build on his successes. sanders with a lead in new hampshire and new pulling close in iowa. how close? just look at the latest cnn poll of polls there. doesn't really get any closer than actually tied. that was the backdrop as they took the stage last night. did anyone make or break their case? cnn's phil mattingly joins us now with his take. phil? >> for the three democratic candidates, last night was the closing argument of sorts. two weeks until the iowa caucuses. if you thought that shrinking calendar was going to change the dynamic of the race, at least in tone you were right. >> the gloves -- >> i think secretary clinton knows what she says are dis disingenuo disingenuous. >> reporter: are off. >> i'm not sure if we're talking about the plan you introduced tonight or the one you introduced nine times in congress. >> reporter: hillary clinton and bernie sanders putting an

exclamation point on sharp sparring sunday night. >> let me give you an example of how corrupt. >> reporter: clinton at one point in campaign unwilling to mention sanders name, now targeting the vermont senator's on guns and how he'll pay for his health care plan. >> i have made it clear based on senator sanders own record that he has voted with the nra with the gun lobby numerous time times. >> reporter: sanders moving to blunt both criticisms. >> what her campaign was saying of bernie sanders who fought for universal health care for my entire life, he wants to end medicare, end medicaid, end the children's health insurance program. that is nonsense. >> reporter: shifting on guns, a day before the debate. >> i said i would relook at it. we are going to relook at it and i will support stronger provisions. >> reporter: and releasing his singer payor health care plan hours before taking the stage. clinton criticizing sanders for the taxes required to pay for the proposal and shift away from

president obama's signature achievement. >> there are things we can do to improve it but to tear it up and start over again, pushing our country back into that kind of a contentious debate i think is the wrong direction. >> we're not going to tear up the affordable care act. i helped write it. but we are going to move on top of that to a medicad for all system. >> andrea. >> a little bit more in taxes, do away with private health insurance premiums. it's a pretty good deal. >> sanders going on offense against clinton's corporate ties. >> you've received over $600,000 in speaking fees from goldman sachs in one year. >> clinton defending not just her stance on wall street reform but president obama's as well. >> but he's criticized president obama for taking donations from wall street. and president obama has led our country out of the great recession. president obama's worked to push

through the dodd frank bill and then to sign it was one of the most important regulatory schemes we've had since the 1930s. i'm going to defend dodd frank and i'm going to defend president obama. >> sanders definitely turning a question on bill clinton's personal life into one of his best moments of the night. >> we've been through this, yes, his behavior was deplorable. have i ever once said a word about that issue? no, i have not. i'm going to debate secretary clinton and governor o'malley on the issues facing the american people, not bill clinton's personal behavior. >> now, guys, one interesting element of the night, bernie sanders turning downright trumpian and rattling off poll numbers saying once he was 50 points behind hillary clinton, now even all around. one thing you can almost guarantee over the next couple weeks as we head to iowa and new hampshire, this race is only heating up and the attacks are really just gung. >> no one cares about polls until their leading in the

polls, until they're good, then it's a great subject to talk about. >> stick around. >> joining us now, mark preston, cnn politics executive editor and jackie kucinich, senior politics editor for the daily beast. simply put, what is different this morning than yesterday? did anyone change the game? >> bernie sanders finally learned how to debate, it seems like. he got there, he wasn't going to take the attacks that hill are was waging at him as we've done in the previous debates. his answer on gun control as an example, in these other debates he's had, he's had trouble coming back at hillary clinton and this time he had an answer and he sort of made it a nonissue which is a huge improvement in his skills, just that issue alone. >> mark, do you think aside from the tonal shift anybody was able to move the needle? >> no. if you were to step back and say who won or lost, i think bernie sanders won last night.

he was able to effectively deal with the gun issue. he felt back against the criticisms of health care and delivered this populous message that's extremely important in this democratic primary. hillary clinton didn't necessarily have a bad night but she didn't win. at a time when you see bernie sanders doing so well in iowa, he is doing extremely well in new hampshire, that's got to cause the clinton campaign to be concerned about what's happening in the final few weeks. >> in some ways it was more about bernie sanders than any of the other previous debates. his ideas were being tested. his proposals were being tested. we heard that on health care. look, the sanders campaign did something clever. they put out the details of his medicare for all plan tw hours before the debate. hillary clinton pushed him on it. let's listen to what he said. >> there are things we can do to improve it but to tear it up and start over again, pushing our country back into that kind of a contentious debate, i think is the wrong direction. >> no one is tearing this up.

we're going to go forward. we're not going to tear up the affordable care act. i helped write it. but we are going to move on top of that to a medicare for all system. >> it was interesting, it's pragmatism versus purity in a way. that's a good way to describe it there. hillary clinton is taking this to bernie sanders and mark and jackie say sanders acquitted himself well but he's going to have to answer these questions now for the next two weeks every day. >> i felt bad for the clinton staffers who had so many great lines written up about his health care plan and lack of details that they had to toss into the wastebasket two hours before. very depressing. on the health care issue while bernie sanders did have a plan and was released, it opens more doors. it was a seven-page proposal for a complete overhaul of the health care market. last night, jackie and mark are

absolutely right. he fought her for a stand still on this issue but it opens up for more attacks. one of the interesting issues you'll see on guns and health care, the clinton campaign thinks they have a winning issue they can hammer home in iowa. while he did have a plan and did well in debate last night, they feel like they have grounds to move things forward in their favor over the next couple weeks. >> she was relentless on the matter of guns. she has been and last night was no exception. do you think, jackie, sanders did enough to counter the attacks from clinton and make his stance on where he stands with guns clear? >> it certainly was better than it was. whether or not they'll actually be clear, to a democratic electorate that really does favor more gun control, that remains to be seen. but he certainly made a step in the right direction. you also had that kind of hillary clinton backhanded compliment, which on the sunday shows yesterday, she said something to the effect of i welcome his flip no on one of the provisions of gun control.

i still think you'll hear more of that on the two next two weeks. >> we talked about the cnn poll in iowa. the poll of polls, shows things tied there. hillary clinton looking beyond both of those states. that was perhaps why she was draping herself in president obama. that is why she's, perhaps, talking to an electorate very different than iowa, new hampshire, very white in iowa, new hampshire. south carolina which is a couple weeks after these states, not nearly as white. if you look at the african-american vote, fox news did a poll of african-american voters. hillary clinton, is it at 82%, bernie sanders at 11%. mark preston, we've been talking for months about this asking how are you going to make inroads with minority voters? yes, we're going to. they're going to catch on. did he do anything last night to help? >> i think he did, for a couple reasons. let's take a step back and talk about hillary clinton embracing

president barack obama. barack obama defeated here in iowa in 2008 effectively ending her candidacy, right? it took several months but obama went on to win it and of course he's been a two-term president. if you look at bernie sanders, when he -- look, he's never going to be as good as hillary clinton is with black voters. if he is to win iowa, new hampshire, then you're talking about momentum at that point. i think the answer he gave when he tried to turn around the wall street thing and he talked about how there needs to be something done for african-american communities and there has to be investment in there was a smart thing for him to do. look, it's all about momentum right now. we are talking about national polls. but it's not about national polls at this point. it's about what's going on in iowa and new hampshire. it's all about momentum. right now, look, it's a locked battle. i would say bernie sanders has a bit of wind behind his back heading into iowa. >> last thoughts. bernie sanders and hillary

clinton, while they did go after each other on policy, you know, they are both being very careful not to get too mean. they both have very high favorability everywhere, including in iowa, she's at 86, he's the 89. >> i think one of the interesting elements is with hillary clinton's attacks, with the campaign's attacks, do they get too far out over their skis on this? one of the things that's always hurt hillary clinton is when she comes across as being sh ril in his attacks or maybe going too far. she's found that balance. they're attacking on issues and policy. she feels luke she has that balance. bernie sanders, kind of avoiding really direct attacks altogether. what will be intravoltaing to see how then to shifts in the next two weeks if each can maintain that balance or one gets too far out in front. >> phil, mark, jackie, we appreciate it. thanks so much, team. >> thank you. also this morning, three of the four americans released in the prisoner swapped with iran, including "washington post"

journalist jason rezaian are at a u.s. military hospital in germany, this as the united states imposes new sanctions against iran despite international economic sanctions being lifted over the weekend. i want to go straight to cnn's senior international correspondent fred pleitgen. what do we know about their condition, fred? >> reporter: it's being evaluated right now, poppy. in the military hospital here at landstuhl. they'll be evaluated both physically as well as psychologically as well. of course, those long months of detention there in iran is something that would take their toll. the prison in tehran is one that's notorious for very tough detention conditions. however, "the washington post" managing editors have managed to speak to jason rezaian. they asked him how he's doing after having been evacuated from tehran, he said, "doing a hell of a lot better than i was 48

hours ago." they said he was in good spirits but also said it was the solitary confinement that were the toughest for him. what's been going on over the past couple hours is they were flown out of iran on a swiss plane, taken to geneva and then taking to the landstuhl facility where medical tests will happen. the other thing, that's probably almost as important, they'll be reunited with their loved ones. with their friends and family. remember, there were a lot of supporters in the u.s. who kept their cases in the public light. so now jason rezaian, amir hekmati and saeed abedini are meeting family members and friends here. certainly some emotional scenes here at landstuhl. >> no question. can't wait for that moment where they can embrace each other again. coming up until the next hour, we'll speak live with the brother of the freed "washington post" reporter you just heard about, jason rezaian. he will join us live. in our 8:00 hour, secretary

of state john kerry also live. stay with us for that. one group of americans are enjoying their new-found freedom this morning, in iraq, breaking news, a search operation under way to find three americans believed to be abducted. iraqi security officials telling cnn the contractors were taken by a group of begunmen. nick waiten walsh live in beirut with us live with their story. nick? >> reporter: a bit of context here, michaela. we're talking about an area southeast of baghdad, often controlled by shia militia close to iran. that freedom happening in europe. at the same time, there are potentially these three americans gone missing, suggestions may be that they could fall into the hands of pro-iranian militia. two of them are iraqi-american nationals, one a fully-fledged american citizen. they were in southeastern baghdad when they went missing on friday, taking way by unknown gunmen.

there is a security operation happening in that similar neighborhood, an area called al saha. it is sealed off and said to be trying to find the three americans. the iraqi government wanting to be seen doing what they can. the real question here, though, is how much time elapses between now an when they see freedom. each day that passes makes a significantly more complex task. back to you. >> that's a dicey case there. sometimes people get passed between groups who have different interests. it can get very, very dangerous. nick paton walsh, thanks so much. a danville police officer killed in the line of duty. a suspect is now in custody. the officer shot just after midnight. the gunman got away in the officer's police cruiser after annan tense two-hour manhunt, the suspect, herschel jones 30s.

his girlfriend said he warned that he was looking to kill an officer. a shooting in utah claimed the officer of a veteran police officer there, douglas barney murdered by a gunman killed off he shot a second police officer. coming up, the war of words between donald trump and ted cruz intensifying, just two weeks ahead of the iowa caucuses. trump warning voters cruz is too nasty to be president. so what does the texas senator have to say about that? next. when my doctor told me i have age-related macular degeneration, amd we came up with a plan to help reduce my risk of progression. and everywhere i look... i'm reminded to stick to my plan. including preservision areds 2.

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♪ i got the discounts that you need ♪ ♪ safe driver ♪ accident-free ♪ everybody put your flaps in the air for me ♪ he's a nasty guy. nobody likes him. nobody in congress likes him. nobody likes him anywhere once they get to know him. he's a very -- he's got an edge that's not good. you can't make deals with people like that and it's not a good thing for the country. very nasty guy. >> with just two weeks out from the first votes in the 2016 presidential race, donald trump sharpening his attacks against ted cruz beyond the birther issue, cruz firing back. joining us to discuss all of it, senior contributor for the daily call are and author of "too dumb to fail," matt lewis, thank you

for being with us and also, editor of the national review, round brownstein and jackie kucinich is here as well. let us begin with cruz and trump, back and forth, back and forth. let's pull up this tweet. this is from cruz in the last week. he says even donald trump himself says new york values are different from the values in iowa and across the country. then he linked to this 1999 interview that trump did with tim russert. >> how about gays serving in the military? >> it would not disturb me. hey, i lived in new york city and manhattan all my life. my views are a little bit different than if i lived in iowa, perhaps. >> matt, to you, you say trump and cruz waited too long to go head to head like this. why? >> i think certainly when it comes to iowa, donald trump waited too long to try to go

after ted cruz. i think cruz is going to win iowa. i think it's too late to muddy up his brand enough to hurt him in eye with. cruz is tailor-made for that state. i think what you see here is an example of cruz's team being very effective. in the debate, donald trump scored some points nationally, defending new york, talking about 9/11. here the cruz people very astutely show that trump is a hypocrite on that issue. they're a tough team. the cruz people are working it. by the way, this attack, this video of trump talking about new york values, this surfaced four or five months ago at the time, nobody cared. it didn't hurt trump. now all of a sudden it becomes much more relevant. >> ron, you're the arbiter of demographic information in all of america right now. new york values, is that something that you think does hurt donald trump if the label sticks? >> you know, i think it can but i think it's maybe a little too oblique. in baseball they say if you're

going to throw a pitch, throw it with conviction. ted cruz is doing this half-heartedly. he's trying to say donald trump is a conservative of convenience, that he doesn't share your values. if that's what you want to say to the conservative christian base, in particular, the republican party, if that's what you want to say, say it. donald trump has no trouble going directly at whoever is standing in his way. some new quality, new category of brazen to ferociously attack someone else for being nasty. we'll leave for a minute. the fact is, donald trump is making inroads, both in iowa and nationally among ted cruz's conservative christian, evangelical christian base, particularly among the blue collar evangelicals. ted cruz has to find a way to push him back. one last point, the problem he's got is they may not be voters primarily motivated by the social issues moving other evangelical voters. simply reminding them that trump

is not as culturally conservative as they are may not be enough. >> he talked about his relationship with god in his interview with jake tapper on "state of the union." let's listen. >> i don't like to have to ask for forgiveness. i am good. i try do nothing that's bad. i live a very different life than a lot of people would think. >> always or just now? >> i have a great relationship with god and i have a very great relationship with evangelicals. i think that's why i'm doing so well with iowa. >> jackie, is that going to play enough against the ted cruz who does so well with evangelicals? iowa? is that going to get him what he needs in the next two weeks there? >> it's hard to think it will. ted cruz is very comfortable talking about his fauj. he talks about it all the time. you say donald trump there, he doesn't. this is the guy who a couple months ago keeps on saying my favorite book is the bible. then the art of the deal.

it really doesn't have the same resonance as when you hear ted cruz talk about it. it just doesn't. i don't know, something is missing. he doesn't sound like an evangelical when he talks. there is a difference. >> donald trump, speaking at liberty university at 10:30 today. he's making a direct outreach to those voters. we'll see what he says. i'm curious to see how he plays it. does he give his average daily speech or do direct outreach right there? >> one interesting development, you were talking about how donald trump is going directly at ted cruz, essentially saying no one likes him. he's nasty and no one likes him. that's a real problem here. now some conservative talk radio folks who have ted cruz's back saying donald trump, you better stop or else. this is mark levin, how he put it. i think he put it in a tweet. let me read the tweet for you right now. he essentially said, either cut the crap, your accusations that cruz is a canadian, a criminal, owned by big banks, et cetera or

will you lose lots and lots of conservativ conservatives. save the liberal new york city bully tactics. >> for a long time, the entertainment wing provided cover for donald trump. i don't know if they thought he was a stalking horse or what for ted cruz. ted cruz is the guy that they really like. and so i think you're going to start to see them throwing some elbows, trying to protect the guy they really like, trump now is a threat to the guy, the real conservative they want to support ted cruz. i will say this. you know, look, everybody knows that ted cruz is very unliked in washington, d.c. a lot of people hate him. and i'm perfectly willing to believe that could hurt him as a president. he might not be able to cut deals as donald trump says. i don't think that matters to iowa voters. he's mean to people? great. they want to elect somebody who will be mean to the republican establishment. >> all right, guys, thank you so

much. appreciate it very much. a lot more to talk about going forward. michaela? all right, guy, another fiery finish for the latest spacex rocket mission. sunday's launch, picture perfect, it's landing, not so much. we have the dramatic pictures ahead for you on "new day."

snowfall and extra cold temperatures are gripping the eastern half of the country this morning. chad myers, we need to prepare ourselves. >> 15 would be the lowest anywhere in the new york area would get, d.c., the big story is the snow coming on thursday and friday. it is the first biggie of the year. i don't use that term lightly. temperatures will be cold. this is the setup. we get the cold temperatures, wind chill new york city right now 15, d.c. 9, philadelphia about the same. the cold air that's in place will allow a low pressure back over here to run up the east coast as a nor'easter on thursday and friday afternoon. will it be cold enough to snow?

in most cases, the answer is yes. 37 in new york city on thursday afternoon. probably colder by friday. i believe the heaviest snow will be in the poconos, the alleghenys, all the way down to the blueridge parkway. there are spots. the model is now five days out. there are spots on the models, both european and american, we talk about those all the time that could put down 18 to 24 inches somewhere along i-95 across maybe the beltway, maybe through philadelphia, maybe the poconos, still too early to tell whether this goes this way or this way. but if it does, one way or the other, there's a lot of snow coming down for big cities. john. the purple stuff where it's going to be the heaviest? i just need to know, asking for a friend. >> if the models are slightly left, the snow is here. if the models are slightly right, it's here. >> it's like a hot dog of snow. >> thank you so much.

appreciate it. the search for 12 marines missing is expanding after two military helicopters seemed to collide on friday during a training mission. coast guards say an oil slick was spotted and some debris has been collected consistent with the types of aircraft they're now looking for. the marines have now been identified and their families are still holding out hope for a safe return. and a vallian the attempt but ultimately a failure for spacex. the private space company tried to land this rocket on an unmanned platform in the pacific ocean. it toppled over, exploded like it got solid footing there. spacex ceo elon musk said ice buildup may have been the problem. the rocket successfully put a weather satellite into low orbit. the company has been trying and trying to bring those rockets back safely so they can use them once again. >> close but no cigar. >> no. as the democratic nomination

continues to tighten, clinton and sanders intensifying their attacks. is hillary clinton no longer the inevitable democratic candidate? we'll take a look at that, ahead.

two weeks to go until the iowa caucuses, polls showing a virtual tie. stakes couldn't be higher for hillary clinton. when she launched her campaign some nine months ago it was a bit of a different story. she held a massive lead over bernie sanders and was lotted as the inevitable democratic nominee. what has change? john avalon may have some theories. good morning, my dear. >> good morning. >> we look at iowa two weeks away, he's in striking distance, off by two points. but that is what's more surprising because you look at what new hampshire was showing.

hillary clinton was way ahead, way, way ahead. >> bernie sanders -- >> sanders was. >> sanders has a strong lead, iowa, tight as a tick with two weeks out. fight, fight, fight for the democratic race. >> let's walk back through history. back when she started the campaign. >> i'm getting ready to do something, too. i'm running for president. every day americans need a champion and i want to be that champion. >> what did this video signal about the message she was trying to get across. >> two things right out of the gate. she was trying to position herself as the defender of main street america, folks who felt they hadn't gotten ahead in this economy and in terms of taking off every demographic group of the democratic party, that video did it consciously. >> back then do you think they anticipated it would be where it is now? >> i don't think people saw the bernie ax coming. the incredible support for bernie sanders coming from the left, i don't think most watchers thought this through. >> given the obama surprise,

don't you think she might have been more -- >> for all the hype about bernie as the new obama, there are a lot of things that didn't make sense. >> she embarked on a listening tour. >> she does. >> this frustrated us in the media. we didn't get a lot of opportunity to get to her. >> this is a tactic she used when she first ran for senate in new york. sort of the idea she's getting with folks and listening. the insulation from the media is what caused that. >> summer carries on. so too did the e-mail controversy. let's take a listen. >> i'm -- i have no idea. that's why we turned it over. >> [ inaudible ]. >> like with a cloth or something? we well, no. >> this is what started it? >> you can see it in the polls

she's losing ground. all of a sudden, you go off a cliff right when the e-mail scandal is getting serious and she tries to make light of it. there may be ethical questions, legal questions, investigations and her handling of it did not help. >> we get into october 22nd when she testifies before the benghazi committee. her detractors might have thought this would dip but it didn't. >> i thought more about what happened than all of you put together. i've lost more sleep than all of you put together. >> she actually -- the way she responded, is that what held her strong and caused her numbers to rise? >> it wasn't just that. look, this was a moment of genuine high drama at the heart of a political campaign that's usually just kabookie. during the constant barrage, i think a lot of folks watched it

and this is more about getting hillary clinton than finding a search for the truth. the numbers start to bend. incredibly important moment. >> last night at the debate, bernie sanders and hillary clinton got into it on everything from health care to guns. >> i have made it clear based on senator sanders' own record that he has voted with the nra with the gun lobby numerous times. he voted against the brady bill five times. he voted for what we call the charleston loophole. >> the question is, is she still the inevitable candidate? >> i think the phrase inevitable does nobody any good, especially hillary clinton. that was the whole hit on her the first time in 2008. inevitability and that faded away. what she real sizes izes is she real challenge from bernie sanders. that's a particular problem in the first few contests. on guns, this is the one area she can get to bernie sanders left credibly because he represents vermont, a very

pro-gun state. she's trying to draw that wedge. this is a challenge she has to take seriously. the big question, even if bernie sanders wins the first two states, does that change the outcome? is she a more electable nominee than bernie sanders? the bernie sanders camp still has not made that sale. >> two weeks to go until iowa. >> let's go. >> give us your thoughts. we'll share those with you later. both hillary clinton and bernie sanders blasting the governor of michigan for how he's handled the water crisis in flint. the governor is pointing the finger at the white house. new details, next. abdominal pain. urgent diarrhea. now there's prescription xifaxan. xifaxan is a new ibs-d treatment that helps relieve your diarrhea and abdominal pain symptoms. and xifaxan works differently. it's a prescription antibiotic that acts mainly in the digestive tract.

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hillary clinton and bernie

sanders clashing like never before in the final democratic debate before the iowa caucuses. clinton aligned herself with president obama, promising to build on his successes. she insisted it would be a mistake to tear down obamacare while accusing sanders of backing the nra. sanders bashed clinton from taking money from big banks and he pressed for a medicare for all single payor health care system. state police are blaming whiteout conditions for a series of car crashes involving more than 60 vehicles. look at that, one person was killed. that number could rise. police were clearing up the first crash along interstate 94 near hartford sunday. another collection of cars and trucks then collided. a third wreck with six trucks and a dozen cars happened later along the very same stretch. also in michigan, governor rick snyder will appeal the obama administration's decision to declare flint, michigan, a federal emergency instead of a

disaster zone. the white house has authorized $5 million to try to get a handle on that horrific water contamination crisis. snyder, though, wants them to deem it something else so he can get $96 million in federal aid, at the same time, this fight is going on, donations continue to pour in. actress and singer cher sending more than 100,000 bottles of water to flint this week. be. . giant panda news. bei bei made his debut. he was asleep most of the time. one of his keepers says he is bigger and better behaved than his sister, bao bao. going negative. it's washington. >> it's just want to scratch the belly right there. bei. bei. peyton manning and tom brady

going to the afc championship game once again. coy wire has more in the "bleacher report" this morning. >> good morning, guys. thanks for making john berman take off his patriots jersey this morning before he came to work. what an awesome weekend of football. the patriots, cardinals punched their tickets to the conference championship game saturday. the panthers and broncos did the same yesterday. with that broncos game, peyton manning, he gets the start for the broncos. just like all season long, broncos dominant defense, look at bradley roby, knocking the ball loose in the fourth quarter. it didn't take long. peyton manning strikes back, wastes no time. third and long, finds a teammate for the huge gain which would set up the go-ahead touchdown. the broncos win 23-16. setting up john berman's tom brady and the patriots versus manning and the broncos, round

17 next sunday in the afc championship game. brady's dominated their matchups. he's won 11 of 16. they're 2-2 in the playoffs. manning's won the last two. we shall see what happens. the panthers they came out fired up again the seahawks to earn their spot into the nfc championship game. the offense scored in less than three minutes. on the seahawks first possession, luke kuechly, so beastly, picks off russell wilson, runs it back to the house. the panthers scored 31 unanswered points in the first half, overpowering the seahawks across the board. the seahawks kept fighting. came out in the second half, scored 24 straight, put them within a score of the onside kick to give them a shot comes up short. panthers win, 31-24. they'll host the arizona cardinals in the late game sunday in the nfc championship. it has just been an incredible bout so far of these nfl playoff

action, guys. >> great game. great games this weekend. thanks so much. >> he may not have his jersey on but he has the socks on. >> not just the socks. >> hey. >> it has been hailed by some as a new beginning for u.s. relations with iran. but is it a whole new day? long-time economic sanctions now lifted. u.s. prisoners who were in iran are now on their way home. so what are the next steps in this new relationship with an old enemy? that's next. when heartburn hits fight back fast 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

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welcome back to "new day." this morning, a sign of changing relations betweens the united states and iran. three americans on their way home after a successful prisoner swap, negotiated, but could there still be trouble? a lot of questions, a lot of finger-pointi finger-pointing. several international economic sanctions have been lifted against iran, but a new round of sanctions was imposed over the weekend by the united states for this ballistic missiles test. joining us now, hillary man levering, an economic adviser, and the author of "going to tehran: why america must accept the islamic republic of iran." when you look at who won out ahead of the key parliament elections next month in tehran, when you look at zarif and

president rouhani, it seems as though they have turned the corne corner, the moderates are winning here. >> it's a tremendous victory, i would say, across the board in iran. the various power centers in iran all had a hand in this. foreign minister zarif actually didn't do it on his own. he's an incredibly important figure, almost like henry kissinger in our context. he understands the domestic system in iran. he's a royal revolutionary to the islamic public with connections across the board and he has delivered in an incredibly important political way, not just the moderates and the pragmatists, but also delivered what we called the hardliners. they all had a vested interest in this outcome and to do a cursory read of the iranian press this morning, it's really full support. still some lingering criticism, but the whole system really got behind this, and that's what matters for the united states. we can't just rely on one person or one faction.

the importance of this is that the entire system in iran has gotten behind it and has a vested interest in a successful diplomatic outcome. >> you've talked about how you think the united states needs to take a page out of the nixon/china handbook and accept iran. how, therefore a number of people, including all of the candidates running for president, you can't help but to think back to 1994, bill clinton president then, you were working with him, talking about the u.s., north korea nuclear agreement. let's play that. >> this is a good deal for the united states. north korea will freeze and then dismantle its nuclear program. south korea and our other allies will be better protected. the entire world will be safer, as we slow the spread of nuclear weapons. >> a lot of hope and optimism around that moment. look what happened. how does this not become that? >> well, you know, i think the

deeper, more profound analogy is president nixon and china. and what nixon understood about china is that china's system was not going to change overnight, if at all. and if we kept hanging our hat on how evil china was or how these smaller, stand-alone agreements could transform china, we would be the strategic loser. so he understand, china was a rising power on the international stage, and either we could go to war with it, or we could accept it, get out of vietnam, and resurrect american power. we have the same choice here today. we can either look at iran as the rising power that it is, work with it, where we can, have it in our interest to promote american interests, or we could take the whole approach that there's still this evil, unrepentant regime, and that's going to get us right back on to the road of confrontation, or put on rose-colored are grasses and pretend everything's going to be fine. they're going to become a pro-american secular political order. that's just fantasy.

to me, the realist approach is really the way to go. certainly as nixon looked at china. >> certainly a victory lap for the president yesterday morning. we'll hear from secretary kerry in our interview with him this morning in about an hour's time. but at the same time, the president certainly issued caution and said we are looking very, very closely and talked about the new sanctions. let's listen. >> we still have sanctions on iran for its violations of human rights, for its support of terrorism, and for its ballistic missile program. and we will continue to enforce these sanctions vigorously. >> you call those sanctions meaningless. what i? >> it's basically just a sap to domestic policies here in washington and some of our allies in the middle east. we have re-designated iranian entities that are already designated for things we don't like that iran is doing. it really adds nothing new to the sanctions that we have imposed on iran. the only thing it really does is send a signal to iran that we may continue to take a

hold-your-nose approach and not really, genuinely work with rising iran, you know, to partner with them where we can, and deal with them as the rising power they are. >> and before i let you go, obviously the united states in this prisoner swap released seven people, seven iranians from u.s. prisons. they noted, not for violent crimes, but for sanctions-related violations. but americans this morning are waking up in the dark as to who those people are. what do we know about them? >> well, we know that -- and there are many more iranians here in american prisons. so one of the republican criticisms, you know, from the presidential hopefuls, is that this is a bad deal, somehow lopsided we gave up more iranians than they gave up americans. but there are many more iranians who langish in prisons -- >> but what do we know about these seven? >> it focused on those that had been convicted or were being investigated for sanctions violations. now that we're lifting the sanctions, it doesn't make that

much sense to continue to hold people for violations that we're no longer are saying are illegal going forward. that was the rationale, not looking for people convicted of terrorism or anything violent, but looking at people who were convicted for sanctions violations, as we're lifting those sanctions, and they may not be illegal going forward. that was the rationale, i think, here within the u.s. government. >> hillary mann leverett, appreciate your time this morning. thank you so much. we have a lot of news to get to this morning. let's get right to it. we are running ahead of secretary clinton in terms of taking on my good friend, donald trump. >> we're at least having a vigorous debate about reining in wall street. >> i have a d-minus rating from the nra. >> he has voted with the gun lobby numerous times. he voted against doing research to figure out how we can save lives. >> i always felt that he would be released eventually, but i was concerned that it could be

many years. >> i just can't wait to see him again. >> engaging directly with the iranian government on a sustained basis for the first time in decades has created a unique opportunity. the only criminal charge that cosby has ever faced might soon fall apart. >> mr. cosby gave up one of the most valuable rights we possess, the right against self-incrimination. this is "new day" with chris como, allison camarata, and michaela pereira. >> i'm assuming they sped up the camera on the clouds. >> ominous sky. >> poppy harlow and john berman join me. up first, hillary clinton and bernie sanders going from cordial to combative during last night's democratic debate. the two butting heads over obamacare, big banks, and gun control. >> why so tense? because it's so close. especially in a first voting state, iowa. this is the latest cnn poll of

polls there. hillary clinton and bernie sanders tied. cnn's phil matingly joins us now with the highlights and the lowlights of last night's debate. phil, what did you see? >> last night serving more or less as the final argument, if you will, the last democratic debate before the voters take place in iowa, before the votes even in new hampshire. and what you saw is a number of democrats, three, but two that everybody's focused on, that are recognizing that not only is there a compressed calendar, but also a very tight race. >> reporter: the gloves -- >> i think secretary clinton knows that what she says is very disingenuous. >> reporter: -- are off. >> i'm not sure whether we're talking about the plan you just introduced tonight, or we're talking about the plan you introduced nine times in the congress. >> just weeks before the first votes are cast, hillary clinton and bernie sanders putting an exclamation point on a week of sharp sparring on sunday night. clinton at one point in the

campaign, unwilling to even mention sanders' name, now targeting the vermont senator's record on guns and how he'll pay for his health care plan. >> i have made it clear based on senator sanders' own records that he has voted with the nra, with the gun lobby numerous times. >> sanders moving to blunt both criticisms. >> what she's saying is that bernie sanders, that has fought for universal health care for my entire life, he wants to end medicare and medicaid and the children's health insurance program. that is nonsense. >> reporter: shifting on guns, a day before the debate. >> what i said is i will relook at it. and i will support stronger provisions. >> reporter: and releasing his single-payer health care plan, just hours before taking the the stage. clinton criticizing sanders for the taxes required to pay for the proposal. and its shift away from president obama's signature achievement. >> there are things we can do to improve it, but to tear it up and start over again, pushing

our country back into that kind of a contentious debate, i think is the wrong direction. >> we're not going to tear up the affordable care act. i helped write it. but we are going to move on top of that to a medicare for all system. a little bit more in taxes, do away with private health insurance premiums. it's a pretty good deal. >> reporter: sanders going on offense against clinton's corporate ties. >> you've received over $600,000 in speaking fees from goldman sachs in one year. >> clinton defending not just her stance on wall street reform, but president obama's as well. >> but he's criticized president obama for taking donations from wall street and president obama has led our country out of the great recession. president obama's work to push through the dodd/frank -- the dodd/frank bill, and then to sign it, was one of the most important regulatory schemes

we've had since the 1930s. so i'm going to defend dodd/frank and i'm going to defend president obama. >> reporter: sanders definitely turning a question on bill clinton's personal life into one of his best moments of the night. >> we've been through this, yes, his behavior was deplorable. have i ever once said a word about that issue? no, i have not. i'm going to debate secretary clinton, governor o'malley, on the issues facing the american people, not bill clinton's personal behavior. >> the sharpening attacks last night, really underscoring the urgency of the moment for both, for hillary clinton looking at iowa, watching a lead evaporate, trying to capitalize on that moment. for bernie sanders, really trying to take his movement, aspirational up to this point, and really turn it into votes. one thing very clear, this is just getting started. those attacks only going to heat up in the days ahead, john. >> two weeks of attacks. thanks so much. let's bring in jennifer granholm, a senior adviser to the pro-hillary super pac, and ana gallen, executive director

or moveon.org, which just introduced bernie sanders. i was taken with this debate on health care. bernie sanders released his medicare for all plan just before the debate. hillary clinton came out in the debate and essentially said, the problem is, it's not politically expedie expedient. her argument is pragmatism versus purity. has she become, governor, the candidate of not change? >> well, no, she says she's a progressive who likes to get things done. she's somebody who understands the political environment that we are living in. and that while it would be great to, you know, have the perfect health care plan for all democrats, we also know that we have a health care plan that the president worked really hard to get, and that we're going to build on that progress. so it's not about staying the same, it is about making progress, but building on the foundation that president obama

has laid, and not eliminating that foundation altogether. >> so, ana, for bernie sanders supporters, you know, where you been the last eight years? do you really think a single-payer health care plan has anything above a zero percent chance of passing? >> i mean, look, moveon members and others -- you know, many others in the democratic party and across the country worked incredibly hard to pass the affordable care act. we're incredibly proud of it. and i think everyone would agree that, you know, corporate special interests, including big insurers and others still have too much power in our system, and we need to be having a robust debate about how to do more to make health care more affordable and more accessible to most americans. and that is exactly what bernie sanders is trying to talk about and why he had such a great night last night, because he's talking about corporate special interests, talking about big money in our politics, and he's talking about what more we can do to make this country work for everyone. >> do you think that plan, the medicare for all plan, has any

chance of being law in the next four years? >> i think what we're talking about is -- first of all, i should say, it is incredibly inspiring that we are having a debate with one of the two national political parties about how to do more to make our health care system work better, about how we could expand medicare, which is a system that works so well for so many americans, to even more folks. that's incredibly inspiring. bernie sanders is bringing that conversation to the center of our national debate. and again, he had an incredibly strong night last night. he's rising in the polls in iowa and new hampshire, because he's taking on that kind of conversation. that's the right conversation for us to have, and i think people are going to respond to it, as we saw last night and as we're seeing out there in the field. >> governor, what's wrong with being inspiring? if you look at voters in iowa right now, bernie sanders is doing great with young voters. bernie sanders is doing great in iowa with first-time caucusgoers. these are the types of people you want to inspire. >> absolutely. you want to inspire people, but you also want to be realistic with them. it's not really very fair to set

them up in believing that all of this massive change is going to happen when, in fact, it has to go through a congress that is not 100%, but overwhelmingly opposed to that idea. it's not really fair to them to suggest that you can get that through when it's not real. but what is real is the foundation that the president has laid, and what hillary clinton is saying is, yes, we want to get health care to more people, and yes, we've got to make it more affordable, and yes, we have to make some changes to the affordable care act to tweak it and make it better, but it's really -- i just think it's, you know, you're setting those young people who want to be inspired up for a great disappointment if, in fact, he's elected and is faced with the same type of congress, which everybody projects he would be. >> and let me jump in here. hillary clinton last night, ana, went to great ends to compare herself to president obama, to say she really is the candidate to carry on the obama legacy. from your point of view, which of the two candidates, hillary

clinton or bernie sanders, which has the agenda that is more in line with the president's? >> you know, i should say, first of all, it was so wonderful to see a full stage of candidates talking about the issues in deep and substantiative ways. there was such a contrast with the entire republican field. within that, i think that people are very fired up, and the reason our members voted overwhelmingly to support bernie sanders, because he is -- >> i think we just lost ana right there. governor, let me go to you, but i'll have to ask you to be nice. since we lost your opponent, the one supporting bernie sanders -- >> i was so nice. >> talk about the obama legacy right now. hillary clinton, why it is so important for her to now say that she's the candidate -- despite the fact that they fought pretty hard in 2008, that she's the one to carry on the obama legacy? >> well, i mean, she obviously served in his administration, and they share a deep personal affection, but also, a great affinity on values.

and she understands what it's like to work in washington and how incredibly hard he has fought despite the obstructionists in congress, to be able to move an agenda forward. and when she talks about him having pulled this country up from that huge recession, when she talks about him having saved the u.s. auto industry and put in place this health care strategy despite the obstructionists in congress, who have voted over 50 times to repeal it, she just doesn't want to see that repeal vote, essentially, go through, when you want to rip up the affordable care act and put something else in place that really does not have a chance of getting through this congress. so she's supporting that president >> anna, you clawed your way back to our monitor right now. again, hillary clinton or bernie sanders, who's the most like president obama? >> so, look, i was saying, when the big banks clearly cut me off, i was saying that i think that all the candidates on that

stage are putting forth a vision to america which is in such stark contrast to what you see on the gop side, so i think that's worth noting. i think bernie sanders is talking about corporate special interests, he's talking about taking on the big banks, about reforming our democracy to make it work for everyone. that vision is inspiring, and it's right, what's what democrats want desperately to see happen in this country. and why he's rising in the polls and why moveon members and others are so strongly behind him. jennifer granholm, ann, thank you so much for being with us. as for the republicans, the donald trump/ted cruz feud making a new level. both candidates making a big push to voters in iowa. jim is live in lynchburg, virginia. >> reporter: who weeks and counting to the iowa caucuses. donald trump and ted cruz are still waging their war of words. trump will be delivering a

speech here at liberty university in virginia later this morning, targeting evangelical voters, who are crucial to winning iowa and the gop nomination. it's also the voting bloc ted cruz is counting on, so it's no surprise that trump and cruz who are leading in the polls in iowa are on the attack. take a listen. >> reporter: he's a nasty guy. nobody likes him. nobody in congress likes him. >> that formulation didn't come from me. it came from donald trump. >> he explained that his views were that he was very pro-choice. he supported partial birth abortion, he was open to gay marriage, and his explanation for all of that, he said, i'm a new yorker. >> how are you going to be president about if you don't know about a $1 million loan from goldman sachs, and you said it's something you don't know about. now he doesn't know that he was a canadian citizen? i mean, that's, in a way, maybe worse than all of the other things we're talking about. >> now, here at liberty university, which was founded by christian conservatives, they will be listening to donald trump's words very carefully.

trump told cnn's "state of the union" over the weekend that he has a, quote, great relationship with god. he also said in iowa, when we were with the candidate on iowa that he thinks his relationship with evangelical voters is, quote, terrific. so they'll be watching his words and listening to his words very closely later on this morning here at liberty university. also, i should mention, poppy, later on this week, donald trump will be in tulsa, oklahoma, he'll be at oral roberts university. another opportunity for donald trump to talk to evangelical voters out there. poppy? >> something he needs, especially in iowa. also, three americans long-held in iran released from that prisoner swap over the weekend, they are now at a u.s. military hospital in germany. among them is "washington post" journalist jason rezaian. this as united states adds additional sanctions on iran, despite lifting those international economic sanctions over the weekend. our cnn senior international correspondent frederick pleitgen

in germany this morning with the latest. >> reporter: well, it's being evaluated right now at the military hospital here . they'll be evaluated physically and mentally as well. the prison in tehran is one that is notorious for very tough detention conditions. however, "the washington post" managing editors have already managed to speak to jason rezaian. they ask him how he's doing after being evacuated there from tehran. he said, quote, doing a hell of a lot better than i was 48 hours ago. also said he was in good spirits, but it was the solitary confinement that he was in for parts of his detention that were the toughest for him. what's been going on over the past couple of hours is that they were flown out of iran on a swiss plane, taken to geneva, then taken here to the medical

facility where medical tests will happen. however, the other thing, and that's probably almost as important, they are going to be reunited with their loved ones, with their friends and family. there were also a lot of supporters in the u.s. who kept their cases in the public life. so, now, jason rezaian, amir hekmati, and saeed abedini are meeting their family members, their friends here, some of them are already here. so certainly some very emotional scenes here, poppy. >> no question. and we heard from abedini's wife over the weekend, how ecstatic she is for her husband to come home, father of two. coming up in moments, we'll speak live with the brother of the freed "washington post" reporter, jason rezaian. ali rezaian will be with us. and in our 8:00 hour, right at 8:00 a.m. eastern, we will have an interview with secretary of state, john kerry. all right. a search operation underway in iraq for three u.s. contractors, reportedly kidnapped in baghdad. iraqi security officials tell cnn that the american contractors were taken by a group of gunman and whisked away

in a convoy. two members of the iraqi parliament tell reuters the americans were invited to a private event before the abduction. the u.s. state department is now working with iraqi authorities to locate these missing americans. some breaking news from turkey this morning. at least one person is dead after a mortar shell hit a turkish school just six miles from the syrian border. officials there say a school employee was killed. a seventh grade student and two others were injured. and this video is hard to believe. an australian woman is nearly flattened by an out-of-control car. she's walking inside a mini mart when the car plows through the window. the woman vanishes from view. the fumes rush from the engine. is she gets up slowly and walks away. what is amazing is that she suffered only minor cuts. three other people inside the car, i should note, were injured. but look at this again.

wow. she gets up, she walks away, just a few cuts. investigators in sydney still do not know why that driver lost control of the car. no one died. >> i wonder after this situation is when your legs go to jelly completely. >> she looked like she was going to go do her shopping. >> shock happens to us in different ways. >> what a miracle. the first voting in the 2016 presidential race just around the corner. hillary clinton hoping to emerge from iowa with that victory that alluded her 8 years. has she sealed the deal? we'll speak to one of the men who beat her eight years ago. that's next. control freak... i like to think of myself as more of a control... enthusiast. mmm, a perfect 177-degrees. and that's why this road warrior rents from national. i can bypass the counter and go straight to my car. and i don't have to talk to any humans, unless i want to. and i don't. and national lets me choose any car in the aisle.

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and return with a lifetime of experiences. that's virgin islands nice. ♪so nice, so nice in terms of polling, guess what, we are running ahead of secretary clinton, in terms of taking on my good friend, donald trump. >> that was senator bernie sanders during last night's debate, touting the close democratic race in early voting states, pointing out those polls, happy about some of those polls. hillary clinton holding the lead nationwide, by a wide margin, still, though, not a sure bet. let's bring in cnn's senior

political commentator and former senior adviser to president obama, david axelrod. you went through it in 2008. we're going through it again in iowa. hillary's team telling me last night on my show, we're confident about iowa, we're confident about iowa, but how can you be so confident when you look at these numbers and when you look at the enthusiasm, especially in the young voters? >> well, they're not confident about iowa. that was pretty clear last night, because hillary was very aggressive in challenging senator sanders in a way she hadn't been in previous debates. but i think she has some level of confidence, because the organization they built there. back in 2008, barack obama won not just because he had enthusiasm, but because he built the most extensive organization that that state had ever seen in a presidential caucus, starting the previous march.

the clinton forces learned that lesson, and they've built a very, very strong organization there. so in a close race, that should make a difference, particularly in a caucus, which is organization intensive. >> last night, as you were watching the debate, it was almost as if bernie sanders was the incumbent president, right? hillary clinton seemed to be turning all of this to make it issues about him. was she effective in that, david, and do you think he can sustain these questions being asked about him, his records, his proposals the next two weeks? >> i think it was mixed. i think on guns, she really hurt him, because he didn't have a very good answer. this has always been a problem for him, because he's running from the left, but on guns, his position is very much to the right of his base. she's bore in on that. he didn't have a very good answer to that. i think it was more mixed on health care. it's hard to suggest that bernie sanders doesn't want health care for everyone. and she threw a lot at him. and i think you can question his

plan, but not his motives. wherever she questions his motives, she gets in trouble. and when she questions his plans, she got a little bit into the weeds. that was less so. but on the whole, he was very much more on the defensive than he's been in previous debates. and he'll have to do better. the other point i would make, is on foreign policy, she looks utterly comfortable, for obvious reasons. he does not. he can't -- he wants to get banks to billionaires as quickly as he can whenever that subject comes up. >> but let's talk about banks and billionaires. it's interesting, if bernie sanders has run on one things, it's been about bashing wall street on the big banks and income inequality, right? >> yes. >> but hillary clinton went after him last night by bringing up a bill that her own husband signed as president in 2000 and said, you sided with wall street on this. let's roll it. >> senator sanders, you're the only one on this stage that voted to deregulation the financial market in 2000, to

make the cops off the street to use governor o'malley's phrase, to make the s.e.c. and the communities -- the commodities futures trading commission no longer able to regulate swaps and derivatives, which were one of the main cause of the collapse in '08. so, there's plenty -- there's plenty problems that we all have to face together. >> why do that, david, when she is someone who they pointed to, the other candidates on stage, as taking millions and millions of dollars in terms of paid speeches, before she was running from the big banks? >> well, she did that, because they pointed the that out and she needed a rejoinder. what was surprising to me was that senator sanders didn't push back and say, that was under your husband's administration, that bill. and i think he could have put her on the defensive. one of the thing she's blessed with is an opponent in bernie sanders who has been less enthusiastic than she in bringing the attack. the entire debate, she really

embraced president obama strongly. because south carolina is her firewall if she doesn't succeed in iowa and new hampshire. her support among african-americans there is essential. and so she made herself the champion of the obama policies. and senator sanders never mentioned that. it was eight years ago on the very stage in south carolina or in that state, in which she unleashed a brutal attack on obama. obama responded in kind. but, the history of their relationship, obviously, is a little bit more checkered than was presented last night. and yet, he didn't say any of those things. and he seems reluctant, in quite, because she's quite popular, as he is, he seems reluctant to go after her, but i think it's also not her nature to bring those attacks. and he may have to up his game or he's going to get overrun in future contests. >> david, you're an obama guy. you were key to his election

eight years ago, and as you say, hillary clinton tried to drape herself in the obama legacy, more than we've ever seen last night on that stage. will it work, you know, and what do the people in the white house think? you know, you've got their ear. what are they saying? >> well, i think that they probably think, that's fine if she wants to extol the virtues of this administration. i'm sure they quite agree with everything she said about it. she was a partner with the president in the white house when she was a member of the cabinet. she was supportive of his program. she helped design some of them. and so, she has a right to make those claims. but it is, you know, it's not, as i said, it's not an uncheckered history going back to 2008, and that's the nature of politics. she is doing the smart thing. barack obama has a 90% approval rating among democrats. she's doing the smart thing in embracing him. it's particularly so in these states with large african-american populations, where she has a huge lead over

bernie sanders. and if she can hold that lead, she really can't be beat nn this race to the nomination. >> david axelrod, great to have you with us. >> michaela? there's obviously a whole lot of relief this morning for families of those who were released from capture in iran. we'll speak live to jason rezaian's brother about this incredible ordeal. there. then, woosh, it's gone. i swear i saw it swallow seven people. seven. i just wish one of those people could have been mrs. johnson. [dog bark] trust me, we're dealing with a higher intelligence here. ♪ the all-new audi q7 is here. ♪ the access informationlows us to from anywhere. the microsoft cloud allows us to scale up. microsoft cloud changes our world dramatically. it wasn't too long ago it would take two weeks to sequence

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imagine the relief. this morning, jason rezaian and two other americans are at a u.s. medical hospital in germany, finally free from iran. rezaian, "the washington post" tehran bureau chief was held

captive for 545 days. cnn chief national correspondent jim sciutto has been following rezaian's case, joins us now from washington. you're going to speak with his brother, ali, who's in germany this morning. this is amazing. >> michaela, this is just one of those interviews you're just so happy to do. it's been such an ordeal for them. i'm joined by ali rezaian, he's in germany awaiting his brother after more than a year-long ordeal. ali, i've got to ask you first, how is jason doing? i know you've spoken with him. >> yeah, i've spoken to him twice on the phone since he got here to landstuhl. he seemed in good spirits. he's together, he really can't wait to get out there and see people and meet people, but right now he's got to focus on getting himself better and getting out there. >> ali, you and i have spoken for months about this, and this has been an ordeal for you, for your mother, for jason's wife. how are you dealing with this, you know, the emotions have to

be still raw. >> i think so. i think right now, it's just starting to set in. doing interviews makes me -- gets me back to remember what's going on, but i'm really happy, happy jason's out and that he sounds like he'll be able to make a recovery and get out there. i'm just looking forward to bringing him home to california. >> ali, during the very minimal contact that your family had with jason while he was behind bars, there were many things he could not say, i'm just curious, as he shared any details about his treatment inside this notorious in prison with iran since he's gotten his freedom? >> you know, not really. we talked about a couple of things, talked about some folks here on the outside, iranian folks, people that cover iran, and the only thing he's said, jim, oh, i was interrogated about them. i think there's going to be a lot to find out over the course of the next couple of months when jason's ready too but right

now we need to focus on making sure he's ready to come back to society, be with folks, and get himself better. >> it was a surprise to me that there were these negotiations going on that no one really knew about, to free jason and the other americans held in iran were you or jason's family made aware at all throughout those talks that there was this secret government effort to gain their freedom? >> we had been in touch with the state department. the state department kept me in the loop that there was ongoing conversations that were happening, both during the negotiations and sometimes separately. so at a very minimal level, i knew there were things going on. i had to trust the government was doing what was best. and that it would bring jason home as soon as possible. >> now, no one could help

noticing that the americans, that jason, that amir hekmati, that saeed abedini, that they were released or at least the announcement of their release was on the very same day that the nuclear deal was implemented and that iran was relieved of these punishing economic sanctions. the administration says, not related. there were two separate tracks here. but is it your view that your brother was, in effect, a hosting an to the nuclear negotiations? >> you know, i think we'll look back on that over the course of the next years and see what it is. i think that we are in a unique time. i think that that brought together a unique set of circumstances that brought jason to be held now for 18 months. and all those factors had to be together for him to be in perfect storm and stuck there so long. >> do you think jason would be free today if that nuclear deal

had not been completed? >> you know, i haven't really thought about it. i'm just really happy he's out. >> understood. fair enough. now, i know that there's been some discomfort in the family, people like the attorney general were uncomfortable with the idea of releasing iranians convicted in the u.s. of actual crimes for someone like jason who it's your view and the u.s. government's view that the charges against him were manufactured. how does this feel that there was this swap for you? does that make you feel uncomfortable at all? >> you know, i mean, i think -- i'm grateful for everything that the president's done, everything that the government's done to get jason out. i know that both houses of congress have unanimously voted on resolutions telling the president to do everything they possibly could to bring these americans home from iran and that's what they did.

soy thank those folks. clearly, it's not morally justified to take innocent people and trade them for people who have done crimes, but the fact of the matter is, for these folks who have been locked up in prison, in iran for all this time is not morally justifiable either. so i appreciate everything the government's done and i'm really happy he's home. >> i've got to ask you about the final minutes, there was this final delay, i've been told by u.s. officials, the question, the plane ready to leave iran finally jason's freedom. and then, of course, his wife, his mother wanted to be on the plane with him, thought they were going to be on the plane with them, but the iranians threw up a roadblock at that point. what happened? what has your mother told you, your wife told you, and what were they feeling at that moment? >> i'll just make a minor adjustment there. so jason had been told he was going to be leaving, yegi had

been told repeatedly by interrogators that they weren't going to let her leave with jason and that's what caused the problems. the u.s. stuck to their guns. they had said that yegi had to come along with jason, and, you know, they got her out. so i appreciate that. you know, the iranians, as they have done all along, continued to manipulate them, continue to try to mess with them and prevented yegi from leaving for some period of time. but thanks to the swiss and thanks to the americans, she came home with him as well. >> just one very final quick question, what was jason's first request as he got out of iran? what did he ask for? was it a beer, a hamburger? maybe it was just a hug. >> you know, really, i think the first thing he asked for was some information. he feels like he's been starved of information for the last 18 months, having to live off of iranian state tv and getting your news from there isn't where you want to be as a reporter. and he wants to see what's going

on in the world. i think he was surprised and shocked at the amount of attention that this was getting and he's only right now started to learn about, you know, all the hard work that went in to get him out and all the support that he's had from you and from your colleagues all around the world to help get him out. >> ali, let me just share cnn's thoughts with you. we're so happy for you and your family. thanks so much for taking the time this morning. >> hey, thanks for having me on, jim. i really appreciate it. >> jim, that was fantastic. and i'm sure he didn't even have to ask for any hugs. i'm sure they were coming fast and furiously. what a tremendous thing to hear that joy in their voices. >> no question, michaela, and i've been in touch with the family for more than a year. it's been an ordeal for them. no question. lots of starts and stops. such relief for them in this moment. >> over 500 days in captivity. something to really pause and think about. jim, thanks for that. an excellent conversation. ahead here on "new day,"

we'll speak with the chief negotiator to get them released, secretary of state john kerry will join us at 8:00. and robert levinson is still believed to be in iran. what will new u.s. sanctions mean for his prospects for freedom? (air horn, trap door opening) rootmetrics, in the nation's largest independent study, tested wireless performance across the country. verizon won big with one hundred fifty three state wins. at+t got thirty-eight, sprint got two, and t mobile got zero. verizon also won first in the us for data, call speed, and reliability. at+t got text. stuck on an average network? join verizon and we'll cover your costs to switch. if it doesn't work fast... you're on to the next thing. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair has the fastest retinol formula to visibly reduce fine lines and wrinkles in just one week. neutrogena®.

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just moments ago here on "new day," you heard from the brother of freed american journalist, jason rezaian. the high-stakes negotiation for prisoner release happening as international economic sanctions were lifted after iran's compliance of a nuclear deal. joining us to discuss all of this is our chief international correspondent, christiane amanpour, who i know had a chance to hear that interview with ali talking about his brother's release. do you think anyone familiar with all that was going on would have anticipated this happening, christiane? >> in a way, yes, and in a way, no. if you're a family member, you hope beyond hope that your loved one will be released. but you don't want to put too much faith in dates and deadlines. and as you heard from ali, you know, he said that he was kept updated to an extent by the state department, but he didn't want to go into details, and i

understand that. there's a lot of diplomacy that went on. and you don't want to talk too much in public. and one of the things that we've noticed and i'm sure ali has recognized that as well, you're never quite sure how much to say in public about your relative or whoever who is either hostage or is kidnapped. you know, you're not so -- you're kind of worried if you say too much or if you say the wrong thing, then, you know, it might rebound and backfire on them where they are being held hostage. others believe you have to keep it out there in the public, because that also puts pressure on those to release. but clearly, iran is a government, not so rabid militia, who, you know, had sort of, you know, non-governmental ideas about this. so they're a government and they decided when the time was right, and it coincided -- i don't think it's coincidental, with the implementation day. >> but notably absent was one key person.

robert levinson. five americans detained, he was not. any indication of why he was not part of this swap? >> you know, robert levinson had been asked about by the u.s. government and by many, many journalists each time they have conversations with the iranians. his case goes back way, way, way before jason rezaian's and the others and can to be very honest, i don't want to prejudice his case or anything like that. the iranians say they don't have them, the americans believe they must know something. he was last seen in the island of kish, which is off the mainland of iran, it's in the persian gulf. but it has to be noted that he was not a journalist, he was not an ordinary civilian. he had cia/fbi ties in his background and it's unclear how much that may or may not played into wanted to him. and now that they're freed, i think it's interesting to note that while jason rezaian was a civilian who was a journalist, some of the others, you know, amir hekmati was a former

marine. saeed abedini was a christian preacher. and, you know, when those types of characteristics appear in a country in which you are in a cold war with, it makes your situation much more precarious. i haven't said that until these people are freed, but i think it's part of what should be understood about what happened. >> bigger picture for us, against the backdrop of the release of these prisoners, new sanctions levied against iran, what is this current situation looking like to you? zb >> i think you take it at face value and take it at what the value of the president of united states has said. ft. of iran, the foreign minister of iran, the secretary of state of the u.s., and you said, live from secretary kerry. this is a new chapter. how wide is the book? how deep is the book? we'll see. but this is a new chapter. never before since the iranian

revolution of 1979 have the u.s. and iran been able to have this kind of direct talks, diplomacy that took a long, long time, that resulted in a deal that most people around the world believe is a net positive for all sides, for all sides. iran has portrayed this as a win/win. it said and it was proven that ten years of sanctions did not cause it to surrender, did not cause it to cry uncle. however, diplomacy that have done in a win/win, bilateral, in fact multilateral way that produced a result that sanctions did not. many will say that the pressure of sanction is what brought them to the table. and that's probably true. plus the promise and the election of hasan rouhani in iran. that was the game changer. the election of hasan rouhani in iran in 2013. he was able then to take the hand that president obama had outstretched in 2009, when he was first elected.

but it wasn't president obama alone. it wasn't u.s. diplomacy alone. because, remember, all those horrible years of the bombastic confrontational ahmadinejad, in which relationships certainly got worse and worse and worse. so this now was a meeting of a win-win situation, and it is true that the world is a safer place, that the inevitable moment is positive. it's in a forward direction, rather than a negative direction, which it had been in the last ten years. so this is just a nuclear deal. >> yeah. >> you know, it's just a nuclear deal, but we've seen some side benefits with, the release of the prisoners. the reis of those sailors in a very, very quick time. but we don't know whether this is going to lead to greater, let's say, a restoration of diplomatic ties, which, at present, hasn't happened. it's not like cuba, where cuba and the u.s. have restored diplomatic ties. >> very different situation, to be sure. thank you for the context. again, some families feeling

really, really great about having their loved ones heading home. christiane, thank you so much for that. coming up here on "new day," we'll speak with secretary of state john kerry. that will happen in just a few minutes' time. poppy? >> also straight ahead, a major twist this morning in the criminal sexual assault proceedings against bill cosby. could the entire incredible case be derailed by an e-mail written more a decade ago. cnn exclusively lly obtaining . you'll want to hear what it says, next.

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new developments this morning in the criminal sexual assault case against bill cosby. an e-mail obtained by cnn shows a former district attorney claiming he agreed more than a decade ago not to use cosby's 2005 civil deposition in any potential criminal case against cosby. the huge question this morning, could this derail the entire criminal case that cosby is facing right now? they're due in court in february. let's talk about all of it. danny is with me and also cnn political commentator, michael.

you obtained this e-mail exclusively. part of it says, and this is from the former da, i can see no possibility that cosby's deposition could be used in a state criminal case because i would have to testify as to what happened, and the deposition would be subject to suppression. this is what the case rests on, isn't it, michael, deposition? >> it is. i think to answer your question specifically, it does pose the threat of the criminal charges in pomontgomery county, pennsylvania. the only criminal charges cosby is facing being thrown out. the cosby lawyers filed a petition. they said, bill cosby had a deal, that he would not be prosecuted for that which he said in his civil deposition. the petition had this line. it said, mr. castor, the old district attorney, reminded the district attorney's office about that agreement in 2015. but the petition didn't say how

castor, the old d.a., reminded the then-current d.a. of the deal. this e-mail is the answer. we now know that three months before the criminal charges were brought against bill cosby, the old d.a. in writing, and by hand delivery, said to the then-sitting d.a., you can't do this. don't you remember what went on in 2005? we cut a deal with bill cosby because we didn't think we could meet our burden in a criminal case beyond a reasonable doubt. we wanted to make it easier for the alleged victim in this case to recover in her civil suit. therefore, we made a binding agreement with bill cosby. i, the d.a. says, bound the commonwealth we'd never use the deposition against him. what it answers -- and i'm sure danny will have thoughts on this, as well -- it answers the lingering question for attorneys all across the country, and mostly in philadelphia. why did bill cosby testify so openly in his civil deposition?

he had a great lawyer. the answer is because he had no fear of criminal prosecution. >> because he thought he was protected. when you look at this, the current d.a., danny, went ahead anyway and brought these charges. the question now, danny, is why would the previous d.a. make that deal, which michael answered in part, saying you get what you can for the victim, but is it enforceable? >> so this is -- the prosecution will argue that this is an open issue in pennsylvania law, but i'm not sure it is. admittingly, i am a defense attorney, so maybe i am bias. but when it comes to these agreements, non-prh-pronon-pros agreements are enforceable. if he can demonstrate -- and i expect at the upcoming hearing, there will be plenty of testimonial or other evidence demonstrating that issue you talked about with michael --

when he spoke or when he gave testimony, that was in reliance on that promise of the district attorney to not prosecute. if that's the case, if there is a valid, binding, non-prosecution agreement, it is enforceable. it's enforceable against this d.a., the successor d.a., the d.a.'s office in general. it can be enforced. if it is a valid, binding agreement, it should be enforced. >> michael, you expect bruce castor will testify on february 2nd in that hearing. what is it we expect him to say? >> we expect him to come into court and, under oath, say exactly what he says in this e-mail. here's the one line i point out, i intentionally and specifically bound the commonwealth that there would be no state prosecution of cosby, in order to remove his ability to claim his fifth amendment right. it would be one thing if the cosby attorneys were saying, we

had a deal, and the other side of the transaction were not represented. in this case, you'll have the d.a. at the time saying, yes, that's what i said. >> he's only talking about pennsylvania. now, she doesn't live in pennsylvania anymore. is there any way to bring a case against him elsewhere, where they could use this deposition? >> that is creative prosecuting. we'd have to know what evidence that deposition generated, if it's even admissible. as a general proposition, the commonwealth of pennsylvania, any prosecutor in the commonwealth of pennsylvania, can't bind a prosecutor in another state, or almost certainly, a federal prosecutor because that, too, is a separate sovereign. yeah, a binding, non-prosecution agreement would only be binding in the commonwealth of pennsylvania, but certainly against successor d.a. offices,

especially a new regime. >> appreciate it. we have a lot of news to get to this hour. let's get to it. three americans on their way home after a successful prisoner swap. >> it was the solitary confinement he was in for parts of his detention that really were the toughest for him. >> i'm grateful for everything that the president has done. everything the government has done to get jason out. >> we're at least having a vigorous debate about reigning in wall street. >> in terms of polling, guess what? we are running ahead of secretary clinton. >> i'm the only candidate standing here tonight who has said, i will not raise taxes on the middle class. >> we're not going to tear up the affordable care act. i helped write it. >> the water is tainted with lead. >> i'm trying to focus on holding the people who made this decision accountable. >> announcer: this is "new day" with chris cuomo, alisyn camerota and michaela pereira. >> beautiful morning over

manhattan. it is monday, january 18th, 8:00 in the east. john berman and poppy harlow are alongside me today. we're following two big stories. a group of americans once held by iran, free and being treated at a military hospital in germany. among them, jay san rson rezaia. we spoke to his brother earlier on "new day." the search is underway for three missing american contractors. it is believed they were abducted with gunmen on friday. we'll speak live with secretary kerry. first, i want to begin with cnn's international correspondent fred plon the condition of the americans. >> it is being evaluated here right now. what's going on is they are going to be evaluated both physically, as well as psychologically. of course, those long months of detention there in iran is

something that would take their toll. the prison in tehran is one notorious for very tough detention conditions. however, the "washington post" managing editors already managed to speak to jason rezaian. they asked how he's doing after having been evacuated from tehran. he said, quote, i'm doing a hell of a lot better than i was 48 hours ago. he was in good spirits. also said it was the solitary confinement that he was in for parts of his detention that really were the toughest for him. what's been going on over the past couple of hours is that they were flown out of iran on a swiss plane, taken to geneva, then here to this medical fac e facility where medical tests will happen. the other thing, and it's probably almost as important, they are going to be reunited with their loved ones, with their friends and family. remember, there were a lot of supporters in the u.s. who kept their cases in the public light. now jason rezaian, amir hekmati

and saeed abedini are meeting friends and family. some are already here. emotional scenes here. >> no question. fred, thank you so much. to iraq, where a search is underway. intense search this hour for three missing american contractors. it is believed they were abducted by gunmen in baghdad. our cnn senior international correspondent nick peyton wa-- nick paton walsh is live in beirut. they went missing on friday, is that correct? >> that is correct. middle of the afternoon on friday. the first 48 hours normally of people disappearing is the most crucial. often, the information is contradictory or limited. we know little from u.s. officials. they don't want to spare much, keeping things as secret as possible, as they work with iraqi officials to secure the release or freedom of the three

individuals. we know from iraqi officials that they were in an area in the southeastern part of baghdad in an apartment, where they were taken out by unidentified, armed men and driven away in a convoy. they're also thought to have been, quote, contractors. a wide scope of what they could have been doing under that job description. iraqi security officials who, on the surface, want to be seem to be doing all they can to get the americans back to safety, saying they're conducting an intensive search in the neighborhood of dora. little else known. suspicious pointing toward the shia militia close to iran. they have no comment on this at this stage. it plays to the broader geopolitical issue, with america close to moderates in iran, are we seeing hard liners stirring the pot here? no comfort for the relatives of the three americans whose safety

is paramount in u.s. officials' minds. huge diplomatic events. five american citizens in iran releas released. sanctions against iran, lifted. the man in the middle of it all, secretary john kerry, joins us. we know how busy you've been and appreciate you taking the time to be here. after 14 months of negotiations over these five prisoners, 14 months of ups and downs, after the iranians on saturday announced that they were being released, it all hit a snag. the plane was held up on the tarmac. what happened and how was it resolved? >> well, it did hit a snag because word somehow had not been communicated with respect to the manifest on the plane, that jason rezaian's wife would be coming with him. we had to locate her.

frankly, foreign minister zarif and others, the president, they immediately understood that the terms of the agreement included his wife and it needed to be done. so we went through a period of time, while they were located and ultimately reunited with jason, and now all is well that ends well. >> you mentioned foreign minister zarif. you developed quite a relationship with him over the last couple of years. do you consider him a friend? >> well, we've worked very, very closely together, and what we have is what you call a professional relationship. in which we listen to each other carefully. we have different points of view, obviously. he is a fierce defender of iran and some of the things that iran believes have been done to it unjustly. for instance, he points out that when iran was at war with iraq, the united states sided with iraq. and when people were gassed by

saddam hussein, the world said nothing. these things sort of linger. they are part of the history of the relationship that one needs to work through. but he and i always knew that what we needed to do was work to find the way to sledthread a ne, protect interests. i had to protect the interests of the united states, the interests of our allies and friends of the region. particularly. and he was obviously defending his. in the end, what we did was, i think, find the ground where we did what was needed, which is find a way to allow iran to have a peaceful nuclear program within the context of the non-proliferation treaty. but also to guarantee to us and to the rest of the world that it was going to be peaceful. that we would have the verification means of knowing

that there was no covert path, there was no uranium path, no plutonium path. that the paths to a bomb were closed. that was always difficult because certain people had great stakes in that program or great pride of creation. and didn't want to see it rolled back. this was difficult. this was as complex -- i might add, yesterday or two days ago now, i guess it is, was as complex a day as i've been through. there was so many moving parts and so much need for the building of confidence. foreign minister zarif acted professionally. when he gave his word, he kept his word, and i think that's important in terms of our relationship going forward? >> you trust him? >> we don't build these relationships on trust at the early stages. remember what ronald reagan said. trust by verify.

president obama said, don't trust but verify. we approach these issues with a view toward building the trust over time. it doesn't happen in a, you know, one or two days or one or two years, but we can build trust if we see that this program, indeed, is adhered to thoroughly, and also, if iran will begin to join with us to bring peace to syria, deal with yem yemen, reduce its activities in other countries. there are a number of things we need to work at. >> mr. secretary, you brought up the seevents this weekend. nuclear sanctions lifted, five prisoners released. the timing suggests that perhaps there was some linkage. was there? >> no, there really wasn't. you know, the issue of the foreign military sales money, which held iran's money -- this is iran's money -- it's been held for 35 years. ever since 1979. in 1981, there was a meeting in

algeria, where a tribunal was created to resolve the claims between the united states and iran. a lot of our claims have been settled over those years. almost all of them, as a matter of fact. i think all but about one. but iran still had this claim outstanding, and it became clear that this was a moment where we might be able to solve what had been decades of negotiations with respect to that. >> if the sanctions had not been lifted, do you think the prisoners would have been released? >> yes. i think we had a separate track going on that. we were clear that, given the right equation, that was not tied to implementation day. it happened to come together at that moment. i think everybody saw that that would be similar, but it was not directly linked. >> there was another -- >> i had hoped it would have happened a couple months ago and it hit a snag and we continued

to negotiate. >> there was another potential snag to all of this that emerged last week. the iranians captured ten u.s. sailors. you said their release was a sign of the new relationship that, three or four years ago, they never would have been released as quickly as they were. mr. secretary, you served on a naval vessel. not too different than the ones captured in the gulf there. what was your reaction when you saw the photo of those sailors on their knees with their hands behind their heads? >> i was very angry. i was very, very frustrated and angry that that was released. i raised it immediately with the iranians. it was not put out by the ministry of foreign affairs or the government directly. it was put out, i think, through the military over there, the irjc, who had been opposed to what we are doing. they're opposed to -- but i'm not excusing it. there's no excuse for it.

our sailors, regrettably, inadvertently, went into iranian waters. the challenge is that three or four years ago, you mention, we wouldn't have known who to call. we would have probably had to call the swiss, or maybe we would have called the british. there would have been no direct communication. it could have grown into a majo the way it had previously. there were people in iran now who certainly would have argued to hold on to them longer. but it was because we built a relationship, because we are working at this nuclear effort, because we are trying to turn a corner, as president rouhani said, and iran has joined into the syria talks. and iran agreed to a formula for a cease-fire, for unity government, constitutional form and an election in syria.

that could not have happened were we not building on this path with respect to the nuclear program. >> did you send a message that said, if you don't release the sailors, all bets are off, with the implementation of the nuclear deal? >> i'm not going to discuss what i said or didn't say, but suffice it to say, i made it crystal clear how serious this was. it was imperative to get it resolved. i think they believed that and knew that instinctively. within a matter of hours, we had an agreement that this was going to be resolved. >> mr. secretary of state john kerry, again, you've been very busy over the last few days. thank you for taking the time to be with us. appreciate it, sir. >> thanks a lot. bernie sanders and hillary clinton clashing last night in their last debate before the iowa caucuses. the gloves came off early with the candidates battling over obamacare, wall street and gun control. we'll get the highlights and low lights from phil. >> last night serving as a closing argument, two weeks before voters turn to caucus in

iowa. little longer before they vote in new hampshire. one thing is clear, if you thought this race was not only going to tighten up but also get more intense, you were right. >> reporter: the gloves -- >> i think secretary clinton knows what she says is very disingenuous. >> reporter: -- are off. >> i'm not sure whether we're talking about the plan you just introduced tonight, or the plan you introduced nine times in the congress. >> reporter: weeks before the first votes are cast, hillary clinton and bernie sanders putting an exclamation point on a week of sharp sparring on sunday night. >> the authority with its regulators -- >> i'll give you an example at how corrupt. >> clinton unwilling to mention sanders name at one point, now targeting his record on dpun nd how he'll pay for his health care plan. >> i made it clear that senator sanders has voted with the nra, the gun lobby, numerous times. >> reporter: sanders moving to blunt both criticisms. >> her campaign said bernie

sanders, fought for universal health care my entire life, he wants to end medicare, end medicaid, end the children's health insurance program. that is nonsense. >> reporter: shifting on guns a day before the debate. >> i said i would relook at it. we are going to relook at it and i will support stronger provisions. >> reporter: releasing his single payer health care plan hours before taking the stage. >> clinton criticizing him for the taxes required to pay for the proposal, and its shift away from president obama's signature achievement. >> there are things we can do to improve it, but to tear it up and start over again, pushing our country back into that kind of a contentious debate, i think, is the wrong direction. >> we're not going to tear up the affordable care act. i helped write it. but we are going to move to a, for all system. little more taxes, do away with health insurance premiums.

it's a good deal. >> reporter: sanders on offense against clinton's corporate ties. >> you received over $600,000 in speaking fees from goldman sachs in one year. >> reporter: clinton defending not just her chance on wall street reform, but president obama's, as well. >> but he's criticized president obama for taking donations from wall street. and president obama has led our country out of the great recession. president obama's work to push through the dodd frank bill and then to sign it was one of the most important regulatory schemes we've had since the 1930s. i'm going to defend dodd frank and i'm going to defend president obama. >> reporter: sanders turning a question on bill clinton's personal life into one of his best moments of the night. >> yes, his behavior was deplorable. have i ever once said a word about that issue? no, i have not. i'm going to debate secretary clinton and governor o'malley on

the issues facing the american people, not bill clinton's personal life. >> reporter: last night marking a moment of urgency for bernie sanders and hillary clinton. sanders trying to prove not only can he put together a coalition of people who like his candidacy, but also that might vote for him. for hillary clinton, trying to address the poll numbers in iowa. they have evaporated over the last couple weeks. one thing for sure, this is just getting started. the ads in iowa and new hampshire are going to flood the airwaves over the next couple weeks, michaela. >> phil, sure to be an interesting time these next few weeks. breaking news to tell you about. sad news out of ohio. the small town of danville in shock after a police officer has been killed in the line of duty. authorities say the suspected killer is in custody. he's accused of gunning down officer thomas catrell, and speeding off in the cruiser. before the shooting, the

suspect's ex-girlfriend warned them jones was armed and looking to kill a police officer. spacex almost did it. the private space company tried to land an unmanned rocket on a platform in the pacific. it almost worked until, you know, timber. it toppled over and exploded. the rocket had successfully put a weather satellite into low orbit. the company has been trying to bring back its rocket safely, landing them on the platforms in the ocean so they can be reused. 9-year-old jacob tremblay stole the show at the critics choice awards. he delivered the cutest acceptance speech ever after winning the best young actor prize for his role in "room." >> this is super cool. this is the best day of my life. i first want to say thank you to all the critics who voted for me. it must be a super hard vote because of all the other great actors in this category. i know where to put this.

right on the shelf beside my millennium falcon. >> he made a point that thank everyone he worked with on team "room" to make the movie come true. gratitude is important. what we didn't mention is that he says, i don't have any trophies at home. i'm not a sports guy, is why. he's really excited to have this. there's a lot of people that are frustrated that he didn't get nominated for an oscar or a globe. he's up for a sag award. >> maybe they'll revise it. nominate him for an oscar and nominate "star wars." they'll fix two gross injustices at once. >> i think this is the beginning of a beautiful career. adorable young guy. >> so cute. bernie sanders and hillary clinton not pulling any punches before their final debate. who scored the most points and will it change the situation? will that change the polls in

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what her campaign was saying, bernie sanders, who fought for universal health care for my entire life, he wants to end medicare, end medicaid, end the children's health insurance program. that is nonsense. >> to tear it up and start over again, pushing our country back into that kind of a contentious debate, i think, is the wrong direction. >> no one is tearing this up. we're going to go forward. >> that was bernie sanders and hillary clinton, and that was a heated back and forth about debate before the iowa caucuses. democrats there, you can see in some ways, at least on the issues there, not exactly playing nice. joining us to talk about this, senior adviser for the pro-clinton super pac, paul, and jeb bush supporter, anna.

>> these two play nice. >> they do. we always play nicely together. paul, i'll start with you. that exchange on health care was fascinating. both on the health care issue and also on the larger argument that hillary clinton was making in this debate. pragmatism over purity. is that an attractive sell to iowa voters? >> that is the contest in every political movement, actually, is between the pragmatists and the idealists. in a perfect world, you know, you have a martin luther king, who was both a practical leader of a movement and an idealist. you usually have to sort these things. they were playing nice. they were talking about issues. talking about how to get health care to more people in america. that's a far cry from the republican debate, where neither practical nor idealistic. they seem to be hateful. like, i hate your mother. ted cruz attached donald trump's

mother because she was born in scotland. give me a break. it's a different debate on my side of the aisle. >> don't talk about my mama, first rule of thumb. did you see this differently? >> if this is playing nice, i think it is stretching the definition of the word "nice." one of the things i was struck with, basically, two people on that stage. yes, martin o'malley, bless his heart, was there, too, and every 15 minutes, he'd be thrown a bone. poor man. but, you know, the shouting match, the level, just the -- i can't believe their voices lasted an hour and a half. those two were shouting past each other, at each other, over each other the entire debate. yes, there were a lot of issues debated, and i think both of them were speaking straight to their bases, frankly, and to the

groups already with them. i'm not sure they switched any votes last night. i was struck by all the talk about goldman sachs. i fell asleep halfway through the debate and all of a sudden, i woke up because bernie sanders was screaming about goldman sachs. i thought ted cruz was on the stage. >> you'd think goldman sachs was running in the election for all the times it's being brought up. the republicans are fighting about goldman sachs, who was born in canada, fighting about who has new york values. where are we this month, two weeks before caucus day? i know donald trump is going to speak at liberty university to an evangelical crowd there. who needs to do what in the next two weeks? >> where are we? we are in the thick of it. we are in the hunt. we are -- the finish line is visible from where they're running right now, and we are in the midst of a tight race in iowa. it could change, the debate could change the narrative. we have one more debate before iowa on the 28th.

i think you're going to see these guys completely take the gloves off and go at each other. you're going to see it all over the place. you're going to see chris christie hitting marco rubio. marco rubio hitting ted krooucr. ted cruz and donald trump going at each other. it'll be hard for republicans to keep track of the friendly fire and cross fire that'll happen. buckle up. tighten your seat belt because this ride is about to get bumpy. >> it's about to get something, paul. what are you anticipating? we have the next gop debate next thursday. what are you anticipating? >> i do think ana is right. it's going to be nastier and in a different way. again, i have, of course, a wide strike zone. i love negative campaigning. there was little real negativity on the democratic side last night. the republican side, you'll see more and more. >> it's the texas values. >> that's right. but when republicans are arguing, it's not about how to

provide more health care to more americans, it is about who is going to be more extreme. for example, if a woman is a victim of rape, who will put her in prison if she decides not to carry her rapist's baby? christian evangelical voters are chris c critical in iowa. who can beat up on gay americans more? that rhetoric will bubble up. >> you're talking about something -- >> i think we've seen very little of that. i think we've seen little of the issue in the debate. it's different to have a race between two people, which is what the democratic side is, and a debate between 10 people, 12 people, 13 people, which is what the republican side has been. there's been more personal attacks, personality driven. you have chris christie telling

folks, voting for a first term rookie senator is insanity. you have donald trump, who i think has hit upon something on this citizenship issue, and the new york values thing, he's milking to the death. i don't think the issues that you mentioned, paul, are the ones that are beingbates or on . it's friendly fire. >> paul, ana said the democratic race is a two person race. >> everything she said was interesting. >> you're right, you love going negative, any chance you get there, paul. is it though still a multi-candidate race, paul, on the republican side? or is it donald trump and ted cruz right now really facing off? does anyone else now have a realistic shot, or better than 50% shot of breaking into the top tier? >> in iowa, no. but the tier is not just two people. i do think there is a third and probably a fourth ticket out of

iowa, especially in the establishment lane. new hampshire is completely different place, and completely different voters there. republicans who are a little more establishment oriented may do much better in new hampshire, which is the marco rubio hope. the chris christie hope. the john kasich hope. even, dare i say, jeb bush, though i think he has slim and no hope. but i think you'll see a completely different race when we move in the republican side to new hampshire. also, new hampshire is an open primary. anybody can vote. either party, you wake up in the morning, you're unaffiliated, you can choose. it makes it exciting and harder to poll there in ways. i think it's terrific. >> paul and ana, great to have you with us. >> we're so close to the -- >> thanks, guys. >> what a fun time. >> absolutely. new questions raised this morning about the water contamination crisis in flint, michigan. you heard it brought up in the closing statements in the debate last night. why didn't the governor in

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new questions this morning about the water crisis in flint, michigan. that water contaminated with lead. now, people are asking about governor rick snyder's initial response. some of those questions actually coming from the national campaign trail. let's get to cnn's sarah, who is live in flint. good morning. >> good morning, john. the people in flint, the residents, continuing to demand answers for how this happened and why it took government officials so long to act. there was a rally here yesterday in flint. the reverend jesse jackson here, among the residents, calling for the resignation of their governor rick snyder, saying it took him too long, nearly a month, i should say, to act. nearly two years after it was his administration's decision to change the drinking water here. drinking watt thaer laer that b contaminated with lead because it was highly corrosive.

last night, this turned political in the democratic national presidential debate. bernie sanders calling for rick snyder's resignation, as well, and hillary clinton saying she believes it never would have happened in a town if it wasn't poor, as flint is poor. she was saying it never would have happened in an affluent city in this state. rick snyder tweeting last night after the debate that political statements and finger pointing from political candidates only distract from solving the flint water crisis. but the hits keep coming. last week, snyder announcing they're looking into whether a spike in legionnaires' cases is related to the flint water crisis. ten people died in the last two years because of the legionella bacteria, which is water born. >> thank you so much. we'll keep pressure on the politicians. time for five things to know for your new day. one, relief for the families of the americans released from captivity in iran, including

jason rezaian. meanwhile, authorities in iraq are searching baghdad for three missing american contractors. it's believed they were kidnapped by a group of gunmen. bernie sanders and hillary clinton slashing on gun control, obamacare. two weeks before the caucuses in iowa, clinton and sanders are neck and neck in the state. ted cruz banking on a bus tour to boost his standing, while donald trump ramps up his attacks, calling cruz nasty, a hypocrite and someone you cannot make deals with. the nation honors the late dr. martin luther king jr. president obama and the first lady will take part in a service project. for more, visit new day cnn.com. poppy? >> thanks, michaela. turning to the huge diplomatic developments this weekend. a prisoner exchange between the united states and iran. also international economic sanctions lifted against iran.

many critics are unhappy with the broader u.s. nuclear agreement with iran, including iran's middle eastern neighbors. israel, saudi arabia. joining us now, fareed zakaria. your show was on when president obama made the address yesterday morning. this is a nuclear agreement. there are still sanctions from the u.s. against iran, including the new ones this weekend. there are still hard liners in iran. of course, you have rouhani and zarif. is this a new chapter or a new book? >> it's a new chapter. i think it is a new chapter because, exactly as you say. if you think about richard nixon's opening to china, this was the moment where china comes in from the cold, the united states reestablishes relations, that was very different because they faced a common enemy in the soviet union, and there was a supreme leader of china who had clearly made his mind up.

he decided to shift course. here, you have a supreme leader who waffles. who waffles every day because he's got his hard liners, he's probably one of them himself, and has moderates who seem more popular. he's juggling between the two. while the united states and iran do face a common enemy in isis, it's not quite the same. because the big strategic rivalry remains between iran and saudi arabia. the u.s. is on saudi arabia's side. so i don't think we'll see a kind of opening to iran in quite the same way, but the incremental steps for the last two or three years have all been positive. each one is opening up new opportunities. just as the nuclear deal opened up the opportunity for the hostage issue, resolved the sailors problem, something that had taken almost two weeks -- >> john kerry said they were separate tracks. he told john berman they were

different negotiations. do you believe that? >> they were different negotiations with the same people. >> right. >> if you're finding -- look, let me give you an example. the american journalist held in iran in that prison for the longest time before jason rezaian was bahari. i was the news week international editor at the time. we tried hard to figure out whom to talk to. it was very difficult because the united states had no relations with iran. i talked to hillary clinton, secretary of state, and she really wanted to help. there was no path in. she couldn't pick up the phone and talk to anybody. he had a canadian passport, so i talked to the canadian prime minister. they tried but canada doesn't have the influence the united states has. >> right. >> so the fact that you have ca kerry, who developed a relationship with his counterpart zarif, means when something like this happens, it can get resolved. there is a path.

when these people were leaving in a scene almost out of "argo," jason rezaian's mother and wife are not allowed to leave. at the airport, they literally stop them. kerry picks up the phone, calls zarif and they solve it in half an hour. >> what could have trip third-degrthis up is the image known around the world, of the american military members being held temporarily in iran. john berman, end of his interview with secretary kerry this morning, asked kerry about that. let's listen. >> do you send a message that said, if you don't release the sailors, all bets are off, with the implementation of the nuclear deal? >> i'm not going to discuss what i said or didn't say, but suffice it to say, i made it crystal clear how serious this was. it was imperative to get it resolved. i think they knew that instinctively.

within a matter of hours, we had an agreement that this was going to be resolved. >> a non-answer that says a lot, fareed. >> what it, again, tells you is the value of diplomacy and diplomatic connections. kerry and zarif were able to talk five times in six hours to get this resolved. now, if you didn't have relations with iran, didn't have conversations going on, we still don't have an embassy -- >> right. >> -- you wouldn't have been able to do anything. these kind of things become very, very difficult, and countries find it very hard to back down in these moments. >> we have ten seconds left. yes or no, did you think this day would come, in the near term, at least? >> i hoped, but honestly, more has happened than i thought would happen. >> fareed zakaria, thank you so much. appreciate it. back to you guys. >> poppy, you know words like like inspiration and game changer get tossed around a lot. someone that's living proof. you'll meet the person who changed my life.

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cnn is launching this new series about the people that change td lives of our cnn anchors. those who had an impact on all of us. impacting our lives and careers. today, i'll introduce you to a special woman in my life. she's the woman who showed me that all it takes is for one

person to see what you don't. >> reporter: i spent almost ten years here in victoria, so every time i come back, it definitely feels like home. ♪ growing up as an adopted child, i always felt random. as i was growing up, trying to figure out who i was, part of that was also what i wanted to be. i always tell people, tv happened to me by accident. moya was a producer and when i met her, she was producing, imagine a world without contract. they needed ethnic and diverse looking people. >> we put out an open call to the residents of victoria to come to the studio, get in front of the camera and see how they feel, how they were reacting. >> i answered the open casting call, went to the local tv station, and ended up being cast in this campaign.

>> and i can't describe what happened to the atmosphere when she walked in. i thought, wow, there's something really extraordinary about this person. >> following the taping of the psa, my dad had already engrained in all of us that if somebody gave you an opportunity, you should always show gratitude and thank them, follow up with a thank you card or a gift. so i did. i was a bit of a crafty person, and i decided that i would decopage a plant and take it to the station. she followed it up when she received my gift with a phone call and invited me to lunch. it was at that lunch that she said something so profound to me that it changed my life. >> hey, pal. how are you? when's the last time you were here? been a while. how are you? >> great. >> hungry? >> you bet. >> awesome.

it's great being back here. when you and i came for lunch -- you know which is why i chose this spot for lunch today. >> absolutely. we had lunch on the patio. >> you looked me dead in the eye and said, you need to seriously consider a career in television. with voyage that your suggestion sent me on, think about that time in this city. there was nobody that looked like me on tv. >> there we go. >> my color, my size, my ethnicity, my last name, big curly hair, none of that was an impediment to you. >> it was the big curly hair. >> to you, it was like, why wouldn't you? and i remember being so terrified, but you had such confidence. you were so resolute that i couldn't not believe you. >> something really special happened way back in the studio. all those years ago. >> you can see why it was easy

for me to pick who influenced my life. >> i was humbled. >> you're not going to take it, will you? >> i am a champion for you and feel protective of you. i will go as far as to acknowledge that. >> i'll take it. you know what i was thinking? after we kill our salads and the calamari, let's see if we can find gord. >> reporter: he was my co-host at my first tv gig. it was at the local tv station where moyra worked. it was her belief in me and her suggestion that i audition with the show that i met g orord and fell in love with television. >> hi, honey. haven't seen each other in forever. >> at least a week. no, it's been years. >> years. look at this, you look exactly

the same. have you looked at this? >> wow. >> day two. still here. >> michaela pereira's hair was fashioned by -- >> wow! >> this was our office. ♪ born to be wild >> this is not the common person we run into. >> watching all of that old tape is crazy. >> i love it. >> if i was the type of person to cry, i would have. seriously, i haven't seen those for 20 years. >> that is so crazy to think about that because it started with the promo. that's where we worked together. but it wasn't long after that you were looking for a new co-host. >> we got to the end of the list and i said, that's it. we have not found a person. i don't know what we're going to do. nick, our camera guy said, one more person has been added to the list, michaela pereira. after two minutes of talking to you, i just looked at nick and he looked at me and we said, there we go.

>> oh! >> this morning, another high-ranking announcement -- >> it is so rare to see someone else believe so much in another person. this was a woman who believed in me when i didn't believe in myself. there was nothing in it for her. the truly inspiring among us, the heros in life, they don't do it for selfish motives. and they rarely want their recognition. it would make sense that she doesn't want any recognition. there she is. hey! hi, pal. >> hello. >> how are you? welcome to cnn and new york. how are you? >> great. >> one piece of advice you've given to me that has been invaluable, be yourself. >> i don't think you know how to do it any other way. >> maybe now, yes. but think about a 20

something-year-old kid who didn't go to communication school or broadcast journalism school, just came up learning on the job. and is surrounded by a whole lot of people who don't look like her, who didn't start out like her. when you kind of got in front of me and waved that flag, like, hold up, be yourself, it changed the game for me. being myself has been the only thing i could do, that i could bring to the table, that i knew i could do with 1,000% authenticity. thank you for that. i wanted to give you this little gift. >> this is an depot? >> it's an upgraded version. the flowers ni s in it, you con to nurture my career in the way a flower grows and i cannot thank you enough for all you do for me and continue to do, and the friendship and mentorship you provided me. >> michaela, it's beautiful. thank you so much.

>> thank you, babe. >> thank you. >> i love you. >> love you, too. >> i have to say, first of all, thank you to cnn for giving us -- you know we don't get -- often get a chance to say thank you to the people that, you know, sparked our journey. the fact we get to do this was -- >> and honor then in that way. >> two things. number one -- >> you hoe. >> eoe. >>, no, no. it's great advice when you're awesome to begin with, right? it's a nice thing. >> number two, what is decopage? >> how do you not know? >> i want to know what it is. it changed your life. >> you do a thing on a -- >> is it a noun or verb? is it a pot or what you do to a pot? >> you don't know what it is? >> no. >> moyra is dying now because i know she's up early watching on the west coast. she was so not -- i had to convince her to allow me to do this piece on her. it's not what she's about. she doesn't want the

recognition. >> i have to say two things. one, when i tell people i work at cnn or when they tour, i can't tell you how many say, do you know michaela pereira? do you work with michaela pereira? what they see is what we feel when i walked passed your office this morning, the real deal. they feel it. >> without makeup on. >> we all have a little help. i wonder when what she saw you realized? >> to be perfectly honest, it wasn't until i loved and lost, had been down and picked myself back up again, and had been rejected a thousand times, both in love and in jobs, you know what i mean? it took me a while. i don't think it was until my early 30s that i was like, oh, oh. and then to be able to implement that is another thing. can we brag one thing? the woman who produced that, fantastic lady, marley, she produced this piece and just started her own voyage by starting at a tv station in

alabama, birmingham, she's watching now. thank you for being a part. >> she's like, i can't produce any pieces after that. i'm done. >> you'll hear stories all week. tomorrow, you'll learn who the person is who changed anderson's life. then alisyn and then chris. on sunday, anderson and i are hosting a two-hour broadcast of all of the pieces, "the person who changed my life." tremendous opportunity. newsroom with pamela brown picks up after a quick break. (vo) new tidy cats lightweight with glade.

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good monday morning. i'm pamela brown in for carol costello. thank you for joining me. we're two weeks away from voters in iowa casting the first votes in the 2016 election. for candidates on both sides of the aisle, the time to close the deal with voters is now. democratic field stepping on to the debate stage last night in a south carolina clash that saw hillary clinton and bernie sanders spar over guns, health care and wall street. bernie said clinton's attacks can be based on one thing, his recent surge in the polls. >> as secr