but it's real... and we show you like no-one else can. this is our american story. this is america tonight. >> i'm david schuster in for ali velshi. "on target" tonight. a dangerous challenge. bernie sanders accuses party bosses are trying to clear the way for hillary clinton. plus big league hypocrisy. gambling still keeps pete rose out of baseball but as any fan can tell you not all bets of off. in a presidential primary season dominated by donald trump and a crowded republican field a major dust-up is now rocking the democratic race between hillary clinton and bernie sanders and their fight comes just before the two candidates debate

tomorrow night in new hampshire. at the center of the storm is a huge democratic party database of potential voters. the democratic national committee just blocked the sanders campaign from getting access to that database. the dnc's move came after some sanders staffers thanks po a software glitch improperly got access to clinton information in the database. one sanders staffer has now been fired but today sanders campaign manager jennifer weaver accused the dnc of trying help the clinton campaign. >> the leadership of the democratic national committee is now actively attempting to undermine our campaign. this is unacceptable. individual leaders of the dnc can support hillary clinton in any way they want but they are not going to sabotage our campaign. one of the strongest grass root campaigns in modern history. >> immediately after weaver's press conference dnc party chair

debbie wasserman schultz, if sanders files had been accessed. the problem is that dnc chair's alleged conflict of interest. debbie wasserman-schultz in addition to being dnc chair, is one of hillary clinton's toughest supporters. limiting the number of democratic debates, most of the few debates that have been scheduled have been scheduled for weekends. that means fewer people watching and less of an opportunity for clinton challengers to break through. the fight with the dnc comes as bernie sanders appears to be gaining some momentum. his campaign has now collected more than 2 million individual contributions averaging less than $30 each. sanders says no other candidate who is not a sitting president has ever received 2 million donations at this point in a white house run. hillary clinton has received a smaller number of total

contributions, but her average is higher and when you look at how much cash on hand clinton and sanders appear to have it's nearly even and sanders is already starting to blanket the iowa air waves, called people power. >> over 2 million crptions have contributions have been made to the only campaign that rejects a corrupt financing system. i'm bernie sanders and i approved this message. >> bottom line, the sanders campaign remains a dangerous one for hillary clinton. the vermont senator is now going to receive some significant organizational help. at the communication workers of america one of the nation's largest unions, it was the boost bernie sanders had been hoping for. >> we're here today to formally endorse the next president of the united

states, senator bernie sanders. >> that means the cwa with more than 700,000 members will now dispatch thousands of activists into the early nomination contest. they will go door to door and bless the bernie sanders campaign. eight years ago, the cwa chose not to make an goarmt ne endorsement. this time it was a landslide, even sweeter for vermont senator. on thursday he also received the enforcement of the democrats for america. drafting massachusetts senator elizabeth warren. warren and sanders and most conservatives share one concern. >> while the middle class continues to disappear, almost

all of the new wealth and income being created in america today is going to the top 1%. that's not what our economy should be about. >> in a speech thursday, sanders said the anger across america is understandable. and he took a shot at republican donald trump. >> the challenge of our time is to make sure that we do not allow demagogues to use that anger to divide us up, our job is to bring our people together to attack the real issues, the real problems, back in this country. >> those problems according to sanders are income inequality, skyrocketing cost of college education and corporate eleads. hillary clinton has issued proposals to try tackle those challenges. >> in america if you work hard and you do your part you should be able to get ahead and stay ahead.

>> and while analysts say her plans are not as progressive, the efforts steam have helped her campaign. the latest polling average ever democrats in new hampshire indicates she is gaining ground. though sanders maintains a lead 48 to 43. in iowa, the polling average puts clinton ahead, 52 to 35. but clinton campaign supporters are still nervous. all the polls indicate sanders has a huge edge with younger voters. and his late night television appearances keep going viral. most recently it was the popular whris pe whisper contest with jimmy fallon. >> feel the burn. good feel the burn! >> organization is now something bernie sanders can count

on. >> al jazeera's political contributor michael shure joins us. explain how much sanders voters will be getting from cwa in getting ready for caucuses. >> that's what it's all about. this union endorsement endorsement is big. the microcosm of what the sanders campaign wants to be but it's all about organizing. hillary clinton has a good strong organization in iowa, a lot of offices a lot of volunteers a lot of staff members there. bernie sanders has a lot of volunteers and he has a lot of grass roots support. what this does is this sends people from that union into iowa, allows for some organization. it cannot be understated how important it is. you know going into this debate tomorrow night this is exactly the kind of news that they wanted to bring. they had a little bit of a hiccup today with what happened between the dnc and the sanders campaign. >> it would seem according to

the sanders campaign that the clinton campaign fingerprints are all over this, given the sanders campaign said they were the ones that told the dnc earlier in the week and today it's the dnc giving it to politico and the washington post. >> it's going to happen with the supporters and the campaign operatives, you're not going to see the candidates themselves likely get involved. it doesn't behoove dhoir hillary clinton to invite bernie sanders into this argument. probably a little ticked at what the sanders campaign did but to your point again david, the sanders campaign has reported this before. they said it was an open and close case quite literally and they should not have had this suspension of the dnc. >> the campaign can't get the

access to the voter file for sen or eighseven or eight days or l. >> it nullifies that to a different way. these files of donors are so important to these campaigns. it's the life blood of a lot of these campaigns. likely though it's not going to be a permanent suspension. what debbie wasserman schultz said today they are going to suspend the campaign while they look into it. the sanders campaign said you have to lift this suspension right away we know what happened. >> she's seeming to defend the clinton campaign, is this one she should step away given that position of supporting the clinton campaign? >> yes, no, absolutely. i've been like thing this to a baseball story. bud selig was the owner of the milwaukee brewers. he was also commissioner of

majors league baseball. you can't do both. she's tria trying to rally peope campaign. objectivity. even if she's right there's no this doesn't look right. this is a gift wrapped chance for them to do that. a lot of people are talking about this, this gives them a chance out of wrongdoing from the democratic campaign. >> what are you expecting? >> i'm going to expecting the hillary clinton campaign to say, there is a football game on and you don't need to watch. i do expect to see a lot of foreign policy, for people who

watch it they're going to hear a lot about policy versus sort of what bernie sanders campaign did wrong, e-mails, the fluff of the campaign as they will look at it. tomorrow should be good, it should be informative but i don't expect a lot of americans will be tuning in. that's the problem the other campaigns have had with it. >> is hillary clinton even a jets fan. >> i don't know. unfortunately they don't have to put football helmets on, just baseball caps. mike dukakis will say, not a good idea with the football helmet. >> next, the elephant in the room, how the gop might deal with donald trump come convention time. we're asking why is the game of baseball so hard on pete rose and so easy on fantasy sports betting? >> there is so many changes in

my life... i was ready for adventures. >> from burlesque dancer to acclaimed artists. >> art saved my life. >> reflections from her new memoir. >> no no no no no... i'm way to dysfunctional to have an ordinary job. >> see what lies ahead for molly crabapple. >> who emerges from life unscathed? >> i lived that character. >> we will be able to see change.

>> well, the democratic race and the campaign is intensifying, is in a low mode compared to the republican race, the gop first contested convention in decades. earlier this week, ali spoke to vin weber, where the prospect of an open convention was

discussed. a lobbyist who has lobbied on behalf of qatar which helps fund al jazeera america. >> you look at chris christie, john kasich, they have had to had executive authority and make decisions in their own states, and they have a much more nuances approach. a strong approach but a nuanced approach national security. the senators and the outsiders like trump and carson lack any nuance in terms of their approach and that resonates more with primary voters. the idea that to hell with nuance and political correctness i'm going to come down like a ton of bricks on anybody who threatens national security. the governors and their nuanced views are not getting anyone above 10% in the polls. >> that is unfortunate in the case. i'm still looking forward to

voting in the next couple of months in iowa, that will change. governors like jeb bush and john kasich have had to deal with problems in their own communities and they understand bringing the community together to fight threats is the only way to succeed. what trump and others are talking about is dividing the community and repelling the very people we most need to help us in this fight which is muslim americans. >> vin we spoke a lot in the last election. let's change gears here. one of the things that the gop has been trying to do for last eight years is resonate more and gain more support amongst minorities, among gays, among women and a younger demographic, there last been movement along that front but the rhetoric in the republican race right now, it does appear to be pushing away some, that say this feels

like extremism, what is it doing for the effort to broaden the base so it's not about the democratic nomination but about winning the election? >> we're at a real turning point or inflection point. you remember after the 2012 election the party did an autopsy if you will, after our defeat, and came out with very strong recommendations along the lines you discussed. talked about the need to reach out to young people to minorities to hispanics and asian americans to women and how to build a broader coalition for the republican party and almost everybody at that time agreed with that. unfortunately this this campaign, we have seen some of the candidates, notably mr. trump up and mr. cruz, apparently rejecting that and arguing that they can win simply by getting a larger percentage of the conservative white vote. i don't think that's the message you've heard from governor bush or some of the other candidates but it seems to be the message that's been carried by the current front runners in the polls. i think that's a disastrous

position for the party to take in the long run. the country is changing diversifying, the country should have a strong appeal to the asian voters, hispanic voters, young people, given failure of the administration in so many areas but the leading candidates are steaming feel a different path. >> all right here is where my true colors are going to come out vin. .isn't it for the republicans to appeal to a broader group of people and steer clear of these social issues? obviously you can't steer clear of foreign affairs and national security but those topics seem to be getting republicans in trouble right now. >> the national security is number one and the economic message is always critical. and central. but the republican party also is the home to a lot of people that are concerned about the drift of the culture. it depends on how you talk about that.

if the way we talk about it is to condemn people and condemn their behavior we're just going to repel people. but a lot of people, young people and asians and hispanics and others are concerned about the drift of the culture in a direction that they don't like. so i don't think you can simply say to republicans just don't talk about social change that makes people nervous. let's make sure we are welcoming of everybody and that we're not trying to discuss social change in a way that is judgmental and seclusionary. >> and marco rubio has just released an ad over the weekend and one line if that ad is very telling. it speaks about not demonizing those, these are my own words i'm paraphrasing, not demonizing those who don't like this cultural drift. the point is if you are a social conservative and you're not in favor boor abortion and gay marriage not to demonize those people. we have this free speech going

on everybody is criticizing the other side and it's causing a lot of heat. this is seeming to be a bigger problem for the republican party, they're not having big debates about gay marriage or abortion. at some point we've got to square this circle. you were at that critical dinner last week where senior republicans talked about a way forward particularly in light of a possible donald trump nomination or something that looks like it's heading towards that. what side did you come down on that discussion? >> ali i think i was at that dinner but it was pretty overstated in my view. these are people that come together to meet on a regular basis. this wasn't a one time meeting to deal with a crisis. we meet fairly regularly, we talk about the problems the party's facing as well as the opportunities. i think that what sort of blew out of control in the discussion of that unfortunately, was the fact that there is a greater chance today that we will have an open convention than we've seen for a long time.

i still think it's not going to happen but the chances of an open convention meaning we go in without a nominee known in advance if that chance was 5% in the last several elections it might be 25% now. you might think how that would play out. we might have too think about that at least in my adult lifetime. >> and baseball betting, how can we say the same executives who support it condemn pete rose for gambling?

>> we're back and we're talking baseball. if 1989, peet pete rose, charlie hustle was band from baseball permanently by betting on games. uplolleding that ban, a move some call hypocritical, because fantasy baseball involves betting. if major league baseball shouldn't they be more relaxed, if they are dealing with pete rose, what about fantasy betting? >> looks like a profound hypocrite, it is absolutely absurd. here they are looking at the $400 billion pot that is sports

betting in the united states, legal sports betting in the united states and major league baseball, basketball, hockey and of course the nfl, they are looking at how to get a piece of that without succumbing to their long principled belief that all gambling is bad and will lead you done the primrose path to satan and demon rum, whatever else it was in 1918. fan dual, unmonitorring gambling investigated right now by the new york state attorney general, while at the same time being able to hold up pete rose aas the kind of hester prinn, with a scarlet g tattooed on his chest because it allows them to have their cake and eat it too. frankly it's so obvious that it is making us all nawsh u nauseous.

>> i'm nauseous too imagining that. going to a site and major league baseball taking a cut of that and pete rose while he was involved in the game betting on games that he was involved in? >> yeah, there is a difference in that. because it opens the door for people who are friends of major league baseball players in a way that's completely unmonitored to actually try to get a piece of that draft kings or fan dual action. and if you have insider information about what's going to happen in a given game about who's going to start that's how you win at daily fantasy, all about winning, market guessing correctly, who's going to play well but who's going to play. and that's something more pronounced in baseball, other than an entity like the nfl. in baseball you have star players who only play 140, 145 games a year. even if they have informal guidelines that say major league

baseball players can't do detail fantasy, it actually opens the door to much more potential corruption what i would call the wwe ification of major league baseball. some more than pete rose did a quarter of a century ago. >> pete rose admits he continues to bet on baseball games, has a front office in las vegas. if he doesn't have proprietary information of who's hot who's not, that could be very dangerous in terms of the integrity of the game to the extent that you don't want fans to have that kind of access to information. >> look, david make no mistake about it. would i not hire pete rose to work in my front office. i would not hire pete rose to walk my dog. he's the sort of person who if i gave him my car keys and ask him to drive my car loam, he would get a d.u.i. on the way. that is not someone you want in

your professional circle. but keeping him out of the hall of fame is the height of hypocrisy. the hall of fame is filled with people who are proud members of the ku klux klan and it's not even mentioned on their plaque meanwhile, pete rose is kept out. no one should weep for pete rose, he has dined out more on the fact he wasn't able to get into the hall of fame, but that said, pete rose has no place in major league baseball but he does have a place in the hall of more tales. >> i've got nothing to do with the hall of fame that's up to the writers to decide, he could have said we're banning him from baseball but absolutely he should be in the hall of fame based on his statistics and everything he did for game. >> seriously, saying it's all on the writers take care of that, i don't have anything to do with it.

it's like the president saying don't blame me blame congress. for rob to say he shouldn't work in baseball, i want to say to all my friends this is the all time hits leader, if you want to put on his plaque, he gambled, that is fine. but to frankly it is the right thing to do historically if we want to have an honest historical account of the game. it is bad enough saying the hall of fame was in cooper cooperstown, new york where baseball was created which is wrong. >> thank you and that is our show for today. i'm david schuster in for ali velshi. thanks for joining me, the news continues here on al jazeera america. >> we're here to fully get into

the nuances of everything that's going on, not just in this country, but around the world. getting the news from the people who are affected. >> people need to demand reform... >> ali velshi on target. >> el niño, a cyclical pattern of warm winds and moist air has the potential to bring wild weather worldwide. this year may be a ferocious el niño year on its way. one bad boy, that's the "inside story."