then stay tuned for post-debate analysis. i'll be in the spin room talking to the candidates. and that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. msnbc's coverage of tonight's big debate continues right now with my colleague, rachel maddow. rachel? >> chris matthews, thank you, my i am totally blind. friend. and non-24 can make me show up too early... or too late. much appreciated. it's fun to have this handoff with you at an unusual time. or make me feel like i'm not really "there." thanks for being with us tonight. thanks for joining us this hour. talk to your doctor, never a dull moment. and call 844-234-2424. this is a big night. we are less than one hour away from the democratic candidates' debate in las vegas. whether your beauty routine is 3or 57,... we are watching the candidates make nature's bounty hair skin and nails step one. arrive. we are expecting them fob it's the number one brand uniquely formulated introduced within the hour. over the course of this hour, for silky hair, glowing skin we're going to have everything and healthy nails. you need to know about tonight's nature's bounty, debate and about the standing of because you're better off healthy. the candidates heading into the debate and this unusual situation in which two states have already voted and eight debates have already happened, but one of the candidates is going to be on the stage tonight is going to be making his debut

appearance there. sort of arriving halfway into act i. a but i hearsearches fa different calling. every neck in the room is going to be craning tonight to see the the call of a schmear of cream cheese. new guy, who will be on the for i, am a schmelier. i practice my craft at philadelphia. stage, even though he won't be on the ballot inform nevada this here, we use only the freshest milk... weekend. nor will he be on the ballot in south carolina next week, that one! go! go! and the finest ingredients... either. mike bloomberg, former new york city mayor, is fast closing in what is this? until perfection is achieved. on a half billion dollars in ad she's ready. spending already in this race, schmears! to promote his unorthodox philadelphia. schmear perfection. candidacy, in which he is skipping the four earliest voting states. well, tonight, he will be on the side of your screen that you can see there, next to elizabeth warren, vice president joe biden, bernie sanders in the middle, flanked by pete buttigieg and elizabeth warren and then on the edges, senator amy klobuchar and mike bloomberg, with bloomberg there for the first time, democratic voters tonight will have their first chance to see him debate and his fellow candidates will have their first opportunity to take whatever shots at him they may have been saving up for this

moment, while he has been burying them in unimaginable amounts of ads for weeks now. so we're going to get to all of that. steve kornacki is here to talk with us, among other things, about some of the eye-population turnout numbers that we have already seen in the nevada caucuses. we'll be talking about with him about that and the latest polling and all the rest of it. but like i said, never a dull moment. as the candidates do prepare to take the stage within the hour, "the new york times" was first to report tonight that the president is preparing to start a new director of national welcome back to our coverage intelligence on the job as soon of the democratic candidates' as tomorrow. debate tonight. his name is rick grinnell. we are keeping an eye on the stage. over the next few minutes, we he is a trump loyalist who has are expecting nevada power never served a day in the broker, former senate majority intelligence community in any leader harry reid to speak. we're expecting the chairman of capacity. the democratic party, tom perez, which would be a new thing for to speak. somebody appointed to be the we're expecting lester holt to introduce all of the candidates. director of national we're expecting to see all the intelligence. he has only ever -- he had only candidates at their podiums. i want to bring into the

ever held spokesman and conversation now maria irbina, a communication-type roles before president trump appointed him to be ambassador to germany. while he has served in that post former vice president at voto during the trump administration, grinnell and the state department have refused to comment on allegations from lev latino. maria, thank you so much for joining us. great to have you with us parnas, that ambassador grinnell tonight. >> great to be with you, rachel. was actually personally caught >> as the eyes of the nation up in a part of the ukraine turn toward nevada and towards scheme for which the president this pretty wild democratic was recently impeached. candidate's field, what do you according to lev parnas, think people should be looking grinnell agreed to help out a for, people who aren't necessarily familiar with the dynamics inside the state, with kremlin-backed ukrainian how it's going to be different oligarch who was facing multiple in nevada to have so much more of a diverse electorate than we've seen in the first two flan charges to alert him if the contests this far. what should we have our eyes justice department was about to open for tonight? move to extradite him. >> the reason that it's importantly, doj prosecutors say important that we pay attention the oligarch in question her, to nevada is because it actually dmitry furattach, they say he's helps deepen the theory of winning for a lot of these an upper echelon associate of candidates that need a base that's multi-racial. russian organized crime. so folks who are competing here, so if ambassador rick grinnell candidates who are competing did offer to give this guy a here not only need to have a heads up, to help him invade very strong working class

coalition, but a racial u.s. law enforcement, which would pose a very awkward set of coalition. it's increasingly well questions for someone who's organized. and in addition to that, for about to be promoted to run u.s. example within the first time ever, we're seeing preference intelligence. but the president is reported cards printed into gaelic, tonight to be planning to install rick grinnell as the because the aapi and filipino acting director of national intelligence as soon as community is also really tomorrow. organized. it's a state where you can really penetrate. >> maria, let me -- whereupon mr. grenell would be >> -- use that -- yep? in charge of all 17 u.s. >> i'm sorry to interrupt you intelligence agencies despite for just a second. having no intelligence >> my old boss. >> my former boss, harry reid is experience whatsoever. if he's installed as acting taking the stage. director of national >> we'll be right back with you. intelligence tomorrow, mr. grenell would not bear any >> senator reid getting a standing as he comes out. scrutiny or witness from the senate until he's formally nominated and put up for the >> thank you very much. post, some day, some way. we are watching that [ chanting: harry ] late-breaking news tonight, as the debate stage takes shape in las vegas. also, president trump today >> thank you very much. fired another senior official who played a role in the ukraine since our state was formed in scandal. another official who raised objections to the president 1864, we've not had a governor withholding military aid to that has been as successful

krun. during his first term of working with the legislature as steve his name is john rude. has president trump was sisolak. what he's been able to do with pressuring them to investigate joe biden, withholding u.s. military aid to ukraine, john giving state employees a right to organize, what he's done rood reportedly advised with -- what he's done with contemporaneously that that was recognizing early on that a bad idea. that that would be dangerous to climate's a problem in america today, it's a problem here in u.s. interests. cnn has published quotes from an nevada, and what he's done with the environment is significant. email they said rood sent at and i'm proud of him, what he's time to the defense secretary, a letter saying that the president done. a lot of people talk about doing holding up that military aid would, quote, undermine our things about guns. he did it. defense priorities with a key partner in the strategic competition with russia. but understand, we talk about in addition to expressing that objection, john rood is also the empowering women. what's happening in nevada is just the opposite. women have empowered us. pentagon official who officially certified that ukraine had met all of its anti-corruption benchmarks for receiving u.s. military aid, which gave lie to we hear, and you can't say it the white house defense that president trump was just being often enough, what we have in an anti-corruption watchdog. nevada is amazing. our congressional delegation,

you know how he does it, when he majority is women. our state legislature, the withheld that military aid. assembly and the senate, but now that senior pentagon majority women. our supreme court, majority official, john rood, has been fired. he made his resignation letter public today so there could be women. now, just a little vignette no ambiguity about it. here. when i came to the united states it says right there at the top senate, we had one woman, of his resignation letter that barbara mikulski. the president demanded his and over the years as women started coming into the senate, i can speak from experience, recessi resignation. so we know that john rood did not jump, he was pushed. also today, i'm not sure anybody every time we had another woman is quite sure what to make of in the senate, the senate got this. but today in a courtroom in london, a lawyer for wikileaks better. founder julian assange told a uk court that in 2017, president we saw the debacle in iowa. trump offered a presidential pardon to julian assange as a we saw what happened in new hampshire. iowa and new hampshire do not quid pro quo. the offer, reportedly, was that represent the makeup of the president trump would have the u.s. criminal case against julian assange dropped. united states. and that's why pundits are he would part assange if he, julian assange, would like and saying and i'm saying that we say that the hack of democratic should have nevada as the first state to vote. e-mails during the 2016 campaign was not carried out by russia. nevada is a state where we have

so, lie and say russia didn't do it, and the president will give you a pardon. shown that state parties are meaningful. we have the best state party that offer, according to julian assange's legal team was reportedly delivered in person organization in the entire in 2017 by republican congressman dana rohrabacher, country. it didn't happen overnight. who has in fact said publicly in we've had many people that work the past that he conveyed this type of pardon offer to julian to make it a good party. assange. now, though, that it has been i appreciate chairman mccurdy, ruled admissible in assange's what he's been doing. case, it will be part of i doubt if she's here tonight. assange's defense in court, as he tries to avoid extradition to she's probably taking care of her children, doing a lot of the united states himself, which things. presumably means that this i kept her real busy today. but no one has had a better particular claim is going to be tested in court in britain, impact than the state party development in nevada than a which would be fascinating. woman by the name of rebecca for their part, i should mention, the white house is denying all of it today, since lam. these claims were first made today in court. and of course, tomorrow, the nevada is a state that is representative of the country. trump campaign's contact with it's diverse. it's heavily unionized. wikileaks during the campaign, it's a state where everyone while wikileaks was needs to recognize that tourism strategically releasing the material that russia had stolen, is the number one, two, or three the trump campaign's link to wikileaks during the campaign, economic driver in any state. roger stone, is due to be and that's why when people come sentenced in federal court here, they need to talk about tomorrow. mr. stone was convicted of lying

tourism. because it is important. to investigators about his it's important to nevada and the contacts with wikileaks. rest of the country. he was convicted of threatening a witness who could have exposed the lie. well, what are we going to do? roger stone was found guilty on the main thing we're going to do all seven felony counts he was is thump trump. charged with. thank you very much. [ cheers and applause ] his sentencing is tomorrow and there has, of course, been a crisis at the justice department over the past week, not to mention a bit of a national >> nevada senator harry reid uproar, since attorney general getting a standing ovation, a william barr, last week, legend in democratic politics, broadly, but a man who made the rescinded prosecutor's democratic party what it is in sentencing recommendation for roger stone. nevada. more than 2,000 former justice and had an incredible record. department officials have called for william barr to resign as i can't help but think that was a little shout-out to you. attorney general because of every woman added to the senate made the senate a little better. that. barr himself is now occasional >> you know, harry, this was the threatening to resign. the president has been threatening the judge in the most not telegenic guy in the case, not to mention individual jurors in the case. it has just been nuts. senate. he is so blunt. it is so refreshing to remember but tomorrow, it will be a real federal judge who makes the real the meetings with harry when you think you would just getting decision on stone's sentence in rolling explaining something, he would be like, i'm done. an actual courtroom. the judge will decide tomorrow thump trump is just classic how much time roger stone is going to get, if any. harry reid. and then he's out. i mean, frankly, given what the

and i will give harry credit. last week has meant in this he was nervous about women, case, we all expect all hell to because he had not always had a break lose, no matter what the record that was impeccable from judge's decision is, but that will happen tomorrow. a perspective of reproductive freedom. and as a result, he was always so it is not an awesome time for reaching out to the women, always pulling the women in his the rule of law. office, always empowering the and, you know, our basic women of the senate to take on foundational status as a constitutional republic. more responsibility and clearly, it still means a lot to him, and but it's also wednesday. and that means tonight is the that's a good message to here night that we are about to take tonight as this debate begins. >> let me bring maria urbina a big step toward the democratic party lining up its candidate to back in this conversation. try to beat donald trump, to make him a one-term president in i'm sorry i had to interrupt you, but i figured you wouldn't the general election this fall. iowa, the first contest in the mind, because that is your former boss. senator reid, as we were just talking here on the panel, you primary, is literally still counting as of today, and almost can't overstate how they're not done yet. effective he has been within the state on making it possible for iowa still basically looks like democrats to win there. and for making such an impressive democratic operation a tie between sanders and in that state, right? buttigieg. the second contest was new >> that's right. and the senator is correct in hampshire. saying that senator reid really new hampshire was narrowly won by sanders over buttigieg. invests in the leadership of in nevada, where the candidates are facing off tonight and the women. when i think about my time in caucuses are saturday, the his senate office, when i think polling in nevada says that

about my time on the campaign in buttigieg is probably likely to have a harder time competing for 2010, it's largely women who are running most of his operations the top spot in this third state than he did in the first two. and it's women that he looks to, in fact, in nevada, sanders is oftentimes. another piece that folks don't know in sort of drawing why so confident in his standing, nevada is important, when that after the debate tonight, senator reid ran in 2010, he is not even staying in nevada everyone said, he was out of here. he was a dead man walking. ahead of saturday's caucuses. and he squarely won that race. sanders' campaign is apparently so confident they're going to and you can look it up. win in nevada that sanders is moving on to start campaigning because latinos and immigrants in this state really showed up. in california, even as the caucuses are still pending this the reason nevada is important, the reason it matters is that weekend. but let's take a look at that translated to how senator reid polling. and let's also look at this governed, it translated to how he led the senate. intriguing news on turnout. and if you talk to many immigrant rights organizations who will remember the work that because after some meh turnout numbers in iowa and okay turnout senator reid did. it wasn't always perfect, but it numbers in new hampshire, look certainly stayed with him when at what was just reported out of he saw communities organize and show up in these elections. nevada today. this was the turnout for the so for nevada to be on display nevada caucuses in 2016, about tonight, to have these candidates competing in a place 84,000. that was all on one day at the where these issues are so nevada caucuses four years ago. resonant, the rest of the there was no early voting in country get to talk about how can we expect these candidates 2016. this year, there is early voting to governor as they look forward for the caucuses, three days of after trump. it so far. and look, just with the early >> maria urbina, thank you so

voting, even before the actual much for taking time to be with caucuses take place on saturday, us tonight. we're excited to have you here. thanks a lot. will i say, we're about to they're already in nevada up past 77 votes. they are already closing in on hear from tom perez, the the total number of caucusgoers they had in nevada in 2016, just national chairman of the democratic party. robert, let me go back to you on this issue about organizing and four years ago. that's before the caucuses even the effectiveness of the party happened. i can't even really get my head apparatus. around that. obviously, we're all a little joining us to help us get our worried about how the party is going to operate the actual heads around that and figure out caucuses in terms of turning what that means is the great around results and the steve kornacki. logistics. well, now let me cut myself off steve, thank you so much. please help me understand significance of those numbers in here. because tom perez is coming out nevada. >> yeah, well, it's a bit of an on the stage. i'm sorry, i apologize. open question. when you put them back on the tom perez, chairman of the democratic party. screen there, of course, this >> one of the most impactful early caucus nevada, this senators in american history. tradition is a very recent tradition there. senator harry reid. it dates back to 2008. thank you for what you've done, senator reid! you've got tenacity. so we've had all of two democratic caucuses to compare you know, nevada is called the to. battle born state for a reason. the turnout was about 84,000 you've got tenacity. last time around. and that's why i'm so confident in 2018, very high democratic that you are going to help us win this battle against donald spr interest here, it was about trump. 117,000 and change. because as you know, democrats so you mention that number, over have incredible success here in 7,000 in the early vote, here's the thing. we don't know exactly how much

of the final share that's going 2008, as people have outlined. to be, but in earnevada, early steve sisolak, your governor, one of the most remarkable people we've known. we've sent dean heller packing, voting is very popular with pe out of every and that's a lesson for every republican out there. three ballots that were cast if you're coming after people's health care, we're coming at you statewide in that general election ended up being cast for your job! early. two out of three. there's a chance here that this in 2016, it was joe heck. 70,000 and change that's been reported now by the state party and you know what, a nevadaen could be the lion's share of all said, heck, no. in 2018, it was dean heller, and of the vote. but you are getting close to that 84,000. raises the question if you're going to get over 100,000, nevadans said, hell, no. potentially challenge that 2008 let's give it up to the two mark. in these first two contests so women that replaced them. far, turnout we saw in the iowa senator rosen, congresswoman titus, congresswoman lee, caucuses, it was close to flat with 2016, only up a couple congresswoman horseford. thousand. in nevada, a dramatic uptick. folks, you've got a great penbe, a great team and these victories happened because of one simple up to 300,000. that 2020 number, that was word. organize! higher than the 2008 new the nevada democratic party and countless volunteers and hampshire democratic primary. partners organized and lifted up the obama/clinton one. that was more than a significant diverse communities across every uptick right there.

in terms of the lay of the land, inch of this state. this is the average of all the from our native american and polling that's out there right now. obviously, sanders here, his filipino brothers and sisters to campaign has been talking about our african-american and latin up the possibility they say they are confident in his support brothers and sisters. nevada is truly a microcosm of with hispanic voters. america. i caution you on the polling in and that's exactly how we're nevada. "a," there isn't a lot of it. going to win again in november. "b," it is a hard state to poll. the reason why there isn't a lot this president may have his of it, so that adds some twitter accounts, baa we got our suspense into saturday's clickboards and our organizers results. you got some polling out there. and we're organizing to protect it's limited in its scope and a our health care. we're organizing to protect the difficult state to poll. right to form a union! we mentioned sanders' campaign saying thaet they think that hes we're organizing! we're organizing to protect a got some significant support woman's right to control her own with voters. this is the first state where you have a significant non-white voting bloc here. body! we're organizing to protect you can see about a quarter that's hispanic or largely immigrants. hispanic here. also double digits for the first we're organizing to combat time. we're going to have more than climate change. we're organizing right here in 10% here. really for the first time, we'll las vegas. have more than 3% of the the site of the worst mass democratic electorate are on 2. shooting in american history so we can take the fight to the nra

so you will have a much more and end gun violence once and diverse electorate here. for all. one more thing issues in and we will do that. as others have mentioned, we're already at 70,000 early voters iowa. we don't know if there are going here and to give you some to be issues like that here perspective, in 2016, 84,000 again in nevada. there are some possibilities people turned out in total on here. tom perez, the chairman of the caucus day. democratic national committee and folks, we're still three has told the associated press that he doesn't know if there will be results that are days out from caucus day, and this comes on the heels of announced on saturday. keep that in mind. record-breaking turnout a week you remember, what the dnc has ago in new hampshire. so we're making sure that more mandated in 2020 for caucuses people can participate in our democracy. nevadaness can register on the like nevada and iowa that have never been the case before, they same day. say, you have to report out caucus materials as the chair three sets of numbers. pointed out in english, spanish, the initial preference, when people first show up for their and tagolig. caucus sites or early voting democrats are organizing around sites, there's the reallocated the values of the american preference, when you account for the candidates who didn't hit people. and every single one of those 15% in precincts, and then the final results. it was the first time they've candidates shares our values. ever acquired that. and every single one of those that was a significant reason candidates would make a far for all of those delays out in better president than president iowa. there were all of these errors trum

with this number doesn't align trump. and the american people think with that number. so, too. the state party insists that the the latest quinnipiac poll from a week ago and a "washington tools that were used in iowa post" poll from today shows that that caused some issues out there will not be used in every single candidate on this nevada. but again, you've got folks stage would defeat donald trump deals with numbers they haven't in a head-to-matchup, folks. had to deal with before. these are volunteers at the caucus sites. that's why, folks, no matter who there's this grade schooogle sh makes it to the mountaintop, we the state part has come up with to import results into. you have to deal with this huge will unite behind our eventual early vote, to put that into the mix for the first time. and the chairman of the democratic party says, no guarantee in his mind that you nominee. the democratic party is a actually will get results. we had that nearly 24-hour delay family. the family often has spirited in iowa. discussions. come to my house at we'll see if that happens again. thanksgiving. but you know what, folks? >> the fact that they've got early voting in nevada right now that's healthy and when weapon take on donald trump, we know we and didn't have it in 2016, is will come together and do it that giving them an opportunity together, because our unity is to work any of the kinks out or highlighting that there might be indeed our greatest strength and logistical difficulties. his worst nightmare. is the early voting going smoothly? >> it's tough to say, because here's the catch wit. make no mistake about it, you have all of these precincts where people are going to go on though. this battle won't be easy. saturday to participate in caucuses. but wherever i feel myself you do not have one early voting getting tired or cynical, i location for every one

precinct/caucus location. think of all of the people you have fewer early voting across this great state and this locations. so what's happened is you go to great country who are counting these early voting things and on us to succeed. i think about the workers i met you basically fill out, here's in casino kitchens who are my first choice, here's my second choice, here's my third struggling to put food on the table for their families. choice. almost like ranked choice i think about the homeowners voting. and then the numbers get routed that i met here in nevada whose homes were foreclosed because to whatever precinct you would normally be in on saturday. and then the folks at the predatory lenders made nevada a precinct, supposedly, are going to open up these ipads and they're going to have the foreclosure haven in nevada. shame on them. i think about children like numbers that have taken place from early voting routed into the ipad that they got at their 9-year-old reynoso who was individual precinct site. separated from her mother maria they'll look at the corner of the room and say, we have 12 at the border two and a half biden people over here, 8 warren years ago because of the bankrupt policy of this president. and she talks to her mom on face people, 10 klobuchar. and they'll write them down in time. she should be hugging her mom! the ipad and it will be added to the early one the first words she learned in didn't hit 15%. that's supposedly how this is english were, they separated us. going to work on shard. she deserves a better america. it's never happened before, so it's an experiment. think about the people with pre-existing conditions who >> "a," caucuses are hard to might lose their health care if republicans get their way and

begin with, "b," they've never done it combined after the early think about the parents who have voting, and "c," no pressure after what just happened in to choose between paying rent iowa. >> exactly. >> steve kornacki, thank you, my and paying for insulin. friend. much more to come tonight as we gear up for tonight's think about the seniors and people with disabilities who democratic presidential debate. we are awaiting live remarks will be harmed by trump's threat from the debate stage including to cut medicare, medicaid, and from former senate majority social security. i think about every dreamer leader and nevada power broker, still striving for that same harry reid, who says that he is promise of opportunity that brought my parents to this uncommitted in the caucuses already. we're also going to be hearing from tom perez, the democratic country so many years ago. together, we will build the chairman, the candidates will be arriving soon. future they deserve and we will it's debate tonignight. do it together and if you want whoo-hoo! stay with us. to join this fight, join it together. text unify to 43367. when managing diabetes unify, 43367. you can't always stop for a fingerstick. with the freestyle libre 14 day system, [ speaking foreign language ] a continuous glucose monitor, you don't have to. with a painless, one-second scan you can check your glucose with a smart phone or reader >> democratic party chairman tom so you can stay in the moment. no matter where you are or what you're doing. perez, maybe as fired up as i've ever seen him, getting the crowd ask your doctor for a prescription for the freestyle libre 14 day system. going tonight as we head towards the starting moments of you can do it without fingersticks. tonight's democratic debate. that's right after this break. stay with us.

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♪ as the candidates prepare to take the stage, let's go back one last time to steve kornacki. looking at the polling picture heading into tonight, we're thinking about nevada and the overall state of the race, bernie sanders in this campaign feel exceedingly confident about anywhere chances in nevada.

>> take a look here nationally, this is our new nbc wall street journal poll, bernie sanders off that new hampshire win, a double-digit lead nationally. what you see is a lot of flux, biden who was running close to welcome back to our coverage 30%, pretty much for the entire of the democratic candidates' debate, which is about to start campaign, that's been slashed in in las vegas, nevada. half because of those two poor we are starting to see nevada performances he had. officials and democratic party you see warren, buttigieg and officials addressing the crowd, telling them what's going on. klobuchar got that great news we've seen a couple of out of new hampshire in terms of candidates arrive within the past few minutes. being so competitive there. neither one of them surging to senator amy klobuchar looking very happy as she arrives with compete with sanders yet, so some question marks there for them. some of her staff tonight to i think what's interesting though. take their play on the stage. bloomberg will be on the stage. you see what he's done vermont senator bernie sanders nationally, look where he's spending the money, he's had the arriving with his wife, jane, airwaves to himself in these and their staff. occasions. super tuesday state polls coming there's mike bloomberg tonight out for the day. arriving. this one is about a week old. all of the candidates, we believe, are going to be bloomberg ahead in arkansas announced right towards the top of the hour. there will be a number of different people, as i actually, oklahoma this one came

out yesterday. mentioned, speaking to the bloomberg up 6 there, audience about what's about to california, biggest prize on happen, including democratic super tuesday, sanders again, party chairman, tom perez. his campaign talking about an i think we'll try to take those advantage they have with remarks live, when he takes the hispanic voters. stage, obviously, because he's a bloomberg, you see that spending has put him in contention in a man of the moment, given how difficult some of the primary bunch of these super tuesday process has been already, and states, i think this one last how much he has been bearing. poll item i can show you is key. i am joined here in new york by in our nbc wall street journal some of my esteemed colleagues. poll. we asked voters if it's just jason johnson is politics editor at the root, claire mccaskill sanders and bloomberg, you got to choose right now. from the great state of missouri, joy reid, and robert sanders, 57. gibbs, former white house bloomberg. secretary under president obama. . that theory right now of it is great to have you all here bloomberg getting the one on one tonight. and winning, not yet. it's very exciting. >> yes. >> first of all, six people on >> i'm also just imagining the debate stage. second of all, a new guy. sociologically the number of people who don't fit into that, because 57 plus. obviously, everybody is going to be craning their necks and is not 100. trying to figure out the there are some people in america bloomberg factor here. who were like, yeah, but you -- but all of these candidates have a ton riding on what happens bernie sanders and mike tonight, don't they, claire? bloomberg, i can't decide. that's hard to believe, you know >> oh, yeah. what i mean? and really, bloomberg is going among all the people in the to get incoming. world, you would think that it's going to happen. would be a polarizing choice.

there are going to be massive we think the candidates will get swings taken at him. and the issue will be, how does announced. we'll pause a moment to see them he respond to those wings? come out on the stage. you see senator klobuchar, mayor >> he has to know it's coming. >> he does. >> preparation is presumably buttigieg. let's watch this. half the battle. >> this is a guy who's famous for being prickly when people criticize him. will he take the criticisms and pivot and punch back with something positive in his [ cheers and applause ] record? or will he dig in? i mean, we have a guy in the >> senator amy klobuchar, mayor white house that's no fun to pete buttigieg, former vice hang out with. i think it's going to be hard president joe biden, senator for bloomberg if he gets prickly bernie sanders, senator to really sell himself and elizabeth warren and mayor mike connect with the american people. so there's a lot of pressure on bloomberg. mike bloomberg tonight, and the they're about to take their others. >> joy, if you were advising positions at the podium tonight. mike bloomberg about how to the polling questions around prepare for tonight. obviously, everybody in america knows that he's running for bloomberg are big black boxes, president, because he's buried because they reflect the amazing each one of us individually in our own personal ads. amount of money that he has spent. but this will be the first time approaching $500 million in ads he competes in the flesh with these other contenders. already, when only two states have run and he didn't compete

in either of them. robert gibbs, let me ask you about the speech we just heard he has to know that kind of from the democratic party incoming is coming like claire is describing. chairman tom perez, organize, but how do you prepare? what's his best showing? organize, organize, organize. >> if you wanted to like conspiracy theorize, you would almost think that he was dumping that being the secret of the success to the democratic party. all the oppo on himself over the he's saying that's also the key last few weeks, because he's to the democrats winning in been preparing by having to 2020. how do you assess the organizing respond to almost every day a new revelation. of the democratic party right so he's actually been prepping now. >> let's hope they're counting in public. and a lot of his surrogates have votes on saturday, and not into next week, i think that will been coming on our shows and give us some indication. if you look at the campaigns prepping to respond. and for michael bloomberg, his that harry reid ran, focused on focus needs to be 1600 the early vote. pennsylvania avenue. the case that michael bloomberg is making is not that he's the making sure you need to get them best democrat, the most appropriate person as a human out. being, not that he's the nicest this is a great opportunity for guy, but that he can take out the campaigns to hone their donald trump. so i think as long as he is owning whatever his problems are messages and their operations. because as we've talked about and apologizing when he needs this increase in hispanic vote to, and redirecting it at donald that is happening now that we trump, i think that that helps him. and he has to also remember that haven't seen in two 90 plus i think the biggest incoming white states, understand too, from him is not so much bernie the biggest, the two biggest sanders, who we kind of know prizes on super tuesday, what he's going to say, it's california and texas are going

elizabeth warren. for elizabeth warren, there's to have electorates in excess of nothing better for her campaign and no better lifeline to have 30% that are hispanic. the biggest billionaire on the understanding how to talk to, black, right there on the stage energize, activate and get those with her. she needs to -- >> and to that point. voters to the polls is a huge jason, i'll put this to you. task, herculean for these bloomberg has a few different options in terms of how he'll candidates. and it's a great proving ground. make the 1600 pennsylvania avenue argument. as both harry reid emphasized, he could just run as the human bodiment of a lot of money. it looks a lot more like america you don't have to like -- than the first two states. >> i believe the path is >> the sanders campaign very littered with thousand dollar confident with their standards bills. >> you may not like anything of voting -- any of you see any about me, but i, based on my particular skill? money alone, can beat him, and therefore disregard anything any particular deftness in terms else about me. or on the debate stage, he can say, yeah, i got a lot of money, of speaking to latino and but the reason it's going to african-american voters? >> no, none at all. help me beat him is because the >> are you sure? american people will prefer me >> no. in the voting booth. >> i want to be clear, not at >> they will prefer me. i'm the less-toxic version of all under any circumstances are any of them really good. most of them have problematic donald trump. i have actually been watching records on certain issues that mike bloomberg's debate in 2009. have to do with black voters. it's ten years ago, but it's the sanders success is in large part only data we can really sort of because the latino population is go from. he's not particularly warm, but very young, and a lot of the voting population is young. this guy can bury you with

>> you've also got a really numbers. he can explain a lot of different things very well about strong generational divide what he's done. he can make it short and pithy, and he's very good at throwing within african-american voters that is not so much true with numbers at you that sort of latino voters, we're older counter the criticisms you have for him. they talked about, what are you african-american voters, it's not about passion, it's for doing about working pl ining pl beating donald trump. part-time, about poor people. this is what the middle class sanders represents a real people are. movement to them, and it is >> i wonder if we'll see smart genuine, it's just that it seems bloomberg, who comes out and to be a bit age limited. says, look, this is what we've the question for him, can he done. i have a thousand dollar bill for everybody. expand this really passionate look under your seats. and then i will be better than young multiracial base upward in age to the people who are dr donald trump. reliable? >> particularly given that and i also think he's been the even -- you know, with the only person to bruise bernie varying turnout numbers we've sanders. everybody else has stayed away from bernie. seen, it's an older electorate he can land a punch against bernie sanders that's not about that's turning out. philosophy, but about how bernie in terms of thinking about how sanders runs his campaign, about these candidates are looking at his staff and their behavior, each other and sizing each other that could be a successful night for bloomberg. up, tonight, is there a way that >> robert gibbs, what are you any of them can succeed without watching for tonight? >> a couple of things. destroying one of the other i think new hampshire taught us how important these debates are. ones? is there a way that you -- i mean, you've seen senator warren do that a few times saying i'm the exit polls showed that $51% of voters said that the debate they watched was either the most not going after x, y, z. i'm going to talk about important part of how they made something we'll all be better at.

their decision or an important >> you see elizabeth, and part, right? elizabeth was in the progressive and we know most of these voters lane, but then she tried to are making tir decision late. start to get to the middle a almost half decided in those last few days. little bit and got stuck. this is the last big moment and so you have bernie over here before nevada. with the progressive wing. and it is one of the last big the younger progressive wing moments before super tuesday. locked down. they may not be counting the and everyone else is splitting up everything else. votes on saturday in nevada. so the irony is, they need to get along and coalesce unless they're voting tonight in california. i would say -- >> a live shot of vice president arriving as we're talking. go on. >> to your point, i think the bernie's going to be the nominee. that's kind of the option here. question is, does bloomberg walk i think politics is going to off the stage tonight as a play out like it always does, whoever's ahead is going to get billionaire or as an some incoming. accomplished mayor of the largest city in new york that and i think bloomberg is going made progress on education, the to get it because it's his first environment, and the middle time out and they want to kill class. >> who then has to engage with him now. his critics about whether or not and i think bernie will get a little incoming tonight. his record is something that the >> this is a huge huge moment, democratic electorate isn't this is eye moment where each of going to -- >> absolutely. these campaigns has to say, i but if he is caricatured and have to make my momentum painted into one corner as just tonight. >> every single one of them. >> a series of third place being the rich guy in the field, i think he'll have not had a finishes, isn't going to make very good night. you the nominee, neither is a series of second place finishes.

>> the other rich guy in the field, it should be noted, tom there is one medal winner in steyer, who's polling in double this whole thing, these campaigns each have to go in digits in nevada, did not meet here with a strategy, how am i dnc criteria to be on the stage. going to come out tonight and given that he's spent $14 gaining that momentum, capturing million plus in that state, and that undecided vote, taking that it has sort of paid off for him into south carolina and on to in the polls, assist weird super tuesday. it's a big big deal. billionaire -- >> super tuesday is different >> one other thing i would, for a lot of reasons this year. these candidates can't lose it's california. sight of bernie sanders. >> california and texas being on if they all turn their fight on the same day, it's huge. bloomberg, and they may want >> it's a third of all the to -- let's color his candidates delegates. >> i'd like to see a texas poll, before it gets completely out of our control, but if they leave that is delegate rich, and very important. bernie sanders to win nevada, to >> that california poll, that's do well in south carolina, to do not how california is going to really well on super tuesday, end up, but you have to be at you're going to create a 15% to be viable. delegate lead, maybe not a if that poll were the outcome, majority, but a plurality that bernie sanders would walk away is exceedingly hard to catch. >> and that gets you all the way with 416 pledge delegates that to the convention. night. nobody else is at 15%. we've got more to come as we approach tonight's democratic >> and game over. debate here on msnbc. we're going to be hearing live >> there's campaigns tonight from the stage in just a moment. that are looking at both sides of this, they can't let bernie go, they can't let bloomberg go. >> i think these people have an opportunity to sell themselves to the public.

i don't buy this narrative that there's a liberal wing and moderate wing. mike bloomberg is not a moderate, he's a conservative democrat now. i don't think many people believe that -- >> or a rockefeller republican. >> right. i think the people who support mayor pete they support mayor pete. these people are working from actual bases of support. no one has become the anti-bernie candidate yet. i don't think they should give up, they have a group of people passionate about them that they can work with. >> what they have to be is the anti-trump candidate. it is striking to see -- we're going to see a fight tonight over whose policy, that is roughly in agreement with everybody else's policy, is more appropriately means tested to the third decade. donald trump is dismantling the rule of law. that will be a contest tonight. and bloomberg has helped focus the field on this, in terms of who can turn their fire toward

trump in a way that's going to move democratic voters. >> are we going to see a candidate that slows empathy, decency. billi bill clinton and barack obama, they need a candidate to get out of their seats for them. >> the democratic candidates debate in las vegas begins right now. let us create the political revolution this country needs. >> the stakes could not be higher. we cannot afford to miss the mark or to miss this moment. >> i will bring this country together instead of tearing it apart. >> i can't do it alone. i need your help to climb that mountain. and together we're going to beat donald trump. >> 2020 is our time to change who makes the rules. >> i am running to restore honor to our government and build a country that we can