we're live in las vegas. great to be here on this exciting tuesday. i'm brooke baldwin live in las vegas. we are hours away from what is shaping up to be one of the most important showdowns in the race for the white house. . the top two contenders here facing off for the first time. you have hillary clinton and vermont senator bernie sanders, those are the top two we're watching. the question, one of many, will they attack tonight? so far, they have been playing pretty nice. the experts will tell you with

everything on the line tonight that could change. and by all accounts this is shaping up to be hillary clinton's race to lose. the latest fox news poll has hillary clinton still leading the pack amongst likely democratic votes with 45% support to take the nomination. you see the numbers with me. bernie sanders is fading slightly, his support down 5 points since september to 25%. then you have the other three, former governor martin o'malley, jim webb, and lincoln chafee. this is truly make or break for them. brianna keilar has been here, as we all have for the last couple days, getting ready for the event. she's outside the debate hall. do we know when the candidates will start doing the walk throughs and getting the feel for the space at the podiums? >> we expect that's going to take place here in a couple

hours. that's really what's interesting. sheryl crowe is doing the national anthem tonight. she has a rehearsal she has to do. then we're going to be waiting for the candidates to arrive as they get to see this debate hall. 1300 chairs, they will be able to see their podiums and where they are in respect to our folks at cnn who will be asking the questions and moderating this debate. i was just speaking to dana bash. she's one of the moderators. i know that they are, at this point, still finalizing some of the questions and direction they are going with some of the candidates here. you'll see these candidates coming through. not only doing their walk throughs, but then they are going to take a moment to breathe ahead of the debate. the final moments and then they will be arriving. >> breathe. i i ing. >> there's a lot of last-minute

pr preparation going on. i heard from a clinton campaign aid said she's going to be spending some of the time last-minute cramming. >> let me follow up with this. as you mentioned, the 1300 seats inside that debate hall, do we know how many family members will be there from the different candidates? >> i think we're expecting family members from most of the candidates, but there's going to be, it appears, a glaring omissi omission, and that will be bill clinton. jayne sanders will be here, but there's a concern this is her night. but more than that it, and this is an interesting point, bill clinton when his wife is attacked, he takes it personally, not her. this has always been the case.

you can imagine that cut away shot if there's a moment she's going to be sort of criticized or he might feel one of her positions isn't framed the way he'd like to see it framed. that could be a great visual of his face. >> it's important what these candidates say but the optics as well. brianna keilar, thank you so much here in vegas with me ahead of the big night tonight. . let me bring in our panel. ben jones, patti doyle, as well as dan fifer, former senior adviser to president obama. so wonderful to be here on this beautiful tuesday. let me begin with the point that brianna keilar made that she's hearing that in these final hours, hillary clinton, who definitely has been around the block when it comes to debates, the notion that hillary clinton might be cramming. . true? >> yes, that's who she is.

she's a student and a preparer. >> day of? >> everything. she's been preparing probably for weeks if not months in terms of pouring over briefing books and policy stances, not just hers, but her opponents. but on the day of, first of all, great night's sleep i'm sure. and then today she's going to do some cramming and q&a with her staff. but the hours before, she might watch a movie, me she might have a good meal with her family and chill out. she has to relax. >> we talked about this before with president obama last go around. we were talking about him shooting. hoops. it's e key the last couple hours not to be cramming. you should have it. it should be in your bones. >> the danger for clinton is overprepared in her head, underprepared in her heart. she has a couple hugs from the husband and just be. because it's going to be the

heart that connects. we know she's going to dominate on policy. >> what about bold prediction? >> i think the biggest most important exchange could be around tpp, the trade deal. it's surprising because everyone agrees on stage and most people think it's a naughty by nature song. it goes to her vulnerability. she's going to have to make a very strong case for why she is the gold standard is now something she opposes. that will be an important moment that she has to put that to bed or deal with that decision for months to comp. >> i agree with dan, but i think the person it's going to come from, the most decisive moment is martin o'malley. he's the one with the most to lose here and ironically, he's made more noise on calling for

more debates. he's got to prove that debates are good for him. it's do or die for him. that's going to come from martin o'malley. she's got to be ready. >> he's going to be attacking to his right. >> that elevates anybody. if you're standing next to hillary clinton, you must be somebody. >> is that a good thing? >> it's a good thing for him. you have a governor and mayor, you can't do as well in life and have zero political skills. but he has zero in the polls. so we're here tomorrow, this it time, talking about martin o'malley. he's going to find a moment. if i were him, i would say, look, how can you be the front runner when all you do is chase me around? i was first on marriage. i was first on this and that. and however she responds, if she ignores, we're going to be looking at that clip and he's

going to go up in the polls because of that. >> how will she respond to that? >> well, look, i think she's going to have to explain it. in fairness, it's been two and a half years since she's been negotiating on the deal. it has changed. she has to explain it where it resinates with all voters. >> so maybe martin o'malley has the carly fiorina moment. what about lincoln and webb? talk about foreign policy shots, look at his background. >> i think there's an undercard deba debate. amal lee has not performed in the polls, but he's a legitimate presidential contender who has a shot. it's a long shot, but it's a shot. >> and he has a real campaign. >> exactly right. he has an organization and staff. the other two and they are

quirky guys, they have a chance to have the social media moment. >> how do you mean? >> they could be something funny. switching the united states and the metric system. it's quirky things that work on the internet or used on twitter or whatever or things that work for them. anything that tells people that lincoln is running for president and who they are works for them. >> it's interesting walking around the las vegas strip. i talk to smart people during the day, but i wanted to get a sense of what people were doing during the day. folks didn't even know who all five candidates would be. >> you don't have any oxygen. you're dealing with a world of donald trump and hillary clinton. he's found a way to catch fire. but a martin o'malley, he hasn't gotten one a tom of oxygen yet. but it will happen for him.

there will be an incendiary exchange of fire between hillary clinton and bernie sanders. i guarantee it. i don't care what you say. they want to be nice, this is for all the marbles. somebody is going to say something to somebody that gives up. i'm going to bet bernie sanders wins it. >> we'll talk to you tomorrow to see if you're right. thank you all so much. is america ready for a self-described socialist? that is one very huge legitimate question that bernie sanders will have to answer tonight on the stage here in las vegas. also ahead, the front runner hillary clinton trolling donald trump on his own doorstep here in vegas. we'll speak live with a member of the union whose rally she crashed. and don lemon, he's one of the debate moderators tonight. we'll talk to him to see if he

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you're watching cnn. i'm brooke baldwin live in las vegas. we are six hours away from the big night tonight. let me tell you there's one huge difference between the top two democratic contenders. one is not a self-described socialist. the other one is. bernie sanders, he's been drawing massive crowds, tens o of thousands of people, polling at a solid number two to hillary clinton. can he go the distance? here with me now i have maif resten. and a former communications director at the democratic

national committee. so wonderful to have both of you. >> fabulous surroundings. >> i brought you the lagoon. let's begin with the numbers. the whole notion of bernie sanders being the socialist and how does he describe it, just some numbers of how americans are feeling from this poll from june. the question was would you vote for a socialist. 25% would not support a an evangelical christian. >> bernie sanders has got tonight point in this race by being who he is. i don't think he can skew that label. the challenge for him is to go on the debate stage and see how he can broad than base. he is described as a democratic socialist. he's been an independent. he's never been a democrat before running for president so

it's a challenge for him. he started changing now, it would undercut the support. >> that's his biggest hurdle to show he can wib a general election. when you talk about the numbers, there's a lot of people out there right now who are feeling the burn or watching his campaign, but don't actually know about that part of his background. and he's going to have to demonstrate that i can take it to the republicans better than hillary clinton. >> americans might aware of the economic inequality in the country. all of which has helped fuel bernie sanders' rise, but we're not electing someone who is an avout socialist. just ain't happening. how do you argue with that? >> we'll see. he has a huge challenge to broaden his coalition. also just looking at the

demographi demographics. hillary clinton is killing it with la ttinos and american voters. the bedrock voters for the democratic party, he hasn't shown he can draw them in. before you get past the socialist thing. >> on that notion with african-american voters, he marched in the civil rights movement. he's responded to folks within the black lives matter movement. why is he not resinating more? >> i don't think he has found a way to really connect with that audience. he's been trying to talk to, for example, black lives matter, but so is hillary clinton. . she has ha long history with those sectors of the party. organizing down in texas earlier on in her career. so i don't think he's made a dent. also here in nevada, i was out with republicans and kept hearing how strong hillary clinton's ground game is with latinos. bernie sanders just got here a week ago. we'll have to see if he can pull it off.

>> this is as much about hillary as it is about bernie sanders. she has had a career and her husband has had had a career that african-american voters really appreciate for years. they support them. that has made it hard for him. there are other barriers. his world view is strictly about economic inequality. that doesn't translate into issues of race easily. resolving economic inequality doesn't resolve the racial divide. >> racial divide, what we have been talking about nationally, that will come up tonight. we'll have to see how he responds to that. coming up next, what is it like to actually be on stage and debate senator sanders? we'll talk to a republican who did that a few years ago. . also ahead, hillary clinton meets with protesters right around where we are here outside the donald trump hotel here in vegas. let's talk to a member of the

union whose rally she attended. their thoughts on hillary showing up and what this means for donald trump. stay with me. you're watching cnn's special live coverage.

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hillary clinton here in las vegas, she selected one very specific las vegas location to slam donald trump on living wages and immigration. the republican front runner's own hotel across the street off the las vegas strip. she joined union workers outside trump international hotel for a union organizing rally just yesterday afternoon. she taunted the real estate moe. gull telling the crowd they have a right to say no to donald trump. >> some people think mr. trump

is entertaining, but i don't think it's entertaining when somebody insults immigrants, insults women, and you should not stand in the way of the right to organize because that's what built the middle class of america. >> join iing me now is an offic in the culinary workers union. she's also the executive vice president of the international union unite here. this is part of a powerful union in the state. so thank you so much for swinging by. you were there yesterday just across the street from us here. you can see this gold shining hotel, the trump international hotel. you said you only got a couple minutes that hillary clinton would be swinging by. what did you make of the fact that she showed up? >> that was really nice.

we have a great rally and that was really nice. >> what is it about the employees there? what is it they were demonstrating for? what was the purpose for that? >> i did organize and want to have a union. the company they have been fighting and putting an anti-union campaign inside having the discipline because workers want to organize. we sent a message to mr. trump yesterday to continue fighting because they are fighting for dignity. mr. trump is all over the country saying he wants to make america great again. well, e he had a great

opportunity to make america great again here where he has a lot of workers. >> i was going back over previous interviews. he's addressed this before. he's said, he has a great relationship with the unions. he's had collect ive bargaining in some states. your reaction to that? >> i will tell you one thing. he will realize that. it's completely wrong. people want to have secure jobs and they want to have a union. what's happening right now is very unbalanced because he has millions of dollars and he's fighting with attendings. >> you said you invited them. none of the others did show up.

. can you comment on that and final question, part of this powerful union, have you endorsed anyone? >> in reality we invite everybody. . we have 145,000 people right now that rely on their health insurance and they will be accepting it it because 40% taxes to women who work and our point is every candidate right now had to show they want to have our support. >> so no one has shown that yet. you haven't endorsed anyone yet. >> they say words, but we believe in actions. they could do a lot of things. >> thank you so much. i really appreciate it. next here on cnn, donald trump, this is the democratic presidential debate here.

thus, he will not be on the stage. that doesn't mean he won't have some sort of presence here in las vegas. hear what he will be doing during the debate this evening. also what it's like to debate senator bernie sanders. we'll talk to someone who went head to head with them in the 2012 senate race and he says watch out, sanders attacks. i'm brooke baldwin, this is cnn's special live coverage. big day? ah, the usual. moved some new cars. hauled a bunch of steel. kept the supermarket shelves stocked. made sure everyone got their latest gadgets. what's up for the next shift?

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i'm brooke baldwin, you're watching cnn's special live coverage ahead of the first democratic debate. we're hours away from seeing the candidates take to the stage and get the feel of the podium and the arena in the hotel behind me. and is any debater can tell you here, a big part of debate prep is knowing your opponent. and his or her style. hillary clinton and bernie sanders certainly are veteran debaters, so we combed through our archives to get a sense of what to expect from each of them and what we found both are tough, both don't hold back, take a look. >> we have made progress. you can look at this stage and see an african-american, a la tee know, a woman. >> people are not attacking me because i'm a wo m.

they are attacking me because i'm ahead. >> sign it right now. >> we'll shake on this. >> i want your signature. everybody wants to see you signing something that you said you were for. >> you're an attractive woman and have a very nice family and i'm sure you're a good mother as well. >> he's very likely. i agree with that. i don't think i'm not that bad. >> you're likable enough. >> i want to clarify the record. >> there are six debates scheduled. this is not a debate. it's an embarrassment. >> the president thinks the economy is doing great. i don't. >> you made it clear you will vote for newt gingrich for speecher, which means that would be the prevalent ideology in the united states. why would you support this? >> because it's people like you.

you should really know better. >> there will be another millionaire in the senate. >> it is not the case. >> from the archives here at cnn. let me bring in john mcgovern. he ran in the 2012 senate race. e he joins me from windsor, vermont. thank you so much for joining me. i appreciate it, sir. >> thank you, good to be here. >> so let's get right into it. you have described sanders as relaxed, aggressive, when he speaks he speaks in a rat tat tat drum beat. what was it like to debate him? >> well, he's been doing this for about 40 years. he first started running in the 1970s. and he's pretty much been saying the same thing ever since then. so he's very familiar with it.

and it rolls off his tongue. and if you're in the way, you either have to stand up to him or get out of the way. >> so knowing that and having gone toe to toe, what's your advice to the other four on the stage tonight? >> i think it will depend on how he behaves. but my guess is it will be differential to senator clinton and be aware that he has to be careful there. but one thing about him, he's been saying these same tired lies for the last 40 years. so my advice to them is see what he has been saying and he will be saying the same thing. and he can prepare for what he's going to say. >> why do you think he needs to be careful of clinton? what do you mean by that? >> i think people don't like it

when a man is in any way aggressive with a female. she wants to be seen as a woman of accomplishment on her record. >> i think she wants to be seen as a candidate. >> that's right. so she won't want to be treated -- she'll want to be treated like everyone else, but the public won't. so i think bernie will be very careful and historically he's let other people do the attacking. he will stand back and let others carry his water for him. if he can get away with it. that's his goal. he's done this all the time. if at the very end they are very close and he has to go negative, he will, but he tries not to.

and particularly in this case, when the fbi may be creating problems for hillary. he will stand back and let that run its course. >> what about the fact, john, that he is a self-proclaimed socialist? if you look at polls from the last couple months, 50% of americans do not want a socialist to run this country. how does he explain what that means without getting too wong i can into the scanned skan da knave yaen government. >>. bernie sanders has been scrupulous in staying out of the democratic bouts. he could have been nominated on both ballots, the socialist ballot, independent ballot, but

he stayed off of it all through his political career. it's quite ironic now that he's running as a democrat. and the democratic party even not only count announces him, but in some states he's ahead of the establishment democrat in this race. so that's a question the democratic party has to face. but bernie sanders is, i said to him in one of the debates, you're one of the socialist workers party and he never corrected me. he has been a member of that party, some form of it or other. so now he runs as a democrat. the democrats are going to have to sort that out. he could be the nominee. >> final question, bernie sanders says he will not attack unless he's attacked directly. did you all have a plan to go negative prior to your debate in

2012? >> well, bernie sanders has a long record and he and i were so politically on opposite ends of the spectrum. he being a socialist, i'm for free markets. so clearly, i pointed o out that his model has failed all over the world, it's failing in the united states. so in that sense it was negative. in a funny way he says that's negative. so i don't know what he means. he's saying he's not going to go negative, but my guess is he will point out where hillary has flip-flopped. but that's just the issues. >> we will see, 5 hours and 48 minutes away from the big debate tonight. thank you so much for your time. i appreciate it. >> thank you. coming up next, one man will not be on the stage here in las vegas tonight. but donald trump certainly not one to miss an opportunity.

we'll play a role in this evening's debate. how he plans to make his voice heard. plus just how important is it for candidates tonight to create a viral moment? >> i will not make age an issue of this campaign. i am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience. >> you're watching cnn's special live coverage from las vegas.

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back here live in las vegas. tonight is the night for the democrats to shine, tackle the tough issue, debate one another on the stage behind me here at the wynn hotel. donald trump has found a way to make sure his voice is heard. he plans to live tweet during tonight's first democratic debate here on cnn. he's already sent out this tweet. quote, at the request of many and even though i expect it to be a very boring two hours, i will be covering the democrat debate live on twitter. hillary clinton tweeted, quote, glad you'll be watching. it's going to be huge. our politics correspondent is with me now. i want to get to something

first. "saturday night live" has now said that donald trump himself will be hosting "saturday night live." >> which will be huge. >> how is that going to work? >> it's going to be interesting. it's the first time a presidential candidate has hosted the entire show. >> ever? this isn't playing a cameo. this is donald trump in wigs and makeup. >> it's a lot of work for any presidential candidate, whether that's hillary clinton a few weeks ago or john mccain in 2008 to even do one seg i want. that takes a lot of work and it's a risk for the candidates. donald trump, who has been doing television for as long as he has, he might be more comfortable with it. but which characters is regoing to play other than donald trump? who can he play other than himself? >> i'm sure the writers are salivating over the opportunity to write for him. we were chatting in international break and you said does this put nbc if this position to give donald trump an

hour and a half. we're giving him that platform. do they need to reach out o to other candidates? >> there's nbc entertain, but there's also nbc news and if you're giving donald trump this platform that is "saturday night live," which is a great platform, is it incumbent upon you to unviolent hillary clinton and bernie sanders and marco rubio and jeb bush to have that same opportunity? at the end of the day, they might put out the invitation and all of them are going to say no and most will do a sketch. >> can you imagine? donald trump, sitting in his apartment tonight in new york tweeting himself during this debate. >> the debate is going to be so boring that he feels compelled to tune in and tweet about it throughout the entire debate. i think donald trump is very media savvy. he love it is when the story is about him. >> for these two hours tonight, it's not. >> so for the entire debate, we have been talking about the

republicans. and now all of our attention is shifting to the democrats. he can't be on stage for that debate, although that would be interesting. so how do i inject myself into this story? the cameras are turning on hillary clinton and bernie sanders and he's going to do it by tweeting about it. he will probably tweet a lot of criticisms that will get media attention and inject himself into the debate. if anything, it might boost ratings for the democrats. >> how about that? trump tweets making news tonight. >> headlines every day from trump tweets. . >> thank you so much. i appreciate it. very soon, the candidates here at the hotel will begin arriving and get the lay of the land. behind the scenes, the moderators like this guy, don lemon, will be making last-minute tweaks. he's going to give us the tour of the facebook lounge. we'll talk to don. also this famous rapper under fire for saying women are

too emotional to be president. let's discuss with some very powerful ladies. this is cnn's special live coverage in vegas. we'll be right back. it's here! the most advanced iphone yet. get the new iphone 6s at t-mobile. the network that's double it's lte coverage in the past year. our new extented range lte™ signal now reaches twice as far as before. and it's 4x better in buildings. want more? get the lowest price on iphone 6s with trade-in. zero upfront and just 5 bucks a month with jump! on demand™ get it now at t-mobile.

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candidates coming under close scrutiny here in las vegas, moderators as well must prepare for their time in front of millions and millions of people here. it might surprise you to learn most moderators have a ritual on debate day. we talked to dana bash and anderson cooper. what do they do to get ready? >> i want make sure i get a good night's sleep sblp take a break in the middle of the day.

>> i go in and wing it. just kidding. >> i always run in the morning. >> wolf goes for runs. >> i actually have been working over the last week and a half that i have had had to stop running so i'm falling apart. >> each out to people not in the business. >> i try to read everything the candidates have said in interviews over the last several months. right before you have to go back out there, go through the checklist one last time. >> hydrate. that's the most important thing. we were on the stage for about five hours. >> once you're up there, you're not on your own, but you're almost on your own. >> that's basically it. it's not that complicated. >> cnn and facebook are teaming up for the debate. and don lemon joins me from the debate site. don lemon kicking it in the

facebook lounge. >> this is joseph from facebook. he came over and wanted a selfie. i just hang out in the old facebook lounge here getting ready. >> thank you so much. >> nice to meet you. >> he promised me a facebook t-shirt. >> so we're hanging out in the facebook lounge. exactly what you'd think. have you been in here? >> no, what's the secret password to get in there? >> it's just like when you go to facebook. it's a bunch of young people sitting around in skinny jeans. but it's really cool because people get to hang out here. we'll discuss what people are talking about around the country. many times the pundits or people in politics get to decide what's important. here's what we should talk about. as you know, there's a debate

going on on facebook at every single moment. hundreds if not thousands of debates, millions of people talking about things that are important. it's important we have facebook to hear what's on the minds of actual real people around the country. >> you'll be getting questions from facebook and that's your role? making sure the people are heard. . >> absolutely, we'll be taking questions and you can go on cnn's facebook page and there's a prompt to go on. we have a whole team of people looking at them. at debate time right in the middle of it with anderson and everyone, i'll get to ask some of those questions. can i show you this? this is fascinating. let's take a look. you can tell the different candidates are up here. also if you look at this, different issues are up here. every single issue that people are talking about.

then you can also do this. if you want to know the. top five issues, these are the top five issues people are talking about on facebook for the past month up until now. these are the top five candidates people are talking about for the past month. so just real quickly, bernie sanders. check this out. so bernie sanders, just about a 50/50 split with women and men. you can see younger people he ranks high with. if you want to see around the country, how many people are talking about it, this is it. the darker you get, more more people are talking about it. hillary clinton, the same thing. look at hillary clinton. it lights up orange. more people are talking about hillary clinton. but check this out. guess who that is? donald trump, orange lights up like a wildfire throughout the entire country. everyone talking about donald trump. and the same thing you can do with different issues. it givehouse an idea around the country how many people are talking about it and where they are talking about it over the last month. fascinating information coming from facebook.

after the debate, we'll find out who won the debate, who people on facebook won the debate and what issues they were talking about. what issue thas found important after the debate. we'll do that post debate. >> that's awesome, i love the partnership with facebook. selfies and skinny jeans, not a prerequisite, let's make that clear. thank you, don lemon, see you tonight. >> thanks. we continue on hour two here. i'm brooke baldwin. thrilled to be here in vegas. tonight is the big night. five democratic presidential candidates about to make their way o to right where i am here at the wynn hotel in las vegas ready to go head to head for the most powerful position in the united states. you have the top two contenders facing off for the very first time. you have bernie sanders and former secretary of state hillary clinton, who will be essentially taking center stage.

to be precise, it's hillary clinton who will be standing there front and center. as the democratic front runner, just as she did in the first debate for the 2008 presidential race. this time she's hoping to hold on until the very end. and then you have the underdogs, three of them. martin o'malley, jim webb and former rhode island senator lincoln chafee. for these three, this is make or break time. joining me is our senior washington correspondent who is standing just outside that wynn hotel. the candidates will be walking through and getting the lay of the land, when do we anticipate them? >> they will be getting the lay of the land in not too long actually. just about an hour or so the candidates will come through and start look iing at that debate stage. i can tell you i have been inside there. it's a pretty intimate space. the stage has much more room on it because there are only five

candidates, much different than the republican debates we have seen so far this year. there is a pretty sizable studio audience. there will be supporters from each campaign and democratic contributors and others. it's going to be those five on stage alone. the excitement is building here. you're talking to a lot of democrats. nevada, a key swing state in the general election, but also an early voting state. it comes after iowa and new hampshire and nevada. this is one of the first opportunities that the voters here in this state will have an opportunity to take a look at them. i think the race may seem to be a little more up in the air than a lot of us sometimes think. some voters are just tuning in. hillary clinton, without a question, has the most on the line here. she's been practicing the most and doing all kinds of mock up sessions. she's at the top of the rung. so a lot of the other candidates will try to make a name for

themselves by trying to hit her. >> jeff, thank you so much. i want to continue the discussion with our panel. i have gloria borger and michael smerconish. awesome seeing you two. you can feel the excitement building here under blue skies here in las vegas. before we talk about bold predictions, family, in terms of who will be in there tonight. the role of husbands, wives, children in the debate hall. i want to play sound because the nation knows the clintons, but we're learning more about bernie sanders' wife. take a listen. >> i've always been very interested in policy and always doing a lot of research and thinking and writing. so we have that kind of a relationship where we really discuss things. >> i offer advice all the time on almost anything.

he will say, okay, good, and i'll know when he gives a speech or in a debate whether or not he agreed or not. >> gloria, to you. you have covered so many campaigns. how important is family during this? >> it's hugely important. family is comfort before you go. out on that debate stage. i remember talking to ann romney about this in the last campaign. she said out there in the audience, mitt romney always looked for her, made eye contact and then on a piece of paper on his podium before the debate, he would write "dad" to think about what his father george romney would do during a debate. so family is always very much in mind. spouses so important because they are your greatest character witness on the campaign trail as well. so couldn't be more important to see them in that audience. bill clinton will probably be watching on tv. >> that's what we're hearing. it's interesting what you didn't

see on television for the simi valley debate. in those commercial breaks, the family members were coming up on stage and saying hello and. giving love before haetd iing bk into. the audience. bold prediction time. bold prediction number one from you. >> i remember when we were together at the reagan library and we talked about how there were two debates on the stage. in that case you had the establishment candidates and the mavericks, the three still leading the pack. i'm thinking about tonight in similar terms. not because of establishment and maveri mavericks, but because it's two-tiered. it's bernie sanders and healthcare skpk then it's the three other guys. someone among the three other g guys has an opportunity to break out. i'll go with the wild card of jim webb. he's so ill defined on the national platform. he's hard to categorize and nuanced. he was a secretary of the navy. ten different works of fiction,

two non-fiction and a a screen play. he's a marine veteran, fought in vietnam, decorated for his country and oppose d going into iraq. a really hard guy to peg. where's he coming from tonight? i don't know, let's find out. >> what does he do on the stage? >> he could attack. that may be one way some of these lesser known candidates will get noticed. i think my prediction is that bernie sanders is not going to go directly after hillary clinton. if hillary clinton starts sort of talking about where are we going to pay for your ideas? he will then go back at her. that's what i'm told. >> who wins that between the two of them? >> it depends how you do it in a debate. it's very difficult to attack and still be well liked. so we're going to have to see how that happens. particularly if you're attacking a woman, by the way. it could be a little tricky

there. i think webb and chafee will be the ones doing most of the attacking, though. >> what about martin o'malley? standing next to hillary clinton. >> it hasn't gotten any traction. unsuccessfully. i would just say to your point about bernie sanders, i think he shows up with a couple one-liners in his hip pocket and reveals a very dry brooklyn sense of humor. he's perceived as being the grumpy uncle. with a funny line or two, he can change that look at him quite easily. >> the thing about bernie sanders is, people know his policies but don't know anything about who he really is. this is a guy who has a long history in the civil rights movement. has to start appealing to african-american voters. he did you want like talking about himself. he hates profiles. talk to anyone on his staff and they will tell you he doesn't want to talk about his life. he has to do that. >> not a chitchaters.

a very hard interview. >> i think it was van jones who made an excellent point yesterday. bernie sanders is the guy who has packed 5u8 these arena. s, 20,000 people, knows how to kill on stage. but when you're standing up there, it's very different on a stage with four other candidates speaking to them potentially attacking them, it's different. >> he's more comfortable talking about policy than talking face to face about you or about you or this voter or that voter. that's something a presidential candidate has to be able to do, which is to connect individually. i'll be interested to see how bernie sanders does that tonight and also how hillary clinton does that tonight because she's got the same problem to a degree. >> that's my third prediction. i think bernie sanders comes with a one-liner. webb distinguishes himself. i think tonight is an opportunity to get back to policy and substance because the individuals on that stage are

not the one who is have been critical of benghazi. they are not the ones critical of her server. i doubt they will bring it up. cnn will have to bring up some of those issues. i think it's an opportunity for her to distinguish herself as an individual who has a broad based resume and really is unmatched. >> also show her heart. >> and so the e-mail issue is not going to be so predominant. i'm sure we'll ask about it. but what we're going to see is among the democrats for a change, usually doesn't happen. the differences are not as stark among republicans. >> it's the op sut of simi valley. >> and no donald trump. >> he will be tweeting tonight. thank you so much. hillary clinton and donald trump, they are back and forth

already about tonight. hillary clinton also going after carly fiorina saying she should not get a free pass because she's a woman. we'll give you the context of the comments ahead. also chicago mayor rahm emanuel blames the crime on police. how will candidates respond on crime, police brutality, it's been a massive part of our national conversation over the last year. and i couldn't come to vegas without speaking to mr. las vegas himself wayne newton. he's joining me live. this is cnn's special live coverage.

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you're watching cnn, i'm brooke baldwin. we're live under the beautiful blue skies in las vegas. moments away from the candidates appearing to get the lay of the land before the big night tonight. while the only democratic candidates will be the ones on stage, all five of them, it's likely that the name, the man donald trump will come up in some sort of conversation and already hillary clinton is not wasting any time going after him here in las vegas. without much warning, yesterday she stopped by this union rally at the doorstep of trump's hotel and she did not hold back. >> some people think donald trump is entertaining, but i don't think it's entertaining when somebody insults immigrants, insults women. if you are going to run for president, you should represent all the people of the united states. that includes working people and

you should not stand in the way of the right to organize because that's what built the middle class of america. >> let me bring in commentator and strategist donna brazil and hillary rosen. i want to move past hillary clinton at that union rally and just get more into her being the lone female on stage. i have had a couple people say it will be interesting if people will attack because she's a woman. she addressed this. let me forget my long windedness. she was asked about carly fiorina saying she's in favor of women running, but shouldn't get a pass. people need to hold women's policies up to light to determine their answers to problems would be before deciding to support them. do you think that as women they will be getting a pass or is there extra scrutiny? >> i don't think anyone could argue that hillary clinton has

gotten a pass on anything in this last year. she's the attacks on her are as tough as they could possibly be. carly fiorina is a whole other bucket of problems for women and hillary is pretty clear. we have both written about this. carly's issue with women is her policies. she's not for women's health. and hillary clinton is going to stand on strong ground with all women voters. >> what do you think? >> since 1796 we have had 5 nominees for president of the united states. all of them have been male. while we have had had two women to save on major party tickets, those tickets lost. so this is an opportunity to lift up women. we're the majority of voters, the majority of who will go out and support candidates. and half of our delegates will be female. when she gave him that look, it's important to lift up women.

especially low income women. i was proud of hillary clinton on that picket line. they support their families. it's important to talk about equal pay. it's important to talk about work/life balance. so we have a woman who knows these issues and is going to be a champion for women. and i'm glad she will be on that debate stage tonight. >> if she were to be elected, she would be the first female president of the united states. the big if factor is if joe biden runs. you were making a point that he may be perceived as -- >> joe biden is going to be the elephant in the room for a lot of reasons. looking for some vacuum, some air, some pathway for his candidacy. i long said he can't be depending on hillary clinton faultering. he has to have a compelling reason of his own. on the other hand, i'm hearing from more and more hillary supporters that they are not going to be happy if joe biden

just comes in looking to put down hillary clinton and becomes the spoiler for a race that is potentially women's best chance to reach the presidency in many, many years. >> joe biden saying i want to get out of the way to allow for history to be made. he said that in 2008. joe biden has been a champion for women's rights and women's equality. joe biden was right there fighting for women's equality. i hope if he decides to run, and we don't know because it's about joe biden and his decision, that he has a compelling reason why he wants to run. he's done a fantastic job as vice president. i believe that he's supportive of the president. they are look at you but waving at me. joe biden needs a compelling reason to run. if he decides to run, come on over, the table is open. >> it's not joe biden's fault he's an old white guy. he's walked the talk.

but that doesn't mean there are a lot of consequences for women. >> can i ask you a question? i never thought i would be talking about t.i., but i want to go there. this is atlanta-based rapper who has come out and was saying that this country is not ready for a woman president saying, i can't vote for the leader of the free world to be a woman. i think a woman could do well, but the president, i just know that women make rash decisions emotionally. they make permanent decisions and later it's like it didn't happen. i'm just continuing to quote this man. the world ain't ready yet. my goodness, t.i., i wish you were calling in, i wish we could talk to you. >> with much love, brazil, a country named after my own family. south korea, there are countries

all over the globe being led by women. your mama took time to put you into this world. comments like that could take you out. >> hip hop has always been the lyric of truth that people don't want to say. so we know there are people who feel the way he does. they are not the majority of us. i liked better what pharrell said yesterday. when he endorsed hillary clinton, he said i like women leaders because women think about things more wholistically than men. i'm thinking pharrell sol more records this year an t.i. >> t.i., really, you need to rethink that. >> thank you both so much. >> t.i., call us, we'd love to talk to you. up next, he will have a direct chance to ask questions to the candidate tonight. juan carlos joins me to talk about how he's preparing ahead of the big evening in vegas.

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and i want to see the community grow and thrive. every year we work with cities and schools to plant trees in our communities. the environment is there for my kids and future generations. together, we're building a better california. we're back in vegas, baby, ahead of tonight's presidential debate. the candidates will face policy questions, but how will they handle the issues and address one another as well. it may answer some questions about the tone of their campaigns and we're headed there for the future. with me now is jake tapper. also with me is cnn anchor juan

ca carlos lopez. who will be asking some of these questions tonight. great to see both of you guys. tapper, since you were the last moderator of the republican debate back in simi valley in california, you have some unanswered questions, specifically can those translate for bernie sanders or hillary clinton and what are they? >> i think each candidate comes to tonight's contest with a goal. for hillary clinton, i would say she really needs to generate excitement. that's really been lacking with the registered voters of the general elect rat. for now, she needs to get democrats excited. can she excite democrats and deliver a knockout performance that really has people wanting to be excited about her. there are a lot of people around this it country who support her, but aren't excited about it. she needs to generate excitement. bernie sanders, he's been able to do that. he's been able to generate excitement, but the question for him is can he expand his appeal beyond the white progressive

base. can he reach out and be not just a candidate but a nominee? can can people see him in that role? i see him as a nominee not just somebody who is an ideological voice for me. and then for the other three guys, i have to say, they have an opportunity. >> is that horrible how we address them is the other three guys? >> james webb, lincoln chafee and martin o'malley. the three of them, and i have interviewed all three of them, but people will be tuning in to watch mainly hillary clinton and bernie sanders. so with that opportunity, what are they going to do with it? can they break out and inspire people? because right now even though all three men have been campaigning for months and months and months, nobody is buying the dog food. so they really need to seize this opportunity, however many millions of people are watching,

and grab it. >> you will be on the stage this evening. you have been prepping. . you have been in the room under. lock and key. you can't divulge your questions, but how have you been preparing and what are the key issues you want them to address? >> the interesting thing about this process, and jake knows it well, it's a big team effort. a lot of people involved researching, reading, going over what the candidates have said. that's what we have been focusing on to be ready and bring up the issues. and i cant tell you on the issues. >> or else you'd have to kill me. >> we're in vegas. >> anything goes. so you were on that stage. it was a much different ball game. you had 11 candidates at one point for the three-hour debate. but what advice, what guidance would you have for this man right here? >> i know that they don't need my guidance. >> we're asking for fun play along. >> every moderator has to come

to the debate and figure out what's the best way to work with the candidates they have. you don't go to war with the army you want, you go to war with the army you have. you have to do that with candidates. so i had 11 candidates who were all most of them eager to debate on issues, on leadership, on personality and then an exciting and intense debate already. so i just wanted more of that. the candidates on the democratic stage are different. they haven't been as keen ongoing after each other. so it's going to take a different approach. and i think you're going to see that tonight. maybe the moderators will challenge them more on their records instead of trying to get them to challenge each other because it doesn't seem there's going to be that much fruit there. but again, far be it for me to say how they should do it, but it's very different. i had, in some ways, an easier

job. >> anderson is going to be moderating and it's interesting where he's going to take it. >> can't wait. thank you both so much. coming up here on cnn, does bernie sanders have a problem connecting with african-american voters? how had his campaign hopes to use the debate to expand his reach. plus it could be a subject that comes up in tonight's debate as well. rahm emanuel speaking out about the recent crime wave, blasting police. >> officers themselves are telling me about how the news over the last 15 months have impa impacted their instincts. do they stop or keep driving. is when i -- >> more on that coming up. i'm brooke baldwin, we're live in las vegas. more special live coverage here on cnn after this.

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bottom of the hour, i'm brooke baldwin, we're live in las vegas. ahead of the debate, the democrats hoping to succeed president obama and they are finally about to face-off for the first time on the debate stage in the building behind me live on cnn this evening. with the stage set for these five candidates, tonight will be the big showdown here. really it's anyone's bet who will walk away the winner. as they try to sway voters and in some cases introduce

themselves to americans, there are a few rules they will need to follow. here is tom foreman laying it all out. >> five candidates are expected to be on stage with the debate begins. . they will be ordered in the strength in the polls. so hillary clinton will be in the middle. the others spread out on either side. the strength in the polls will determine their o order in terms of opening and closing statements. candidates cannot bring a phone or tablet or notes or a prop on to stage of any sort. they will each have a pad of paper and a pen and they will have some water in case they need it. what are they going to face? it will be an all cnn panel. the moderator is anderson cooper, dana bash and juan carlos. don lemon will be watching facebook and instagram fielding questions there and presenting those to the candidates. they will each have one minute to answer a direct question of any sort and if they are brought up in someone else's answer,

they will have 30 seconds for a rebuttal. they will also get a warning to tell them when they are running out of time. if anderson feels like they should be able to gone on further for clarity, he can let them do so. you can bet that the candidates will want every second they can get to try to make an impression, rise in the polls and be closer to the middle next time around. >> tom foreman, thank you. speak of one very important constituency, african-americans make up a large part of the vote. people will be watching to see how the candidates connect with that group, tackle issues like the state of policing in the united states and in the wake of the black lives matter movement that we have been witnessing. that has been especially vocal about the recent police killings of unarmed black men in places including baltimore and ferguson. but in chicago, the democratic mayor rahm emanuel is blaming

protests over those killings for an uptick in violence in his city. september was the deadliest month. there in 13 years with 60 homicides. the mayor says officers tell him they are second guessing themselves, too worried they could get into trouble. >> officers themselves are telling me about how the news over o the last 15 months have impacted their instipts. do they stop or keep driving? is when had i stop here, is it going to be my career on the line? >> i have with me political commentator van jones. good to see you again. let me be clear before i ask you about that it. the chicago police union disputing that claim. they say absolutely not true. police are definitely not second guessing themselves. you both worked in the obama administration. what do you make of his comments?

>> it's unfortunate he would say that. first of all, as we know, there's been a big problem with crime in chicago for a long time. there's also been a big problem about police department. there was a lawsuit about a decade or so ago successfully brought because police officers were torturing people using car batteries on their genitals. bad stuff has gone down. that trust was broken a long time ago. i think there are the need for more partnerships and cooperation, but you can't blame someone who is hurt for h hollering. you have an african-american hurting for a long time. these younger people are starting to holler. you don't blame someone who is hurt for hollering. you have to figure out how to make it better. >> we know that the black lives matter movement we have been covering this for quite awhile now with some of these stories in the news. some of the police brutality and killings. and bernie sanders is someone, this is a man who marched during

and with the civil rights movement decades ago. yet he really is not catching on with the african-american constituency. recently gave an interview to "ebony" magazine. why do you think that is not happening? >> it's a couple things. bernie sanders has an unbelievable record on civil rights votes. he has a perfect civil rights voting record, but he doesn't have the relationships with the black community. so he's right on the issues, he just doesn't know anybody. also when you talk about black lives matter, you're talking about people who were born in 1997. >> i was asking someone recently about the million man march. she was 6. >> you talk about people who their whole lives essentially obama has been president. so having a black president is no big deal to them and yet they see things going on. they don't even give obama a pass, let alone like sanders.

i think he has a lot of room to grow. he has to. this party has a large number of african-americans in it. young african-americans outvote their white young counterparts. it's amazing to have somebody with that kind of record. he doesn't have the relationships yet, so he's going to have to make up for that. i think tonight you're going to see him try to build that bridge. >> you know it -- i don't know what the questions will be tonight. but you have to imagine that there will be a question about the black lives matter movement and how important it is. hillary clinton just recently addressed some of these activists. >> isn't it amazing that you have these young people that have a hash tag. they don't have an office. they have a hash tag and willing to get out there. as much as people may hate it, this is democracy. this is people saying don't take my for granted. >> but they want specifics.

will they get them tonight? >> when you're talking about the body cameras or the broader criminal justice issues, republicans and democrats agree you're putting too many people in jail for too long. there's common ground here, but young people have forced the issue. people should be proud of them. >> ben jones, thank you very much. next here on cnn, ahead of this big debate, mr. las vegas himself, sold out so many crowds here on the las vegas strip. he's also no stranger to politics. wayne newton waiting in the wings, live here on cnn in a couple minutes.

♪ biden: we had a pretty good idea what all those families, all you americans in trouble, were going through... in part because our own families had gone through similar struggles. when i was a young kid in third grade, i remember my dad coming up the stairs in my grandpop's house

where we were living, sitting at the end of my bed, and saying, "joey, i'm going to have to leave for a while. go down to wilmington, delaware, with uncle frank. they're good jobs down there, honey. and in a little while... a little while, i'll be able to send for you and mom and jimmy and val, and everything's going to be fine." for the rest of our life, my sister and my brothers, for the rest of our life, my dad never failed to remind us that a job is about a lot more than a paycheck. it's about -- it's about your dignity. [ applause ] it's about respect. it's about your place in the community. it's about being able to look your child in the eye and say, "honey, it's going to be okay," and mean it, and know it's true. you never quit on america. and you deserve a president who will never quit on you.

♪ you know him, he is wayne newton. this is from january 2001. i couldn't come to vegas without spending time with wayne newton, joining me here live onset. thanks for having us in your town. >> we are thrilled to have you here. you add some real mipizzazz. >> we're talking about the big debate not loving on the democrats as much? >> probably so. the truth of the matter is it's important to understand both sides. >> how do you mean? >> that's why i'm here.

i'm coming to the debate tonight. because i want to hear what they have to say and i know what they have to say because i've watched that too. >> you've known him for white quite awhile. how many years back do you go? >> probably 15, 16 years. i was about 12 years old at the time. >> now i've talked to people who have known mr. trump as well and especially his most recent biographer and he told them i'm running for president and they didn't believe him. >> he did say that to me and i took it with the same kind of grain of salt. i thought why would he want to do that, number one. the heat you take when you're a public figure, period, is pretty substantial. >> you would know. >> and then to throw your hat in the ring for the highest office in the united states and maybe

in the world is really i admire him tremendously. terribly bright man. so i am -- i'm thrilled he's in the race. >> if you, wayne newton, were on the stage tonight and got to ask any of the five candidates one question, what would it be? >> the question i would ask is, how do they justify the death tax. i don't understand how we can work our entire life, pay our taxes, and then when we die, the government feels like they're entitled to 40%, 50% of what should be left to those that we love and have worked so hard for. >> you have been in this business a long time. i mean not too long. >> one or two weeks. >> one or two weeks. you know a thing about owning a stage and showmanship and

connecting with people who are watching. i know that you campaigned for both bush 41 and 43. >> i did. >> jeb bush has not connected quite as much with the constituents when you look at how he's been polling, and i'm wondering, why do you think that is? >> brooke, it's really interesting because if you remember the same thing was applied to 40 when he ran. people said, well, he's just not connecting with the people. i then had the pleasure of, in campaigning for 43, of president bush sr. joined us on that campaign help was not running he was out of office, and he was amazing. i mean, when the pressure was off of being president, and he could go out and be who he was, the people absolutely went crazy for him. and i believe the same thing is true of pretty much the entire bush family, because 43 was

accused of the same thing, if you'll remember. >> president bush has been to your home. president reagan has been to your home this is huge. folks, if you're a wayne newton fan, as of a week ago, you can actually take a tour of your home, the arabian horses, the monkeys, the cranes, the plane, the cars. >> the cars and the gifts that have have been fortunate, like mr. benny's violin, elvis presley's getta, on and on and on and on. >> give plea a quick story of one of the presidents rolling by your house. >> when president reagan came, he was going to be there long enough that they set up the red phone to the kremlin in my office. >> no kidding? >> and i can't tell you how many times i passed that office and had the desire -- to pick it up. >> -- to pick it up and see who's on the other end. i probably would have been in

big trouble, and i didn't do it, but i was tempted. >> i have to deliver a quick mess aage from wolf blitzer. he's such a fan. wishes you would sing. >> the truth of the matter is, he was in central park sinking last night because he tweeted me. ♪ central park ♪ >> hey, you're good. >> wayne newton, thank you for stopping by, appreciate it. nice to meet you, wayne newton. hop by his house any time around las vegas. next, hear from the people who matter the most. talk to the voters themselves here i'm caught up with them here in las vegas along the strip to get their take on some of the candidates. both democrats and republicans. i'm brooke baldwin. stay with me. you're watching cnn special live coverage. but it is not the device that is mobile, it is you.

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how about we put elvis on cnn. >> las vegas means freedom. freedom to do what whatever you want to do great weather, great place. >> kind of hot, actual. >> i it's very hot. i've been hot since 1955. >> what do you think of the crop of candidates 2016 election? >> i think they're like a bunch of blue rats and red rats in a box chasing each other. and they've got to think outside the box. you know, they keep thinking about each other and fighting against each other, but really who we're going to choose is someone that has a bright future for the country. >> democrats running for president, can you put a number down? >> i think i saw five names. >> ding, ding, ding, ding! heard of bernie sanders? >> no. >> jim webb? >> no. >> lincoln chaffey? donald trump? >> yeah. >> democrat were to be

president, who would be your pick? >> i like bernie sanders. i like bernie sanders. >> why. >> i think he come s across as real and does a good job explaining his positions and doing a good job. >> do you like hillary clinton? >> hillary clinton, she's -- too much about e-mails and not about the american public and our future. >> her husband is bill. >> oh. yeah. clinton, hillary? >> yes. >> if you were to gamble on the election who do you like so far to be our next president of the news. >> i would go with hillary. hillary? >> yes. >> tell me why. >> just because i feel like i know more about her just based off of her being president before and the presidential election prior to. >> okay. we all hillary people here or somewhere else? >> all hill. >> i do you know there's a debate here tomorrow night? >> all right. thanks, everyone, including elvis, for hanging out with me here in vegas. i'm brooke baldwin. it's been fun. do not move a muscle.

tonight is the big night, big debate, 8:30 eastern on cnn. my colleague, jake tapper is up next. "the lead" starts right now. welcome to "the lead." we are live from the majestic wynn note las vegas, fight night. five democratic presidential candidates making their way to the resort hotel to make the case that he or she should be leader of the free world. they will face off on the same stage for the very first time in this 2016 presidential race. welcome to "the lead." i'm jake tapper. and we are in a town that has seen some of the biggest prizefights in history. could one of these five candidates land a blow that changes this