they do not believe these inmates have any ties other than to meet each other in the tank in the swral. >> there is a good look at their faces. paul, thank you for that. thank you, everyone, for joining me. wolf blitzer starts right now. hello. i'm wolf blitzer. it's noon in des moines, iowa. 1:00 p.m. in new york. 7:00 p.m. in paris. wherever you are watching from around the world, thanks very much for joining us. >> we begin with brl politics. the iowa caucuses are just one week from today. the latest cnn poll of polls shows the race neck and neck in iowa with bernie sanders at 46%. hillary clinton at 44%. the poll is an arrivaling of the four most recent surveys. sanders is holding a town hall

meeting this hour in ames, iowa. you are looking at live pictures. hillary clinton has a rally next hour in knoxville, ohio. iowa, i should say. knoxville, iowa. the democrats kick off their final sprint to the caucuses in the cnn town hall meeting later tonight, 9:00 p.m. eastern. ates chance for the democrats to deliver their closing arguments. it's the last high profile experience. our senior washington correspondent jeff zelney joining us live from the site of the town hall in des moines. hillary clinton, bernie sanders, martin o'malley. they won't be on the stage at the same time, but walk us through the format for the town hall. >> wolf, they will be appearing back to back to back here here on the campus of drake university. martin o'malley will be going between his two rivals, senator sanders will start the evening off and will talk for about 30 minutes or so, taking questions from iowa voters and undecided

voters followed by martin o'malley, and hillary clinton will wrap up the evening here. it will be an experience for iowa voters to ask any remaining questions that they have. as we've been following them throughout the weekend and into this morning, it is a tight race. they are both making their urgent arguments for why they believe, you know, support should be on their side. hillary clinton pressing the experience argument, but bernie sanders is asking some democratic voters to sort of believe in their ideals and their perfect scenario, if you will. those are sort of the how it looks going into this town hall tonight. let's tloichb her delivery in north liberty, iowa, yesterday. >> i know some of you are still

shopping. i like to shop too. i hope during the course of this afternoon we can convince some of you to talk to my volunteers and organizers on the way out and sign up and we have to start to move toward nominating and electing a president and commander in chief who will continue the progress we've made, make sure it is not ripped away forcing us to once again be disappointed. >> all right. i guess that's the kind of approach we can expect to see later tonight. jeff is standing by. jeff, are you getting some more insight on what her strategy might be? >> we are, wolf. she is giving democrats permission to shop around, as she said. she said i like to shop as well. what they do not want, clinton

advisors tell me, is an aggressive approach. at least tonight to senator sanders. she is worried about any potential backlash. what she's trying to do is persuade his supporters to join her. she would turn them off if she was a negative against him. i don't expect that at tonight's town hall setting. this is not a debate where everyone is on the stage at the same time. this is a town hall setting where she'll be asking or answering questions from voters. that is a key point in the final week here. she's trying to win over sanders supporters. not drive them away. thank you, jeff. while the democrats prepare for tonight's cnn town hall in iowa, the republicans are relying on their ground games right now to try to get out their supporters. that includes former senator marco rubio. he is holding a rally in des moines right now. rubio is gaining some ground in iowa. over the weekend he got a key endorsement from "the des moines register," newspaper, but in a new fox poll from iowa, he

stands way behind. third place right now behind donald trump and ted cruz. you can see the numbers right there. that's the democratic numbers. here are the republican numbers. 34% for trump. 23% for cruz. rubio is at 12%. he is actually down, by the way, three points over the past three weeks. >> third place, is that good enough for him? >> well, wolf, i do think that marco rubio's team thinks that third place could be good enough, but they're looking at two key things. one is outperforming those poll numbers. if they're at 12%, 13%, 14% in the poll, they want to see a bigger number than that come caucus night. they want so see a clear lead over some of their rivals in this race. we're talking about people like chris christie, people like jeb bush. they want to be able to say that they were the winner of this establishment lane coming out of iowa and heading into new hampshire.

>> is getting help, rubio. who is with him? >> iowa senator joannie ernst will be joining him at this event today. it is not an endorsement. both sides have been careful to say it's not an official endorsement, but she is very popular in this state, and this is the kind of thing that just appearing along with him side-by-side could be something that will help his campaign. especially if we're talking about these couple percentage points over performing where he is in the polls. >> rick perry here with us now to discuss all of this and more. cnn political commentators tara and peter. let's take, first of all, another look at the fox poll in iowa. donald trump has a big lead

right now. leapfrogging ted cruz for first. what does that tell you, peter, first of all, about donald trump? he is at 34%. cruz is at 23%. back on january cruz was at 27%, 23%. >> right. to the extent we can tell trump seems to have more momentum. now, whether his people will turn out in those numbers, we don't know. many have commented his supporters tend to be people who haven't gone to caucuses before. he seems to have blunted cruz's surge, perhaps in part by raising this question about cruz's canadian birth. also, because although there is a part of the republican establishment that is trying to block donald trump, there's another part that's trying to block ted cruz.

>> they say i have the most loyal people. did you ever see that. where i auto astand in the middle of fifth avenue and shoot someone, and i wouldn't lose any voters. it's incredible. >> polls do show that among his supporters, about 90% of them say thief made up his mind, and they're with it. however, in places like iowa, even in new hampshire sometimes the caucus voters, up to 27% and 30%, they're still unsure when they walk in, so that could be something where ted cruz could siphon over more of those votes. i think what's hard, just to go back to what peter was talking about, it's the position on ethanol that's hurt him, and the fact that the governor of iowa, who is very popular, governor brand stad won re-election with 59%. he has a 75% approval rating in iowa. he is the longest serving governor in the country. he has come out and viciously against ted cruz mainly because

of his position on ethanol, which is a hugely important issue in the state of iowa. i think that may have had an impact on ted cruz more so, and the cruz -- pro-cruz super pact has come out and attacked the governor and calling him a politician and all of this, in bed with the lobbyists. i don't know how well that's going to go over with iowa caucus voters who really, really have a beloved governor. i think that's having more of an affect than what other people may think on the ground in iowa. >> on the democratic side, peter, cnn is, of course, hosting it town hall in iowa. three democratic candidates will also be there. bernie sanders seemingly has a lot of momentum right now. how does hillary clinton turn that around?

>> his counter punching hasn't been essentially strong there. you'll look for her to do that. for bernie sanders, iowa is really a must win. for hillary clinton, iowa would be nice, but it's not a must win. she could still come back even if she lose waz iowa. even if she loses iowa and new hampshire. >> what do you think? >> i think that hillary is in trouble in iowa. it's an enthusiasm issue. even though it's -- it's almost similar to the situation with what's going on in the republican side, right? we have donald trump who has all these new voters, potentially, coming in who have never caucused before, but they're really enthusiastic. >> this isn't news. you can go back to the summer of 2014 where the progressive activists in iowa were not too thrilled with the hillary clinton candidacy. they were holding out hope for elizabeth warren. that lack of enthusiasm for hillary has plagued her all along. if you look at the real clear politics average over the last month or so, when she was up to

54% maybe two months, she's up at 54% or so, and all you see is the trend line going like this. she's been losing support. bernie sanders has been gaining support, and a lot of that comes from young people in college towns who will be around to caucus this time because of the calendar, but will they show up. their plan issing in trouble. they're running into organizational problems. the caucus is all about organization. >> exactly one week from tonight. the iowa caucus. >> coming up, donald trump, by the way -- do notted trump will be my guest, one-on-one later today in the situation room. we're going to talk about the race for the white house, what he thinks about his opponents. a whole lot more. later today donald trump in the situation room with me 5:00 p.m. eastern. bernie sanders, he is picking up a major endorsement

from a south carolina state representative just last month. that representative endorsed hillary clinton. we'll talk to him and ask him why, what's behind the switch? also, hillary clinton's chief strategist standing by to join us as well and talk about the democratic frontrunner, what's going on in the race for the white house. much more when we come back. janet? cough if you can hear me. don't even think about it. i took mucinex dm for my phlegmy cough. yeah...but what about mike? it works on his cough too. cough! it works on his cough too. mucinex dm relieves wet and dry coughs for 12 hours. let's end this. thanks. ♪ [ male announcer ] fedex® has solutions to enable global commerce that can help your company grow steadily and quickly. great job. (mandarin) ♪ cut it out. >>see you tomorrow. ♪

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"credit karma. give yourself some credit." hillary clinton picks up two major newspaper endorsements in the race for the democratic presidential nomination. "the des moines register "oid toral board says "clinton has demonstrated that she is a thoughtful, hard-working, public servant who has earned the respect of leaders at home and abroad. she stands ready to take on the most demanding job in the world." "the boston globe" also backing hillary clinton in the new hampshire primary. papers saying, "she is more seasoned, more grounded, and more forward-looking than in 2008 and has added four years of secretary of state to her already formidable resume." democrats in the granite state

should not hesitate to choose her. a lawmaker who was supporting hillary clinton is now endorsing senator bernie sanders. state representative justin bamburg joins us live from columbia, south carolina. justin, thanks very much for joining us. you endorsed hillary clinton. now you're supporting bernie sanders. why did you change your mind? >> wolf, thank you so much for having me. you know, quite frankly, like a lot of voters across the country, i didn't give bernie sanders his fair shake early on. >> one of the greatest things about having the ability to vote is you also have the ability to monitor campaigns, to stay informed, and to constantly evaluate candidates. that is what i did, you know, culminating just a week ago on martin luther king jr. day. i had the opportunity to sit down with senator sanders in

private. he didn't speak with me as a presidential candidate to a state representative. he did speak to me as an older white man to a young african-american man. he spoke with me on a man-to-man level, and at that point in time i knew that bernie sanders was my candidate. >> are you at all concerned that he describes himself as a democratic socialist because a lot of your fellow democrats think that may make him unelectable in a skwlen election? >> oh, no, sir, i'm not concerned at all. elts my belief that a lot of people harping on this democratic socialism thing don't even truly understand exactly what that means. people in america typically are afraid of change. they tend to go with the status quo. bernie sanders represents bold new leadership. he is not afraid to stand up for what he believes in, and he is not afraid to go against the grain. that is one of the things that i

like about him most. >> when you endorsed hillary clinton, you said it was because of her plan for reforming the critical justice system, bridging strained relationships between law enforcement, and minority communities. you represent the family of walter scott who was fatally shot by a police officer. a lot of viewers remember that. how much did that influence your decision to now go ahead and withdraw your support from hillary clinton? >> you know, the thing here is when you look at bernie and you look at hillary, there are a lot of similarities. particularly with regards to criminal justice and reform there. it's no secret after watching the news and looking at incidents across the country what things need to change and what things need to be improved on. wft turning points for me and why i decided to go with senator sanders revolves mostly around issues like health care. i live in a rural poor part of

the state of south carolina. health care is a matter of life and death for many americans. you know, we live in the greatest country on elt, and we have built ourselves on the belief that all things are possible, all things are retainable with hard work, determination, and heart. we put man on the moon, wolf. you can't tell me that we can't have health care for every citizen in america. you can't tell me that we are not able to establish free public college education for students regardless of where they come from. you know, you can't tell me that bernie sanders cannot be president if his supporters are willing to work, if voters are willing to open their eyes, open they are ears and look at --

>> south carolina state representative. justin, thanks very much for joining us. >> thank you so much for having me, wolf. god bless you. >> god bless you as well. thank you. few people expected hillary clinton to be locked in such a tight race with bernie sanders. specifically just a week before the iowa caucuses. what is the clinton campaign game plan between now and then? chief strategist for hillary for america. he is a democratic pollster and consult yabt. let me get your quick reaction to what we just heard from that south carolina state representative you know, hillary clinton has been endorsed by more than 100 mayors from ruse the country. she's been endorsed by mayor steve benjamin of columbia, south carolina. a very large city there.

also happens to be the mayor of -- head of the associate president of the association of african-american mayors. we appreciate all the endorsements we have. just this morning president obama, while he said he was staying neutral made some very gracious independents e comments about secretary clinton and the fact that she can bring her progressive values to bare in the oval office to make a difference in people's lives. >> we have to win the endorsement of people in iowa, new hampshire, and on to nevada and north carolina. we're not taking anything for granted. we're going to work hard to earn every vote. secretary clinton is out there doing that just now. we think when people make their judgment on caucus day or election day, the question they are going to be asking themselves is which one of these people really does have what it takes to make a difference in my life, improve my life, and help me make the progress i want to get ahead and stay ahead?

>> he has a better idea. what was your reaction to that? >> well, look, i think, you know, secretary clinton and senator sanders both have the same goal. how did we get to universal health care? how do we make sure that more americans have health care and a price they can afford? you know, for the first time in our country's history we are at 90% or more with health care. we have republicans who voted to repeal this. only president obama's veto saved obama care. just a week or so ago in the last debate between the candidates -- i know you have your forum tonight -- the only person on that stage that spoke about the traversy that occurred

in flint, michigan, where poor residents of a city largely african-american were, you know, drinking toxic water, poisoning them, potential health consequence that is are deaf stating. secretary clinton was the one who spoke up, raised that issue in that debate. want the other democratic candidates. when there have been setbacks, she fought hard to get eight million children health insurance in the 1990s. i think now is how do we get us across the finish line to bring health care to every american and lower the cost of things like prescription drugs? she's got what it takes to get that done. >> two weeks from tomorrow. the new hampshire primary. take a look at this poll.

he is way ahead. 60% for bernie sanders, 33% for hillary clinton. i know that. >> i don't think i need to do it again on your show. i have comment odd it before. and some of the issues there. i'll just leave that poll hanging out there with the comments that i made on it last week. the reality here in both these states, and i think i said it when we talked previously. both of these states are always very close. they are rarely blow-outs. almost never been blow-outs either way. in iowa in 2008, a very closely contested primary, about 30% of the people said they made up their mind in the last week. in new hampshire in 200850% of

the voters based on the exit polls basically said they had made up their minds in the last week. this is why you have to work so hard day in and day out to bring your case directly to the voters. he said we're not just fattening up on them. we're georging ourselves on them. i think we should pay more attention to what voters say and think on the stump and when they're talking with candidates and i think we'll see the results when they let their voices be heard on caucus day and election day. >> exactly one week from tonight. >> that's why tonight is going to be so important if a lot of people haven't made up their mind. they might make up their mind after tonight. don't miss the democratic presidential town hall live frm des moines, iowa, later tonight only here on cnn. chris cuomo moderates. 9:00 p.m. eastern.

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a new terrorist threat for the west after isis releases a disturbing new video. the roughly 18 minute tape purports to show the final messages from the paris terror attackers. it features odd wroe from the suspected ringleader and goes on to show clips from eight other attackers. one claiming the group was authorized by the isis leader to carry out the paris attacks.

i'm joined on the phone by republican congressman peter king of new york. he is a member of the health insurance committee and chairman of the subcommittee on counterterrorism and a member of the intelligence committee. congressman, thanks for joining us. why do you believe isis would release this video now and didn't release it earlier immediately after the paris terror attacks? >> i think to some extent we've impaired their ability to release these videos, but also i would think that they want to stay in the forefront. they want the islamist world to really believe that they are the dominant force in radical islam and islamist terrorism, and also, to send, you know, chilling feelings through -- especially europeans. i would say the french have already been through it, and this seems to be direct threats against the british to, you know, keep the fear and the anxiety going in europe and also

against united states, but i would say right now primarily europe. this is -- again, isis's way -- they have managed to dominate the airwaves for the last two years with their terror, and especially since the summer of 2014, but again, certainly at least the last 18 months, if not the last three years, they are able to dominate the media as far as terror threats. >> as far as the propaganda, as far as recruitment, how effective are these kinds of 18 minute videos? even hitler tried to keep secret what he was doing as far as the crematoriums and death camps. isis glorifies and they go out of their way showing burning people to death, beheading people. the most inhumane things. they are appealing to the real

dark edges of islamist society. including the burning to death of the jordan yan imam. they have increased their membership. this has been a recruiting tool, which really says an awful lot about the people you are dealing with. the u.s. secretary of defense ash carter is now moving towards recommending more u.s. boots on the ground in iraq as trainers, as advisors. general joseph dunford, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. he says he will be making recommendations to the xhabder in chief, the president of the united states soon. >> are you ready to see that number go up? >> wolf, i would support that. especially if the military recommends it. i'm saying that not because anyone wants to see more american troops on the ground, but the reality is there's going to be a lot more required on the

ground. there's going to be a lot more deaths in the future if we don't take these measures now. i think it's important one for the training and for the coordination of the iraqi troops, but also as a signal to the arab nations, particularly the sunni nations that the united states is committed. we're not going to pull out. we pulled too quickly out of iraq. the president seemed too anxious to pull out of afghanistan. when he did announce against isis, he went out of his way to say what we were not going to do, and that just sends the wrong message to the enemy and to the country we want to be our allies. it gives the impression that we are not as committed as we should be. >> peter king, thanks for joining us. >> wolf, thank you. up next, the importance of being first. we're going to take a closer look at the iowa's place in the presidential race and whether

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one week from today voters in iowa will start gathering for the first contest in this presidential race. iowa's caulk where youses are unique. not only because here first in the nation, but also because how they are cubinged. tom foreman has the rules. >> the iowa caucuses, this is what we've been leading up to all this time. for the republicans it's a fairly simple matter. they show up and cast their ballots and count them. for the democrats, though, this is a process. what that means is that hundreds of precincts all across the state, they will physically gather and divide up based on which candidates they support. if any candidate does not have at least 15% of the support in

that room, that san diego is basically declared out of it. the voters can either go home or start going to some of the other candidates out there. that's when you get a lot of horse trading and wheeling and dealing. everyone wants to caulk away with the most support for his or her candidate. when that math is complete, we will have from both parties the first real indication of how the delegates will be divided and who is actually leading the pack on both sides in the race for the white house. >> tom foreman, thanks very much. good explanation. now we know how it works, but why is iowa so important to this overall process or is it? our political director is in des moines. he is joining us now. he is getting ready for tonight's cnn democratic presidential town hall. can iowa make or break a campaign?

>> sure. there's no doubt that it can. i'll give you an example. on the republican side, i think it's going to be hard for somebody like rick santorum or mike huckabee, who guys that won the iowa caucuses previously and who have been struggling this time around, that if they don't show some massive success here, i think they're going to have a hard time going on with their candidacy. it can make or break a campaign, and i don't feel in 2008 we saw it make barack obama's candidacy. >> you could see some of the republican candidates drop out after this first contest in iowa. is that what you are saying? >> i would not be surprised to see that the iowa role of winnowing the field, i'm sure that will apply this time around as well. >> does it hold the same importance for each party, democrats and republicans? >> i think at this point looking seven days out, one week to go, wolf, i would say that it does

if she is to lose iowa again to sort of the insurgent candidate, that is going to have ram ficks for her candidacy. it doesn't mean that the nomination is not attainable to her, but it will we calculated what the nomination race looks like on the democratic side. on the republican side, i do think that if donald trump wins iowa, one of the biggest questions also, ted cruz, this is a tailor made state for him. he has had a lot of success here, and if he is in a close race with donald trump, and if he is unable to pull out a vikt i here, even though he has a lot of money, he has organization well into those states that come in march, he will continue on, but i think there will be sort of a big flaw in his candidacy if he is not able to put together a victory here in iowa. >> okay. he has a lot at stake.

ted cruz, domed trump. if he wins in iowa and if he wins decisively, new hampshire, he is doing amazing there. south carolina. nevada. we'll see what happens. this could be decisive. let's see what happens a week from tonight, first of all. david, thanks very much. >> coming up, president obama weighing in on the 2016 presidential race. he spoke -- talked about how one candidate's resume could play as both a strength and weak ens on the campaign trail. you'll hear what he has to say coming up. her feet. and give her the strength and energy to stay healthy. who's with me?! yay! the complete balanced nutrition of great tasting ensure. with 9 grams of protein and 26 vitamins and minerals. ensure. take life in! man (mr. mucus: tore do you work, with you.ing? it's taco tuesday. man: you're not coming. i took mucinex to help get rid of my mucusy congestion. i'm good all day. [announcer:] mucinex keeps working. not 4, not 6, but 12 hours. let's end this

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>> he did have complimentary things to say about frontrunner hillary clinton. listen to this. >> i think we wery came in with the luxury of being a complete long shot.

>> right. >> her strength the fact that she's extraordinarily experienced and, you know, wicked smart and knows every policy inside or out, could sometimes make her more cautious and campaign more prose than poetry. those are also her strengths. it means that she can govern, and she can start here day one. more experienced than any yon-vice president who has ever been who aspirz to this office. >> when mentioning the current republican presidential candidates, president obama says their rhetoric is not just conservative, but also has become, and i'm quoting him now, unreek niceable. >> mccain and i have had real differences, charm differences. but john mccain didn't deny climate science.

john mccain didn't call for banning muslims from the united states. you know, john mccain was a conservative but he was well within the mainstream of not just the republican party but within our political dialogue. and that's where ultimately any voter is going to have to pay attention, the degree to which the republican rhetoric and republican vision has moved not just to the right but has moved to a place that is unrecognizable. >> trump and cruz are the clear number one and number two candidates right now in the republican race, at least in iowa. that has led to increasing

attacks between the two. i sat down with donald trump just a little while ago to talk about ted cruz among other things. we also spoke about the opposition. he supposedly is getting from the so-called establishment. you say the establishment is against you. why do you say that? >> i think the establishment actually is against me but really coming online. because they see me as opposed to cruz who is a nasty guy, can't get along with anybody. at a certain point, you have to make deals. we can't have a guy who every other senator think he's a whack-job, right, you have to make deals, you have to get along. that's the purpose of what our founders created. and ted cannot get along with anybody. he's a nasty person. you don't see that. even when he was supportive of me, i kept saying, watch what's going to happen, he's a nasty guy. he started it, i finished it, but he started getting very bad at the debate.

he tell als lies. he says i knocked down some woman's home. i didn't knock down some woman's home. she didn't want it. the keystone pipeline is all based on imminent domain, you wouldn't move that thing ten feet without taking that land on which it sits. by the way, all those people get paid a lot of money. it's not like they take it, they take it and pay a lot of money. you wouldn't have one highway in this country if you -- you wouldn't have a railroad. you wouldn't have anything. >> donald trump says ted cruz tells lies. you can see the entire interview, 5:00 p.m. eastern, later today in "the situation room." schools, government, even congress, still shut down in washington after that massive weekend snowstorm. we're going live to d.c. we're going to find exactly -- find out exactly how the clean-up is going. introducing metris, the mid-size van from mercedes-benz. it's got small-ability and big-ability.

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here in the united states, millions of people on the east coast still cleaning up after a massive weekend storm. more than 30 inches of snow dumped on six different states. here in new york, things are returning to normal. at least in new york city. schools are open. roads and transit is up and run. in washington, d.c., government and schools both closed. significant airport delays. and the u.s. house of representatives is putting off any votes for the remainder of the week. the d.c. mayor spoke a couple of hours ago. she reminded people that washington is still under a snow emergency and has said the city needs help from its residents. >> we urge you to keep shoveling. and we're very grateful for a team of volunteers who have been and span the district of columbia to help people who need it. if you see somebody in need of help, please continue to shovel in front of your home.

>> cnn's nick valencia is in washington, d.c. for us. how's the clean-up looking from your vantage point? >> reporter: we are right smack in the middle of day two of the clean-up efforts in the nation's capital. hundreds of pieces of heavy machinery being brought in here. everything from snowplows to dump trucks to tractors to load all that snow, the pounds, thousands and thousands of pounds left behind by that wicked winter storm that wallops washington over the weekend. we're joined now by one of the local residents here, adam casey. thanks for taking the time with cnn. you're on with wolf blitzer. what was it like being in that blizzard on saturday? >> it was actually kind of eerie. streets -- if you're from d.c., you would know how notorious the traffic is but i was able to pretty much walk on the streets with no concern of any cars or anything. it was kind of peaceful. >> reporter: you've been through winter weather before. what was it like compared to past storms you've been through?

>> this was pretty daunting. thankfully, i prepared, and i actually went out and bought a 6,000 piece puzzle. >> reporter: time for entertainment, huh? >> knocking that away. i didn't have that much of a problem really keeping myself that busy. out with some friends, you know, i went to the snowball fight yesterday. had a great time with that. i think i made some new friends with the costume that i decided to wear. >> reporter: awesome. we appreciate you taking the time with cnn. good luck out there. sun is shining. thanks for taking the time. sun is shining out today, wolf. the concern is there's a bleak forecast tomorrow. rain is in the forecast. as this snow melts away, not a lot of places for it to go. it's the potential for flooding here in the district. certainly, the storm is othver, but the clean-up effort is far from it, wolf. >> it's going to continue for a while. at least the storm is over. nick, thank you. that's it for me. thanks very much. we're watching important note. please join us later tonight, 5:00 p.m. eastern, in "the

situation room." my one-on-one interview with donald trump. we go through a lot of issues. for our national viewers, "amanpour" is next. for our viewers in north america, "newsroom" with brianna keilar and brook boulden starts right now. and here we go, top of the hour on this monday. thank you so much for being with me. we're exactly one week to go until the first votes in the presidential primary season. tonight, three of the candidates get their final chance to make their cases and that is where my colleague brianna keilar is standing by. hello, brianna. >> hello, brooke, thank you so much. i'm live from des moines where in less than seven hours the democrat face iowa caucusgoers during a cnn town hall. take a look now at where we stand. the current iowa front-runners, once considered