>>amanda: and i'm amanda krenz. this is where we'll be broadcasting live from on monday, caucus day, and we hope you'll tune ininor that. for now, though, it is a mad dash to the finish for 15 candidates, 3 on the democratic side, 12 on the republican side. most of them spent this entire week before the caucuses here in iowa. but if you haven't gone out to actually see any of these candidates, here's something you could not escape: the insane amount of campaign ads inundating our air waves. >>sabrina: the biggest overall spender in iowa has been jeb bush's super pac which has aired nearly 15 million dollars in ads in ththhawkeye state. that's followed bybyhe nearly 12 million that marco rubio's campaign super pac and 501c4 outside group have spent. then it's clinton and sanders. team clinton 9.4 million. all but $50,000 actually coming from the campaign. then team sanders 7.4 million. all of that from the campaign. well, a few days out from the caucuses you'd think

to spend every waking moment that they can in front of national televised broadcasts. >>amanda: you would think that, but you'd also be wrong. (chuckling) >>amanda: donald trump !nnouncing mid-week that he would not attend the final fox news republican debate in iowa. instead, he appeared at his own event at drake university, a fundraiser for veteran's groups, which lo and behold ended up being aired on network tv anyway. >>mr. trump: for me personally a good thing, a bad thing, will i get more votes? will i get less votes?s?obody knows. who thehe hell knows, but it's for ourur vets and you're gonna like it because we raised over 5 million dollars in one day. (cheering) >>amanda: alright. dr. steffen schmidt from the university of iowa, or rather iowa state university, i'm sorry about that, joins us now. (chuckling) >>amanda: he's our resident political expert here on this week in iowa. so is trump rewriting the rules right now when it comes to campaigning? >>dr. schmidt: amanda, he has rewritten the rules from the first day. he has done everything that is unexpected. he is really, i, i c cl him

(chuckling) >>dr. schmidt: he's like machiavelli, you know. he knows how to manipulate everybody and surprises everyday. >>sabrina: manipulate, surprise everyone, but he's also kind of outraged everyone on other campaigns because he's really changed the way they can operate as well. so talk to us a little bit about what that has done to those other campaigns. >>dr. schmidt: well, you're absolutely right. i mean, he's, he's not following any of the rules which means the other candidates don't have a playbook. they don'thow to react. they don't know how to plan for it and therefore, they are left essentially sort those are the two words. and what he's doing is providing people with bread and circuses. he's providing a lot of entertainment. but the bread is, you know, these policy positions that he takes on immigration and terrorists and, and so on which are actually sort of substantive. they may be very exaggerated, but he's giving both. and bread and circuses, you know, that's what the roman emperors gave their people. >>amanda: so where does s is leave the other candidates? how are they left to f fd for themselves when they're up against trump who's rewriting them, rewriting the rules?

there are too many of them. and i have a breakdown of them and i have a sort of 5 different categories and there are just too many. there are 11, 12 maybe more than that running and that means that they basically have such little tiny percentages that they're trying to figure out how to knock each other out because that might bring up their percentages. and so it's a fight amongst themselves and a fight with the frontrunners which is, of course,e,rump and, you know, and, and, and cruz. >>amanda: mmhmm. >>dr. schmidt: and so it's a very strange game because it's warfare down here and then also up to try to knock the frontrunners out. >>amanda: yeah. >>sabrina: and it's not just donald trump, one evangelical, one establishment, one, i mean, it's, there are 4 establishment, there are 4 evangelicals including ted cruz. and then there's donald trump. i mean, it's just craziness. >>dr. schmidt: it is. and donald trump is, , everything because he just, he just got endorsed by, by falwell's son, an extremely conservative, religious person. so he's getting evangelical voters as

the entire ocean, right? (chuckling) >>dr. schmidt: and that's amazing. that's surprising. >>amanda: what do you think the bigwigs inside of the republican national committee are thinking about trump? >>dr. schmidt: well, what they have decided is that they don't know hwo to really explain him or defeat him. and so they've decided who is worse? trump or cruz? who can we deal with? who might make a deal with us? and most of them have decided that actually they can work with trump if, god forbid in their view, he might win the nomination. and that's a very strange thing. >>sabrina: well, that's the big question here, though. is it possible for donald trump to win the nomination and then in turn potentially win the general? >>dr. schmidt: yes. the answer is yes for both. i think donald trump can do both. i think he's, he's very flexible. he has a lot of great ideas. he moves very quickly to try to get new constituencies. and there's still too many of them fighting with each other. unless they give that up he's got the run on it and it'll be a two-person race and, and in november he can run on a platform that brings him independence because he's, he doesn't have an ideology. he can go anywhere that he wants.

think about the gop debate where trump was not at? >>dr. schmidt: well, it was a brilliant move because he knew that he was the big target 'cause he's ahead. and so he said i'm gonna move and go somewhere elel and let cruz be the target because i wanna defeat cruz and that's what happened. you know, everybody there went after cruz and he was badly injured i think. >>sabrina: and >>dr. schmidt: and so it was a brilliant move. >>sabrina: he even said everyone was being mean to him. >>dr. schmidt: yes, well (chuckling) >>dr. schmidt: that was a big mistake because that was donald trump's line and now it makes him look, you know, like he was being beaten up on and he doesn't wanna do that. but it's fascinating to see these, these strategic moves. it's like chess, 3-dimensional chess. >>amanda: yeah. political chess. >>dr. schmidt: yes, it is. >>amanda: alright, dr. schmidt from iowa state university. thank you for your analysis as always. coming up, we go one-on-one with a bunch of the candidates. hear what they're up to on these final days before

(music) >>sabrina: welcome back here to capital square in downtown des moines. you're looking at he floor of the media headquarters

can imagine it'll be a whole lot busier come monday. but first, i'm sabrina ahmed and we wanna take a look at some of the poll numbers starting with the democrats. it's very close at the top. bernie sanders, though, has squeaked out a lead in the latest quinnipiac poll. 49% for him, 45% for clinton. martin o'malley still at 4% of support. not a whole lot of change there. >>amanda: so the big question: is this deja vu for hillary clinton and her campaign? iowa slipping away in these final weeks before the caucuses. >>sabrina: well, we'll find out if it is come monday. but of course, she did take a few minutes to step away from her campaign, step away from getting out the vote to talk to us. take a listen. >>sabrina: what do you have to do in order to ensure a win in iowa? >>mrs. clinton: well, we're just gonna keep doing what we're doing. we're gonna work as hard as we all can. i'm gonna do as many events as i can, do as many interviews and talk to as many iowans as possible to try to both thank my supporters who are already committed to coming out in caucus for me february 1st, but

still making their minds up. >>sabrina: so you and bernie sanders are really neck and neck in iowa. it's, did this surprise you? is he doing better than you thought that he would? >>mrs. clinton: well, it's always competitive in iowa. i mean, one of the interesting things about the iowa caucus is people go up. they go down. they, they come back. they fade. and i always knew that and i always expected it. didn't know exactly who it would be, but it's a great contest. and i'm proud of what we've done on the democratic side because we have differences. we have substantive policy differences, difference in our experiences, our records. but we're talking about those. we're not engaging in the kind of, oh, insulting back and forth that we see among the republicans. >>sabrina: in an interview president obama all but endorsed you. i mean, he said some pretty positive things about you. he called bernie sanders a bright and shiny object. i mean, what does that mean for you? do you, do you think that you have his support? >>mrs. clinton: well, i was very honored and grateful to the

job better than someone who has been right in the middle of it. and what i think he was making the case for is we need somebody who truly is ready on day one. there is no learning on this job. it is too complicated. we have work to do here at home to get the economy working, incomes rising. we've gotta make sure health care costs are under control and prescription drug costs in particular. we have a lot of work to do at home. but then you never know what's gonna happen around the world and the president has to switch gears. and i think, you know, he was saying and i believe this, that i am best prepared to do all aspects of the job. and we have some serious work to do, but we also have great opportunities. that's what i hope people will focus on. >>sabrina: michael bloomberg is considering a run as an independent. what does that look like to you? does that concern you at all? >>mrs. clinton: no, i know mike bloomberg. he and i worked

i was the senator. i have the highest respect for him. and i'm gonna work hard to get the nomination so he doesn't have to jump into the race. (laughing) >>sabrina: there was a woman who spoke about her mental health concerns >>mrs. clinton: mmhmm. >>sabrina: and was extremely heartfelt >>mrs. clinton: right. >>sabrina: in her, i mean, what is that like to see these people out there who are suffering from many different situations and scenarios and know that that could all potentially, the burden of that be on our shoulders? >>mrs. clinton: well, i'm grateful that people are willing to share their personal struggles because i think too often politics is very superficial and just looks at, you know, whatever breaks through on the headlines where we've got so many millions of americans struggling with mental health, struggling with addiction, struggling with alzheimer's, autism, the kinds of things people talk to me about everyday. and i'm very grateful they trust me with some of the most personal information they could share. and i do feel a responsibility because we can

health program in our country that doesn't stigmatize people who have mental health, who provide enough treatment that get the insurance companies to treat mental health the way they treat cancer or heart disease. we've got to provide the financial support for people to get the help they need. so i take it very personally and i think about those faces. i think about those stories as i go through this campaign because i don't wanna let people down. i want to really help people have ways of helping themselves. i think that's the american approach. >>amanda: and as you heard there clinton says she's not going to personally attack sanders, personally being the key word because she will go after his policy and his record. >>sabrina: oh, yeah. but of course reporters, especially really national media have been asking both of them about this expecting them to go back and forth personally. but you should hear sanders' passionate response. >>mr. sanders: again, it's the same question. and guys i gotta tell ya this in all due respect,

not what the american people wanna hear. the american people are working 50, 60 hours a week. their wages are going down. their kids will have a lower standard of living than they do. i don't wanna get into these personal characterizations of secretary clinton. let me repeat again and i mean this from the bottom of my heart. i have known secretary clinton for 25 years. this is a distinguished woman who has worked for many, many years. i like secretary clinton. we have differences of opinion on important issues. and those are the kinds of, kind of campaign that i will wage dealing with the issues that impact the american people, not making characterizations about my opponent. >>amanda: some pretty passionate words being spoken there. as we mentioned, the race between these two is all going to come down to turnout. and not just in numbers, but also where specifically these voters, the young ones in particular, where they go. >>sabrina: that's right. it's kind of a complex concept. so if they're at college then they aren't voting in their home precincts

delegates and where the delegates go. it could throw some things off. so it's something that senator sanders acknowledged is a problem for his campaign. >>mr. sanders: i have been to many small towns in the state of iowa. and your point is well taken. we understand that. and we have some fairly sophisticated people who know about the caucus process here in iowa and we understand that if we got all of our votes in certain communities it is not gonna do for us what has to be done. so we're working hard all over the state of iowa and i think, you know, those, that work will pay off. >>amanda: we're not done yet on this week in iowa. coming up next, in-depth with the republicans. we hear from some of the candidates trying to

(music) >>amanda: welcome back everyone. as we continue our discussion now on how the candidates are doing on this final day before the caucuses. for awhile now it has been neck and neck between donald trump and ted cruz. (whooshing) >>amanda: so let's check out the latest quinnipiac poll with

senator marco rubio of florida trails with 15%. so he's in third place, but no other candidates are above double digits. >>sabrina: now as donald trump and ted cruz kinda battle it out on top, the candidates who are on the lower tier of the polls are still trying to vie for those votes hoping that there are still some undecideds out there including one man who was actually on top earlier this election cycle, ben carson. >>sabrina: what do you think happened? at one point you were leading in the polls. what happened? >>mr. carson: well, a combination of things happened, not the least of which was the paris attacks and the san bernardino attack. and the narrative that someone who is nice could not possibly be a force against the evils that we're facing, which of course is not true. people equate brashness and loudness, boisterousness with toughness.

at are accomplishments. what has a person accomplished in their life? and if they were to go back and look at my accomplishments they would say wow. and coming where he came from and he was named as one of 89 living legends by the library of congress? and has 67 honorary doctorate degrees and has schools and universities named after him? all kinds of, where did that come from? that doesn't happen with a weak person who doesn't accomplish anything. >>sabrina: what do you think a country where donald trump is president looks like? >>mr. carson: uh, well, i, i don't wanna think about it. (laughing) >>sabrina: at least he's honest. (chuckling) >>amanda: yeah. >>sabrina: then there's the man who was presumed to be at the top when he first announced his candidacy. we're talking of course, jeb bush. but the republican voters i think had a bit of a different idea. >>amanda: i think so. but talking to jeb's national campaign director, he says they

beginning. they are not giving up and that they're in it for the long haul. >>danny: obviously contacting a lot of folks which we're doing. we feel really good about our ground game. i mean, this isn't something that just showed up overnight. we've been working this for very many months. we understand who the universe of voters are that are open to supporting us and we feel very, very confident that we're gonna hit our marks on monday night. when you look at the duration of the campaign, we spent quite a bit of time here. we're here for the, obviously the upcoming days. and from our perspective we've had a really, really strong presence much more so i tnk than many of the other candidates. they may have arrived late, but we've had this relationship with iowa and this conversation on an ongoing basis since we announced for president. so from our perspective, we know that iowans are discerning voters, that they're looking at each one of these candidates. and w feel very confident at the end of the day they're gonna side with the candidate who's ready to be the next president of the united states. >>sabrina: i guess we won't really know until monday, but it is odd that because he was presumed to be on the top that he's just been so low and had

polls. >>amanda: and he's spent so much money to try and do so as well. alright, coming up we're gonna be back to share our interviews with carly fiorina

(music) >>amanda: it's the coveted debate main stage, but some candidates didn't make it. while carly fiorina was there for one debate she is still not registering that high in the polls. but she says what's happening in the polls is not what's happening in reality. >>sabrina: yeah. we talked about that with her on her rv using, that she's using to travel across iowa. >>sabrina: talk to me about how things are going, how is today? how is this week? i mean, this is a very stressful week leading up to a very important day. >>ms. fiorina: i actually think it's a great week. i'm having a lot of fun because i don't care what the media says. i know what i see on the ground. and what i see are people who still haven't made up their minds and when they leave an event with me, i'm their candidate. so we're gonna surprise in iowa.

candidates who feel that way, who feel like there are a lot of people who just haven't decided. >>ms. fiorina: that's right. >>sabrina: why is it do you think that donald trump is doing so well in the polls and ted cruz is doing so well in the polls if so many people haven't made up that mind? >>ms. fiorina: i have no idea. (chuckling) >>ms. fiorina: i have no idea. and i see, i mean, i don't doubt that donald trump and ted cruz have support. that's not what i'm saying. what i am saying is that there are loads of people who don't answer pollster's calls. i'm one of 'em. maybe you are too. >>sabrina: i am. >>ms. fiorina: and so i don't know who they're callin'. but here's what i know. people appreciate that i'm not a politician. i'm not an insider. donald trump is the ultimate insider, by the way. he's not a politician, but he's a crony capitalist. he's made billions buying off politicians. people know we have to do something different. and they're looking for leadership that isn't afraid to challenge the system in washington d.c. and that's the leadership i offer. >>sabrina: so what's the strategy to win iowa? >>ms. fiorina: well, i don't need to win and i don't think

gonna surprise. and i do think i'm gonna come out of here with the wind at my back. >>sabrina: mike huckabee, on the other hand, actually won in 2008, but this time, eh, havin' some troubles. >>amanda: he's hoping for that undecided vote. >>sabrina: so i wanna talk about what's going on in iowa. how are you feeling? we're not very many days away from the caucuses. >>mr. huckabee: we are very close to the caucus, but the interesting thing nobody's voted yet. and all these people out on the east coast who sit there in their well-lit studios are telling all the people of iowa how they're going to vote. my experience is be careful because there's always a big surprise on caucus night. and i don't think this year's gonna be any exception. >>sabrina: so you don't think that donald trump being so high in the polls right now and in iowa, i mean, he's neck and neck with ted cruz. you don't think that means anything for what the turnout will become? >>mr. huckabee: well, we'll see. i mean, it could, but um, historically just because people spend a lot of money it doesn't overcome those of us who spend a lot of time and to go out and personally talk to the voters. >>sabrina: let's talk about

between 2008, your experiences then and your experiences now. >>mr. huckabee: i think the biggest thing is that i was saying the same things then that i'm saying now. this year donald trump is saying some of those things about the unbalance that we have in the trade agreements, about the problems of illegal immigration, about the tax burden that americans have, how unfair it is. but there's an anger in the voters this year that is stunning, very palpable. and one of the things that i'm having to try to say to the voters is i get the anger, just don't hold it against me. i've never governed in washington.

on this week in iowa. rom zarley law firm. >>amanda: don't forget to

(dramatic music) b: thanks for tuning in to ag phd. i'm brian hefty. d: and i'darren hefty. thanks for joining us today. one question that we always get as we travel across the country is what planting population should i use in corn or soybeans? is that the cure for me so i can get maximum yield? well, that's part of the recipe. that's not the whole recipe. but we'll talk about some of the

planting populations in corn