dangerous choice. what do you make of all this? >> well, i think it's good. i think this is perhaps a partner that we can continue to work with in strengthening taiwan's defense and improving our own relationships as we move if forward. so from a u.s., from a u.s. partner standpoint, i would see this as a continuing positive development in terms of our relationship with taiwan and then our relations across the region. certainly it's not going to make china happy, but that's, that's the bee in this particular

case -- to be in this particular case, i'm afraid. neil: commander, very good seeing you. thank you for taking the time. >> thank you. bye-bye. neil: a lot more coming up. hunter biden and donald trump, very different individuals, but a lot of court cases and if not a whole lot of time. i'll explain after this. we pay for things that we don't need! bloated bundles, the reckless spending! no more... (mom) that's a bit dramatic... a better plan is verizon. it starts at 25 dollars a line. (dad) did you say 25 dollars a line? (sister) and save big on things we love, like netflix and max! (dad) oh, that's awesome (mom) spaghetti night -- dinner in 30 (dad) oh, happy day! (vo) a better plan to save is verizon. it starts at $25 per line guaranteed for 3 years and get both netflix and max for just $10/mo. only on verizon. (cheerful music) (gasps) - grandma, it snowed! can i go play outside? - of course, honey.

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neil: all right, that's the goal, at least. hopefully we'll take off and be able to get to iowa. we were not able to do so, i apologize for that but, again, we hope to make it happen tomorrow. in the meantime, we are broadcasting from new york city, happy to do that, and happy to sort of sort out what will be a very crowded calendar when it comes to court cases. of course, all the ones donald trump is dealing with, now the hunter biden situation and how that could drag on as well with. here to sort out what we're looking at, alexandria hoff in washington. hawaii -- hey, alexandria. >> reporter: i really like that pro mow, by the way. do it from wherever -- neil: exactly. we tried it from miami. what have you got? >> reporter: former president trump is still campaigning, just not on the trail. instead, making it a point to

attend his packed schedule of court dates whether he's required to or not. the former president was in court on thursday for closing arguments in his new york civil fraud trial. outside he maintained his innocence and the accusation that it's all part of a witch hunt. >> it's all a conspiracy to try to get biden who can't put two sentences together, try to get him into with office. >> reporter: six separate cases ranging from defamation allegations to election interference and insurrection. the defamation trial involving e. jean carroll is set to start january 16th. a request to delay it so that trump could travel for his mother-in-law's funeral on the 18 was denied. back here in d.c., lawyers have done a reversal for hunter biden saying he will comply with a subpoena as a long as a new subpoena is issued. the first son's attorneys say they have been legally invalid so far. >> the they issued a subpoena for a behind closed doors deposition.

a tactic that the republicans have repeatedly misused in their political crusade to selectively leak and mischaracterize what witnesses have said. >> reporter: so they've changed their mind on that closed door deposition. chairs of the house oversight and judiciary committees stated this: while we are heartened that hunter biden now says he will comply with the subpoena, make no mistake, hunter biden has already defied two valid, lawful subpoenas. they continued by stating the house will move forward with a vote to hold the president's son in contempt of congress until he confirms a date to sit for a deposition. ranking member on the oversight committee, democrat jamie raskin has called the contempt proceeding wastefultruly absurd, neil. neil: you know, alexandria, on and switch on the hart of hunter biden's legal team, is it because they ostensibly said this republican proceeding has now been blessed by a full house vote is, but they knew that was the case and going to be the

case, so what's the real reason? >> reporter: right. yeah, i mean, that -- the answer to that remains to be seen. i think only his legal team really knows that. but they're arguing that this subpoena was not valid. i don't know if they want to argue that fully in court. i think the interpretation was that this concept tempt of congress -- contempt of congress vote was not going to proceed as long as they agreed with this closed door deposition. the agreement's been made now, so we'll see if this vote is held as it's scheduled to be. neil: i don't know how you keep track of it, thoroughly confused. thank god you're there. alexandria hoff in washington following that. man, oh, man. doug schoen, good at following these developments, so is lee carter. experts, all, on both sides of the aisle. lee, as a gop pollster and looking at the various court cases donald trump is facing and the timeline for them, backing up like planes at laguardia here finish that is, if the planes ever take off. anyway, what do you make of this and how it's going to disrupt

the cycle? or will it? >> you know, there's something that's really interesting about donald trump. in many ways, i look at him as pop sit days, whatever you expect of him, the opposite happens. instead of campaigning from iowa, he's gaining momentum. and i think the reason for that is the centerpiece of his campaign right now is that people treat him unfairly. but not just him, refrains. there's -- republicans. there's a two-tiered system of justice that applies differently to him and people like him that people are trying to silence republicans, and it is working. so the more that he's out there with this message, the more his base is getting rallied and the more he's winning in the polls. so it's really surprising because it's not at all what you would expect to happen. it probably wouldn't happen to any other candidate besides donald trump because he's just got something very different about him than anybody else that's out there. neil you know, switch back to iowa, doug. i know for democrats it's not really an issue, but they've made it very clear to iowa voters they don't much flip over

iowa period. they don't like the way it has some of the unique, special status. and i'm just wondering whether that comes back to bite them. i mean, you have to go back to jimmy carter, obviously, for someone who just put it right on the map with that incredible second place performance, but second to uncommitted. and obviously barack obama, it was a big trend setter, he won in 2008, stumbled in new hampshire, it was a battle royale for the mom if nation. we know what happened. nomination. how do you think that affects democrats when the clear signal certainly from the white house is we are so over you? >> yeah, i think the primary process is not helpful to the democrats as it's currently constituted. iowa, new hampshire, both are basically ail again nateing -- alienating democrats in both with states. both now are, frankly, going to

lean republican. iowa strongly, new hampshire slightly. and with south carolina the first real, robust test, there's a sense that the process even without a serious opponent is being gamed for the advantage of the white house and president biden. so i don't think what the democrats have done has helped my party and, arguably, hurt a bit. neil: lee, if i could switch to the gop side and the last three iowa caucus winners who did not go on to get their party's nomination and the white house, so what do you make of that? >> i think a couple things are very different this year. number one, donald trump's ahead in more than 30 points in the polls. we've never seen anything like that. we saw what happened in 2016. there's a slip, but it was only an 8-point flip. what you're talking about is a significant strip. and that's just really, really

different. the rules in iowa have changed too, so we're not going to see the same second place duke it out that we've seen in the past. so i think that if donald trump does secure a solid lead in iowa, it's going to be hard for anybody else to take that down. now, nikki haley's within a stone's throw i in new hampshire. if she has a really good performance in new hampshire, if she ekes it out somehow, she gets every one of chris christie's votes and ekes it out, that'll be interesting to look at. but right now the polls just suggest that donald trump is is so far and away that i have a hard time seeing how there's going to be a big surprise. neil: lee, final world. great seeing you both. we're going to take you to the border right now where where this could be another legal fight brewing. i kid you not. after this. ase insert your parking ticket. it's going to take a lot more than a little ticket to get out of here.

no...ahhh! and be better protected from mayhem... yeah...like me. uh, someone! that's broken to pal... hahaha. automated voice: please insert your parking ticket.

neil: what could be another lawsuit, above abbott is blocking access to a federal

park right now, the white house is not happy. matt finn has more from eagle pass. hey, matt. >> reporter: hi, neil. we're standing in front of that park, shell by park in eagle pass, texas, and this exact piece of property has become a battle ground between governor abbott if and the biden administration. basically, texas national guard has seized this property, kicked out federal border patrol agents and is now manning this property, basically saying we can handle it from here. typically, this exact park has a served as the hot spot for illegal immigration all along the southern border. our cameras have been in this spot for well over two years now, and you may recall that huge crush of migrants right here just a few weeks ago, in december. for years now we have been showing you the countless number of migrants who illegally cross the rio grande river into the u.s., in this park. texas national forward this week seized this property from the city, kicked out the federal border patrol agents. governor greg abbott argues that president biden has allowed

cartels unfettered access to smell -- smuggle migrants into the park and this state, so texas is going to control this property from here on out. well, that resulted in the department of justice filing an emergency court document this week as part of a broader lawsuit against texas arguing in part that the federal government needs to regain access to this park. writing in part: texas' new actions since the government's filing demonstrates an escalation of the state's measures to block border patrol's ability to patrol or even to surveil the border and be in a position to respond to emergencies. the white house says governor abbott has been using extreme political stunts and has now made it harder and more dangerous for border patrol to do their job. so we will be here throughout the weekend and the next couple of days, we will keep you updated on this developing situation here along the rio grande river. also looking ahead this week, house republicans announced a second hearing this week with aimed at impeaching secretary

mayorkas who they insist is responsible for turning a blind eye to the immigration here along the southern border, neil. neil: matt finn, thank you. meanwhile, we're back looking at the -- [inaudible] in iowa to get out the vote. governor reynolds says ronty -- ron desantis remains her first choice. but the lieutenant governor endorses somebody else. no friction, no pain.pe she'r,s next. h rate debt is stressing your budget. but your family's service has earned you a big advantage. the va home loan benefit. with the lower rate newday 100 va cash out loan, you can pay off high rate credit cards and car loans. and can save $6,000 a year. that's real money you can use to take care of your family and home.

♪ ♪ if. neil: all right, want to take a look at des moines, central iowa right now. i guess that's 3 degrees, if i'm reading that correctly, guys. we're told that on election night or caucus night if it will

be 16 degrees as a record to break. that was back in 2004. we're getting a reading probably in the -16 to -25 degree range which would easily make this year's caucuses the coldest on record. how that affects the get out the vote drive, i have no idea. brenna bird, iowa attorney general, kind enough to join us now. attorney general, good to have you. i know you're the legal eagle in the state, but does it affect turn? do you think it will affect if turnout? >> well, the cold could affect if turnout just a are little bit, but here in iowa we're used to the winter. people will have a plan. our caucuses are indoors, so the big thing is getting there and getting back, staying safe. i think the weather, although it'll be cold, it's not supposed to be snowing like it has in the past, so it should be a good night for the caucuses. neil: you guys are a hearty bunch anyway. i do wonder what the ground game

is for donald trump, you know? if all these legal cases he's been dealing with, he hasn't been able to spend as much time as other candidates. clearly, has not hurt him in the polls. you're endorsing him, your not going the route of your governor, kim reynolds. she's looking at ron desantis, and you, again, the former president. how's that going? >> oh, great. i mean, we're used to it in the iowa caucuses that different people endorse different candidates. it happens all the time. and i respect and admire governor reynolds. she's a great governor. but the way it's looking on the ground, the grass roots organization is what's kicking in right now, and president trump has a strong one. my only concern is his, his lead is so big, i wanted to -- i want to make sure everybody knows that if they can get out and vote on caucus night, they need to. don't take it for granted. the only poll that matters is caucus night. neil: you talk about momentum, and polls are one thing, but the caucus system itself, you know, is a series of votes.

so whoever has a lead might see that lead dissipate as you go from, you know, one candidate to another if your candidate, i guess, doesn't get at least 15%. you have to jockey to another candidate. so you don't see these policy changing? >> no, i don't. and the 15 president threshold only applies -- 15% threshold only applies to the democrat system. in the republican caucus in iowa, people can vote for the candidate of their choice. it's a secret ballot. they come in, show their id, get signed in, and they get a chance to vote. so there's no second or third vote. neil: got it. let me ask you a little bit about the supreme court likely now at least going to hear the case of colorado's move to take donald trump off the ballot. it would extend to maine and, i guess, at least a dozen other states' attorney generals. how do you think the impact will go? >> well, i think what happened there was election interference plain and simple. it has to be stopped. people have to be able to vote for the candidate of their choice. that's who decide cans

elections. it's the voters, not the courts and not the hour ares. so i along with -- lawyers. i along with other a.g.s are working in the u.s. supreme court filing a brief to stand up for that. it's so important that our democracy works, and that's how this election is going to be decided. neil: we'll watch it closely. attorney general brenna bird following donald trump, sporting him. sew -- supports him. it will be the coldest voting day ever for the caucuses. it is uncanny how much des moines looks like midtown manhattan, right? we're in midtown manhattan. we're not in des moines. the man was to be there. -- the plan was to be there. but we can still cover this, and we are and we will. after this. in wash scent booster keep your laundry smelling fresh way longer than detergent alone. get 6x longer-lasting freshness plus odor production with downy unstopables. try for under $5.

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