. >> be sure to join cnn tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. eastern for the second night of our democratic presidential town hall live from charleston. erin burnett "out front" starts now. it's bernie sanders versus everyone, the 2020 candidates getting ready for the debate. jane sanders is my guest. plus get over it, mike bloomberg's long time friend. and the cdc warning americans to prepare for a crisis. president trump though says everything is under control. good evening i'm erin burnett. welcome to a special edition of "out front." we are live from charleston, south carolina where the candidates will square off for

the most contentious debate yet. voters will be making their final decisions. the make or break primary in south carolina is this weekend. and tonight the person with the biggest target on his back, bernie sanders, will be in the center of the stage after his decisive win in the nevada. he is now the indisputable front runner. one line of attack likely to be about sanders doubling down on his comments about fidel castro. >> when fidel castro first came to power which was when? '59? >> '59, '60. >> okay. do you know what he did? he initiated a major literacy program. i think teaching people to read and write is a good thing. >> and it isn't just castro back in 1985. sanders sat down with daniel ortega who's accused of widespread human rights abuses. here is what sanders said. >> ortega is an impressive guy. >> sanders opponents of course

are seizing on those remarks. here they are today. >> why are we spotlighting the literacy programs of a brutal dictator instead of being unambiguous in our condemnation about the way he's treated his own people? >> mike bloomberg going to twitter saying fidel castro left a dark legacy of forced labor camps, e are lidges you oppression, firing squads, and murder of thousands of people, but sure, let's talk about the literacy program. that's the sort of tone we could have tonight. jeff, this is going to be an event sanders is preparing. i would imagine he is ready to be taking fire from everyone else on that stage tonight. >> erin, good evening. there's no question about i. this is the 10g9 presidential debate but it feels so different. you can sense it in the tone of the campaigns we've talked about all day long. yes, the south carolina primary is on saturday like you said. but supertuesday, the biggest

day of contests of them all, a week from today. that is 14 states voting, big state, california, texas, north carolina, early votes underway in many of those states. so, this is the last best opportunity for all of the candidates to make their arguments and also they're speaking to voter as well as donors. if several of the candidates on stage tonight want to be advertising before supertuesday, they need to impress donors. but it is bernie sanders who is at the center of it all. there's been so much talk about a stop bernie movement, can there be a stop bernie movement? so far that is all talk. we'll find out tonight if there's any action behind that. we know that senator sanders is a good debater. he's a practiced debaterment he's never been in this situation before as the commanding front runner with so many incoming attacks from so many different directions but he does know how to debate and deflect. also joe biden, this is a key debate for him to make his case to african-american voters here

in south carolina and other voters that he is the one to stand up to president trump. senator sanders, joe biden, as well as mike bloomberg. can he revive his standing there after that terrible debate performance last week. this time there's one difference. elizabeth warren and michael bloomberg tangled last week. tonight pete buttigieg is standing directly between them. so, we will see if he will break that up. so many different dynamics to watch for. bernie sanders is front and center. erin. >> all right. thank you very much. outfront now jane sanders who has been out in the campaign trail. i know you'll be hitting the super tuesday states. your husband is the front runner and last week he was, but bloomberg was sort of his first timeout and there was a lot of daggers at him. and then of course senator sanders won nevada so crushingly that now all eyes are on him literally at the center of the stage. is he going into tonight feeling they're going to be coming at

him? >> yes, that's what comes with being a front runner. it's great to be there, but it brings people on both sides going after. from what we've seen today, all leading up to it, a number of the other candidates are really gunning for him. >> they have been. they've been seizing on his comments. is there somebody you expect to come at him the hardest? >> well, i think mayor bloomberg has said that he will, and he has done -- some of his people have spoken out ridiculously over the day. and his social media is full of really inaccuracies. so, it's worrisome. truth is one of the first things that goes in politics, it seems. >> they've also been seizing, of course, on your husband's comments about fidel castro which he was asked about last night. and again he brought up the literacy programs that fidel had pursued. other democrats and not even just people running but other democratic supporters have had an issue with that, and here are a few of them. >> why are we spotlighting the

literacy programs of a brutal dictator instead of being unambiguous in our condemnation about the way he treated his own people? >> i always find it interesting that he gives a passing glance to the question of authoritarianism. >> i don't wish he would be talking about fidel castro at all. >> well, i mean, i think people ask about it and that's the only reason he's talking about it. but yoi don't remember any of tm speaking out when president obama lifted the embargo and was more expansive about the good work they did in literacy. i mean, everything is not -- >> you think it's a double standard. >> it's a double standard. but that is the standard in politics. what bernie wants to do is talk about the issues that affect people today. i think that it's kind of sad that people have to go back 50 years or 40 years to find something to go after bernie. but the fidel castro thing, he

has constantly said i'm not interested in even meeting fidel castro as many senators have. but he has gone down and talked about the bad things, the terrible things. we had a free press reporter, our local paper, follow him down and write about some of the things that he said. >> so, the poll tonight -- look, this is the state joe biden was supposed to win handedly. he's called it his final wall. this is a crucial week for joe biden. he's got to win. but now the poll, latest poll that we have has bernie sanders in a statistical tie with joe biden. so, he's behind five points but that's the margin of error in this poll so we call it a statistical tie. 27 to 23. do you think bernie could win south carolina? >> well, that's what we're working towards. it's an uphill climb, but we are hopeful he will win. we've had people out, so many volunteers going around the state and knocking on doors and

phone calling. and i think the issues that bernie talks about, his stance on veterans issues, his support for the military in terms of the soldiers, and you know, that he passed the veterans bill with john mccain. that was a major thing. i think that matters to south carolinians. i think medical debt is one of the largest contributors to bankruptcy here in south carolina. and the average student debt is $36,000. so, the issues that we talk about are the ones that i think would resonate with south carolinians. >> so, you talk about that. of course, as you know, a number of democrats have said that bernie sanders is an armageddon as far as they see it. it's going to wreak havoc on the bottom of the ticket. what's going to happen if bernie sanders is in the white house. here is president obama's former chief of staff, rahm emanuel

speaking. i want to play it for you. >> is there panic in the democratic process right now? >> i would say panic would be the adjective to describe the mood right now. >> should there be? >> oh, yeah, sure. this is a consequential election and you don't want to make a mistake. personally, i'm friendly with senator sanders. i'm not a fan of the politics. i think it will lead to an electoral defeat. >> panic and electoral defeat. >> i think i rarely agree with rahm emanuel and i don't agree with him now. i think that what we've seen is bernie's gone around the country and worked on behalf of people running for office and they've won. so, i don't -- i think that this is a political ploy. rahm emanuel does not agree with bernie's politics. now, that's not true of all of obama's administration or obama himself. so, i mean this is silly season.

people will say whatever they need to say. on the other hand, you've heard a number of people that have been talked to that are in the senate saying that he's led on so many issues, on education, on veteran, on health care and that they feel confident. they have no concerns about him being the standard bearer. and if he's the nominee, they'll work with him. we look forward to helping down ballot races all across this country and winning quite a wonderful defeat against donald trump. >> all right. thank you very much, jane sanders. good to see you again. obviously a very important night for senator sanders, but also joe biden. he is betting his campaign on south carolina as i just said. big question though is will voters here bet on him? plus the tom steyer factor. he just put more than $22 million in south carolina and you can see that money when you get on the ground here. and it's been showing in the polls. should he have a win here?

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joe biden. all right. so, the latest poll has biden with a four-point lead over bernie sanders, four or five, it's within the margin of error, so we've been calling it a statistical dead heat. that is not what it looked like a few weeks ago. does it concern you how much sanders has climbed? >> no, actually it doesn't. i think that may be the latest poll that came out but i don't think it was the latest poll in the field. there was another poll that came out today that had us somewhere in the 30s. but nevertheless the point is the same. that is we feel confident about south carolina and we expect to win it and we're going to keep making our case to the voters of south carolina about why we're the best choice. >> is anything other than a first place finish here, it would be a huge loss. >> we're going to win here. >> all right. so, this is the fourth state. he has built his whole candidacy on electability, his experience, his relationship with obama, his knowledge of government, his knowledge of foreign policy.

do you have concern when you look at this -- i know you're down playing expectations of the early states. but here we are at the fourth state and you haven't had a first place finish yet. does that worry you to kind of deliver that huge blow? >> no. we know it will be a long process, and we now have a multi-billionaire, two of them in the race that is spending more money than the u.s. mint can print. but we're holding our own. we're going to make our case to the people of the south carolina. we will win here. we'll have a second and then a first place fin skpish ride that momentum into super tuesday. >> you're close to jim clyburn. >> i'm very close to him. >> so, his endorsement carries a lot of weight here as you know. i talked to him a couple of times in recent weeks. he said he made up his mind a long time ago. he was waiting out of the respect to the debate to make his endorsement. it's widely expected he's going to endorse joe biden. >> we certainly hope so.

>> are you disappointed he's waited so long. do you think it would have helped you had he done that earlier? >> no, look, we're on the board of the host for the debate. and jim clyburn and bennie thompson made agreement with the networks they would not get out in front of the debate. so, it's given me time to woo and court jim clyburn for joe biden and hopefully in the morning or sometime tomorrow we'll get news we've been waiting for and that is the strongest african-american elected official in south carolina, the strongest democrat in south carolina, hopefully endorsing joe biden. >> and how big of a factor has tom steyer been? i mean, he's obviously spent a lot of money, right? but he has picked up -- he talked about it in the debate in new hampshire, talked about how well he's been doing with african-americans in the polls. how significant a factor has he been or could he be? >> in south carolina he has a great ground game and spent a

lot of money advertising what he wants to do and wooing voters. when you spend that much money, in the millions, you're going to see some of a return. he spent over 15, i think $20 million in nevada. and we still came in second, and i think he was in the low single digits. i don't think he's going to be able to stop us in nevada -- i mean in south carolina, but he's certainly going to get some votes. >> so, when you were talking to the vice president about what to focus on tonight, who to focus on tonight, now you've got bernie sanders in the center as the national front runner, what did you tell him? >> i told him to focus on the people. people want to hear that it's going to be all right, that you understand their struggles that they're going through right now. and i told him despite what everybody says, experience is important. let's take coronavirus, for example. do you want a guy who dealt with ebola just a few years ago and protected the homeland and stopped it from coming over and being an epidemic in the united states? or do you want someone with no experience like this president

who's bundling it from the beginning and all of a sudden we're not going to have coronavirus cases in the united states? so, i told him to harp on his experience. it matters. he did the iran deal. he did paris climate accord. so, the interesting thing tonight is no matter what they say on that stage, just think joe biden can say been there done that. so, if you talk about assault weapons, i banned them already. paris climate accord, i did that too. iran nuclear deal, i did that too. so, he has the experience to be a great president from day one. >> thank you very much. i appreciate it. good to see you in person, sir. out front tonight, black voters who did not vote for bernie sanders in 2016, some of them are giving him a second look. why? what is different this time? >> i like that he's honest and he's truthful about a lot of his topics that he speaks about. plus why is trump down playing coronavirus as the cdc warns a crisis could be headed for the united states? ovide complete, balanced nutrition...

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welcome back to a special edition of "out front," we are live from charleston, south

carolina. major bloomberg is endorsing mayors ahead of the debate, and their mission is to attack bernie sanders' record. >> the crime bill ushered in mass incarceration in the united states. bernie sanders voted for the crime bill. he needs to own up for it. >> but are the attacks working? sanders is making enroads this year with black and latino voters in a way he never did in 2016. we just saw it in nevada. brian nobles is out front. >> reporter: this time, senator bernie sanders is taking a different approach. after he struggled to win broad support from voters of color four years ago. >> how is your campaign different in 2016 than it is now? >> good question. we're much more diverse. that's the simple answer. i can't tell you exactly but we have hundreds of latinos and african-americans on our staff right now reaching out into the community. >> that concerted effort

yielding results. >> my god, there are a lot of people here tonight. >> reporter: the minority win in nevada helped his way to the caucus there. here in south carolina, even skeptical black leaders like the reverend joseph darby, a long time ally of biden, have noticed a change. >> he's done a splendid job of outreach to the african-american community this time. whoever is advising him kind of pointed him in the right direction. >> in 2016, sanders lost south carolina to clinton by nearly 50 poin points. with the primary just four days away, the polls show sanders in striking distance of the former vice president. some voters who may not have considered him in 2016 are keeping an open mind. >> i like that he's honest and truthful about a lot of topics he speaks about. >> sanders is addressing time, meeting with black leaders,

addressing specific concerns to the african-american community, and sharing his stories. >> he marched with mlk and decided to have a people powered campaign. >> reporter: sanders surround himself with celebrities and people who stumped for him in south carolina. >> our mission is to make people aware of what senator sanders stands for. >> reporter: while sanders has made gains, black leaders like marcia fudge say there is still work to do. >> black people, we believe -- we're pretty conservative, pretty moderate people. so, all in all we're looking for people that is more center left than far left. >> reporter: and given his poor performance here four years ago, the sanders campaign never expected he could win here in 2020. but because of the inroads he's made in the african-american

community, they are starting to think differently. and they have started to invest here in a big way in south carolina. they've expanded their add buy across the state by $500,000. and even though sanders is going to travel to some of the super tuesday states before the vote, he's adding events in south carolina if with hoping of pulling out an upset win. erin. >> thank very much, ryan. dana bash is out front now. dana, what do you make when you look at this. obviously we saw the numbers last time around for sanders. it was a non-starter when it came to black voters in south carolina. but it seems to be different this time. how different? >> you know, we'll see. if you just look at the polls, fwre for example, a new poll out in south carolina from nbc news today, it shows that he's in second place. barely ahead of tom steyer, but in second place with african-american voters and not

that far behind joe biden. joe biden is, you know, 30 or so, and he's 20. and that is remarkable given, as ryan was saying, how far back -- i mean, bernie sanders got crushed here in south carolina by hillary clinton, largely because african-americans were behind her and not him. but there are a lot of different reasons for the change. i think first and foremost is he's worked hard to engage with the black community but also it's generational. and he's popular with young people across the board, across ethnic groups. >> right. so, what have you been seeing from your reporting on the ground here? >> i think that's an important point, generational gap. where he's made inroads is supporting young support, cross ra racially. we see him getting up to the 20, 25% number with black voters, largely driven by young people. and he's softened the older back

voters. i think it's important to flip the script. it's also about joe biden's eroding support for black voters. this was someone up 40, 50 points in the state and he's not matching the hillary clinton numbers and that's partly because of bernie sanders and the inroads and partly because of going to tom steyer in some polling and other candidates. it's not just a story about bernie sanders' strength but there does seem to be some concerns about joe biden seeping in with black voters. we see that with the super tuesday states and mike bloomberg also. that's where he needs to consolidate so it can be the firewall joe biden thought it would be. >> i think a large part of the reason for that is joe biden hasn't been winning. and usually -- >> people want to be behind a winner. that's a human desire. >> exactly. >> whatever, they're looking for that. >> exactly. and you talk to people in the african-american community here and everywhere, not unlike others, but particularly this ethnic group, they want nothing more than to beat donald trump,

the people that are voting in the democratic primaries. so, there's a very practical approach to it. and it's not just ideology. >> we always hear about south carolina, 80% of the democratic primary voters are african-americans. there's a tendency to teach each group as a group. we do that. but yet you heard marcia fudge say we are more moderate, looking for a moderate candidate. is it really still that way though where you can look at a group, south carolina, and say how is that group going to go? when you start to see generational divides. you start to see things that become more important, perhaps, than just how you describe someone's skin color? >> i think one of the really interesting things about this primary is we're seeing the diversity among the black electorate refrequented in the electoral choices. they have been forced to talk to the black community in unique ways, not just about criminal justice or police brutality, but about economic wealth gaps and a range of issues that affect the black community.

and we're seeing it kind of pay off across the board and how that's being responded to. so, you have young people going to sanders. you might have older black voters going to biden and steyer. you have folks policy-focused looking at elizabeth warren. i think it's a powerful thing about the primary is that you are seeing the diversity within the community reflected in the lek toirl choices. now, that might mean that the person who win it is plurality of black votes isn't automatically the nominee anymore because they're not getting the big margin like clinton or obama, but it's one of the tests. >> one of the tests is going to be tomorrow morning that we think james clyburn will endorse joe biden. if he does that, it will be a test to what you were just saying about whether there really is a splinter in the african-american -- depending on generation and ideology and others because historically, his endorsement hazmatered so, so

much here in south carolina. >> you heard senator richmond say joe biden will win. maybe it appears he'll win. we'll see. he must win. that's what i heard from him. he must win. >> he must win. he staked his candidacy on winning. not only that, let's not forget where joe biden started this race. he needs to win big. he needs a mandate from black communities to go kbback to the other candidates and say i have won this voting block. a four or five point win will not be the type of mandate that was promised for the firewall. for this to be the firewall that joe biden and his campaign thought it would be, it doesn't need to just be a win. it needs to be a commanding victory. >> thank you both very much. next, michael bloomberg's long-time partner has choice words for anyone concerned about michael bloomberg's mdas. >> it was 30 years ago, get over it. >> plus a cdc warning for the first time. it's not a matter of if but when

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for everyone you love. vo:for president.ver that's mike bloomberg. a middle class kid who built a global company from scratch. mayor of new york, rebuilding the city after the 9-11 terrorist attack, creating 450,000 jobs. running for president - and on a roll. workable plans to deliver on better health care. affordable college. job creation.

common sense plans to beat trump, fix the chaos in washington, and get things done. mike: i'm mike bloomberg and i approve this message. tonight, get over it. that's what michael bloomberg's long time partner diana taylor says to anyone bothered by non-disclosure agreements his company used to silence allegations of sexual misconduct. >> it was 30 years ago. get over it. in none of them was he accused of doing or saying something nasty to a woman. that is not who he is. life has changed. i grew up in that world. it was a bro culture. >> out front now, mary y'all bowser, democratic mayor of washington, d.c.

mayor, what was your reaction? to give people a little bit of context. this was at a womans' event in texas and sort of a cbs embedded with the campaign and got an interview. and that's how this came about. >> sure. >> what was your reaction when you heard this? >> i think mike has been very clear about where he stands. last week he released a statement saying that any women who had made allegations against him that were subject of these ndas would be released from them. more than that, he said that his kpoen would no longer employ the legal device of an nda. and i think that was very important to say. and i think certainly all of us know that wall street wall street 30 years ago was a different place. we look at workplace interactions differently. mike has add mutted to using language that was disrespectful and inappropriate.

but i think his actions will not only affect his employees but other companies like his. >> he said there were three ndas that applied to him specifically and he said they were about things he said. when she said i grew up in that world, that was a bro culture, do you believe this is a generational thing? >> no, i believe that wall street was very crude and there was a lot of crude language used. but i think what's important now is what mike is doing with his company moving forward, and that is not allowing ndas, making sure that he said in the message from the top that everybody here is going to be treated respectfully. >> so, in that exchange last week, there were many of us watching who thought he would have been ready for a question about ndas. he was not or if he was he did not deliver on being ready for it. here's part of the exchange that happened with senator warren. >> we have a very few non-disclosure agreements -- >> how many is that?

>> let me finish. >> how many is that? and i hope you heard what his defense was. i've been nice to some women. we are not going to beat donald trump with a man who has who knows how many non-disclosure agreements. >> so, will we see a different mayor bloomberg tonight? >> well, listen what we saw last week were candidate who is had been in nine debates. that was mike's first. and i know mike has spent the last week being very prepared to talk about any and all issues. but he especially wants to talk about policies that are important to the american people. so, we know why senator warren doesn't want to talk about bernie sanders' record, for example, on guns which is what mike is really wanting us to focus on as the mayor. as american mayors and as a mayor of a major city, we know how important common sense gun reform is and mike's record around the country in getting things done.

we know how important it is to talk about the climate crisis and what make has been involved with, helping the sierra club close down, polluting plants across the country. that's what the american people want to hear tonight. >> will there be emotion though? there's going to be moments where it requires thinking on your feet. he said i'm going to release them from the ndas. had he thought about it, he wasn't. is he ready for that? that's going to stand out to people, isn't it? >> what we all want to see mike do is fight for our democracy and that's what this election is about. it's about beating donald trump. and we all have to go in there ready to talk about what it's going to take to save the institutions of our democracy that are under attack, and who's the best democrat to do that? and not only do we have to worry about the white house. we have to be concerned about if we're going to keep control of the house and if we have a chance to win the senate. and we won't do that with bernie sanders at the top of the ticket. >> mayor bowser, a appreciate

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tonight this could be bad. that is what the cdc is warning about the spread of the coronavirus in the united states, adding that it is not a question of if the coronavirus will spread in the united states but a question of when. as stocks plummeted again today due to coronavirus fears, one of the president's top economic advisers, larry kudlow, said this. >> our economy's in good shape. this virus won't last forever. we have contained it. >> so, the cdc says this could be bad. larry kudlow saying no, echoing the president who says he thinks the problem is going to go away. jeremy diamond is out front.

>> reporter: sources telling cnn that president trump has privately expressed frustration about his administration's efforts to contain the coronavirus epidemic, even as he attempts to project confidence publicly. >> i think that's a problem that's going to go away. >> reporter: president trump's optimistic note comes even as officials warn cases will rise in the united states. >> i think that whole situation will start working out. a lot of talent, a lot of brain power is being put behind it. >> reporter: but sources tell cnn that behind the scenes, the president is not so confident in that brain power and is upset that american who is tested positive for coronavirus were quarantined in the united states and that his administration plans to quarantine some patients in the pro-trump state of alabama. >> he was completely unaware of this. he was annoyed that these individuals had even been brought back to the continental united states while they were still infected. >> reporter: the president's frustrations reflecting a growing concern inside the white house that the viral outbreak

will be a bigger challenge than previously thought. recent outbreaks in italy, south korea, and iran hiking cases to 80,000 and triggering fears the disease could become a pandemic. >> folks, this is a rapidly escalating epidemic in different places that we have got to tackle super fast to prevent a pandemic. >> reporter: weeks after lawmakers called for more funding, the white house now finally asking congress for $1.25 billion dollar in emergency funds to build out a $2.5 billion federal effort. for some lawmakers on capitol hill, it was too little too late. >> the administration has no plan to deal with the coronavirus, no plan. the trump administration is trying to build an airplane while already in mid flight. >> if you low ball something like this, you'll pay for it later. i think the administration will look at this as something that they cannot afford to let get

out of hand, period. >> reporter: bipartisan outrage grew as administration officials fielded questions on capitol hill. >> you're supposed to keep us safe and the american people deserve straight answers on the coronavirus, and we're not getting them from you. >> senator, i disagree. >> that was jeremy diamond reporting in washington. out front now, democratic congresswoman presley of massachusetts, member of the house oversight committees. you just heard president trump saying this is a problem that's going to go away, saying it's a good time, saying it's a good time in the market, top economic adviser echoing what the president is saying. the cdc, though, saying this could be bad. why is the white house message so different from the cdc? >> well, it's just more of the same. this administration time and time again, whether you're talking about lowering the cost of prescription drugs or a health care plan,

infrastructure, foreign policy, their plan is no plan. and the fact of the matter is that we are ill equipped because we're dealing with this in real time instead of having been able to invest in proactive strategies by having the robust funding necessary to this is an administration that does not believe in science. they have cut money at the nih and cdc. i'm not surprised that he's completely clueless on how to handle this and that's why i'm here supporting zaelizabeth warren. we need a president that believes in public health. >> i know you're going to be briefed. this is financial services. this is relevant. more than a trillion dollars in two days going away on the market. the economic impact of this can

be vast. 57 cases in the you states, one in your home state, congresswoman, in massachusetts. do you believe the united states is not prepared at this point? >> it is very challenging ever for this administration to engender confidence in how they plan or handle anything because this is an administration that has been riff with not only corruption but chaos and so this is just par for the course and consistent with how this administration has conducted itself. and that's why we need a president that believes in science and will make investment in the cdc and in science. i'm glad that i serve on the oversight and reform committee so we can continue to hold this administration accountable and conduct the role of oversight. >> mayor bowser is here and she supports mayor bloomberg. we were talking about the exchange on ndas. mayor bloomberg said he will release the ndas of anyone who

had accused him of anything. she has leased an ad taking on mike bloomberg. i wanted to play a clip. here it is. >> big money is powerful but it doesn't always win. i know that firsthand. when i ran against an incumbent republican to take a u.s. senate seat away from mitch mcconnell, bloomberg endorsed the republican and he raised big money for him, but i beat him anyway. >> is she going to focus again on him tonight on the debate stage? >> honestly, what elizabeth was doing on that stage is what she's done throughout her life and her public life and that is to hold folks accountable. she was not attacking, she was simply holding him accountable to his record and affirming survivor's justice. it is the high time that the experiences for girls and women in this country are not conflated inevitably with experiencing sexual violence

harassment or assault. she was affirming survivor's justice. >> how well does she need to do? she hasn't won a delegate since iowa. you had nevada and south carolina. when you focus on this, have a heart to heart to yourself, how well does she need to do in south carolina? >> erin, she's on the board and we're building an organization that is built to last and there are many people still undecided. as one of three national co-chairs, this is my eighth state i've been in. probably my third time i've been in south carolina. i'm encouraged by the growth of the campaign. post nevada especially. even in the nevada caucuses we saw a growth by 30 to 50% post contrasting early vote to what actually happened in the caucuses. we raised $14 million in one week so elizabeth warren isn't going anywhere.

i'm fighting to make sure she doesn't because i care about her visions and her plans for this country and her racial justice and her track record. she is effective and electable. i am serving in the most equal congress. >> thank you very much. next on the special edition of "out front" live for south carolina, could this be the last debate for any of the candidates tonight? ll you that liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. and now we need to get back to work. [ applause and band playing ] only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

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and we're back live from south carolina. democrats just moments away from taking the stage for tonight's crucial debate. "out front" mark preston. this is a huge night because you have south carolina and then 48 hours after that you have super tuesday where 48% of the

delegates get allocated. anyone can realize that's not a lot of time. could this be the last debate for anybody on this stage? >> i think it could be. one of the reasons is why. if you look at michael bloomberg and his ability to spend ungodly amounts of money, that has to give you some concerns. but also if you have a terrible showing here, if you have a terrible, terrible showing, someone like amy klobuchar might not want to go into super tuesday where her state will vote and go up against bernie sanders and lose her state. >> there's a lot of jockeying their own political metrics and the money game. >> right. >> there are some people who need to raise big money after tonight? >> anybody whose name doesn't end in bloomberg needs tonight for the money. bernie sanders is in a groove. he did a town hall on cnn last night, hard questions being tossed at him, he just took them and hit them. it's almost like an athlete who was on the basketball court and

they can't miss. right now, it doesn't seem like bernie sanders can miss. >> once you get in your groove, you start running you can't stop. >> mark preston, thank you very much. obviously we'll be watching. i'll be back live from the debate live from the spin room. ac 360 begins right now. good evening. big night tonight in presidential politics with the gloves coming off in south carolina and the primary there just a couple of days away. we begin with a public health lines. we're talking about the coronavirus and keeping them honest. there are signs that the federal government might not be here. the president doesn't seem to be playing straight with the public about it. >> the coronavirus, which is, you know, very well under control in our country. we