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Republicans Make Final Push for Votes in Iowa; Democratic Candidates Battle to Win Iowa Caucuses; WHO Calls Emergency Meeting over Zika Concerns; Iowa Students Learn How a Caucus Works. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired February 1, 2016 - 10:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


[10:00:00]

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ROBYN CURNOW, CNN HOST (voice-over): Ahead at the INTERNATIONAL DESK, all about Iowa. Trump versus Cruz, Clinton versus Sanders, we'll have full

coverage of the vote that kicks off the election season.

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CURNOW: Hello and welcome, I'm Robyn Curnow. And we begin with the first test in the presidential election campaign in the U.S.

All eyes on the Iowa caucuses. Tens of thousands of voters will gather in small groups in the coming hours to pick their candidates.

Whichever Republican and Democrat win the day will walk away with critical momentum heading into the next key race, the New Hampshire primary.

And we're watching the weather, too. Snow arrives tonight in Western Iowa as the caucuses begin and, by the early morning hours, blizzard

conditions across the state are expected to make travel nearly impossible. That could impact how many people turn out for tonight's vote.

Well, over the weekend, candidates on both sides were busy making appearances across the state. CNN's Sunlen Serfaty has more now on the

Republican candidates' final push for votes in Iowa.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You haven't had a winner in Iowa in 16 years. We're going to have a winner. You better

believe it.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Republicans in Iowa are waking up to the final pitches from 12 GOP hopefuls.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: I want to ask everyone here to vote for me 10 times.

SERFATY (voice-over): The presidential candidates in red spreading across the Hawkeye State, arming themselves with pointed criticism and

humor.

CRUZ: Next cycle, I think, Lady Gaga is running.

SERFATY (voice-over): Donald Trump is only 5 points ahead of Senator Ted Cruz and the most recent "Des Moines Register" poll front-runner is

feeling the heat.

TRUMP: He wants to pretend he's Robin Hood. He's going to protect everybody from Wall Street.

SERFATY (voice-over): Continuing to suggest Cruz has it in with big banks.

TRUMP: He forgot to mention that he's borrowed a lot of money at almost no interest from Goldman Sachs and from Citibank.

SERFATY (voice-over): And may not even be eligible for the presidency.

TRUMP: If you become the candidate, it's possible he can't even run, according to a lot of people.

SERFATY (voice-over): Cruz rolling out conservative celebrities to strike back.

PHIL ROBERTSON, REALITY SHOW ACTOR: All you ladies, that be a duck call.

SERFATY (voice-over): From "Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson --

ROBERTSON: Well, let's try one more time to get Trump. Let's call Donald Duck to come meet with Cruz and debate.

SERFATY (voice-over): -- to radio host Glenn Beck, begging Iowans not to vote for Trump.

GLENN BECK, RADIO SHOW HOST: For my children's sake, please, dear God, if you're thinking about it, go to the bar tomorrow instead.

SERFATY (voice-over): With so many other candidates polling in the single digits, there's still a large percentage of Iowa voters, who, if

swayed, could turn the tide for one of the front-runners.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FLA., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We cannot win if we are divided.

SERFATY (voice-over): Still, no candidate is giving up hope.

JEB BUSH, FORMER GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe I'm going to win the nomination.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Well, Sunlen Serfaty there.

Now to the other side. Bernie Sanders has mounted a fierce challenge to Hillary Clinton inside Iowa. CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more on the duel for

Democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SR. WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A furious fight to the finish.

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will fight for you in the White House.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I), VT., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It sounds like you want to make a political revolution.

ZELENY (voice-over): Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, circling Iowa one last time. The closing stretch is all about campaign mechanics.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are just calling to make sure we have your support.

CLINTON: Let's start a storm of movement toward the future that we want to make together. Thank you.

ZELENY (voice-over): It's the Super Bowl of politics. But the season isn't over. It's just beginning.

The test of campaign organization will set the tone for the rest of the 2016 race. Sanders announced a Sunday bombshell. He raised $20

million in January, an average donation of $27. Big crowds throwing their support behind their candidate.

SANDERS: Never in a million years would I have thought this possible.

ZELENY (voice-over): Soaring crowds for Clinton, too. Even as the State Department email investigation hangs over the campaign.

CLINTON: This is very much like Benghazi. Republicans are going to continue to use it, beat up on me, I understand that.

ZELENY (voice-over): The race could be decided by one key demographic: women voters. Sanders holds a large lead among women under

45. Clinton has the same edge among women over 45.

Amy Geider (ph) supported Clinton eight years ago in Iowa. Now she's leaning Sanders.

ZELENY: So do you think she'd be disappointed to hear that?

I mean, someone who caucused for her eight years ago is now unsure if they're going to caucus for her this time.

AMY GEIDER (PH), FORMER CLINTON SUPPORTER: Well, yes, she would probably be disappointed. I mean, I would be.

ZELENY (voice-over): But Marcella Nicola (ph) says it's past time to shatter that glass ceiling.

[10:05:00]

MARCELLA NICOLA (PH), IOWA CAUCUSGOER: I think it's history in the making and I hope we're part of it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: CNN senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny, reporting there from Iowa.

Well, a lot of attention on Iowa for a state with a population that just tops 3 million. Let's get some perspective on the caucuses.

Why are they are so important?

How the process works. Our Jonathan Mann joins us.

You're the host of "POLITICAL MANN," lots of work for you in the coming months. Let's just talk about Iowa.

Why is it so important?

Is it about the momentum because it's the first?

JONATHAN MANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It may be that. I think it's mostly about the media. The political parties in this country

no longer control the nominating process. It's up to voters and it's up to, well, the media to influence voters.

Iowa does tend to be broadly representative on the Democratic side. The last three Democratic nominees for the presidency won in Iowa and then

kept going.

On the Republican side, it's only broadly predictive. Iowa and New Hampshire together might give you a better idea. But the number one reason

Iowa matters is because it's first and because there's so much buildup, so much media attention.

No one paid any attention to Iowa until one campaign, one candidate way back when thought, why don't I go campaign there. Jimmy Carter did.

Everyone was so surprised that he won in Iowa, he went on to win the nomination and the presidency.

And it's Jimmy Carter who convinced the media to pay attention and the media who convinced the country to pay attention.

CURNOW: OK. And also you kind of need a little bit of help on this one, particularly as an outsider looking in. It's quite a byzantine

process, isn't it?

MANN: It's incomprehensible even to the people of Iowa, who need to be reminded and reeducated every four years because most of us know how to

vote in a democracy. You go in. You have a secret ballot. You're in a little room. You have a piece of paper. The job is done. It takes 5

minutes.

In Iowa, it takes, on the Democratic side, hours. The Republicans do do it by secret ballot in a caucus. So the Republicans come in, they talk,

they meet their neighbors and then they get a secret ballot.

In the Democratic caucuses, it's no secrecy at all. Your neighbors are there. Your boss may be there. The people who you're trying to

impress for one reason or another may be there and all of them not only are talking about how they are going to behave, and they're publicly doing it,

they are actively engaged in trying to convince each other to change their opinions.

And that goes on for hours at a time. That's why it's so hard to predict and that's why everyone's going to be waiting to see what happens

tonight because the Sanders supporters are going to go in and try and convince the Clinton supporters. The Clinton supporters are going to try

and convince the O'Malley supporters --

CURNOW: Well, that's the key, O'Malley, isn't it?

MANN: It may be because the (INAUDIBLE) are so close between the two that O'Malley supporters may make the difference. Now in an ordinary vote,

if you wanted to vote for a third party candidate, nobody would care. You could just cast your ballot.

One of the weird rules in Iowa is, is that if any candidate has less than 15 percent of the people in the room, so if there is a room of 20

people and there are two O'Malley supporters, those two O'Malley supporters are told, under the rules of the system, their votes will be excluded

unless they want to vote for someone else.

So the key job for both Sanders and Clinton supporters tonight, not just to get their people out, not just to make sure their people stay loyal

but once they have got their own group solidified, go after the O'Malley people because the O'Malley people are the prize tonight.

CURNOW: And it's also about getting out there. I think that's what's so key here is that polls, schmolls, really. I mean, this is about coming

out in the snow tonight, organizing child care or leaving some frat party and making sure you come and actually show up. And that's the key, isn't

it?

MANN: Exactly. You've got children. If your babysitter cancels tonight, it doesn't matter what you told the pollster, you aren't going.

No one knows who's actually going to show up and you mentioned the snow. The snow, Iowa is used to snow.

But here's the crucial thing. It's going to snow a ton tonight. So if, as we just heard from Jeff Zeleny, you're an older Clinton supporter,

say you're a single woman who's 55 or 65, well, Clinton wants you. That's the bedrock of the Clinton campaign.

You might not want to go out and face the snow because, once again, it's not a five-minute vote. It's a three-hour meeting. The snow could

start falling around 6:00 or 7:00 tonight. You're not going to get out of there until 10:00, maybe later.

And so Clinton supporters, everyone may be wondering about the snow, if you're a college student and you've got tomorrow off because of the

snow, that's a four-day weekend. It's a nice day off.

Are you going to spend your great evening of partying until dawn at a boring meeting or are you going to stay home?

One more thing to keep in mind and this is how whacky all the details are. The snow is expected to hit in the west of the state before it hits

the east of the state. The west is the more conservative part of the state. Probably more Clinton supporters because all the universities, all

the young people are on the eastern half of the state.

So the weather is going to matter an enormous amount. Age is going to matter, as we've heard. What college students are going to do, what 17-

year olds are going to do because they're a massive demographic.

You have to be 18 to vote in the United States. But in the caucus states, if you meet the -- if your 18th birthday is by Election Day, you

can vote at 17.

And Bernie Sanders is paying so much attention to 17-year olds. I don't know how many politicians paid attention to you when you were 17 but

this is all part of the complicated mix of trying to win in Iowa.

The rules are complicated. It doesn't really make a lot of sense because the turnout is tiny but, boy, it gets the steamrolling towards the

presidency started.

CURNOW: And so key, isn't it --

[10:10:00]

CURNOW: -- to who occupies the White House. I mean, that's what's so fascinating about this.

MANN: Donald Trump has never run for election in his life. He's never run for dog catcher. He's never run for student council president.

This is his first electoral test. This is a man who separates the world into winners and losers.

Tonight, what does he do if he's a loser?

That's a bad thing in the Trump universe.

CURNOW: All eyes on that. For demystifying it all, Jon Mann, thanks so much.

MANN: Sure thing.

CURNOW: Well, lots to talk about. But after the break, we'll check the Democratic candidates and who is duking it out for liberals in Iowa.

We'll go live to Des Moines. So stick around for that.

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CURNOW: Hello and welcome back. I'm Robyn Curnow.

And as the primary season begins, U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is still facing scrutiny over use of a private

email server while she was secretary of state.

Now just a short time ago, she told CNN's Alisyn Camerota there's nothing new about the investigation, again, saying she went to the U.S.

State Department to release all of her emails. This is what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINTON: Most of the voters who have followed this know exactly what's going on here. I never made any different explanation than the one

that I have made over and over again. I take classified information seriously.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Well, Clinton added she had learned a lot of lessons since her defeat by then-Senator Barack Obama in the 2008 Iowa caucuses.

Well, for more on the democratic push to win the Iowa caucuses, CNN's Maeve Reston joins us now live from Des Moines.

Hi, there.

If Hillary Clinton said she's learned lessons, why then is she neck- and-neck with Bernie Sanders?

MAEVE RESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that is the big question here, just the amount of excitement that has been generated by Bernie Sanders,

particularly among young voters here in Iowa, has really just been extraordinary. No one thought that a Democratic socialist would surge to

the top of the pack like this.

And so in some ways it's kind of an uncomfortable repeat of history for Hillary Clinton. But as she was out there on the campaign trail this

weekend, she was repeatedly saying that she thinks that she's the fighter in the race. She's the proven change maker in the race, trying to edge in

on his argument that he can start a revolution.

And we know that her fundraising tallies have been really strong. We got some new numbers yesterday. She posted $112 million in 2015. At the

same time, Bernie Sanders raised $20 million just in January alone and so a lot of it from small dollar donations really showing that enthusiasm for

his campaign.

So we really don't know how this is going to go tonight. And a lot of it depends on whether or not those college students who are so enthusiastic

about Sanders --

[10:15:00]

RESTON: -- are going to show up to caucus.

CURNOW: Or whether elderly women over 45 -- and I'm not elderly -- totally the wrong word to use there -- but women over 45, if they come out,

and that -- you know, we were just talking to one of our correspondents here -- that could be dependent on the weather.

RESTON: It could; we have a big snowstorm descending on us here, which is not an unusual thing for Iowa but right now it's crisp and clear.

Both of the campaigns are optimistic that the people will be at the caucuses before the snow rolls in.

And certainly that split among women has just been so interesting to watch here. As you mentioned, women under 45 have been leaning toward

Bernie Sanders. Women above 45 leaning toward Hillary Clinton.

So it's going to be interesting to see whether she can make a very strong closing argument today that brings those women over to her side.

CURNOW: We understand that at least one of the lessons Hillary Clinton learned from the 2008 Iowa caucuses was that she's now has had a

huge machine in many ways, grassroots, really trying to connect with people in Iowa.

She's been there for a while. And I use the word machine because is that one of the things that is also counting against her?

That, you know, she just seems like too much of the establishment, you know, a political machine.

RESTON: Well, that that is one of the strikes against her for some Democratic voters.

At the same time, one of the mistakes that she has corrected is that she has got a really, really strong ground game this time. You see

evidence of it at every event that you go to. Literally people can't get through the door at events.

Even for Bill Clinton, without filling out these caucus commitment cards, promising to show up on Monday night. And so in one piece of it is

that she really has been putting that kind of effort around the machine, the organization, this time and she's going to need that to win here. So

it's a double-edged sword, as you said.

CURNOW: Maeve Reston, keeping an eye on the Democratic race there, thanks so much.

Well, conservative radio talk show host Glenn Beck is once again blasting Republican front runner Donald Trump, calling him a dangerous man.

Beck, who has endorsed Ted Cruz, spoke to CNN earlier from his replica set of the Oval Office.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECK: He's a narcissist to the highest level. And that's exactly the wrong person to put into the Oval Office. And I understand the frustration

of some of his voters.

But the thing that we have to look for is no one man can make America great. It is we, the people. It is the people and having the government

get out of the way of the people that makes America great, the dreamers at Google, the dreamers at Microsoft, they didn't the government to do it.

They needed the restraint of the government. They now say -- Bill Gates says he couldn't have started Microsoft now in today's environment.

That's what hurts America.

And we need to return to our constitutional principles. And that's something that all Americans used to agree on. But now we're playing this

-- we're in this culture where celebrity wins. That -- those aren't principles. That's a game show.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Well, let's go right back to the wintry Midwest states. That is the source of all of our conversation.

Mark Preston, executive editor of CNN Politics, you're in Des Moines, Iowa. OK. So we were talking and you heard there whether this is a

circus, a game show, a reality TV show.

I mean, what do you feel like the mood is there at the moment?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Robyn, let me tell you. I don't know how to describe what has happened in this presidential campaign. The

entrance of Donald Trump, who had flirted with running for president several times before, really caught on early and has never let off.

Now the fact that people are calling it as a reality show is because here in the U.S., as everyone knows, he had one of the most watched reality

shows. Donald Trump has really turned American politics on its head with his accusations and his criticisms of his rivals.

And tonight we'll see specifically if those criticisms are going to work against Ted Cruz here in Iowa.

CURNOW: And Mark, what is key about this is to see whether these huge support, at least verbally, that Donald Trump has had actually translates

into people coming out and voting for him.

So that is going to be key, isn't it?

PRESTON: It is. And interesting, I was speaking to somebody with the Republican state party and they had told me that they have seen an uptick

in the number of people who have called to switch their registration from Democrat or unaffiliated to Republican.

What does that tell us?

Potentially that could be Donald Trump voters, folks who are looking at Donald Trump, who have never caucused Republican before, and see him as

the nominee, potentially as the next president.

Now it's unclear, as you said, whether these folks --

[10:20:00]

PRESTON: -- who appear at these rallies, who come out in the thousands will actually come out on a very cold Monday evening and will

they caucus for Donald Trump?

We'll see that tonight. But it really does come down to the ground game here in Iowa -- Robyn.

CURNOW: OK. So the ground game, we're talking about -- I also want your perspective on any surprise candidates.

I mean, do you think someone like Marco Rubio is going to make at least a very strong showing, even in third?

That says something.

PRESTON: Right, so there's (INAUDIBLE) right now, Robyn, that Marco Rubio, who had been criticized for much of this past year for not investing

enough time and resources here in Iowa as well as New Hampshire, which will be voting next week, is now starting to see a surge.

A lot of people attribute that to now to Marco Rubio perhaps being the best alternative to Donald Trump or Ted Cruz, who are very much out of the

mainstream when it comes to Republican politics, certainly establishment Republican politics.

But to your point, Ben Carson, the doctor, neurosurgeon, one of the most famous neurosurgeons in the world, is still at 10 percent right now in

the caucus. So we'll see what happens heading into tonight. If Ben Carson holds onto his voters, they tend to be evangelical Christian voters. If he

holds onto them, that could be problematic for Ted Cruz, who's banking on the evangelical vote to take him to the finish line.

CURNOW: It's going to be fascinating. And as we have said before, I mean, the only prediction, the only safe prediction is that anything could

happen. So we'll be talking a lot tomorrow. Thanks so much, Mark Preston, appreciate it.

And it could be a long night (INAUDIBLE) candidates before our correspondents because CNN will take you through to the end. Our full

coverage starts at 6:00 pm local time in Iowa. That's about 8:00 am Tuesday in Hong Kong, only on CNN.

Well, we'll have much more on Iowa later on in the show.

But first, the explosive spread of the Zika virus that's linked to birth defects in Brazil. We'll tell you what emergency action the World

Health Organization is taking today.

And a big grab for Manchester City Football Club. Who the team picked as its new manager.

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CURNOW: Well, our coverage of the Iowa caucuses day continues in a few minutes. But first here are the stories making headlines today.

(HEADLINES)

[10:25:00]

CURNOW: And an emergency meeting has been called by the director general of the World Health Organization about the Zika virus. Right now

it's spreading explosively across the Americas. The mosquito-borne virus is linked to a surge in dangerous birth defects in Brazil. That meeting is

set to begin in about two hours' time.

Well, Zika is not new. It was first discovered in Uganda in the 1940s. Our David McKenzie is in Zika Forest, which is near Entebbe in

Uganda.

Hi, there, Dave. I mean, if it's been around since the 1940s, why has Zika spread so virulently now in the past few years?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Robyn. That's what a lot of people are asking; if it was identified way back then in this forest behind

me, by scientists, by the scientists of the Rockefeller Foundation, then why is it that it took so long to give notice?

And why isn't there more in place like testing and other means to deal with this outbreak, which is wracking South America and potentially Central

America into the North American continent?

Well, the reason is, frankly, because, at the time, they caught this virus by accident. They were studying yellow fever here in Uganda and, at

the time, certainly there was no sense that this could affect human populations as much as it has. It only had infected a handful of people

before a major outbreak in 2007 in Micronesia, you know, a top researcher we spoke to inside Zika Forest said viruses are found here all the time.

It's difficult to know which one to focus on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIUS LUTWARNA (PH), UGANDA VIRUS RESEARCH INSTITUTE: We don't know for sure. We don't know completely what is in this forest. We have not

done enough. We can't say we know anything. Every other year we come across new viruses. In the last five years or so, almost each year, we

come across a new virus in this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: Well, there's certainly a renewed sense of urgency here. We were just in the depths of that forest with Ugandan researchers, who are

hanging nets with carbon dioxide and light to bring in mosquitoes that they will then take to a sophisticated lab and analyze what kind of viruses are

in this forest.

It's important that this basic core science is done to try and avoid a situation like we're seeing now with Zika really spreading through South

America and very few answers out there to stop it -- Robyn.

CURNOW: Yes, and I think there are sort of 60-70 different species of mosquitoes where you are now. So definitely wrap up and get the bug spray

out.

But it's also an indication particularly, with urbanization, climate change, pollution, it really is a concern because the explosion of

mosquito-borne diseases is a worry and we should expect science to say this kind of rampant explosion of viruses.

MCKENZIE: Well, yes. This is not the first time this has happened but it's certainly going to happen more frequently, say scientists. You're

absolutely right. This may seem like a remote forest but it's near to urban areas; humans all over the world, in the tropics and in equatorial

regions, are moving closer to forests where there are these repositories, these hot zones of biodiversity which is kind of generating viruses,

potential pathogens all the time.

That's why the scientists here say they need more support to kind of keep an eye on the situation here. If there's any major mutation or a

situation of an outbreak, they stamp it out. There's work done like this all the time. But in this case, it seems like a threat was missed.

Several decades later, the virus changed and now could potentially be very harmful indeed -- Robyn.

CURNOW: OK. Great. Thanks for your reporting, David McKenzie there.

Well, still ahead, the math is complex. The temperature is cold. And the events are packed with passion and persuasion. We'll have all the

latest ahead of the Iowa caucuses.

[10:30:00]

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CURNOW: Welcome to the INTERNATIONAL DESK. Thanks so much for joining us, I'm Robyn Curnow. Here's a check of the headlines.

(HEADLINES)

CURNOW: Well, the U.S. presidential candidates are deploying volunteers to urge people to get out to their caucuses and sway any last

undecided voters.

Ted Cruz is going all out. His campaign says it has 12,000 volunteers working across Iowa. Well, let's bring in our Joe Johns. He joins us now

from Des Moines.

Hi, there. I mean, obviously, Ted Cruz throwing everything at it. But pundits are saying that he has the most at stake or perhaps the most to

lose in this Republican race.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: I think that's right. And part of his closing argument is that if he does not win here in Iowa,

where religious conservatives are so strong -- he very much aligns himself with that group -- then Donald Trump has a chance to run the table, if you

will, in some of the early voting states.

Trump doing very well right now in the polling, for example, in New Hampshire. So he does have more than 10,000 volunteers out, Cruz does.

And he's pulling out all the stops, including appearing with a bunch of conservatives, religious conservatives, people who can prop him up, if you

will, and get his people tonight to the caucuses.

Of course, anything can happen. Cruz is pushing very much on some of the traditional voters, who go to the caucuses here in Iowa every four

years while Trump and some others are hoping for some of the nontraditional, the newer voters, people coming in for the first time.

All of this leads to a question of turnout in the state of Iowa.

How many people will show up?

And the traditional wisdom is, the more people who show up, the better chances are for Donald Trump -- Robyn.

CURNOW: Better chances for Donald Trump. Let's talk about Hillary Clinton. I mean, a few months ago, we would have said she was a slam dunk

for this nomination.

Not so much.

Could she possibly lose the Iowa caucuses?

And what would that mean?

JOHNS: It certainly looks that way. It looks like a tossup right now, quite frankly, between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

In fact, the latest Quinnipiac poll just out today, the final Quinnipiac poll here in Iowa, suggests that Bernie Sanders is up 3 points,

that's within the margin of error, making it a virtual tossup and once again a question of who will show up at the Iowa caucuses tonight 7 o'clock

Eastern time.

[10:35:00]

JOHNS: Bernie Sanders has said if there is a very large turnout, then he stands to win in the caucuses, also polling well in New Hampshire, which

is close to Vermont. If the more traditional caucusgoers show up, those people who showed up for Hillary Clinton eight years ago when she ran for

president, along with some help from the Obama machine, if those traditional caucusgoers show up, then the traditional wisdom is that

Hillary Clinton stands to do better tonight -- Robyn.

CURNOW: Joe Johns there, on the ground in Des Moines, Iowa, thanks so much for your coverage. Appreciate it.

Snow, as we have been reporting, could affect Iowa caucusgoers in part of the state. Chad Myers joins us now with the latest.

There's just one added variable to what's going to be a very interesting night.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's going to be a very interesting tomorrow when all the reporters can't get out of Iowa because of the

blizzard. I think the reporters are more concerned about it than the voters.

(WEATHER REPORT)

CURNOW: Thanks so much, Chad. Either way, I mean, it's still going to be snowing and we'll just have to see how hardy your folk are and

whether or not that impacts on the vote. But appreciate it.

Well, it's the nation's first vote in a very confusing process, even for people living in the state. Coming up, young voters in Iowa hold a

mock caucus to understand just how it all works.

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CURNOW: You're watching CNN. The Iowa caucuses can be incredibly difficult to understand, especially for outsiders but also even for Iowans.

Many of them, young and old, have never rocked a caucus before. Some Iowa college students are getting a crash course, though, on how to mock caucus,

so to speak.

[10:40:00]

CURNOW: Well, CNN's Randi Kaye has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You all filing in, we'd like to get started.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'd like to call this Republican caucus to order.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Students are caucusing as a Republican, if you wouldn't mind filing in and taking your seat.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's caucus night at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) call this Democratic caucus to order.

KAYE (voice-over): Not the real thing yet; just a mock caucus to teach first-time caucus goers how it works.

This training session's called WTS: A Caucus.

KAYE: How many times have you asked yourself that, what's "WTS, It's a Caucus"?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Online. I Googled it. It made everything more confusing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Somebody here help this situation?

KAYE (voice-over): It's easy to get confused. Republicans and Democrats caucus on the same night but they do it differently.

On the Republican side, voters hear a pitch from the candidate's surrogates.

Jeb Bush Jr. surprised everyone at this mock caucus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With that, we'll start with Jeb Bush.

(APPLAUSE)

KAYE (voice-over): Practicing his own selling skills before the big night.

JEB BUSH JR., SON OF PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Good evening. My name is Jeb Bush Jr. It is an honor to be here tonight on Drake Google Dogs. I

hope you guys come out and caucus on Monday night.

KAYE (voice-over): Then Republicans simply fill out a piece of paper with the candidate they want.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once you have voted, please fold the paper in half and return to the secretary.

KAYE (voice-over): Next the votes are counted and a winner named for that caucus site.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a winner.

Looks like Jeb Bush.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Democratic caucus, as you can see, because you have no chairs, is a little different from the Republican caucus.

KAYE (voice-over): Now it's the Democrats' turn.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our process on the Democratic side is a very active process. It's very dynamic. There's a lot of engagement and

enthusiasm.

KAYE (voice-over): The Democrats divide themselves into groups, each one supporting a different candidate.

So if you like Martin O'Malley, you caucus with his supporters. Drake student Lara Cox told us she's voting Democratic but was still undecided.

LARA COX, DRAKE STUDENT: We're first in the nation so everyone is kind of watching and then it goes away and no one cares about Iowa anymore.

So I think it's a lot of pressure.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have not, you know, (INAUDIBLE).

KAYE (voice-over): Lara first caucused with Hillary Clinton supporters.

COX: The thing is that Hillary is so deep in the establishment that I don't know if she really wants to change things or she just wants to be

president.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The whole goal of this thing is to get 15 percent.

KAYE (voice-over): Then she caucused with Bernie Sanders' group.

COX: The race ends up with Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders.

Do you think Bernie Sanders could get any moderate Republican votes?

KAYE (voice-over): She feels pressure from both sides and time is running out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How much time do you have?

KAYE (voice-over): This is exactly what makes the Democratic caucus so interesting. So much pressure from friends, neighbors, even roommates

to get others to vote their way.

COX: One of my roommates is over here, she was friends with me, and one is over here. And either way I have to go home to one of them and they

are going to be mad.

KAYE (voice-over): In the end, Lara decides to caucus for Hillary Clinton, mainly because she likes her experience.

COX: Here I am.

KAYE (voice-over): Randi Kaye --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you all for coming out again.

KAYE (voice-over): -- CNN, Des Moines, Iowa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

CURNOW (voice-over): That was fascinating stuff, wasn't it. Now a reminder of all of our coverage on the Iowa caucuses, which starts at 6:00

pm local time in Iowa. That's 8:00 am Tuesday in Hong Kong, only on CNN.

Well, that does it for us here at the INTERNATIONAL DESK. I'm Robyn Curnow. Thanks so much for watching. I'll be back in just over an hour to

have more coverage on those Iowa caucuses. In the meantime, I'm going to hand you over to "WORLD SPORT" to Christina Macfarlane who has more on

football's transfer deadline day and the new manager for Manchester City. So stick around for that.

END