philadelphia investment firm. [ crowd boos ] >> frankly, i would rather be here with you. [ cheers ] >> and in it to win it. gold. >> i want to talk to you about the iowa vote right now. >> yep. >> what's your bar for success in iowa? >> winning. >> and today, i'm andrea mitchell. both political parties. it will change the landscape of the 2016. "wall street journal" poll shows donald trump breaking away from ted cruz in iowa, leading now by 7 points as he blazes a trail by

shunning the debate stage and going after cruz on so-called canadian birth. on the other side, it's tighter with virtual tie with hillary clinton leading to bernie sanders. everything depends on whose supporters show up monday night. our team in place with katie tur. what's going on with donald trump? we heard he's moving his event with veterans. and moving over. >> reporter: your guess is as good as mine. they'll be doing counterprograms at the same time of the debate at 8:00 p.m. central, 9:00 p.m. eastern. we got a release from the campaign for logistics set-up that says the event starts at 7:00 p.m. central 8:00 eastern.

it would give him time to do the event and move quickly to the debate side. we're told by those familiar with the set-up here that it would take about 20 minutes, at least, to rejigger the podi the. this is fox news ratings coupe if he even shows up in the middle of the debate. i wouldn't put it past anyone he might not show up a little late and make an entrance, if you will. we're trying to find out just who he's raising money for. said he's raising for wounded warriors and veterans but we've called all of the organizations that we can find and involved in this event as of now. iva said they're not involved and wounded warriors not involved and vets said they're not involved. nobody specific. he has has an event in the past with a fundraiser raising money for veterans, but that group is questionable to say the least.

veterans for a strong america turned out to be just one man who himself was not a veteran and who the irs revoked their charitable status. so we've asked the campaign at the time in november who was getting the money and how much money was raised, they did not have those numbers. they also said they didn't have any information about there being problems with that organization. i've reached out to the campaign again today and they said they will be addressing those concerns. andrea? >> and halle, the ted cruz challenge. if donald trump does not show up, ted cruz is going to be the target of all the other attacks tonight. so he's going to be playing defense. >> reporter: most likely, andrea. the campaign is prepared for that. senator cruz, as you know, on these debate stages often seems to thrive when it comes to fending off attacks from rivals. i wouldn't be surprised to see him prepared to deliver against any of the other republican candidates on stage at this

point. cruz has received some potentially bad news in polls over the last couple of weeks. you've seen him slip here in iowa, including our new poll you talked about to donald trump. you've seen him slip even among the e van yevangelical communit for the campaign, it could reset expectations a little bit. look at earlier in the month. the expectation is cruz would potentially roll in iowa possibly by double digits. now, it's more of a what cruz himself called a dead heat. so that helps with the narrative as we look ahead to monday night going into tuesday morning depending on what sort of the margins of who's coming on top. the campaign is feeling confident and aid said to me recently the best way to end a campaign is the way you started it. this isn't the end but you could look at it as the end of the beginning phase as we get to the nominating contest and the campaign feels as though the message cruz delivered conservative criticism.

and you saw that in the gallup poll. in the digits and the same time period, and potentially reinforce some of the negative messaging that's been out there. >> out here covering bernie sanders. i know he did a press round table. i got his medical records and pay to why he had not released his medical records and yesterday, coming out. they're about to come out. we've got a copy of it from the attending physician at the capital. dr. brian monaghan and he said he's been treating him for 26 years, and that he is in good health. we're talking about, he says, a 74-year-old man weighing 179 pounds. over the years according to the doctor he's been treated for gout, mild hypocholesterolemia.

hypothyroidism, laryngitis. some superficial skin tumors. all seemingly not important stuff. and that he's had a couple of surgeries for hernias, but other than that, go through his medications. and basic certification overall good health and active work and lifestyle, doesn't use tobacco and occasional alcohol. bottom line, he said to lester holt he's in good health and he said to lester as well he used to be a miler, a runner in high school. elementary school. this is a man who's physically fit, even though he is the oldest candidate now running for president. kasie? >> he talked about his basketball team in brooklyn did

well when he was a young man and playing for them as well. but his aides are not worried about this. they put it out there, they don't show anything to ultimately be a problem. they don't want to see it become an issue in this race and as you read from that letter saying that bernie sanders' health is such that he'd have no limitations as president of the united states. and as you know, andrea, this has been something flared up in other presidential campaigns. john mccain, of course, dealt with questions about his health. when he was one of the older candidates running for the presidency in 2008. >> and then we have the whole debate issue between sanders and hillary clinton. sanders now, not yet saying that he would go along with the debate but saying overnight, jeff weaver from his campaign saying that if hillary clinton were to accept three more debates starting in march, later debates which she had so far not accepted, that he wthen if

approved by the dnc would go with february 4th msnbc union leader debate in new hampshire next week. so kristin welker, all of the sudden, hillary clinton who had been avoiding debates with the challenger, bernie sanders, now that she is 19 points behind in our new poll, our nbc news "wall street journal" poll, 19 points behind in new hampshire with sanders' campaign arguing the need for free publicity. she's willing to go along with the debate next week. so far, sanders has left some wiggle room, but he's not fully committed. >> reporter: that's right. and i just reached out to the clinton campaign to say, will she agree for the debates bernie sanders called for? hasn't decided yet but clinton supporters say this is a strong format for secretary clinton. they wish that there had been more debates. they think that may have benefitted her and of course, there's been a lot of controversy surrounding the democratic debates. a lot of democrats who believe there haven't been enough, in

some ways, the dnc has been trying to stack the decks in favor of hillary clinton. of course, the dnc pushing back hard against that characterization. the reality, andrea, when it comes to iowa, as you know, it is a razor-tight race in iowa. according to "the wall street journal" poll. it's about the turnout. i went behind the scenes last night into the two campaigns, bernie sanders supporters in des moines, one of clinton's offices in newton. and the caucus site for bernie sanders, it's about turning out the young voters. secretary clinton has a lead when it comes to women voters, the older voters. i interviewed two retired teachers who were volunteering for hillary clinton. i said, what would your students learn about hillary clinton's campaign? they said to never give up. so the fight continues on the ground. hillary clinton here later today. andrea? >> and one quick other point to both of you, kasie and kristin,

the sanders campaign still on the web site has what he's been saying all along, you know, send in your signature, sign a petition, we want more debates, more debates. and this certainly contradicts his reluctance to commit to the february 4th debate, but that's still up on their web page. katie tur, going back to you on donald trump, why move up that veterans event an hour? is there some wiggle room on showing up? >> reporter: the way that it was explained to our ally the tally, 7:00 p.m. local and 8:00 p.m. eastern is a pre-event and they are saying now that the donald trump event, him taking the stage is still at 8:00 local. which is at the same time as the debate. then again, i think predicting donald trump and what he's going to do at any given moment is a fool's errand. he could show up at this debate tonight and make it all about him and an even grander way or

continue to do the veterans event. i think we're only going to know when we know. >> indeed. it's donald trump. well, katie tur and halle jackson, kasie hunt, kristin welker, thank you so much to you on the trail. and coming up -- money matters. not accounting for clinton on the east coast only days out from the iowa caucus. you're watching the special edition of "andrea mitchell reports" in des moines, iowa, only on msnbc. staying in rhythm... it's how i try to live... how i stay active. so i need nutrition... that won't weigh me down. for the nutrition you want without the calories you don't... try boost® 100 calories. each delicious snack size drink gives you... 25 vitamins and minerals and 10 grams of protein. so it's big in nutrition and small in calories. i'm not about to swim in the slow lane. stay strong. stay active with boost®.

i thione second it's there.day. then, woosh, it's gone. i swear i saw it swallow seven people. seven. i just wish one of those people could have been mrs. johnson. [dog bark] trust me, we're dealing with a higher intelligence here. ♪ the all-new audi q7 is here. ♪ and i quit smoking with chantix. i decided to take chantix to shut everybody else up about me quitting smoking. i was going to give it a try, but i didn't think it was going to really happen. after one week of chantix, i knew i could quit. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. chantix definitely helped reduce my urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. some had seizures while taking chantix.

if you have any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse or of seizures. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you have these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have heart or blood vessel problems, or develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. decrease alcohol use while taking chantix. use caution when driving or operating machinery. most common side effect is nausea. being a non-smoker feels great. ask your doctor if chantix is right for you.

tonight. she is raising money from a philadelphia investment firm. [ crowd booing ] >> frankly, i would rather be here with you. >> reporter: bernie sanders last night in mason city, iowa, going after hillary clinton for taking money from the one percenters. why not in iowa with a few days left before the caucuses? chuck todd is moderator of "meet the press" and host of npd daily. geography is everything right now. >> it tells a lot. bernie sanders has a great fund raising base. they throw out an e-mail and

they can get another million dollars. >> they have 2.5 million individual contributors. >> and they get these -- it replenishes itself. almost. i had a competitor of the sanders campaign in the democratic party refer to him of a self-funder, almost. so the pressure is on hillary clinton's campaign. they need primary money. they have to keep raising money at fundraisers. they don't have mail lists that just produces money in a fast way where she can just campaigning. and that's -- if sanders wins iowa and we're looking at a long drawn-out primary process, this is going to become a more acute issue for them. >> that's because if you look at our new poll, the nbc news "wall street journal" poll, they're in a dead heat in the margin of iowa. knocking him out here in iowa is possible but it's pretty close. look at the poll for new hampshire.

she is 19 points behind him and that is probably pretty accurate from every sound. >> that's absolutely right. she's not even going to think about catching up in new hampshire unless she wins here. the momentum, the slingshot effect, you might not even see hillary clinton campaign full-time in new hampshire. you could see her deciding to split time in nevada, south carolina. so i think their new hampshire strategy starts here in iowa winning here in iowa. no expectations in new hampshire, but it would be weird if they didn't compete heavily in new hampshire because it's been an important state to clintons in the past. >> there's a sentimental factor. and the fact bill clinton did in 1992. the worst, you know, hits that all happened. >> it would have been a quick

knockout. she wouldn't have been able to get off the map the way she did. >> and him saying he was the comeback kid because he came in second in the history. and if you look at the poll. the age differential is so -- >> you would rather be in a traditional iowa caucus turnout, be clinton than sanders. she's got the voters that are more likely to show up. sanders is going to determine this thing yet. the next debate in new hampshire and there's still some chance that she might go for what sanders is proposing.

and they both believe debates are good for them. i think, ultimately, they're going to say yes to all of these debates. >> speaking of debates, there's a debate on the republican side. and basically coming up against fox news -- but it's a clever strategy. >> it is, trump's event starts an hour earlier, by the way. >> katie tur said that's the warm-up. the actual main act. >> i think ultimately, this debate will be a distant memory by saturday. people forget, this may not have the shelf life going into monday. if i were cruz and the other candidates, i'd be doing what they'd doing to smoke trump out. he's clearly the guy in the lead and when you're in the lead, walk away. he could only damage himself at

this debate and now the debate could become a slug fest with rubio and cruz which only plays into the hands of one person. donald trump. >> and donald trump so far ahead in new hampshire that he can have a one, two victory in the next two weeks, his strength. >> the democratic race is more uncertain right now. it feels like. if you just follow the polls. and you didn't know donald trump's background, you would just look at the numbers and say, the democratic race seems much more uncertain than the republican race and yet, nobody feels comfortable assuming that these trump leads hold up. at some point, say, he's winning. >> we'll have more on that. things change so rapidly. everybody's got to turn in for the latest. >> i'll see you in four and a half hours. >> great, thank you. and more on bernie sanders' medical records. we'll talk to the top campaign advisor and strategy iike thaas.

coming up more on "andrea mitchell reports" with chuck todd right here on msnbc.

(two text tones) now? (text tone) excuse me. (phone tone) again? be right back. always running to the bathroom because your bladder is calling the shots? (text tone) you may have oab. enough of this. we're going to the doctor. take charge and ask your doctor about myrbetriq. that's myr-be-triq, the first and only treatment... ...in its class for oab symptoms of urgency... ...frequency, and leakage. myrbetriq (mirabegron) may increase blood pressure. tell your doctor right away if you have trouble emptying your bladder, or have a weak urine stream. myrbetriq may cause serious allergic reactions. if you experience... ...swelling of the face, lips, throat or tongue or difficulty breathing, stop taking myrbetriq and tell your doctor right away. myrbetriq may affect or be affected by other medications.

before taking myrbetriq... ...tell your doctor if you have liver or kidney problems. common side effects include increased blood pressure... ...common cold symptoms, urinary tract infection... ...and headache. it's time for you to make the calls, so call your doctor to see if ...myrbetriq may be right for you. visit myrbetriq.com to learn more. bis committed to truth on the label. when we say real meat is the first ingredient, it is always number one. we leave out poultry by-product meal, corn, wheat and soy. and, we own where our dry food is made - 100%. can other brands say all that? for grain-free nutrition you can trust, does your food go beyond? learn more at beyondpetfood.com

sometimes young people think it's not cool, it's not hip to be thinking about politics. football, yes. partying, yes. but politics? that's not cool, that's kind of dumb. that's what people want you to believe and i don't want you to vote. >> senator sanders moments ago. he's here in des moines making a pitch to young first time voters. the key to his potential victory here if he's going to get the turnout he needs to win in iowa. ted devine is a key advisor to the campaign. let's review that. the medical records from the doctor. it seems to me that, as i say, i'm not a doctor. but it looks to me like you've got it here. >> it's incredible. not just his health but stamina.

it's incredible to travel with him and see how vigorously he can campaign. i think he'll keep it up for the rest of the campaign. >> he was talking to lester holt about this and alluded to his history in elementary school and then high school as someone who actually played sports. let me play a little bit of that. >> thank god i am in good health. and as a former long distance runner, was a pretty good miler when i was in high school, running and college, my endurance is stronger. >> now, if we accept the fact he's in good health and good stamina, despite the fact he's the oldest person to be running for president, the next thing is on some of these issues, the campaign say he switched his position but is he now willing to co-sponsor to repeal the gun

manufacturers' immunity bill he once voted for? >> yes, and include to protect rural gun shops and i hope they do. they should consider doing that. >> why though at this stage? he's had a lot of time to think about this. is it because the gun issue is hurting him? >> no, it's because two months ago, when he was asked about this legislation that he voted for, some things in it, he thought were good like child safety locks and preventing armored piercing bullets that could kill cops and protections for rural gun shops in the state of vermont he represented. there were some things he doesn't support and said a couple months ago, he would reconsider it. he has and he will support the bill. >> let's talk about the new poll today because he's a virtual tie. hillary up by a few points in the margin of error and as a strategist, you've got to focus. you need the young people. how do you motivate them to come out? >> it's true. this is going to be a battle of the turnout. i think they have enough to win. the question is, who's going to

turn out monday night? we've been talking aggressively for monday. bernie at a high school talking to them. they say, young people don't vote. they did for president obama and what's different now, eight years later, is the technology that exists and our ability to communicate with young people was profound. there was no iphone in 2008 and now everybody has some kind of device like that in their pocket. and now we advertise to them and hope to get them out. it's their future that we're talking about. and he's got a lot of plans for their future. >> he went after hillary clinton for being back in philadelphia raising money from an investment firm. so what about this issue of her, her ties to wall street? you've been really, really hammering away at her. >> i think it's a real issue. bernie sanders has decided not just to talk the talk, saying we've got to change campaign

finance system in america, but to walk the walk. he's funded his campaign with small contributions. yesterday, we had a fundraiser too in america that raised $1.4 million from people who made contributions with an average of less than $30. went to fphiladelphia with a firm. bernie believes we cannot fix a rigged economy unless we change the finances. that's part of his campaign. >> is that to be more negative and go on the attack? >> i think it's necessarily a decision to be more negative. he talked openly about this in the last debate for example. pointed out, you can remember that, you know, listen, she gave three speeches in 2013 to goldmgol goldman sachs. she received $2 million from wall street in one year. we don't think if you take that kind of money if your campaign is funded by that like it was last night in philadelphia on

her campaign, you know, you've got to be able to take on wall street. she doesn't do to fixed a rigged economy. >> she argues she's going after shadow banks and hedge funds. she's doing things not even put in his plan. >> it's much tougher on wall street. she can have difference of opinion, but bernie is saying something clear to people. you understand, if you had banks too big to fail to take down the economy and now they're bigger, we need to break them up. it will make common sense. >> what are you putting in your final ads? >> we have some great ads on. not just one ad, but you know, we've got a great ad about america. a lot of people have seen we've got an ad from bernie talking about the american horizon he sees ahead and an ad today we're releasing about endorsements from postal workers to nurses to organizations like action and we're going to talk about the fact that people join the campaign and cause with a lot of

other people much bigger than themselves. >> ted devine created the ads and your team, how do you feel when hillary clinton monday night was shown the ad and say, it's fabulous. >> i felt great about it. and i hope it will go on that the advertising from both sides, that the commentary from both sides can be positive and hopeful for the future. we have differences on issues, we can debate them but we can be positive and don't have to take each other down. >> everyone can agree on simon and gar fun cancel. >> that was great. tadd, thank you. coming up, the cruz challenge. the senator still holding out hope for a mono e mono debate with donald trump. this is a special edition of "andrea mitchell reports" from des moines, iowa. to folks out there whose diabetic nerve pain...

shoots and burns its way into your day, i hear you. to everyone with this pain that makes ordinary tasks extraordinarily painful, i hear you. make sure your doctor hears you too! i hear you because i was there when my dad suffered with diabetic nerve pain. if you have diabetes and burning, shooting pain in your feet or hands, don't suffer in silence! step on up and ask your doctor about diabetic nerve pain. tell 'em cedric sent you.

the big question, why isn't donald trump participating? this has trump's main competitor in the polls, ted cruz, to suggest a one on one debate between the two of them saying it's a matter of respect. >> you think he's going to accept it? >> time will tell. if he respects the voters of iowa, then he will accept the invitation. it's not a challenge. it's a town hall. with 800 iowians taking questions from the men and women of iowa. and i think any candidate who wants to earn the votes to men and women of the state has to show the respect and humility to submit yourself to the voters and answer their questions. donald and i are timed. the election is 11 hours away and i believe the men and women of iowa deserve a direct discussion between the two leading candidates. >> that's ted cruz with our halle jackson. joining me now, new york times political reporter nick

confasuri and chris alyssa. postpolitics.com and msnbc contributor. welcome all. susan, first to you. because donald trump is just tweeting, in fact, about ted cruz even though i beat him in the first six debates, especially the last one, ted cruz wants to debate me again. can we do it in canada? still donald trump but you interviewed terry bradstand, popular governor and he's got it in for cruz because cruz doesn't support the ethanol subsidy and all of that. i want to play a bit of your interview with governor brandstad. we can talk about it on the other side. >> he is certainly rewritten the rule book, the turnout he gives at his events is beyond anything we've ever seen before. i guess except for maybe barack obama, eight years ago on the democratic side. but on the republican side, i mean, yeah, at 1700 people in ottumwa. there's not many republicans in

ottumwa, that's a great turnout and i think it's a tribute to the interest i think that people have in restoring american greatness. >> so the governor is saying that donald trump has rewritten the republican rule book. that's for sure, we can agree. >> terry brandstad is the antithesis. a public servant, no bluster. and he would not say a negative word about donald trump. i asked, could somebody with no experience in public office successfully serve as president? he said he's an unconventional iowa but clearly reflects the movement by some of the republican establishment to the idea, accepting the idea that donald trump may be their nominee. >> nick, are you -- donald trump who goes after megyn kelly now and retaliating against her and making this, is different from

the donald trump who was being interviewed by megyn kelly in 2011. take a look at this. >> do you really think that you're a better moderator than i am? >> i could never beat you. you have done a great job, by the way, and i mean it. >> that's sort of irony upon irony. >> i think it was honestly the press release and a fair point he's making, in my opinion. >> it was taunting donald trump about 24 hours ago. >> calling him a baby, basically. >> and he said, why should i, bye-bye, why should i do a debate, when fox news is taking me on? >> i think criticisms of the media have to flow from the candidates to the media, not vice versa. i think it was inappropriate to taunt him like that. and why would you want to do a debate on a network that is saying you're a baby and a child? that's kind of dumb. >> and chris alyssa, watching this from dc, it's a circus.

i mean, it's a tight race on the democratic side and the debate over debates on that side. the republican side, this is nothing but a complete rewriting of the governor brandstad of the rules. >> i was listening to your conversation earlier saying the republican race, it looks simpler at this point for donald trump to be the nominee than the democratic race solely byi polling which is an unbelievable thing no one would have said and if you told someone 20 years ago, you would say no one would believe you. so i do think he remains sort of the prime mover in this race. i think this whole gambit over the fox news debate reinforces that. andrea, i don't think it has really to do, i think nick is right, not to do with megyn kelly. i think the press release has something to do with it but if you listen to his interview with bill o'reilly last night toll him six debates is enough.

i think he's sort of done with it. i don't think he really enjoys it. i don't think he sees a material gain. he would rather have a big rally and champion the ratings, almost assuredly lower that he's sort of the draw. i think he's -- megyn kelly, the press release are sort of convenient excuses for a guy that's sort of trying to run out the clock in a state that he has the momentum. >> and susan page, i mean, you have been in iowa so many cycles. this is a game where i don't think iowans care about the fact he's not going to show up for the debate. he may get more attention with the veterans and whoever this group is because he hasn't identified the group he's speaking to. >> jim gannon and the former editor of the des moines register who ran the debate and paid a big price, he said he'll pay a price this time but not sure that's going to be true. i think he's debated before. doesn't look like there's a lot

of resentment on the part of iowa voters. >> they're calling it now, nick, donald tru donaldtrumpforveterans.com. don't know this group. >> there's a veteran group that said it would turn down any contribution that comes out of this bet. they're saying it's not good for veterans. it's a stunt. and it is. and what they really want is a debate. these two candidates, ted cruz, want an actual debate with this guy. as chris pointed out, he is trying to run out the clock and freeze the race where it is right now where he has the upper hand. why should i give time to my rivals on tv to bash me? >> is there a risk at all, chris alyssa and depending on caucus voters to show up as bernie sanders is on the democratic side. that's not a sure bet. >> look, any time you break with what's expected, there's going to be risk.

what's a better organizing rally to get people intensely interested in broadening your y base? is it a big rally that we assume will be attended by iowans or a national debate that, yes, people from iowa will watch but so will people from colorado and connecticut. in this particular instance, you can easily make the case and if you wanted to generate excitement in this one state which as chuck and you noted earlier, if he wins this state, you know, he's going to be a very, very strong favorite in new hampshire. if you need to accept people in this state, you could make this argument plausibly what he's doing makes more sense appearing in the national debate. >> and briefly, susan page, you were with bernie sanders today for reporters roundtable. your headlines coming out on that. >> he said they hope to win, they can win with a big turnout. it depends on whether these young people flooding his rallies and cheering him on

actually bother to go out and caucus. they hope so, but not sure. >> susan page, great to see you guys. chris cillizza, thank you for joining us. bill clinton speaking in iowa right now as hillary clinton campaigns across the state. trying to return flying back from her fund raising in philadelphia and new york. trying to win over first time voters for iowa communications director joining me next. you're watching a special report of "andrea mitchell reports" live from des moines only on msnbc. soup and sandwich and somewhere to go, and clean and real and nowhere to be, and warmth and looking good, and sandwich and soup and inside jokes, and dan is back! good, clean food pairs well with anything. the clean pairings menu.

500 calories or less. at panera. food as it should be.

parking is hard to find. seems like everyone drives. and those who do should switch to geico because you could save hundreds on car insurance. ah, perfect. valet parking. evening, sir. hello! here's the keys. and, uh, go easy on my ride, mate. hm, wouldn't mind some of that beef wellington... to see how much you could save on car insurance, go to geico.com. ah! (car alarm sounds) it's ok! let me be very clear about this. caucus night in iowa, you'll be able to tell very early i think who wins and who loses. if there is a large voter turnout, we're going to win. >> well, the numbers don't lie.

our new poll has hillary clinton and bernie sanders in a dead heat. losing my voice here in the cold. so the winter will be determine by which team has the better organization on the ground to get their supporters to vote. lilly adams is the hillary for iowa communications director and joins me now. lilly, this is a matter of turnout. you know that better than i do and our new nbc news "wall street journal" poll shows older voters vote for hillary and younger voters solidly for bernie sanders. >> since april, we make sure not just pockets of support but a statewide operation in all 681 precincts. we've been working since april and organizing very hard. i have great confidence in what the turnout is going to be for hillary clinton on monday night. >> what is the strike thategy t people there? i know you put up video with a how-to and instructions. it's complicated. >> yeah, we want to make sure that everybody knows what time

the caucus begins. we want to make sure they know what day the caucus is and where the caucus is. a lot of our organization, again, has been on the ground since april is really geared toward that, the volunteer teams that, again, know the precincts inside and out. communicate with the supporters to know where they need to go and when they need to be there. >> in talking to tad devine and people on the other side, the sanders camp, they think the numbers are just about even and that's certainly what our polls show. >> yeah, i think we expected a competitive caucus and that's what we've got and that's what we have built for, starting in april, put organizers on the ground, 28 organizers. a big investment because we thought it would be a ketti t e competitive caucus. >> volunteers, how many do you have? >> thousands. i couldn't give you exactly but a couple of weekends of big volunteer activity and dozens of folks showing up in the dead of cold. 80% are showing up for volunteer

shifts. those are huge numbers for anyone with community organization or political organizing. we know our folks are dedicated and we see that enthusiasm in their volunteer shifts, so we feel good going into the last five days. >> why do you think young people are drawn to bernie sanders? the poll tells a story. what is it about hillary clinton that's not inspiring the passion in the numbers of young people? >> it's not my experience. i've seen a lot of enthusiasm for hillary clinton on the campuses. we were just there at the university of iowa a couple of weeks ago. and, you know, we had a crowd of 1700 there to see her and demi lovato. we had some of the best precinct captains, those who are going to be 18 by november, high school students in places like keota. i've seen a lot of young people excited about what hillary is talk abouting. >> when we talk about the ground game, it was interesting to note that she was in philadelphia raising money last night. bernie sanders had a mason city

event. so bill clinton shows up, rescheduled for mason city and appearing at just about the same time. jockeying back and forth, one starting after another and miles apart. both you and sanders people, you're all watching each other's moves. >> i would say that iowa becomes a small state when you've got so many candidates and supporters who are here in the final five days, so secretary will be here a lot between now and caucus day. she's been here doing events every day, so i think iowans see a lot of her. >> it's a giant chess board. >> exactly, 3d chess here. thanks for having me. coming up, full-court press. the clintons take iowa by storm. all clintons, over 20 campaign events in the next few days. you see bill clinton there, as we speak. you're watching a special edition of "andrea mitchell reports" live from iowa. e*trade is all about seizing opportunity. so i'm going to take this opportunity to go off script.

so if i wanna go to jersey and check out shotsy tuccerelli's portfolio, what's it to you? or i'm a scottish mason whose assets are made of stone like me heart. papa! you're no son of mine! or perhaps it's time to seize the day. don't just see opportunity, seize it! (applause) could protect you from diabetes? seize it! what if one sit-up could prevent heart disease? one. wishful thinking, right? but there is one step you can take to help prevent another serious disease. pneumococcal pneumonia. if you are 50 or older, one dose of the prevnar 13® vaccine can help protect you from pneumococcal pneumonia, an illness that can cause coughing, chest pain, difficulty breathing, and may even put you in the hospital. even if you have already been vaccinated with another pneumonia vaccine, prevnar 13® may help provide additional protection. prevnar 13® is used in adults 50 and older to help prevent infections

from 13 strains of the bacteria that cause pneumococcal pneumonia. you should not receive prevnar 13® if you have had a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine or its ingredients. if you have a weakened immune system, you may have a lower response to the vaccine. common side effects were pain, redness or swelling at the injection site, limited arm movement, fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain, less appetite, chills, or rash. get this one done. ask your doctor or pharmacist about prevnar 13® today.

♪ it was always just a hobby. something you did for fun. until the day it became something much more. and that is why you invest. the best returns aren't just measured in dollars. ♪

are you completely sold on hillary clinton? >> 110% sold. >> what is it about hillary over bernie? >> experience. >> a lot are voting because of the ideas expressed popular with my age group. >> which political story will make headlines in the next 24 hours? obviously the political trail here. nbc's monica alba has been from the beginning in newton, iowa. you just heard a couple of people out there along the way being interviewed about how they feel. bill clinton right now doing an event and chelsea is on her way. >> reporter: that's absolutely right, andrea. the entire clinton family is coming out and last night even joked if charlotte hit the trail, they would definitely be able to dominate anything. this is going to be a family affair for the clintons this weekend. as you mentioned, former

president bill clinton has events all day today and tomorrow night is the first we'll see the three of them together. secretary clinton, bill clinton, and chelsea clinton at a quad cities event. we're going to see them several times before the caucuses on monday and then monday night, they've announced they are calling a victory party at drake university and both bill clinton and chelsea clinton will be there as well. and campaigning with gab gee giffords and mark kelly, former astronaut. we expect a record there with sanders and hear a lot about that. as you mentioned earlier in the program, specifically, this immunity vote from 2005 that is causing some controversy and friction between the two campaigns. >> and which the sanders

campaign is saying he is in fact, changing position on and will support legislation to repeal that immunity for gun manufacturers, immunity from lawsuits, which should point out charlotte is only about a year and a half old. that's not launched out here in iowa but the rest of the family is. one of the thing about iowa and the clintons, there's no residual history of a clinton campaign, a bill clinton campaign here because in 1992, he didn't campaign here. tom harkin was then running for president. he was very popular senator, recently retired. so he didn't campaign in iowa and new hampshire was his first campaign. that's where he pull himself up and came within a couple of points of paul sonders who won it and restored his luster going down south to florida, actually. so that's the problem they've had from the beginning. the only memories they really have, presidential campaigns they have from iowa are her

thinker place finithird place f. >> this weekend will be time for some new memories and setting a new pace for campaigning in iowa for the clintons. something interesting i've observed is we've seen a lot of people come up to hillary clinton on the rope line in the last few days and saying that something they really enjoyed is seeing bill clinton on the trail and that's been a big factor in making their decision. we'll see how much that helps or hurts come monday. >> monica alba, great to have you on. thank you so much out there on the trail. and that does it for this special edition of "andrea mitchell reports." live from des moines, iowa. we'll be right back here tomorrow as we count down to the caucus. and remember, follow this show o'neill online and on twitt twitter @mitchellreports. and sometimes, i just don't eat the way i should.

so i drink boost® to get the nutrition that i'm missing. boost complete nutritional drink has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to support strong bones and 10 grams of protein to help maintain muscle. all with a great taste. i don't plan on slowing down any time soon. stay strong. stay active with boost®.

we start with the republican race for president. four days until iowa and no question as to who's in the lead. only whether donald trump will show up for the debate tonight after hosting his own competing event. new polling from nbc news and partners has trump in the lead in all three of the early voting states. up seven in iowa and up double digits in new hampshire and south carolina. meanwhile, trump maintains he's bailing on the republican debate tonight in des moines part of a long standing fight with fox news and megyn kelly and will hold a competing event for veterans. why with fox? he defined in old testament terms? >> in your christian faith, there is a significant tenet and that's of forgiveness. don't you think that's the right thing to do? >> it probably is, but you know, it's called an eye for an eye also. you can look at it that way. >> we have got five