wall street had a remarkable rebound today the dow jones average up almost 1300 points. the s&p was up also. thanks for watching erin burnett out front starts right now. up next, mixed messages the president says one thing about coronavirus, his top health official says something different. united states tonight reports 106 cases and 2 deaths. and a public health emergency after a woman was let out of isolation and went to a mall. amy klobuchar and pete buttigieg suspending their campaigns within hours of each other. and in moments they're expected to appear together and endorse joe biden. good evening i'm erin

burnett. there are now 102 cases of coronavirus in the united states and now six people have died in the united states from the virus. this as president trump says he's looking at more travel restrictions as the number of cases jumps 50% in italy in one day. the numbers increasing as there are alarming contradictions on coronavirus coming from the president and the cdc. trump today came out and said a vaccine is a few months away. >> i heard a few numbers, i heard a matter of months and a year as an outside number. talking three to four months. >> three to four mouths. a year as an outside number. that's not what the scientists in charge said. moments later the head of infectious diseases at the nih had to stop trump from continuing to suggest a vaccine is going to be here in a few

months. >> a vaccine that you make and start testing in a year is not a vaccine that's deployable. so he's asking the question, when is it going to be deployable, and that is going to be, at the earliest, a year to a year and a half. >> all right. a year to a year and a half. and he had to jump in and correct the president of the united states, who was saying three to four months. it's a stunning thing this happened. it's a jarring contradiction at the least and it's not okay as americans are focussing on the situation. cases in 11 states. as more people have tested the number has jumped about 53% in the last 72 hours to 102 confirmed cases. when the president says three to four months and the scientists in charge say it's going to take a year to a year and a half. it is not the first time the president has been undercut by the scientists, his public health officials. >> we have it so well under control. >> we're dealing with an

evolving situation. we're dealing with clearly an emerging infectious disease that has now reached outbreak proportions and likely pandemic proportions. caitlyn collins is live outside the white house. the number of coronavirus cases in the united states 102 now, and we're finding out about more cases. is the level of concern in the white house on the rise? >> reporter: you see a sense of change here. you see the president downplaying it and it realized the white house's response was coming under scrutiny now they're working overtime to ensure people they're adequately prepared to respond to this had. that's why you're seeing events like today where the president was meeting with the dru . he held the briefing today with the rest of the task force, including the new coordinator who said she just got in from

south africa last night. that comes as the president himself has been injecting ideas that some aides dr. fouche are saying that's not what we should rely our response on. but the president floating ideas like this is going to go away when the weather warm ups, something scientists say they have no idea and won't know until the temperature does warm up. you see other officials trying to put out the response saying they are prepared for it and keeping an eye on it. in the briefing this afternoon, the vice president said they do expect the number of cases to grow. essentially what their objective here is to try to mitigate the spread in the united states. we're likely to learn more information from the white house, this is rare, they don't often have press briefings in the briefing room, but the vice president said they are going to hold one every day with the coronavirus task force to keep people updated. >> thank you. i want to go to our chief medical correspondent,

dr. sanjay gupta. when you hear the president of the united states come out and say, i've heard very quick numbers, a matter of months, talking about three to four months, a year would be an outside number and then immediately the guy in charge of infectious diseases at the national institutes of health says it's a year to 18 months and that's the way it's going to be. why is the president saying something that is not true? >> i don't know, erin. i think obviously this is an effort to try to reassure people, try to calm people down but the scientists have been vr clear on this, even if you have candidates for the vaccine in the next couple weeks or even now, the process by which it has to go through trials to ensure it works, it's safe, all of that, just takes time. it's not going to be ready for the what they think is the season. if we're dealing with coronavirus next season we may have a vaccine at that point, it's just not.

therapeutics, some of the anti-virals maybe those could be ready by the fall or late summer, we're told. that's quick, but not a vaccine. >> that's because when they rushed vaccines before you can have side effects p. it isn't like they're waiting for any other reason than people can die. ian, when you hear this, the president of the united states saying something that the scientists in the united states government, who run the national institute of health say isn't true, how much of a problem is that? >> of course it's a problem. when your first question to sanjay gupta saying why is the president lying? he has no idea. we need to focus on science and the fact this is so politicized both inside the united states and globally. so many people don't know what the real news is. they're much more likely to panic as a consequence when cases go up. they're less likely to respond to science. so different than the last time

we had a global crisis in 2008 where both the response inside the united states and the response globally was let's work together to try to deal with this crisis. and build consumer confidence. you're going to see the exact opposite, both globally and inside the united states, which means the likely impact, irrespective of how bad the virus is, but the impact on supply chain, human behavior, panic buying is likely to be much worse this time around. >> you were in the white house for today's briefing, you were there for vice president pence, secretary azar when they came and spoke. one thing that stood out as i was watching it, we heard over and over again, that the risk to americans remains low. here they are. >> let's be clear, the risk to the american people of the coronavirus remains low. >> the immediate risk to any individual american has been and

does continue to be low. >> the risk to the american people is low. >> if you look at the country as a whole, the risk is low. >> as we said, the risk remains low. >> so, sanjay, when you heard that, are you comfortable with that? that they could be sure of that at this point? >> well, i think a little bit depends on the risk of what are they talking about? if it's the risk of dieing from this coronavirus, then i think that's true. the risk of being exposed and possibly being infected by this coronavirus, i think that risk is increasing. we're seeing community spread in places all over the country. i want to show you a comparison here quickly between what's happening with coronavirus versus h1n1, versus ars asars a ebola. look at day seven. we bought the extra time which is why coronavirus didn't explode at the same time as

h1n1. nine weeks coronavirus infections are higher. if you continue the animation, look what happens to h1n 1, goes up to 60 million cases within a year. so the idea that coronavirus is above h1n1 in a year, the risk of people being exposed is not low. the risk of them getting sick, dieing, is certainly low. 80% of people, this should be comfortab comfort comfort comforting to some extent, will have no symptoms, will not get sick. but that's an idea of the trajectory we're talking about here. >> it's unclear what the death rate is because we don't know how many people have it. if you're looking at a death rate in the united states at 6%, that's not what it's going to be. but if you're looking at 3 or 2

or 1, or even half a percent, you're still at multiples of the flu. >> sometimes people forget talking about the flu because we're so used to it. but a couple years ago the flu in the united states alone led to over 60,000 deaths. so when you start to do multiples on this, we don't know what the multiple is going to be because we don't have a good idea of the fatality ratio, a study out of china suggests 2%. but even if it's 1%, that's ten times higher. you could be talking about a few hundred thousand people. >> that is what is sobering reality here, ian. we also have the president now saying that he wants new travel restrictions. so first of all they say they're going to be testing everybody who comes in, you know, from italy, for example, temperature checks. which i want to ask sanjay abo that in a moment on how effective that would be. but travel restrictions in addition to the ones in place

for china and iran. so what is this -- the impact of this? increasing travel restrictions. >> well, i mean, obviously as sanjay said we did buy time, both by putting travel restrictions, vis-a-vis the chinese when we realized there was an uncontrolled epidemic on their hands and the chinese by expanding a quarantine, but that's different from using the time to build up our own capacity to implement a plan, stock pile medical supplies and other sources. that clearly hasn't been done. mean while, the chinese are trying desperately to get their economy back online. and as they do that, it's -- the risks of yet another outbreak, trying to get away from the draconian everyone is being kept essentially in their apartments,

over 60, 70 million people in china, that's a danger. so there's not a lot of good political science right now how you respond to this. >> sanjay, what about the temperature checks? i think it appears also in los angeles county, there was an implication that the flight attendant who had this couldn't have been spreading it because she didn't have symptoms. you don't know that, you might be spreading it before you have a symptom such as a fever, right? >> that's true. we did reporting about this had. it is true you can have what is called asymptomatic spread. so the person doesn't have symptoms but is still spreading the virus. less likelihood that way, but it can happen. we did reporting on the effectiveness of the travel screening as well. up until february 23rd, there was some 46,000 people who were screened at airports. out of them, 11 total, not 11,000, but 11 total were sent to hospitals or clinics for further screening or testing and one patient came back positive

for coronavirus out of those 46,000 screenings. you see where it's necessary, but not a high yield when it comes to things. >> right. at this point you need to go for the more high yield, especially with the community spread. thank you both very much. next the cdc under fire tonight, a woman was let out of quarantine. told she was fine to go. then tested positive for coronavirus. how many people did she come in contact with that could be at risk tonight. plus, joe biden expected to get endorsements from pete buttigieg and amy klobuchar tonight. and president trump claiming the democratic primary is rigged against sanders. >> it's rigged against bernie, no question about it. >> former 2020 candidate marion williamson, who endorsed sanders responds. liberty biberty- cut. we'll dub it. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance

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she was released and she was positive. in that time she went to a hotel, spent time at a mall, had eaten at a restaurant there and then was put back in quarantine. during the time she was out she had the virus. out front now one of the officials who is dealing the case, judge nelson wolf. i appreciate the time. this is obviously disturbing. the patient was released and then found to have the virus still. obviously when she was released she had no idea she had it, this was no fault of her own. she is then to found out she had the virus. do you have any idea how she had two negative tests and then a positive test and they let her out? >> she had a positive test at first, then two negatives and then a positive. this goes back to a simple thing we asked the federal government to do and they ignored us. i wrote a letter on the 17th of

february, the mayor and i wrote another one saying keep these people under quarantine and do not let them out in the public if they tested positive. they have not answered either one of the letters. so today i ordered an emergency order that anyone coming out of there, which is 120 of them left, come out into the county that we would prohibit that, and the sheriff's office will detain them if that were to happen. >> so this patient went to the mall when she was released. she stayed at a hotel. a city official says exposure is deemed to be low. but obviously this raises a lot of questions, right? she ate at a restaurant. so she was at a table, she touched the table, chairs, she could have pushed buttons on an elevator. do we have any number of people she could have infected and why the risk would be so low they say? >> she was at the mall for two hours, there's hundreds of people in a mall.

we know you have to be close to the person to be able to pass it along or have it on a surface that might be. so i think the odds are very, very low this person would do it. but the overriding concern is, over 18 people have been released in various parts of our community. we think that's wrong. we said it time and time again. i respect 2 million people here. i respect 26 cities besides the city of san antonio. we're doing everything we can to protect our citizens. we've done everything we can to help those that really have a serious case. but we've had no cooperation with the cdc, with the federal government, with the department of defense. just not listening to us. >> when you're trying to track down people in this one specific case, obviously you're going to be dealing with more than that. but this one case, have you been getting any assistance from them in doing that, do you feel you found all the people? how is it all working, finding the people she could have

interacted with? >> our local metro health department, i believe they interviewed about 18 people that she came in contact that they've been able to track down. i think out of that, six or seven of them were some concern. so we don't really know what happened here, but again, you have to come back to the policy that we think was so wrong. we didn't ask for these people to be here, we didn't know they were coming here. and we just simply ask keep them under quarantine, do not send them out into the city and county, and we've had no support on that. >> today is the end of the 14 day quarantine, right? when you talk about the individuals, 120, on the diamond princess, they were send to the air force base in san antonio. >> that's right. >> do you have any knowledge, were they released into the community? do you know where they are? what happened? >> tomorrow we will know. some of them have spent their 14 days there. the department -- texas department of health, wrote a

letter today, saying they should be tested the thirds time before they're released. i have not heard a response to that also. so we're concerned about the fact that we have 2 million people here in bear county, we think that what the cdc has done and allowing them to come out in the community was the wrong thing to do. it was a very simple request we made. and they've ignored it. >> judge wolf, i appreciate your time tonight. we'll be checking in with you, of course, tomorrow. thank you. >> thank you. next, just moments from now, pete buttigieg and amy klobuchar are expected to endorse joe biden on stage. it is a huge night here in this race. and the question then will be how big of a boost is this for joe biden? is this a transformational moment? and mary ann williamson has endorsed bernie sanders. why does she think sanders is the best to carry on her message? extra power.

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hours of each other to throw their support to joe biden on the eve of the crucial super tuesday elections. according to showeources we are moments away from amy klobuchar and pete buttigieg endorsing biden together at a dallas rally. they're getting out before super tuesday. it's sort of a -- they're actually putting their actions where their mouths are. we're outfront. joe biden had -- everyone was saying he lost, he lost, but then he won in south carolina and won big. he's riding that momentum. and these two endorsements are unexpected to many in timing and hugely significant. >> yeah, they sure are, erin. when joe biden steps on stage here in dallas in just a short while, he is looking to project a message and a sense of unity with both pete buttigieg and amy klobuchar expected to endorse the former vice president. it's been quite the turn of events over really the past 48 hours since joe biden had the

decisive victory in south carolina after losses in the first three nominating contests. now you have pete buttigieg and amy klobuchar both ending their presidential bids and endorsing the former vice president. now one thing biden is looking towards is to coalesce the moderate support around his candidacy and hoping to turn this into a two-person race between himself and bernie sanders. now bernie sanders is the leader right now in the delegate count and tomorrow he wants to get an insurmountable lead. super tuesday is the biggest night with more than 1,300 delegates up for grabs in 14 states across the country, including here in delegate rich texas. and joe biden is looking to turn the win in south carolina into momentum and a boost on super tuesday. >> i want to go to the former white house council for

president clinton. paul, you're with me. just in terms of the timing of getting out and the timing of endorsing together. this is -- it's a especially moment, it's an unprecedented moment. it was not expected. it's historic how it's playing out, isn't it? >> it is. knowing politicians, knowing some of these. it's hard to shift gears like that. they're going 100 miles an hour forward now they have to go 70 miles an hour in reverse. it's got to be jarring. i think jim clyburn's earth shattering endorsement of joe biden, even biden said raised him from the dead, shows you democrats are still unsettled. 37% in south carolina decided in the final days. i'm sure some large percentage of democrats voting tomorrow will hear this and think, okay,

maybe joe is my guy. >> so abdul, how significant do you think these two endorsements could be? this is the question, we live in an era where people scoff at endorsements but it's true, the jim clyburn endorse, he said i decided and weeks went by but when he made it it was emotional and significant. do you think buttigieg and klobuchar's endorsements matter? >> i don't think that the endorsementments matter as much as them dropping out. but joe biden has three problems the first is michael bloomberg, who spent more money than anyone on super tuesday. the second is he's still joe biden. he doesn't have a message. he's running on the democratic version of make america great again. and the third is at this point in the race, he hasn't been able to invest in the super tuesday states in any way because he was puttering out of money. so we have yet to see what these endorsements will do. >> this is an interesting point. i was looking at the chart of

spending on super tuesday. if i recall correctly, michael bloomberg spent more money in vermont, which he's not going to win and he knows that, it's bernie sanders' state, than joe biden spent in all the super tuesday states combined. this was a guy who didn't have enough money, wasn't spending money, running on name recognition. sort of, to the point i think he himself felt without south carolina he would be left by the wayside. now all of a sudden it changes. >> we've seen momentum matters. to be a democratic nominee you have to put together multi-ethnic, multi-racial coalitions. bernie sanders did that in nevada. was unable to replicate that in south carolina. joe biden was able to dominate south carolina far more than his closest friends thought he might

do. that's what you want to look for going forward. putting amy and pete in the tent -- >> are you assuming their supporters are going to go for joe biden? you can see plenty going for other people, it's a simplistic assumpti assumption. >> in iowa where you do have to choose a second choice, buttigieg supporters did go to biden and many klobuchar supporters did. so there's empirical evidence. joe biden has to earn every vote. a little free advice to bernie, he needs to be gracious about this. >> paul, look -- >> if those people endorsed bernie, he'd be thrilled right? >> the key point is, a, elizabeth warren is still in the race. i think a lot of folks who want to see a woman president are going to move from amy klobuchar to elizabeth warren.

and pete buttigieg had millennial support that i doubt is going to joe biden. i think bernie is in the driving lane because he has a message about problems people face. we've been living under donald trump for three years now, we have to find a message that appeals to people's challenges. they don't have health care, they're worried about not having a job and they have debt. joe biden doesn't have a message for that, bernie does. >> what about bloomberg? to the point abdul was making, you have sanders and warren in, some degree of overlap there. then you have the michael bloomberg spending juggernaut coming in on super tuesday and no one knows what to expect. but in terms of policy, biden and bloomberg, that venn diagram is tightly overlapped. >> lots of overlap there. mike bloomberg, i know it's his first day on the ballot. he has to win some super tuesday states. >> he can't come in close second --

>> he has to win. you have spend a half a billion dollars you better win. i think perhaps his strategists were thinking i'll be the remaining men when joe biden stumbles and falls. it's not happening. he's now surging. senator sanders did that in nevada can he put it back together. i think in california he's a prohibitive favorite. but i'm from texas, i'm hearing from texas, that's why biden is doing the announcement, that biden is surging in texas. >> final word, abdul? >> let's not forget how many delegates are coming out of tuesday. we're talking about one third of the entire delegate math. at this point, bernie has been strong and consistent. i've been out in california and the kind of energy, the kind of enthusiasm really is quite strong. so it's going to be an interesting tuesday to watch. >> thank you both very much. and next, president trump weighing in. says the democratic party is rigging it, trying to stop

bernie sanders. does sanders need to shutdown those claims? marian williamson supports bernie sanders, and is now out front. you may rest assured we, along with you, will make george w. bush have a second term.

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tonight bernie sanders getting ready to hold a rally in st. paul, minnesota. look, minnesota is a crucial state in this election, it also is the home state of senator amy klobuchar who dropped out of the race today and is set to endorse joe biden at his rally along with pete buttigieg, according to sources. sanders today say it's all about the establishment getting scared about his candidacy. >> the establishment is getting very, very nervous.

the reason is, they know that our administration will stand up to the corporate elite. >> out front now, former democratic presidential candidate mary ann williamson, she has endorsed bernie sanders. i appreciate your time. look, we're just moments away from buttigieg and klobuchar doing this on the eve of super tuesday, getting out when no one thought they would, everyone thought they would wait until after super tuesday, endorsing joe biden in texas. you tweeted in response, quote, they must have read "art of the deal" what did you mean by that? >> it was obviously a reference to president trump's book. the moderates are consolidating. it's a huge stop bernie movement that's obvious to everybody and we'll see what happens tomorrow. >> does elizabeth warren need to drop out to help unify the progressives behind bernie sanders? >> elizabeth warren should do whatever her conscious should do. i'm a big fan of elizabeth

warren, i think she's a wonderful woman. clearly a lot of things she stands for are aligned with what bernie stands for, but she needs to make her own choices here. what matters to me is we have a progressive candidate. we have an america in which 1% of all americans control more than 90% of the wealth of more than 90% of the bottom. we have 40% americans who could not handle a $1,000 unexpected expenditure. we have tens of millions of americans who don't know what would happen if they got sick, their children got sick, how they're going to send their kids to college or pay off college loans we need an infusion of hope and opportunity into the life of the average american. so the contest between moderate and progressive. moderates are saying let's take an incremental approach to writing this ship. progressives say, no. this is so off course we have so strayed from the core principle of what american justice,

including economic justice should mean, we need to fission it and fix it now. that's not an extreme position. what's extreme is how far we have strayed from the american ideal. and elizabeth warren and bernie sanders have to do what they feel is right to make this happen. >> i understand. there's two very different views here. but one person who's been trying to capitalize on this split or schism or whatever would be the appropriate word is president trump. he's been saying every time he can -- i'm sorry? i'm sorry? okay. i'm sorry to interrupt you, joe biden and mayor pete are walking out now. i want to go to this. this is the rally we told you about in texas. we hear buttigieg is going to be introducing joe biden. and endorsing him here formally in dallas in a couple of moments.

okay. mary ann, as we're waiting this, i'm sorry we did not expect this to happen this early. as we await this, i guess from just the perspective of the timing and the staging, how significant do you think this is? i pardon if i interrupt you again for the endorsement, but go ahead. >> that's all right. the staging of pete buttigieg coming out with joe biden? >> yes. >> obviously it's important for the drama, the horse race. but we want to keep our eyes on what's most important and that's not the political horse race. what's important is the experience of the american people. we have a rigging of the u.s. economy. that's the rigging -- >> all right. i'm sorry to interrupt, i apologize. we'll have you back soon. here's mayor pete. >> when i ran for president, we made it clear that the whole idea was about rallying the country together to defeat donald trump and to win the era for the values that we share. and that was always a goal that

was much bigger than me becoming president. and it is in the name of that very same goal that i'm delighted to endorse and support joe biden for president. and i do it with great pleasure, knowing just how much we need to do not only to win, which is so very important. and when i say "win," not just win back the white house but make sure we bring back the vitally important house and senate and local races with us. but also that we've got to do it in a way that starts to change the toxic and divisive nature of our politics right now. we can't go on like this. we have politics right now that makes it sound like being loudest is tantamount to being right. we need politics that's about

decen decency. politics that brings back dignity. that's what we sought to practice in my campaign, that's what joe biden has been practicing his entire life. so what we see right now is an opportunity, not just to meet that imperative of getting a new and better president, but of doing it with a leader who will practice that way of rallying people together. with ideas that are big enough to unite the american people. of all generations. and if you think about it, on some of the most important issues affecting my generation and the next generation, climate change, gun violence, joe biden has been delivering on those very priorities. from taking on the nra, and winning, to negotiating the paris climate accord, to she perding the passing of the

affordable care act. this is what's made it possible for us to achieve what has been achieved. that's why i have such confidence as president joe biden will take the ball further as it needs to go. but it's more than that. it's the need to bring back dignity to the white house. we have a president tearing this country apart -- [ cheer and applause ] >> -- and the country knows without me having to say so, but i want you to know how unbelievely and unfailingly decent i have known vice president biden to be. from his visits to south bend while he was vice president to my visits as a mayor to the white house during the obama/biden administration. to perhaps especially the experiences i have had getting to know him while competing with him. he is somebody of such extraordinary grace and kindness and empathy. from taking time to talk to somebody who struggles to speak,

to taking time for a family that's struggling with loss. he will bring the exact kind of empathy that is so badly lacking in this white house and along the way, in his campaign, will draw us together as we need a leader to do. i commented last night and i've often said politics at its best is more than policy. it's soul-craft. so it's fitting that i'm joining to support a campaign that speaks so often about the soul of this nation. i don't believe the world is divided up into people who are all good or all bad. i don't believe how you voted in the past makes you good or bad. i believe each of us can have good things and bad things brought out of us, and that is why leadership is so important. i'm looking for a leader, i'm looking for a president who will draw out what is best in each of us. and i'm encouraging everybody who was part of my campaign to join me because we have found that leader in vice president,

soon-to-president, joe biden. >> folks, i tell you what, this is -- i can't tell you how much i appreciate pete's endorsement. and i know for pete's supporters from the mayor to many other people who are here, this is also a bittersweet moment because you supported a man of enormous integrity. a fellow who has as much moral courage as he has physical courage. i really mean that. there hasn't been a harsh word between us since we started to compete. and i think that it's clear to everyone that this is a man who is not only brilliant, but is decent. and this is a man who, when i called pete when he got out, which surprised me when he said he was going to suspend his campaign, i didn't ask pete to endorse me, but i called him and

told him we needed him to stay engaged. we needed him badly to be involved. because when he talked in the campaigns and debates about passing the torch on the next generation, that's correct. and i am further exposing the nation to pete and all he stands for and all he'll do and all he can do, that there is no limitation on what this man can get done. and the fact that he's prepared to help me is -- means a great deal to me. i don't think i've ever done this before, but he reminds me of my son, beau. i know that may not mean much to most people but to me it's the highest compliment i can give any man or woman. like a ramrod. and we need this. think about it.

when i got elected same age pete got elected, 29. people would say what's the secret? i said there's one secret. you shouldn't get engaged unless you know what's worth losing over. pete knows. knows what's worth losing over. pete knows why he got engaged. knows why he's there and why i'm absolutely confident he will stay engaged. i warned pete that if i were lucky enough to get the nomination that i would be asking him to join. i would be asking him to be involved in the process because there are a generation of leaders of pete's age, my son, who have unlimited potential. the only thing that stands in their way is access and opportunity to be able to be known nationally. if he had been around another six years, i wouldn't be

standing here. pete would be standing here. i'd be endorsing pete. i really mean it. so folks you know, the other point i want to make is this. the reason i and we talk after debates and during the interim periods backstage, the reason that i admire him so much and the reason why i think we're so sympathetic and representing two different generations is that pete knows the role of the president is not just to fight, just to win, but it's the heal. this country needs to be healed. >> yes, sir. >> no, i really mean it. and not -- and pete, pete gets it. you know, i was, i talked many times about the -- i think things like pete, it's all about you. all about family. community. and it really is.

that's what got him involved. that's what got me involved and it's never changed. when i left the vice presidentsy when our term ended, i thought a long time about what to do and i had opportunities to take advantage of some cig b cant advantages for a kid who was listed at poorest guy for all those years, but i decided, i'll end with with this, sorry to talk about my son, beau so much, but he was my soul. i remembered him know iing thate only had a little time to live. and asking me whether we'd go home every weekend because he only lived a mile from us. we had dinner on friday nights an spend the weekend with him. he asked his wife to take my two grandchildren upstairs and we wanted to talk. he said dad, i know no one loves me more than you do. he said dad, but i want you to

know i'm going to be okay even though we knew it was a matter of months. it's going to be okay. and he looked at me and he said dad, i want you to promise me you're going to be okay. some of the press has heard me say. wrote a book about beau, promises to keep, that was the first book i wrote then i wrote another about beau, promise me dad. and what it was all about is what pete's all about. he said promise me, dad, you're going to stay engaged. he knew i would take care of his family and do whatever needed to be b done, but he thought i would withdraw and move away and he looked at me and he said dad, look at me. promise me. give me your word, dad. you're going to be okay. and i knew what that meant. it meant he wanted, he didn't want me to walk away from what i've done my whole life. be engaged in policies that are designed to lift people up no matter what their background.

no matter what their circumstances. to reach out. i'm no hero by any stretch of the imagination, but i stayed engaged and when i stand on stage sometimes and a couple of people and the press who's been assigned to me, they've heard me say it. i just hope he's proud of me. i look over at pete during the debates and i think, i think you know, that's a beau. because he has such enormous character. such intellectual capacity and such a commitment to other people and folks, i can't tell you how much it means to me that he would step up and endorse me. he didn't even tell me when we e spoke he was going to endorse me, but i just can't tell you how much i appreciate it. because i promise you, you're going to end up over your lifetime seeing a hell of a lot more pete than you are me. thank you. thank you.

>> jeff zeleny joins me. he is there. obviously emotional there and you know with joe biden talking about how how much pete buttigieg reminds him of his son, who was his soul. you've seen the two sort of interact iing there. what does that emotion show? >> sure it does. this is the first time we have heard the former vice president say that. we've heard him talk about beau a lot. in fact almost every day this campaign rally, but looking at you know just the different generations there, it is striking. now this is an entirely different joe biden than a few weeks ago in the new hampshire primary. he was say iing this guy's not ready to be president. that didn't seem authentic joe biden. that seemed like he was attacking someone, his heart wasn't into that. what's happening is very extraordinary. we are seeing a consolidation of the this moderate lane of candidates. pete buttigieg right now, amy klobuchar will be coming up to

endorse and drop out of the race as well. so this is an extraordinary moment heading into super tuesday. the question is what does that mean for tomorrow? bernie sanders still has a very strong campaign. a lot of momentum, but this is quickly becoming a two-person race in some respects. also mayor bloomberg and elizabeth warren still in the race. >> certainly are. perhaps take iing enough oxygen prevent a clear winner, which of course the party perhaps wishes they could have, a clear winner. thank you very much and we'll be right back.

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just moments from now, a cnn prime time special. interviews with the presidential candidates. bernie sanders, joe biden, elizabeth warren, michael bloomberg. thank you so much for joining us. the special begins right now with anderson.

and good evening. i'm anderson cooper with a special edition of "ac 360." tonight, we have one-on-one interviews with the four top candidates still in the race as breaking news is is unfolding. amy klobuchar and pete buttigieg are endorsing joe biden. klobuchar ending her presidential bid and we just learned that beto o'rourke also is endorsing biden. we're standing by for the -- texas. this comes on the eve of super tuesday. the biggest