take a look at this, live pictures from the venetian hotel casino in las vegas, nevada where donald trump is due to speak at any moment now. also bill clinton stumping for his wife just a few minutes away and speaking shortly as well. all the campaigns kicking it into high gear. and the new poll shows a two third -- or a two-man race on the gop side with trump at 37%, ted cruz at 26%. so it is no surprise trump and cruz are duking it out. >> guys like ted cruz will never

make a deal. no, you cannot have that! >> this past week, as our poll numbers have surged as donald's numbers keep dropping he's getting more and more rattled and each day, he's engaging in more and more personal attacks. >> meanwhile, as we count down to our democratic presidential town hall, bernie sanders has an eight-point edge over hillary clinton. this race is heating up. a lot live and we're expecting to hear from donald trump at any more. the candidate renewing his attacks on ted cruz today. that brings us to the day in trump. >> cruz is going down. he's going down. no, he's having a hard time. he looks like a nervous wreck. he's going down. he had his moment. he had his moment and he blew

it. >> larry is the director for the center for politics at the university of virginia, thanks for joining us tonight. >> sure, don. >> let's talk about this cnn/orc poll in iowa tonight. they are among voters who are likely to be caucus goers. trump's 37% to cruz's 26%. but look at what happens when you look at people who caucused last time, 30% to 28%. what went wrong and can they change that with a week and a half to go here? >> well, no. it's too late to do the kind of intensive door to door canvassing that you need six months or eight months or a year to do. that's why i think it's close and competitive. it's perfectly obvious why cruz would have dropped a certain number of points.

he has been attacked from every conceivable quarter and one gets the sense that maybe this was not accidental or coincidental. there are so many people in washington out to get cruz and people say they don't like trump either. here's the difference, trump is 69 years old. he wins this time or he's out. he's not going to be back running for president. ted cruz is 44. he can run again and again and again and again. and so they would rather get cruz out, take their chances on trump, try to get him derailed later in the process. >> but you said that trump's voters in iowa are -- that his new voters are motivated and committed there. but you said he should have started earlier? >> well, he should have started organizing on the ground earlier. >> right. >> i mean the ground game matters so much in iowa because the numbers showing up for these

caucuses are tiny compared to the 3 million population. you'll have 100,000 to 200,000, one would assume in each party. that's a small group of people. so you have to know who they are. you have to get them there. you have to convince them to do it at the last moment if it's a really cold night, you know, in an iowa winter. they have to spent two or three hours and some of them get cold feet because -- and i don't mean because of the weather. they get cold feet because they have to declare their preference in public in front of their friends and neighbors. this isn't a primary where you go into a voting booth and you get to punch a card and no one knows who you voted for. >> but do you think that iowa voters, or caucus goers are going to be more traditional. there is nothing traditional about this campaign. can donald trump break the rules when it comes to caucuses as

well? >> he could. well, i have about as much chance of guessing exactly what's going to happen ten days from now as an astronomer of finding that new gas ninth planet circling the sun. it's nearly impossible. and people keep forgetting that over the years, over the decades, about 40 to 50% of these caucus goers haven't made up their minds firmly. they enjoy upsetting the polls. this is terrible, i think. they enjoy making fools of the pundits. and they can change at the last minute and many of them will. >> can we look at the democrats, sanders is leading clinton in iowa. 51% to 43% and o'malley with 4%. if you look at the people who voted last time, hillary clinton wins. i wonder if this is going to be

deja vu all over again. >> obvious in the clinton camp they are having nightmares about 2008 all over again. but the reason i think bernie sanders has a better case here, that is that he can pull out all these new voters, is because he has had the ground game in iowa for many, many months. they have done the hard work. they know who they have to get out. many of them are young people. we've seen it over and over again. the last case being obama himself in 2008. so it's credible. it's believable that he could pull this off. >> who do you think it's going to be, though? which one is it going to be? >> well, for iowa, i think sanders has a good chance to pull the upset. i think the same thing will be true in new hampshire. for the nomination, hillary clinton will get it unless she gets into some legal trouble at which point it won't be sanders, it will be biden. >> what is the red flag you are

saying that hillary clinton is facing? >> that she doesn't seem to be able to energize and communicate passion to democrats. i thought the fact that she would be the first woman nominee and potentially the first woman president would be enough to really get enough new people active or excited. >> is that where biden comes in? and do you think that is really viable at this point? >> i'd say it's a 20% chance. but don, suppose she's indicted -- i don't think she will be. but if she is, he will be drafted. they don't have another choice. >> not even elizabeth warren? >> no. vice presidents are stand by equipment. that's what he is.

>> explain to why iowa is different. how much of a time commitment do caucus goers have to make the night of february 1st. you said you are concerned about weather and all that. how much of a time commitment is it? >> well, it depends on which caucus. there are so many around iowa. in some rural areas you have to travel a fair amount of time. if there is a big turnout it takes a long time to organize the caucus and make sure it runs properly. other ones it's over in an hour. i would say two hours is the most likely result. that's a lot of time. >> it's not like going to the polls and casting a ballot. larry, thank you very much. i appreciate it. we're waiting for donald trump to speak in las vegas. when we come right back, top conservatives who are take on donald trump. plus which former candidate says the choice between trump and

cruz is like choosing between being shot and being poisoned. our cosmetics line was a hit. the orders were rushing in. i could feel our deadlines racing towards us. we didn't need a loan. we needed short-term funding fast. building 18 homes in 4 ½ months? that was a leap. but i knew i could rely on american express to help me buy those building materials. amex helped me buy the inventory i needed. our amex helped us fill the orders. just like that. another step on the journey. will you be ready when growth presents itself? realize your buying power at open.com being hacked and intellectual property being stolen. that is cyber-crime and it affects each and every one of us. microsoft created the digital crimes unit to fight cyber-crime. we use the microsoft cloud to visualize information so we can track down the criminals.

when it comes to the cloud, trust and security are paramount. we're building what we learn back into the cloud to make people and organizations safer. i thione second it's there.day. 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. ♪ so since you have at&t and directv you can get our new unlimited data plan. unlimited data? so we're like rich?! you're data rich. data rich (we hear t.i.'s "whatever you like")

i think we can get used to being data rich. get data rich. get unlimited data on four lines for $180 a month when you have at&t wireless and directv. i filed my taxes online with h&r block for $9.99. na na na? look at my lil' phone. huh? na na na. [announcer] file state online for $9.99. federal is free. hrblock.com. as long as you love me, it's alright bend me shape me, any way you want me you've got the power, to turn on the light shape the best sleep of your life. sleep number beds with sleepiq technology adjust any way you want it. the bed that moves you. only at a sleep number store.

we're back and waiting for donald trump to speak in las vegas tonight. there you see the room. he's at the venetian. that is as trump is surging past ted cruz and other gop

candidates in cnn's iowa poll. let's discuss with kayleigh mcneney. kayleigh, we are looking at the new polls. the turnout might be the key to who wins in iowa. who is going to be able to turn it out? >> donald trump has put together a movement like nothing we've seen before. if we have learned anything about this election cycle there is momentum and anger among voters. and contrary to conventional wisdom every who is saying that trump doesn't have a ground game that is not the case. chuck laudner knows iowa. there is a ground game there. and people underestimate the frustration that voters have and that can mobilize someone to

stand in the cold for two or three hours if it can change the course of their life going forward. >> you are agreeing bakari? >> i am. this is a comparison i will never make again. what you are seeing from donald trump is a lot like the same feeling you felt about barack obama. >> say that again. i have been saying that for months and now you're saying it. but you went like this. go ahead. sorry. >> well, if you just look at the pure science of it and look at the fact there is an energy and a mobilization. but the difference that we've yet to see is whether or not he can implement and get people from their sofas and twittering and facebooking to turning the votes. but more importantly, one thing we are seeing similar to hillary clinton and barack obama in 2008 is they are completely discounting him right now. hillary clinton underestimated the turnout model in 2008 and was surprised by barack obama. and the gop may be

underestimating donald trump in this manner. >> that's from a republican strategist bakari sellers there. >> if they listen to me, they may win more. >> lauren, i want to ask you about this. i think this is the publication, "the national review" fed up with the establishment leaders who failed to take on trump. to go on the assault against trump. dana lash, eric eriksson and many others if they were so against him why did they wait until days before the iowa caucuses to do something this public about it? >> right now is when it matters. during the holiday seasons people aren't paying attention. and we are a week or two away from the caucuses and people are starting to tune in. it was cnn's poll who had some 30% of caucus goers as undecided and if they are undecided then,

even the people who have declared are not fully locked in. >> is it an exercise in futility considering the momentum that donald trump has or do you think it will make a differencing? >> i don't know if it will make a difference. right now, you have some conservatives for him and some establishments for him. and you have some, you know, anti-conservatives against him. it's just -- he is something that nobody knows how to deal with right now and that's the problem. nobody knows what to do with him. they didn't expect him to get this far. they have not seen anybody campaign the way he has campaigned before. him and bernie sanders they are in the same camp, they are capitalizing on not only anti-washington moment and hatred and frustration, but they're bringing in new people to the polls and new people to the caucuses that weren't normally involved. we don't have models for that.

>> kayleigh, i wonder if this may backfire. you know, ted cruz has been saying, donald trump is an insider now. doesn't this make donald trump look like an outsider if the establishment republicans are saying we're going to stop his momentum. >> "national review" supported mitt romney and came out against newt beginning rich. it is so far out of the main stream of the conservative movement, this helps donald trump. >> bakari, this is for you. this is a new ad from bernie sanders. >>. ♪ let us be lovers we'll marry our fortunes together ♪ ♪ i've got some real estate here in my bag counting the prize on

the new jersey turnpike ♪ ♪ they've all come to look for america ♪ ♪ all come to look for america >> i feel like i was watching a coca-cola ad from the 1970s. i do have a small monitor in here. i didn't see a lot of minorities in there. that is the criticism to this ad and people are noticing. >> it's a good ad for iowa. it's an inspirational ad. it makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. the creation of the ad going in is very good. but this is the fact of the matter, this is also why i think -- i still believe she will win iowa due to turnout models and other things. but iowa is about 2.5% african-american and new hampshire is 1.2% african-american. and after that you have demographics that are more

reflective of the democratic party. south carolina, alabama, arkansas, you are talking about a turnout of 40 to 50% of african-americans in the primaries. i think it's a refreshing ad. it made me smile this morning. but he has to move beyond that. i'm sure he will adapt and move beyond it. but i'm not sure it's going to penetrate in south carolina and georgia. >> i think the bulwark is hillary clinton's support among african-americans. >> it's a very specific group. it's african-american women. african-american women are going to drive this train not just in the democratic primary. but if they turn out in very high numbers then in all likelihood a democrat will be the 45th president of the united states. >> hillary clinton came in third in iowa in 2008. what can the clinton campaign do to stop the momentum that

sanders has. >> the reason that the ad works is it's uplifting. you have this washington type sanders, right? and he is rebranding himself or this campaign has been about him connecting with the american people and rebranding himself as this representative for all the americans and it's very uplifting. you smile. you can't help but smile at it. and hillary clinton's not doing that. she doesn't have a big, broad message where she is connecting with everyone. going back to obama and what happened in 2008, the hope and the change. and the democrats are idealistic voters. they have had eight years to get things done. and realistically it's because the republicans have stopped a lot of what obama has wanted to do. but people are not seeing the big change that they wanted from

eight years of obama and they are viewing hillary clinton as just an extension of that. so she's got to move beyond that. she has to make a tonal shift in her campaign and inspire people to get behind her. >> i have to get to a break. you're going to come back after this break. and -- i'm sorry, you don't come back. well, next time. see ya. we are waiting for donald trump who is speaking in las vegas tonight. up next, the man who says that the powers that be have to take bernie sanders seriously. sometimes romantic. there were tears in my eyes. and tears in my eyes.

and so many little things that we learned were really the biggest things. through it all, we saved and had a retirement plan. and someone who listened and helped us along the way. because we always knew that someday the future would be the present. every someday needs a plan. talk with us about your retirement today. [ woman ] thanks. the dealership reviews on cars.com made it easy, but... [ man ] we thought it might be a little more tense. you miss the drama? yeah. [ technician ] ask him whatever you want. okay. ♪ do you think my sister's prettier than me? ♪ [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] research, price, find. only cars.com helps you get the right car without all the drama.

bernie sanders surging past hillary clinton in cnn's new iowa poll as clinton steps up her attacks on him. and my next guest says that it's time to start taking sanders seriously. joined by frank rich in warm los angeles. you know, i'm mad at you for that but i'll have a civil conversation with you. >> we'll try.

>> so -- >> i've been hearing. >> yourlating conversation with "new york magazine" you talk about how you misjudged the bernie sanders campaign and you placed blame on the consistent camp and you said if clinton continues to lose altitude, sanders's ability to sell himself to a wider electorate or through further revelations about her and bill clinton's dubious buck raking from wall street, corporate america and foreign governments the democrats are left with only one plan b, bernie sanders. why do you they that bernie sanders can pull off the nomination or the presidency? >> i'm not sure he can. and the fact that he is 74 and a self-proclaimed socialist doesn't help him. and i agree with a lot of the arguments with the earlier

guests, the wider demographics of the democratic party when you get past new hampshire work against him. but he has enthusiastic crowds in the base of the democratic party and he is raising a lot of money from small donors which attest to his prowess among young people and he is running against in hillary clinton someone who is a very flawed candidate and seems to be making a lot of the same mistakes she made in 2008 when she was a can't-lose proposition. >> i vaguely remember having this conversation about hillary and bernie but i know we had it about trump as well. i want you to listen to hillary clinton in iowa. she is calling out bernie sanders by name. watch this. >> i'll tell you i'm not interested in ideas that sound good on paper but will never make it in the real world. senator sanders doesn't talk much about foreign policy. when he does it raises concerns

because sometimes it can sound like he hasn't really thought it through. for example he suggested we invite iranian troops into syria. that is like asking the arsonist to be the firefighter. >> i want you opinion on this. cnn is hosting this town hall on monday. >> that is an example. >> we are hosting the town hall on monday with the democratic candidates. do you think this new strategy, is it working for her? does she need to switch gears? go ahead, frank. >> this is an example of what is wrong with her campaign. the biggest single factor in her defeat to obama or the thing that opened the door was her vote in favor of the iraq war. i don't think it's wise of her to reopen that by challenging bernie sanders on foreign policy. he's already compared her experience and use of lack of wisdom to dick cheney's in the past week. i don't get it.

i don't even understand what this strategy is. also that commercial you showed earlier of sanders is very stack contrast to what you just showed of hillary clinton. he's upbeat and wants to do things. she's saying he's a dreamer. but she is saying eat your spinach and i can get things done and i know what i'm talking about. that's not exciting or uplifting or the basis for a national presidential campaign at all. >> she is a debby downer and he is happy, happy, joy, joy, and she is a debby downer? >> it is a bit down. there is an angry populous out there. and sanders has reached an angry group of voters comparable to those who support trump but with different politics. he has done it not by saying, hey, yes, i can or believing in hope and change. hillary clinton is sort of saying i'm the dutiful person who will, you know, roll up my sleeves and apply all my

experience. but you have to wonder, even her experience as a campaigner, and her last campaign is not showing up here if she is going to bring up foreign policy if she can wrap the iraq war around her neck, which he'll do. >> last night, donald trump told me this. >> in europe and the uk, they say they -- they actually say two corinthians and a number of people have pointed this out. it was not a big deal. >> and this is what tony perkins told erin burnett. >> is donald trump right, is this not a big deal, tony? >> it shows he is not familiar with the bible. >> does it matter, frank, to

evangelicals? >> you know, when he talks about religious he makes errors or he is unspecific in general but it's the poll shows that evangelicals don't care and more are for him than even for ted cruz who has a strong evangelical background and has an evangelical preacher father. there is something about the imagine that is trumped by the trump's consideration. jerry falwell jr. had him come and speak on martin luther king jr. day. >> they said he wrote it down, that perkins wrote it down. but his support among evangelicals has not waned. stay warm out there in cold -- freezing -- l.a. >> take care of yourself. nice talking to you. >> see you soon.

when we come back, voters are mad as hell and not going to take it any more. what will that mean for the republican establishment? everyone's lookin' red carpet ready. my man, lemme guess who you're wearing... toenail fungus!? whaaat?!? fight it! with jublia. jublia is a prescription medicine... ...used to treat toenail fungus. use jublia as instructed by your doctor. jublia is workin' it! most common side effects include... ...ingrown toenail, application site redness,... ...itching, swelling, burning... ...or stinging, blisters, and pain. oh!! fight it! with jublia! now that's a red carpet moment! ask your doctor if jublia is right for you.

visit our website for savings on larger size. i filed my taxes online at oh, that's super reasonable. what? that's super reasonable. yeah. what? [announcer] file state online for $9.99. federal is free. hrblock.com

the republicans and the democrats rolling out their big guns on the road to iowa. but what if there's one thing we have learned about this presidential race it's that voters are sick and tired as politics as usual and the candidates are hearing them loud and clear. >> if being part of the establishment means you have to be in washington, then i'm not. because i've never lived there. i've never worked there. >> if y a candidate who washington embraces, run and hide. >> people are angry at washington, d.c. and at both political parties because washington has never been more out of touch than it is right now. >> most of them are just interested in where's my check, how much do i get? let's make the process complicated. >> joining me now to answer the question if washington is so awful, why are there so many candidates fighting like hell to get there or stay there?

trent lott and tom daschle are here. they have the book "crisis point." how are you doing? you doing okay? >> absolutely. >> we'll talk about the book in just a bit. it's 11 days from the iowa caucuses. i have to ask you about this race. senator lott, donald trump is fond of saying he is leading the race by a lot. what do you make of his candidacy? >> well, i'm surprised, quite frankly. it's been a very strange political year. we have a lot of outstanding candidates running across the board in the republican primary. and some have already dropped out. but for an outsider as donald trump to be running as strongly as he is is unusual and in some respects concerning. but he has tapped into frustration and anger among the

constituency and it's going well for him. now, i still believe that this race is a long way from being over and decided. probably will go into march or april. but you know, when you look at donald trump and you look at bernie sanders you think what is going on with our parties? >> it's the outsiders. you have said you have a lot of great candidates but you are not a fan of ted cruz. why not? >> well, i've been concerned about how he conducted himself in the senate on a personal basis, you know, he called the majority leader a liar on the floor of the senate. i don't know the details of the disagreement. but that is not civilized or appropriate. while i might agree with him, his tactics are not workable. you are going to shut down the government because the president wouldn't sign or override or repeal of obamacare. he was not going to do it. the idea that you shut down the government to make him do what you want him to do is not wise,

to say the least. >> senator daschle, your turn. senator lott, bernie sanders, a democratic socialist. is secretary clinton in trouble this time? could it be 2008 all over again for her? >> i don't think so. i support her and think she is going to do well. but it's more competitive than we expected it would be because in part of what you said. bernie, too, has tapped into this extraordinary anxiety, this fear, this problem of inequality that a lot of democrats are feeling. they're feeling that the rich and the powerful, the top 1% are far too privileged in society today. and they want more balance and bernie is speaking to those fears and those anxieties. >> let's talk about this big endorsement that donald trump got. sarah palin and i'm looking at

you, senator lott. let's listen to a clip and talk about it. >> do i have to? >> even today, the gop machine, they're attacking their own front runner and his base of dynamic, diverse and patriotic supporters. they're attacking you because they can't afford for the status quo to go otherwise the gravy train, it stopped and they can't keep slurping for it not if things change the way that mr. trump and all of we know needs to change. >> i thought i heard you -- you were saying do i have to? why did you say that? >> well, i didn't want to hear it. i'd heard it earlier. and you know, you don't want to be too critical of a voice but it's hard to listen to the sound of her voice. it got to be kind of a screech there. you know, and frankly, i didn't

agree with what she was having to say either. her endorsement may help in iowa. she has a lot of people who know her and support her in iowa. and maybe that was the purpose. but a lot of americans and republicans i don't think that helped a lot. >> senator daschle, let's talk about trump, cruz, and sanders, they have launched scathing attacks against lobbyists. you both earn good living lobbying. is there too much money in the system and too much influence on congress? >> there is too much money in politics. about that, there is no question. we have to find ways to bring the amount of money down. people spend too much time dialing for dollars. and that's one of the corrosive factors today and one of the reasons why the american people are frustrated. but i also think that there

ought to be opportunities for people to advocate for the issues and the concerns that they have in our country today. i'm proud of what we do. it's public issues and public policy has been a part of my life for almost 50 years now. and i believe strongly in what that entails. but, yes, we've got to deal with money. >> so either one of you, your book is about working together about party lines. but right now, compromise is a dirty word. how do you turn that attitude around? >> well, i think there is a lot of things that have to be done. first of all, i don't think compromise is a dirty word. if it is, having your way exclusively is dictate orship and that is a dirtier word. we don't want dictators in this country. compromise is capitulation. it's the way you move the country forward when you have

320 million americans with different views. there has to be more civility, more communication, more relationship being more time in washington, not less. >> one of the reasons why tom and i got along well and got things done is because we had a good relationship. i respected his positions even when i disagreed and i trusted him not to do something underhand or mean spirited. those are two things that we need so much back in congress now, communication and chemistry and a relationship. and leadership. i found over the years if you get out there and take a strong position and lead people will follow. but if you hang back and wait for someone to show you the easy route, nobody gets anything done. >> you have two senators there, one republican and one democrat coming together to co author a book, "crisis point." and i thank you gentlemen for joining us here. >> thanks for having us.

>> we'll be right back. woah! father, why can't we have directv like the macgregors do? we're settlers, son. we settle for things. like having cable instead of directv. hey, jebediah, how's it going? working the land. hoping for a fertile spring. all right. so we have to live with lower customer satisfaction? i'm afraid so. now go churn us some butter, boy, and then make your own clothes. yes, sir. (vo) don't be a settler. get rid of cable and upgrade to directv. call 1-800-directv. across america, people like badominique wilkins...er ...are taking charge of their type 2 diabetes... ...with non-insulin victoza®. for a while, i took a pill to lower my blood sugar. but it didn't get me to my goal. so i asked my doctor about victoza®. he said victoza® works differently than pills. and comes in a pen. victoza® is proven to lower blood sugar and a1c. it's taken once a day, any time. victoza® is not for weight loss, but it may help you lose some weight.

victoza® is an injectable prescription medicine that may improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes when used with diet and exercise. it is not recommended as the first medication to treat diabetes... ...and should not be used in people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. victoza® has not been studied with mealtime insulin. victoza® is not insulin. do not take victoza® if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer... ...multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to... ...victoza® or any of its ingredients. symptoms of a serious allergic reaction... ...may include itching, rash, or difficulty breathing. tell your doctor... ...if you get a lump or swelling in your neck. serious side effects may happen in people who take victoza®... ...including inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). stop taking victoza®... ...and call your doctor right away if you have signs of pancreatitis such as severe pain that will not go away in your abdomen or from your abdomen to your back...

...with or without vomiting. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take... ...and if you have any medical conditions. taking victoza® with a sulfonylurea or... ...insulin may cause low blood sugar. the most common side effects are headache, nausea... ...diarrhea, and vomiting. side effects can lead to dehydration... ...which may cause kidney problems. if your pill isn't giving you... ...the control you need... ...ask your doctor about non-insulin victoza®. it's covered by most health plans. t...to help sense danger before7 was engiyou do. . because when you live to innovate, you innovate to live. the all-new audi q7. a higher form of intelligence has arrived.

every one of us has a hero, a parent, a mentor, a friend.

this week at cnn we're telling our stories of our heroes. here's brooke baldwin with hers. ♪ >> reporter: it was the fall of 1991. with one of the best guitar riffs of all time, nirvana became the kings of grunge. the governor of arkansas made his move. >> i proudly announce my candidacy. >> reporter: and i was in middle school. such a southern gentleman. it was also the year i met one of the most inspiring people i know, bobby rashad jones. do you remember your locker combination? >> i do not. >> reporter: we were in the seventh grade in our hometown of atlanta, georgia. >> who wants to go to seventh grade in your lifetime, not me.

but i remember rashad and we pretty quickly clicked. >> brooke was outgoing and welcoming and compassionate toward the new students and we hit it off there in seventh grade. >> reporter: we had a lot of things in common. he was a starting linebacker. i was the captain of the cheerleaders and our parents had the same rule. education first. >> education is the one thing that you can gain in life that no one can take from you. >> reporter: rashad's high school football coach remembers mrs. jones, who yanked her son out of practice one day because rashad hasn't done his home work. >> bobby jones, get up here right now, you get off that football field right now! >> we're in a golf cart because this campus has grown so much since even we were here. what were the jams you listened to you senior years?

>> quad city d.j.s. >> reporter: we bonded over music. i introduced him to pearl jam's heavy seattle sound. and he opened my eyes to the dirty south beats of atlanta rap. >> and he taught me about outcast. it was music education with me. but this was a beginning of a long, long friendship that has gone so beyond that. so far beyond that. two decades ago, rashad and i sat on these same steps, our talks about boys and basketball soon with developed into discussions about race. >> i never forget the o.j. simpson trial. >> i remember that. i remember you. >> not guilty of the crime of

murder. >> we sat around in classes and watched on tv. >> it's the first time i head real conversations about race at this school. when i was here at westminster when i first came in seventh grade it was a culture shock. >> there were four black kids in the class. >> four or five black boys in the class and three other girls. it was very small. >> reporter: rashad and i came from different worlds. >> i think that was one of the reasons why early on how you have certain people when you are younger who expose you to a totally different perspective and a way of life, it really resonated with me in high school in particular. >> we ain't going to stop -- >> reporter: he's taught me to always be open to other points of view and tell the stories of people who may not always be heard. >> i'm in the middle of police. >> reporter: and to be fair. >> when you interviewed during ferguson and baltimore riots you

did your best to empathize and that's why the conversations were real. >> but the only reason i have been able to do that, one of the reasons is because of what you've taught me. >> reporter: rashad was recruited by more than a dozen college football teams but he turned them down to attend the u.s. naval academy. >> i will tell you that i've never been so proud to be a part of something so much bigger than myself. >> reporter: on graduation day, exuberance. >> i lost my mind. >> reporter: even bear hugging his commander-in-chief. rashad became a lieutenant commander in the u.s. navy. this was the first terrorist attack on the united states from isis. now our worlds are converging again. i'm reporting on a world at war. he is fighting in one. >> every day that i put this

uniform on, i just don't think about the navy, the naval service i think about the classmates i went to school with, some of which have mad the ultimate sacrifice in defense of their country and it is humbling to be considered a part of that group, very humbling. >> the captain will be off the ship this morning. >> reporter: right now rashad is in the middle east as the executive officer, backively engaged on the war on terror. i'm incredibly proud and not at all surprised. so cheerleading, football. i've often wondered what makes a real friend. someone who keeps you honest, somebody who keeps you in check. i found that and so much more in rashad. i would say there is nothing off limits in my life that rashad doesn't have some kind of opinion on. love life, professional, whatever.

i listen to him. and now, his oldest daughter has started junior high at the same school where her dad and i first met. i can only hope for her she finds someone in these hallowed halls who will teach her about life and love and fairness. he, without even probably realizing what he was doing was teaching me. rashad helped teach me and still does, how to be a better human being. how lucky am i? brooke is here with me. you love him? >> i love him. i love him. i just talked to him last night. >> why has your bond lasted so long? >> we bonded over music. music is one of my languages and

his too. from there it's silly what matters so much when you are an awkward seventh grader but the people you think you will be close to when you are 18, see ya. it's the people who have evolved with you and the way he talks to me. this is a guy, who by the way, when you heard about the ten u.s. sailors who were detained and i was supposed to have a date with my friend rashad and i'm hearing nothing he is pulling the ten sailors back on to the ship and that's why he couldn't take my call. >> what do you want to say to him that you haven't said to him? >> i love you. he always deflects. he's like, well, you know, what's been fascinating about this series and learning about our colleagues has been the people i think have reached out to him, the younger sailors who he went to navy with and who he's been to war with, the way

they have reached out to him has been humbling in a way that is mind blowing to him. if i can show him my love for everyone to watch, thank you. >> very special. i love watching that. >> thank you. thank you. >> there's more to come from our week-long series, a person who changed my life. chris cuomo tells his story tomorrow morning. erin burnett shares her tomorrow night. it wraps up sunday at 8:00 p.m. eastern and more on our website as well, cnn.com/lifechanger.

we'll see you here tomorrow night. "ac360" starts right now. good evening, john berman in for anderson. new poll makes a political avalanche in iowa and a very real and dangerous blizzard. these pictures right now are just a preview. a