cbs news political correspondent ed o'keefe has been out there with them in des moines.now it's chilly out there. but you have seen some recent polling from iowa, such a key state, that is showing mayor pete buttigieg moving up and he apparently think it's a two-person race between him and senator elizabeth warren. is that realistic? is that what you're hearing? >> well, look. if you look at the polling that's out, especially this morning across the country, it is different than what's going on here in iowa, in part because iowa is getting far more attention from candidates and they're thinking differently about this race. buttigieg is surging in part because he's now spending all this money that he raised over the summer on advertising on staffing that is helping him get the support he needs. as for former vice president joe biden, who is according to the polling slipping a bit, his team isn't quite worried just yet. they point out a $4 million ad campaign break and enter gone just this weekend. he raised $5.3 million online last month, his best monthly haul yet, and th

our ed o'keefe is in des moines. >> reporter: polling released this weekend shows that nationally, theemocratic race for president is a three-person race between former vice president joe biden and senators bernie sanders and elizabeth warren, but here in iowa, where the candidates are paying more attention to the voters and the voters to the candidates, it's indiana mayor pete buttigieg who has slipped up into third place ahead of biden. buttigieg managed to irritate some other candidates in the field this weekend by suggesting that it's quickly becoming a two-person race between him, the moderate, and liberal senator warren. he backtracked a bit on that on sunday, but not before some of his opponents, including california senator kamala harris pounced. >> well, i think that that's just -- it's naive for him to think that at this point that the fate of this election has been determined. just look at history. might need to review past elections to know that what's happen right now is not necessarily determinative of the outcome. >> reporter: now harris is the first of what we expect to

ed o'keefe is on the trail in cedar rapids tonight. >> reporter: well, reinwith with three months to go before the iowa caucus we're heading into a season of higher station and tougher decisions. take the case of beto o'rourke who won acclaim from democrats across the country for his showing in a senate race last year but is now bowing out of the presidential race admitting he doesn't have the funding. his decision stunned staffers and volunteers here in iowa who had no idea the end was coming. some were seen outside a big party in tears. others, like kamala harris, are making tough decision, too. she's parting ways with most of her staff in the early primary state of new hampshire as she moves every last dollar she can here to iowa. she's vowed to finish in the top three but faces steep odds. and finally, the field is reacting to senator elizabeth warren's plan to pay for her medicare for all proposal. after months of dodging questions about how she'd pay for tshe's unveiled a proposal that she says wouldn't raise classes on middle-class americans. but opponents, like former vice pr

ed o'keefe, cbs news, des moines, iowa. >>> to california now. as fire crews gain an edge on the wildfires that ravaged the state for days, president trump is threatening to cut federal aid. yesterday the president attacked california governor gavin newsom on twitter. he accused newsom of doing a terrible job of forest management, despite forest land accounting for very few of the acres burned. mr. trump also criticized newsom for coming to the federal government for help, writing "no more." wildfires have scorched tens of thousands of acres and destroyed hundred of buildings across the state in recent weeks. authorities lifted all mandatory evacuations for the maria wildfire northwest of los angeles. progress is also being made against the massive kincade fire in northern california's wine country. most evacuation orders have been lifted there as crews put out spot fires and continue to clean up operations. >>> also in california, a manhunt is underway for two murder suspects who escaped from jail. jonathan salazar and santos vonseka were discov

our ed o'keefe is at the washington bureau. ed. the slogan, according to the website, is "rebuild america." what do you think the entry of this billionaire entrepreneur into the race will be? >> welsh for one thing it pumps a lot more money into this race. the fact that he's going to spend at least $34 million across dozens of states to run an ad over the next week or so to introduce himself, not in iowa, new hampshire, south carolina and nevada, but in places like florida, new york, illinois, several southern states, as well, because he's going to take aim instead of those early states at the super tuesday states that vote in early march, believing he has no chance at this point to build a formidable operation in those early areas and instead wants to sell himself basically to the rest of the country. and he will be essentially waiting out whoever emerges from those first four states, at least that's his hope, and will be able to confront them come super tuesday. but he enters the race as a moderate, as someone who is concerned ab

ed o'keefe is in atlanta tonight, and ed, what are you expecting? >> reporter: well, good evening, norah. this is the first time we expect 37-year-old indiana mayor pete pete buttigieg to be the central focus. he's surging in polls in iowa and other early primary states, and he will be alongside the other front-runners, former vice president joe biden and senators elizabeth warren and bernie sanders. don't be surprised if they call eym out for the fact that he's struggling to build support among black and latino voters, two groups he needs in order to win the nomination. and while polls show democratic voters are closely watching the impeachment saga in washington, washington, they want their candidates focused on kitchen cuble issues of concern, things onke healthcare and how to pay ndr it, how to deal with climate hhange, sustain the economy, and america's position if the world. democrats are debating tonight here in georgia because it's a state they'd like to win, but the peach state hasn't picked a democrat for president since ill clinton back i

. >>> plus, in our series "three meals," ed o'keefe goes to california and talks with voters over threekward personal questions at the holiday dinner table. we get advice from a dating expert about how to handle nagging questions from your family. >>> that's the "cbs morning news" for this tuesday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. ♪ watching. i'm anne-marie green. ha reat day. ♪

ed o'keefe is on the campaign trail tonight in atlanta. >> reporter: will he or won't he? aides to michael bloomberg say today's filing is not an official announcement, but just another baby step that allows wse former new york mayor to legally appear on the ballot in several super tuesday states. >> this is going to be in my scrapbook. >> reporter: he's set to join an unsettled field of candidates, many of whom courted black voters today in atlanta. >> nice to meet you. >> reporter: south bend mayor pete buttigieg is surging in the polls but struggling to build support among minorities, especially in the early primary state of south carolina where he registers almost no support among african american voters. >> i do have the experience of sometimes feeling like a stranger in my own country. ep reporter: his answer at last night's debate comparing the fight for civil rights and gay rights was criticized by opponents, including california senator kamala harris. >> what he did on the stage is just not productive and i think it's a bit naive. >> reporter: former vice presiden

ed o'keefe now with an election roundup that could tell us what is ahead for 2020. >> we actually had a very big night last night. we had some tremendous results. >> reporter: president trump today tried to put a positive spin on last night's elections, even though his effort to prop up kentucky's unpopular republican governor matt bevin had failed. and despite this warning, two nights ago. >> and if you lose, they're going to say, trump suffered the greatest defeat in the history of the world. this was the greatest. you can't let that happen to me! >> reporter: bevin isn't conceding yet, but democrat andy beshear is claiming victory. >> the election is over. no one else is going to cast a vote. >> reporter: republicans did win every other statewide race in kentucky and in ruby-red mississippi, but elsewhere the suburbs are in revolt. republicans are especially concerned about pennsylvania, a 2020 battleground state. around philadelphia, the party lost county seats they had held since the civil war. former pennsylvania republican congressman ryan costello. >> voters are not necessaril

ed o'keefe has more on bloomberg's late start in the race. bloomburg's untraditional campaign with a pretty traditional first campaign stop, chatting up the locals at a virginia diner. >> order one of each. >> reporter: and justifying his late entry to reporters. >> i think that there is a greater risk of having donald trump reelected than there was before, and in the end i looked in the mirror and said, i just cannot let this happen. >> reporter: the 77-year-old former new york mayor has a daunting task. in a cbs news poll released shortly before he entered the race, one in five democrats in early voting states said they would consider him, but more than twice as many said they wouldn't. >> he could have just been the middle-class kid who made good. >> reporter: so he's spending a record $35 million on a week- long ad campaign to introduce himself to voters. bloomberg has also set aside $100 million for digital ads enrgeting the president. all this money will come from his own pocket. he won't accept any campaign contributions. his fellow ca

ed o'keefe is there. >> reporter: voters in virginia today had the option to do something they haven'te in a generation, give total control of state government to democrats. republicans control both chambers of the legislature by slim margins and democrats are in striking distance despite scandals that rocked the state's top leaders. the president's unpopular here. >> i'm appalled at everything he does. >> reporter: and that's made the contest a bellwether for 2020. another focus for voters, gun control. in the wake of a mass shooting in virginia beach earlier this year. >> i don't understand why there can't be a background check on people, you know, owning guns. >> reporter: the possibility of turning virginia blue brought out democratic contenders for president in recent days. >> here in virginia, progressives are going to win. >> reporter: president trump has campaigned in friendlier territory, holding republican matt bevin can hold on to the governor's mansion in kentucky. >> he's a fantastic governor. >> reporter: the race is surprisingly close given that the president won the sta

ed o'keefe tonight on that other new york billionaire who could shake up the race. >> reporter: former mayor mike bloomberg kept a low profile today as his aides turned in paperwork for the primary in alabama the state with the earliest cut off date, and there are plans to do so in other states next week. but a would-be democratic opponents believe bloomberg should spend his billions some other way. >> i think it's a savagely broken system that people who have wealth can somehow leapfrog others who might be as viable or more viable candidates. >> reporter: senator elizabeth warren welcomed him to the race by tweeting out a link to her billionaire's calculator showing what he would owe in taxes if she's president. the mayor said he'd previously stay out of the race because of former vice president joe biden's commanding lead over the field. >> all right, where i do sign, boss? >> reporter: but the former veep, who filed his own presidential paperwork in new hampshire today, is falling behind warren and bernie sanders in some polls. biden says bloomberg needn't worry. >> and in terms of

ed o'keefe is in des moines. >> reporter: he had said he was born to be in it, but today, beto o'rourkeed out. >> though this is the end of this campaign, we are right in the middle of this fight. >> reporter: he spent most of the later months of his campaign pushing for mandatory buy-backs of military-style assault weapons in the wake of a mass shooting in his town of el paso, texas. >> hell, yes, we are going to take your ar15, your ak-47. ( cheers and applause ) we are not going to allow you to use them against our fellow americans anymore. >> reporter: but he failed to gain traction, polling at just 1% in a new iowa poll. the news comes as the poll's front-runner, elizabeth warren, after months of being asked, finally answered how she'd pay for her government-run health care plan. >> we can have medicare for all without raising taxes one cent on middle-class families. >> reporter: instead, her plan would divert the funds employers currently pay private health care companies to the government and increase taxes on e wealthy with assets above $1 billion. >> it's all fully paid for by

by rachael bade who covers congress for the "washington post", cbs news political correspondent ed o'keefe is also here, molly ball is the national political correspondent at "time" magazine and ramesh ponnuru is a senior editor at the "national review" and a columnist at bloomberg opinion. let's start off on 2020. as you just heard anthony salvanto lay out in the walt ground tracker there is some concern among democrats bernie sanders and elizabeth warren may be too liberal, president obama got something along these lines this week. >> that's right, friday night here in washington at a gathering of liberal donors, didn't call out any specific candidate or idea, but they warned that the country isn't necessarily in the mood to rip up the entire seasonal when it comes to healthcare and immigration so that is kind of availed message to voters in the democratic activists maybe bernie sanders, elizabeth warren are going going a little too far, not reflect five of what the president said but in te result oe s t last feys, look what happened in louisiana, moderate anti-abowho has distanced himse

here's ed o'keefe. >> reporter: former mayor michael bloomberg kept a low profile as his aides turned in paperwork in alabama. the state with the earliest filing deadline. there are plans to do so in other states next week. but would-be democratic opponents believe bloomberg should spend his billions some other way. >> i think it's a broken system that people who have wealth can somehow leapfrog others who might be as viable or more viable candidates. >> reporter: senator elizabeth warren welcomed him to the race by tweeting out a she's president. the mayor previously said he'd stay out of the race because of former vice president joe biden's commanding lea here do i sign, boss? >> reporter: the former vep who signed his own paperwork in new hampshire is falling behinds warren and bernie sanders in some polls. biden says bloomberg need not worry. >> in terms he's running -- last polls i looked at, i'm pretty far ahead. >> reporter: there's a fellow new yorker with a strong opinion -- president trump. >> he doesn't have the magic to do well. there is nobody i'd rather run against than

ed o'keefe is covering campaign 2020 for us, so ed, good morning. what do these results show us?ng, tony. republicans were able to hold onto the governorshi in mississippi. tuesday night's other results in state and local elections show the ongoing collapse of the republican party in the nation's suburbs that we saw in last year's elections. and while all politics is ultimately local, there's no denying that president trump had at least some effect on the results. that could spell big trouble for him and republicans going into the 2020 elections. >> voters in kentucky sent a message loud and clear for everyone to hear. >> reporter: democrat andy beshear claimed victory tuesday night, but republican governor matt bevin wasn't ready to throw in the towel. >> we are not conceding this race by any stretch. >> reporter: bevin ranked this year as one of the most unpopular governors in the country amid criticism of his push to revamp kentucky's education and medicaid policy. >> my wife is a retired teacher. he's trying to take away her insurance. >> reporter: president trump won kentuck

i give credit to ed o'keefe there at cbs for calling it like it so i do. when he went out and talk to real voters across america nobody cared because there was no evidence there and they wanted to talk about real issues. how do you see that? >> absolutely. they live in a bubble and they have always lived in a bubble and have seen this, going back to the last election when everybody thought hillary clinton was going to win. we watched their faces that night and the utter, complete shock and disdain over the fact that this president really wanted. i was at the rally last night and i have to tell you, we packed that stadium in a county that hillary won almost 2-1. we registered 31,000 new voters last night, almost 30% of those people were democrats that we registered and almost 30% of them, i believe it was about 27% of them were hispanic voters that we registered last night. no wonder the trump derangement syndrome is off the charts in the democrats are freaking out because the democrats have done nothing. they've become known to the voters as the do-nothing

so we sent our political correspondent, ed o'keefe, on a roadtrip to see what's on the minds of voters being the largest blue state in the country and the fact that some call it the home base of the so-called resistance to president trump, californiaians actually have verying views on a wide -- varying views on a wide range of views from health care to the mess in washington. ♪ orange county, california, home to sun, sand, and now swing voters. >> the most competitive congressional races in the country were held here just last year. if you're looking for a place to find people who might be swayed by democrats or republicans, this is about as good as it gets. and for breakfast, you can't do much better than cappy's cafe, right on the pacific coast highway in newport beach. hello. >> good morning. >> how you doing? >> how are you? >> you got the bacon and eggs -- >> reporter: it's where we broke bacon with sisters peyton and sofia mollett and their friends. college students, it's no surprise what's on their minds. >> i'm taking this year off to pay off the loans i've taken out. >> report

ed o'keefe is in des moines. good morning. what does this poll say to you? >> reporter: well, what's happening here is a little bit different than what's going on nationally because buttigieg is starting to spend millions of dollars he raised over the summer. the biden campaign points out they've raised millions, as well, and they've just launched an advertising campaign they think will help. one thing we noticed over the weekend, the candidates are starting to go after each other a little more. it started with something mayor buttigieg had to say. >> you see it's coming into focus, you and warren? >> yeah, that didn't come out right. >> not before other candidates shot down his theory. >> it is naive of him. anyone that wants to be a leader needs to be able to walk and talk with every community. candidates like julian castro says the party needs a nominee to get them to the polls. >> if that permanent can't kw t connect with those communities they should not be at the top of the ticket. >> the top issue of conversation is health care, and it would divert th

according to ed o'keefe, and his network was asked not to interview o'rourke's crestfallen volunteersthey should stop and be respectful because the volunteers are again, very vulnerable. in the end, his campaign was exactly what you expected it to be. it was a constellation of shallow fragile dumb people talking to themselves. how a car watching from the very beginning and he's a radio host and the author of "what really happened?" i'm sorry for the ad lib at the end of there, but it was hard because truly from the ear hair to the ominous feature guns, it was always about him. >> go ahead and tell as many one-liners as you want. remember he said he ate dirt? now, he's biting the dust. so he's going to go home to el paso tonight and have a beer, or because he's bilingual, a surveys. he was driving drunk on i-10 in 1998, and he could never break in on the top tier of the democrat field the way he broken to the cut texas and el paso. i think he just didn't have anything going for him. the score tonight is the second amendment one, beto o'rourke, zero. he was a professional son-in-law. he

ed o'keefe is in des moines this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this weekend is an important turning point on the road to 2020. some campaigns are shutting down, others are scheduling back, and everyone agrees iowa is critical which is what made a big event last night so important. >> this is a moment where we have to be prepared to fight for the best of our country. >> we can't just win. we have to win big. >> reporter: a three-month spribt to the iowa -- sprint to the iowa caucus began with a final gathering of democratic contenders. with the race tightening there's a clearer contrast between moderates and liberals. >> we will fight when we must fight, but i will never allow us to get so wrapped up in the fighting -- >> at a time of massive income and wealth inequality, the democratic party must become the party of the working class of this country. >> reporter: shortly before the rally, former congressman beto o'rourke who once said he was born to be in the race bowed out, failing to break out of the single digits. >> we have to clearly see at

according to ed o'keefe, he was asked not to interview his crestfallen volunteers, we are quoting, stopnd be respectful because the volunteers are vulnerable right now. beto's campaign is exactly what you expected it to be, it was a constellation of shallow, fragile, dumb people talking to themselves. if how a car washed it from the very beginning and as a radio host of what really happened. i'm sorry for the nasty ad lib at the end of the script. it was hard to contain myself because there was a narcissism at the heart of this campaign like nothing i've ever seen. from the ear hair to the i'm going to seize your guns, it was always about beto and for that reason it was a perfect campaign for this moment. >> tell as many one-liners as you want -- remember he said he ate dirt? now he's biting the dust. >> tucker: good. >> he's going to go home el paso tonight and have a beer or is he would put because he's bilingual, he's going to have eight survey wow a servesa, he d never break into the top tier oe democratic party the way he broke into the texas el paso campus the way he did in 1995.

i want to bring in ed o'keefe, who is also on capitol hill, who has covered the federal rkfo co ional hearings for several years. you know about these career diplomats. you've covered congress as well. have you ever heard such a strong defense of american diplomats and civil servants like this before? >> not quite like this, norah. you know, public service loyeke this come to consll the time, but the ambassador seems to understand she had a pretty broad audience and an opportunity to defend her colleagues. the fact she went all the way back to the iranian regime in the '70s to the death of ambassador chris stevens and to those who have suffered from the audio attacks in china and cuba and the growing concern, the brain drain at the state department headquarters, she took full advantage of the moment. as they head to votes, republicans and democrats are responding in real time by a text message to this. i asked one senior republican aide, what did you make of that tweet from the president? >> quote, that tweet did not help, the aide says. would have been much better he pointed out she

ed o'keefe is covering campaign 2020. why is patrick entering now, this late in the game?rter: anthony, he apparently thinks there's still room for one more. he told us on this broadcast last month he doesn't think former vice president joe biden is cutting it. and now he plans to run as a moderate who can bring his party and the country back together. the 63-year-old served two terms as massachusetts governor. the first african-american to do so, and the only democrat to hold the job this century. it's the work he did before and after his time as governor that's likely to raise questions. he once served as the top lawyer at the oil company texaco and most recently worked for bain capital. that could could be scrutiny. how patrick can quickly build a campaign, raise millions of dollars needed, and attend the debates is unclear. no one in the modern era has entered the race this late in the game and prevailed. >> another potential candidate is former new york mayor michael bloomberg. do we know if he's made a decision yet? do you think the patrick decision affects this? >>

. >> another side to ed o'keefe.s 8:55. i'm gianna franco. checking traffic right now. good news if you're commuting across the bay bridge. all lanes were shut down. all lanes are now open. westbound which is the commute direction we're not seeing any delays. it is friday light as you head out of the toll plaza za into san francisco. i want to show you a map even though lanes are open where we had the trouble spot. we're getting reports of an accident eastbound around treasure island so it is a bit busy still. you have delays at least beyond the skyway there. about 25 minutes just to get through that mess and then you'll have a few more brake lights in the to oakland area. you can use the san mateo bridge. mass transit is on time, as well. bart, no delays. a good choice today. no delays. we will be back after the break and mary will have a look at your forecast. >>> all right. good friday morning to you. it is a chilly start to the day. in fact temperatures are in the 40s from concord, oakland, livermore. now 39 in s

ed o'keefe is covering campaign 2020. what's behind the late start strategy for bloomberg? >> mow.y. money, money, money. after initially ruling out a run earlier, bloomberg is in running as a moderate democrat. whether some think he's too wealthy, too old, or too late to join the fray, bloomberg believes he says the best shot of beating the other new yorker in the race, president trump. >> he could have just been the middle-class kid who made good. but michael bloomberg became the guy who did good. >> reporter: former new york mayor michael bloomberg kicked off his white house bid with a new campaign ad. >> now he's taking on him to rebuild a country. >> reporter: the week-long ad blitz will roll out in at least 46 states and cost a record-breaking $34 million. the multibillionaire is promising not to take any campaign contributions and won't accept a salary if he wins the white house. bloomberg, a republican turned independent turned democrat declined to run in 2016. in september he told "cbs this morning" he wouldn't join the 2020 primary while former vice president joe biden le

ed o'keefe is covering campaign 2020. good morning. as i recall, this is not the first time bloomberg has considered running for president. >> reporter: that's right. if we had a dollar for every other time we heard he might do this, we still wouldn't be as wealthy as him, but what makes this significant is he's doing the paperwork work to get into the race. he sent aides to alabama which has the earliest filing deadline for the presidential election, today. all of this is a sign he's opening the door wider than he ever has before. >> this country is in real trouble. >> reporter: last week, former mayor michael bloomberg said he had doubts about the current democratic presidential contenders. >> i have my reservations well the people running, the way they're campaigning. the promises they're making that they can't fulfill. >> reporter: now after spending millions to help democrats win elections across the country, he's seriously considering a bid of his own. a spokesman says, "we need to make sure trump is defeated. mike is increasingl

ed o'keefe also watching these hearings on capitol hill for us. ed, your take on what you've heard this morning? >> well, one of the things of course we saw republicans do there is try to raise questions again about the identity and the motivations of the original whistle-blower, somebody who still has yet to be revealed. in conversation with some senior republican aides already about this exchange, their argument is they have every right to be asking lieutenant colonel vindman who exactly he had talked to in regards to this situation overall and that vindman had already testified he didn't think he knew who the whistle-blower was so why not clarify who he had been in touch with about this. all of it part of a day long attempt here to in some ways discredit or raise questions about vindman's testimony and motivations. you saw that exchange towards the end of the republican questioning about the fact that apparently he had been offered a job in the ukrainian government. they'll use testimony from the former national security director for europe and