Soon: Nevada Caucus-Goers Select Choice For Democratic Nominee; Early Vote Boosts Turnout In Nevada, But Concerns Remain; Mother Facing Two Counts Of Child Desertion
WHITFIELD: All right, with the Nevada caucuses just hours away now, a former Vice President and 2020 Democrat, Joe Biden says his campaign is just getting started. After a disappointing showing in both Iowa and New Hampshire, today, the Biden campaign is seeking redemption in the silver state as the race continues to move on to more diverse electorates. Our Arlette Saenz is in Las Vegas following the Biden campaign. So Arlette, how important is this for Biden to do well?</s>ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, it's very important for Biden to do well here as he's hoping to that, I will offer a bit of a turnaround in this campaign for me. He told me that he's hoping for a top two finish here to propel him into other diverse states like South Carolina in those Super Tuesday contests. And Biden has spent a lot of time this week courting minority voters. His campaign believes that he will perform better here because it is a more diverse electorate. He just picked up the endorsement from the Latino Victory Fund. And he's also spent a lot of time meeting with African-American voters hoping that they will come to his corner. He's also been courting union support, making back of house visits at casinos as he's been here. And he is hoping that this Nevada caucus will start a bit of a turnaround for him.</s>WHITFIELD: And so Arlette, you know, you also spoke with, you know, Biden yesterday about his relationship with President Obama following report that Senator Sanders was planning to run a primary challenge to the former president back in 2012. And what do you have to say about that?</s>SAENZ: Yes. Joe Biden has been quite critical of Bernie Sanders on a number of issues, including gun control. But yesterday, he voiced some frustration about Bernie Sanders past -- potential -- there was a report that he had considered potentially primary in President Obama back in 2012. Take a listen to what he had to say.</s>JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The idea that some -- and the idea that Bernie is a big supporter of Barack, as you saw today or yesterday, the Atlantic article pointed out that Bernie planned on primary Barack in 2012, his good friend in a primary. And presidents in years where they have a primary their incumbents, they don't win. And it took Harry Reid, I guess, according to the article that took him out in the primary. And so, you know, I noticed that everybody is Barack's best friend now. And they're putting him in his ads. I mean, the only guy that was had his back the whole time was me if he had mine. So I just think it's just a little been the truth have landed here. And I think that's what's beginning to happen.</s>SAENZ: We've had a little bit of a downpour here. So forgive my umbrella. But you heard Joe Biden there, be quite critical of Bernie Sanders, as Bernie Sanders has really picked up quite a bit of momentum out of those first two contests. And Joe Biden is hoping to potentially save him off a little bit going forward. Fred?</s>WHITFIELD: Yes. Arlette, I'd be sad for you if you didn't have an umbrella. I can hear the rain more than I can even see it. OK, so --</s>SAENZ: Yes.</s>WHITFIELD: -- will that rain in any way impact, you know, caucusgoers, you know, the excitement about being part of the process today?</s>SAENZ: Yes. You know, it's unclear if this will have any impact. I think that -- I'm not a weather reporter, but the bands may just be here for a short while.</s>WHITFIELD: Today you are.</s>SAENZ: So I think, yes, today, I have. But I think these caucusgoers will be heading shortly to those locations to try to support their candidates.</s>WHITFIELD: Good. All right, hopefully that's not wash away the enthusiasm. Arlette Saenz, thank you so much. Take cover.</s>SAENZ: Thank you.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk, talk it over now with Rebecca Katz, who is a progressive strategist. She also previously served as the communications director for former Senator Majority Leader, Harry Reid. All right, Rebecca, good to see you. Let's talk Nevada, the state's Democratic, you know, Party is assuring voters that what happened in Iowa won't happen at today's caucuses. How confident are you about this?</s>REBECCA KATZ, FMR. COMMUNICATIONS DIR. FOR SEN. MAJORITY LEADER HARRY REID: Well, listen, the most important thing here is accuracy. And Nevada Democrats know that we need to get it right. So we're going to have in just 30 minutes, the caucus doors will open. And we'll get started. Two hours after that. And we think we're going to spend the day really listening to caucus goers make their choices heard. This process will take a little bit longer than it's done in the past. We have new DNC requirements, in terms of getting our numbers right. And we also want to make sure that we have -- we take into account early votes here in Nevada. We've had four full days of early vote, which is never happened in a caucus state. So we're going to move those voters into the caucus process. And that should take a little bit longer. So we might have a long day ahead of us. But the most important thing here is to get it right.</s>WHITFIELD: Yes. Mr. Rickard (ph), he told me earlier, you know, the early voters to the tune of like, 70,000 voters. So, how people --</s>KATZ: Yes, huge number. It was very --</s>WHITFIELD: It's a huge number. Yes.</s>KATZ: Yes.</s>WHITFIELD: And that's actually really great isn't it? You know, you want people to get out and be part of the process. But then I wonder, you know, it almost sounds like this has become very, very complicated for Nevada, particularly because of what happened in Iowa. So help us understand this process because, you know, their iPads involved, you know, there is picture taking of tallying. Help us understand how it will work today.</s>KATZ: Right. So it's, it's very -- it's low tech. Basically, you have what's called a caucus calculator. And when the people come in and they raise their hand and they say, I'm for this person, you know, we put them into the calculator and then we put in the early vote voter. So they go with their first choice. Now, if that first choice candidate does not have 15 percent of the vote in that precinct, then there's some realignment. So then you do it again and you -- and that's why the rank, you have rank voting within the early vote. So these voters will get mixed in with the new voters there today. And it's not that complicated. But we knew it would be a little harder. But we did it because we're in franchising more voters. You know, the whole process is to get more people. The whole purpose is to get more people involved. And that's what we wanted to do today.</s>WHITFIELD: OK. Well, let's talk to you about your former boss, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. We just heard, you know, Biden reacting to report that, you know, Reid had to step in to stop Sanders from running a primary challenge against Obama in 2012. What do you know about that? How is that relevant to today's race?</s>KATZ: Right. Well, let's be real for a second. So this is a lot about very little. In 2012, Bernie Sanders was running for reelection and so as Barack Obama. Barack Obama never had a primary challenge. Harry Reid is a big, big fan of Barack Obama's and what he wanted to do more than anything was just to make sure that every one of his senators was 100 percent behind the president, and the president was overwhelmingly reelected. So I think this is a lot about a little. And we are all Democrats here and trying to right now, elect the best Democrat to beat Donald Trump.</s>WHITFIELD: And I remember seeing, you know, Senator Reid, last weekend, he was out and about, you know, interacting with people. And, you know, recently, you know, he said that Sanders, you know, he weighed in on it, you know, saying that Sanders needs more than a plurality to win the nomination. What is your thinking on this?</s>KATZ: I mean, I think the Democratic Party has to have a reckoning here. You know, there's some voters who believe that the candidate who has the most amount of voters, even if the plurality should be the nominee. There's other folks who believe that the nominee should be someone who has 50 percent of the convention plus one. I think this is this is a really serious issue for the Democratic Party. And it's one we're going to have to deal with. But, you know, maybe this will be a lot clearer after Super Tuesday.</s>WHITFIELD: And then Senator Reid also said, you know, that a brokered convention wouldn't be the end of the world, you know, but isn't this, you know, the same mistake that GOP made in 2016 when they, you know, were pinning their hopes on a brokered convention to stop Trump.</s>KATZ: Right.</s>WHITFIELD: Do you see any similarities or differences?</s>KATZ: Well, here's the thing. It's only February, you know, today we're seeing the third state vote, this is the first state that is diverse. You know, we've had two overwhelmingly white states vote. Now we get Nevada gets our shot. This would be the biggest indication for Super Tuesday. Nevada is the state that looks the most like the big states coming up like Texas, like California. So I think we're having a lot of, you know, worries about what might happen in July. But for right now, let's see, we might have a clear winner.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, Rebecca Katz, thank you so much in Las Vegas.</s>KATZ: Thank you.</s>WHITFIELD: Good luck today.</s>KATZ: Thank you.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, coming up, the mother of two missing children arrested. But where are her son and daughter? The charges she is facing and the lie she allegedly told investigators. But first, the race for the White House returns tomorrow night with a look at the 1980 campaign between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. Take a look at what happened at the Democratic National Convention.</s>JIMMY CARTER, 39TH UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: I thank you for the nomination you've offered me.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jimmy Carter is not on his game somehow, and goes to give praise to Hubert Horatio Humphrey, the former Vice President of the United States who had passed of cancer fairly recently.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a guaranteed applause line, you know, this is a guaranteed emotional tug at this crowd.</s>CARTER: We're the party of a great man who would have been one of the greatest presidents in history, Hubert Horatio Hornblower.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did he say, Hornblower?</s>CARTER: Humphrey.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think every one of us on the podium sort of gasped.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's as if that every step Carter's attempts to not only be the victor but appear the victor, are going horribly wrong.</s>WHITFIELD: And you can watch the race for the White House tomorrow night, 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN.