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GOP Candidates to Face Off for Final Time in 2015; Cruz Challenges Trump for Republican Lead; Trump's Lead in Polls to Shape Debate; Bowe Bergdahl to Face Court Martial; Bill Cosby Counter Sues Women; "Star Wars" Premier Filled with Stars. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired December 15, 2015 - 01:00   ET

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


[01:01:45] JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everybody. Great to have you with us. We'd like to welcome our viewers in the United States and all around the world. I'm John Vause live in Las Vegas where Republican presidential candidates are getting set to square off on Tuesday night.

ISHA SESAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And I'm Isha Sesay in Los Angeles where just hours ago the new "Star Wars" movie made its world premiere. I will take you to the red carpet next on CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles.

VAUSE: Just hours now before the U.S. Republican presidential contenders face off here in Las Vegas for their last debate of the year. And it comes at an uncertain time for the Republican Party.

Let's bring in our senior reporter for media and politics, Dylan Byers, to talk about it.

First of all, let's talk about Trump's proposed ban on Muslims entering the United States and how that will shape this debate because we heard from Donald Trump just a few hours ago here in Las Vegas. He had a large rally. A lot of supporters there. A lot of the old lines that we heard and a lot of support, a lot of cheers for him.

DYLAN BYERS, CNN SENIOR MEDIA AND POLITICAL REPORTER: A lot of cheers. You know, I'll say, we -- CNN always has reporters at these rallies. Tons of reporters. It was my first time as a media and politics reporter going to one of these things. And I got to say, the way that he gins up that crowd and the enthusiasm coming out of that crowd is really something to be seen. And it's historic. And I don't think we've seen it in a Republican primary. Certainly not in recent history.

Now the Muslim ban is a very interesting thing because what it does for tomorrow's night debate is it elevates the entire debate beyond politics. David Ignatius in "The Washington Post" wrote that, you know, reputations -- historical reputations will be won or lost over the course of the next few weeks. There's only one time over the course of the next few weeks when all of the candidates are going to be standing on stage and are going to be asked where they come down on this issue which is a historic issue and for many Americans goes against fundamental American values. It's going to be really interesting to see what happens tomorrow night. VAUSE: OK. So given that, what are the tactics here for candidates

like Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz who obviously -- you know, they want the support that Trump has but they're not entirely sure they want to go all the way that Trump has gone with, you know, his harsh rhetoric. You know, rounding up the Syrian refugees. Deport them from the country. Ban all Muslims from entering the country. So how far do they go and will that be enough?

BYERS: Well, so this is the difficult thing because if you look at the polls you're seeing a lot of support among Republican voters and among Republicans for what Donald Trump has proposed. If you are Rubio, if you're Cruz and you're thinking about the general election, you also know that by the time you get to the general election it might not look very good to the majority of the American people who oppose what Trump has proposed. So threading that needle is going to be a contest.

Now at the same time, it's not terribly appealing if on this sort of historic question about fundamental American values a candidate is seen as sort of playing politics and threading the needle. I'm going to be very interesting to see how they have a sort of balance that tomorrow.

VAUSE: Is there a double standard here for the candidates? Because Donald Trump can get out there and he can put out these general statements, no details, and say, I'm not experienced but this is what I'm going to do. Whereas candidates like, you know, I guess the more serious or the more establishment candidates like Rubio, like Bush, they actually have to put forwards policy details on how they would deal with these issues.

[01:05:01] BYERS: That's exactly right. So what Trump has done is he has established himself as almost post-fact candidate, right? He can go out there and say what he wants. He's running his own show and he's very deft at handling the media when the media comes after him asking for specifics.

Cruz and Rubio are more establishment figures. They need to actually account for what they're saying, you know.

VAUSE: Yes.

BYERS: Make appeals to rational thought as opposed to emotion. So that -- again, there is a double standard. You're absolutely right about that. But, you know, that's just the nature of the campaign right now.

VAUSE: This is how it falls, I guess. Why is this debate so important? It's the last debate of the year. Why is it so important and who has the most to lose and who has the most to gain right now?

BYERS: It's a very good question. I think -- first of all the debate is important because what we're doing right now is after this debate, we're heading into the holidays. There's going to be a huge lull. Next thing we know we're going to come out of the new year. It's going to be January and then just like, you know, it's going to be the Iowa caucuses. And as soon as the Iowa caucuses happen we stream into New Hampshire, South Carolina. This whole thing gets going.

So this is really the time for the candidates to make their case to the voters before the voters sort of go home for the holidays and can form their opinions.

Now who has the most to lose? Look, Ben Carson has been tanking in the polls. He was a second for a moment there, we almost thought he was leading Donald Trump. He seems to be going nowhere. If he wants to, you know, staunch the blood-letting, that has to happen tomorrow night.

Certainly who has the most to gain? Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. There's a lot of the conventional wisdom and this might be the election cycle where the conventional wisdom doesn't matter but a lot of conventional wisdom has it that we're heading for a showdown between Rubio and Cruz after the Trump circus leaves town.

VAUSE: And of course, you know, for Ben Carson, debate is not a strong suit for him. Policy is not his strong suit, national security. So he has got a very big hurdle to overcome tomorrow night.

Dylan, thanks for being with us. Appreciate it.

Now Donald Trump still leads the Republican pack. But some of his challengers have been gaining on him, especially Senator Ted Cruz. John Berman has more now on the changing relationship between these two men.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR, EARLY START (voice-over): In a campaign like no other with a frontrunner like no other, a new poll like no other. For the first time, Donald Trump breaks 40 percent in a national poll for Monmouth University, 27 points ahead of his closest rival. It is also the first poll wholly taken since this controversial proposal.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.

BERMAN: A notion that will be tested in the last Republican debate of the year. The first debate since the terror attacks in San Bernardino and Paris.

TRUMP: How crazy are we allowing ourselves to be subject to this kind of terror?

BERMAN: Trump finds himself center stage at the CNN debate with a new next-door neighbor, Ted Cruz, who has surged into second place in national polling and is running out in front or close in Iowa.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: God bless the great state of Iowa.

BERMAN: Until now, Trump and Cruz have remained friendly foes, almost campaign comrades. In 24 hours, that could come to an end. TRUMP: I like him. He's been so nice to me. I mean, I could say

anything and he said, I agree, I agree. But I think the time will come to an end pretty soon, it sounds like.

BERMAN: Trump is previewing a possible line of attack compared to Senator Cruz, he says, he is Mr. Agreeable.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": Why should voters go for you over Ted Cruz?

TRUMP: Because I'm more capable. Because I have a much better temperament. Because I actually get along with people much better than he does.

BERMAN: Trump even accused Cruz of being a little bit of a maniac while in the Senate. Cruz opened up a can of '80s in response, tweeting, "In honor of my friend, #realDonaldTrump and good-hearted maniacs everywhere," and he tweeted a link to the movie "Flashdance."

Trump will not be the only challenge for Ted Cruz. Senator Marco Rubio already calling him weak on national security.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Each time he's had to choose between strong national defense and some of the isolationist tendencies in American politics, he seems to side with the isolationists.

BERMAN: John Berman, CNN, Las Vegas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Well, throughout this GOP primary, there has been a lot of talk about a civil war within the Republican Party. The insiders versus the outsiders. Donald Trump versus pretty much everybody else.

Well, for more on that I'm joined now by two CNN political commentators and analysts, Ana Navarro, who is a supporter of Jeb Bush and a friend of Marco Rubio.

Thank you for being with us.

And Jeffrey Lord who, I think is fair to say, is a Donald Trump supporter. Let's talk about the civil war. Will we see that play out tomorrow night on the debate stage?

ANA NAVARRO, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Look, I think there are different factions in the Republican Party and there is a very wide spectrum of diversity of thought on a number of issues whether it's national security, whether it's foreign policy. You've -- you know, it runs the gamut of where Republicans stand right now.

One of the big challenges that anybody who wins the nomination is going to have is bringing everybody under one tent, getting everybody enthused because they're going to need all Republicans to come out and vote. [01:10:03] Will we see that tomorrow? I think so because I think

there is a battle over the mantel of who is a real outsider versus insider, establishment versus outsider. So I do think you will see some of that tomorrow. Some of it more subtle than at other times but you will see it.

VAUSE: Well, Jeffrey, you know, some conservative commentators have said that Donald Trump is trying to burn the Republican Party down from the inside. Is that fair?

(LAUGHTER)

JEFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: From their perspective, I'm sure it is fair. You know, to be perfectly candid, a lot of this has nothing to do with Donald Trump. A lot of this has to do with the Republican Party itself and the trouble that it's gotten itself in over the last handful of years to the point where I think people very much feel that they promise one thing to get elected. They say, if you'll just elect us, and then they get elected, then they say well, we can't do anything. And they don't do anything.

And so a bit of a bait and switch going on. Then you add Donald Trump to that situation and this has become incredibly potent and I might add for that matter, Ted Cruz as well. Ben Carson for a while, Carly Fiorina for a while.

VAUSE: So with that in mind, does -- tomorrow night, does Donald Trump, does he go after Ted Cruz? He's now surging in the polls. And is there a danger? Because many people see Ted Cruz as that outsider, as that true conservative.

LORD: Right. Right. I think he does have to be careful about going after him from the conservative side. Ana is quite right about that. There are some rumblings on the right from people who like Donald Trump.

VAUSE: Yes. Rush Limbaugh for one. Yes.

LORD: Right. Right. And so I think he does have to be careful about it, and I think he will.

NAVARRO: Donald Trump has got to be very careful on how he handles Ted Cruz. The best thing that could happen for Ted Cruz tomorrow is for Donald Trump who's been leading and who continues to lead on national polls to punch down to Ted Cruz's level and, therefore, you know, make Cruz rise. And Cruz has --

(CROSSTALK)

NAVARRO: You know, Cruz is an able debater.

LORD: Yes, he is.

NAVARRO: He is legalistic and he also -- you know, he's got this flair for drama and uses sense of humor in a way to deflect attacks. And I think if Trump goes after him, you're going to see a dismissive Ted Cruz use humor or something of that sort to --

VAUSE: There's no guarantee that Cruz will go after Trump, and that then sort of leads up to Marco Rubio, doesn't it?

NAVARRO: I don't think -- you know, I suspect Cruz does not go after Trump proactively.

VAUSE: Right.

NAVARRO: I suspect that he will try to deflect any attack of Donald Trump. I think the real fireworks are going to be between Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. They are very evenly matched. They're both 44 years old. They're both rookie senators. They're both from immigrant Cuban American parents. They're both lawyers. One is a very legalistic lawyer, you know, a guy who has practiced many years, who practiced even in front of the Supreme Court.

Marco Rubio is more of a political type lawyer, more poetic in his rhetoric. I think you're going to see both of them go hand in hand.

VAUSE: And this debate should actually be about national security and yet on that issue, should be Marco Rubio but Donald Trump is leading. Explain that for us.

LORD: Well, I think that he sort of emanates strength. And I think that's what the American people are responding to, or a lot of his supporters are responding to.

You know, we get into this sort of policy wonk deal which we all like, right? Lots of people in the media like it and elsewhere. But I think the average American voter out there is going by their gut, they're saying, who is the guy that's going to stand up and really speak. And this is what happened I think with Donald Reagan.

(CROSSTALK)

VAUSE: You're saying -- enough for the public right now? Coming from Donald Trump.

LORD: Yes. Well, I mean, Yes. I mean, we're shorthanding it here, but, yes.

VAUSE: Yes.

LORD: Yes.

NAVARRO: Look, I think that Republicans want everything that is as opposite to what we've had with President Obama for seven years as possible. And you can't get more of that than with Donald Trump whereas President Obama has been deliberative. You know, he's been stealth, he's been careful. He chooses his words so carefully. He's conciliatory. With Donald Trump you've got a -- you know, we're going to bomb the hell out of them attitude. And I think that appeals to Republicans after seven years of, you know, a guy who talks and talks and talks very mildly and doesn't do anything.

LORD: In some ways Donald Trump was beget by Barack Obama.

VAUSE: Nice having you guys here.

LORD: Nice to be here.

VAUSE: Walking together.

NAVARRO: I wish it was a little warmer.

VAUSE: Going through the issues. OK. Thanks. Appreciate it.

NAVARRO: Thank you.

LORD: Thank you.

VAUSE: Yes. Something of a bit of a detente there between Ana Navarro and Jeffrey Lord. We know that Ana Navarro has been very critical of Donald Trump for most of this campaign. So they came together and took some of the heat out of, you know, the discussions they've had in the past. So maybe that's a sign of things to come, Isha.

And we will have a lot more from Las Vegas as we continue to look ahead to the Republican debate on Tuesday. It will be right here on CNN.

SESAY: But first, there's no doubt each candidate, John, will have a game plan before hitting the stage Tuesday night. After the break, I'll speak with Republican and Democratic strategists about the tactics we may see at the upcoming debate.

[01:15:04]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(SPORTS)

SESAY: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay.

VAUSE: I'm John Vause live in a bitterly cold Las Vegas. And the stage is always set here for the final U.S. Republican presidential debate of the year. It is airing right here on CNN Tuesday night. That's what that clock on the hand right corner of your screen is all about.

Donald Trump's lead is reaching new heights but he is facing a strong challenge from the Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

CNN's Sara Murray looks at what these candidates have them in common that has them surging in the polls.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump and Ted Cruz leading the field in Iowa. A conundrum for establishment Republicans.

Is the bigger threat the enemy you know?

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And we need to take power out of Washington and back to we the people.

MURRAY: Or the one you don't?

TRUMP: I'm dealing with all these blood-sucker politicians and they'll make their deals and they'll have all their money guys around. And they'll be in the back room making deals. But if I get the number of delegates, there's not a thing they can do.

MURRAY: Both candidates have made waves with controversial policy positions. Cruz suggesting a religious test for Syrian refugees.

[01:20:08] CRUZ: Christians right now are facing persecution and potential genocide by ISIS. They are being beheaded, they are being crucified. And we ought to be working to provide a safe haven to the Christian refugees but we shouldn't be bringing potential terrorists into America.

TRUMP: Wow. Thank you.

MURRAY: And Trump, calling for blocking Muslims altogether.

TRUMP: Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.

MURRAY: Like Trump --

TRUMP: When Mexico sends its people, they are not sending their best. They are bringing drugs, they are bringing crime, their rapists.

MURRAY: Cruz also has a history of making jarring remarks. One saying that accepting Obamacare was akin to appeasing the Nazis during World War II.

CRUZ: We saw in Britain, Neville Chamberlain who told the British people accept the Nazis and in America, there were voices that listened to that.

MURRAY: And taking a flip approach to a question about contraception.

CRUZ: Last I checked, we don't have a rubber shortage in America.

MURRAY (on camera): Now neither of these candidates are strangers to sparring with the Republican establishment. Tonight at a campaign event in Las Vegas, it was clear that Donald Trump had no interest in sparring with Ted Cruz. He pointed out that he's far ahead in nationwide polls. He called Ted Cruz a good guy.

Sara Murray, CNN, Las Vegas, Nevada.

(END VIDEOTAPE) VAUSE: OK. Let's head back now to Isha in Los Angeles. And, you know, one thing about this debate coming up, it will be interesting to see if that bromance which has been going on between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, if that continues tomorrow night on the debate stage.

SESAY: Yes. Indeed. We shall find out. And I'll be putting that to our studio guests who join us right now.

We welcome back Democratic strategist Bill Carrick and Republican consultant John Thomas for more on the presidential showdown.

And, gentlemen, you just heard my co-anchor John just saying that, will we see more of this bromance between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, or are those days behind us? John?

JOHN THOMAS, REPUBLICAN CONSULTANT: Yes, I think right now with Ted Cruz's numbers surging in Iowa, I don't think Donald Trump has any choice but he's got to whack Ted Cruz down. SO I think we're going to see tomorrow Trump is going to try to remain on top and he's going to try to dismiss all of his opponents and probably give a whack or two to -- to Ted Cruz.

SESAY: Bill, Ana Navarro, CNN political commentator, made the point a few moments ago that the best thing that could happen to Ted Cruz tomorrow night is for Donald Trump to whack down, so to speak. That actually elevates his status. How do you see it?

BILL CARRICK, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Yes, I think that's right. I think if he goes after him, anti-Trump vote which is bigger than the Trump vote, he's going to get a lift out of it. I think the rest of the candidates, Rubio in particular, would not like that if Trump goes after Cruz. So if it's a true bromance, Trump will go after him to help him.

SESAY: Do you expect there to be a focus on the details, the facts tomorrow night? Or more of just ginning up the base, so to speak? You know, Hillary bashing, Obama bashing. I mean, what are your expectations on that front in terms of the tenor and the level of detail that will emerge tomorrow?

THOMAS: I think when in doubt, blame the media. That's always a winner, right? Make a "Star Wars" reference if you can.

SESAY: Oh dear.

(LAUGHTER)

THOMAS: But yes, you know, not focusing on the rest of the field but focus on Hillary Clinton. Who is best to beat her. Focus on the media. How unfair they're treating you. That's been a winner. Newt Gingrich used that strategy last cycle time around and Trump and Ted Cruz have used that, too, to good effect.

CARRICK: I think one of the things, given the focus on national security issues, given the focus on what happened in Paris and in San Bernardino, I think people are going to want something serious to be said about those issues. And I think somebody would benefit from that if they had something responsible, meaningful that sounded like you were ready to be, you know, commander-in-chief, that would -- somebody would be helped by that. And finding that moment with nine players on that stage is really tough.

THOMAS: I think that's a reality. It's such a big field. Right? How do you find that moment? It's really a challenging, challenging task.

SESAY: And, Bill, as the Democrat at the table, I mean, what's the best possible outcome of a Democrat's point of view from tomorrow's -- from Tuesday's debate?

CARRICK: Well, you know, I put the one caveat. This may be, you know, just wishing for something you may not want, but in the end, Trump, I mean, I think the Democrats are all saying, you know, if Trump is the nominee, he can't get elected. If Trump is not the nominee but he goes deep into the calendar, he could emerge as a third party candidate. So I think Democrats are all secretly and probably perversely rooting for Trump.

[01:25:14] THOMAS: And we're definitely afraid of that, too. Trust us. Yes. We don't want to see --

CARRICK: Both parties --

THOMAS: We both agree on that front.

SESAY: And, John, very quickly, nine people on the stage, for the main card, for the main show on Tuesday. There's obviously the undercard. How much longer can people keep this going, so to speak, if you are not in the top tier of candidates?

THOMAS: This really is your last hurrah as you close out the year. If you're Rand Paul or if you're Lindsey Graham or Mike Huckabee, you have to reevaluate come the New Year because your fundraising is slowed down. You're running on fumes. You can't fuel this organization. Heck, you're going to be kicked off the next debate stage. At some point you have to realize your political capital is at its maximum. Try to leverage that and put it behind who you think is going to be the winner. So they're going to have to make some decisions.

CARRICK: When people start losing, you get to Iowa caucuses, and you are finishing, as we see in some of these polls, sixth, seventh, eighth, those people are all gone. We will clear this field out pretty fast at the bottom as soon as voters start making decisions. Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, there'll be plenty of people going bye-bye after those events.

SESAY: I know. We'll be watching Tuesday night's debate to see who's throwing the punches. Should be interesting.

Gentlemen, Bill Carrick, John Thomas, thank you so much.

THOMAS: Thank you. SESAY: Thank you.

And we will have more from Las Vegas after the break, including a look at how Trump's lead in the polls could shape the Republican debate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:30:12] SESAY: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay.

VAUSE: I'm John Vause, live in Las Vegas.

And this is the city no stranger to high-stakes bouts. In a matter of hours, the U.S. Republican presidential candidates will square off just right here. It will be their final debate of the year, a chance for each candidate to try and differentiate themselves from what's been a very crowded field.

Donald Trump has been leading that field for quite some time, almost for the last six months. He has lost a little ground in some of the polls, especially in Iowa. That certainly wasn't on display when he addressed a crowd here in Las Vegas at a rally a few hours ago. The supporters were turning out cheering their favorite candidate right there. Florida Senator Marco Rubio held a rally also a few hours ago here in Las Vegas. He's been gunning for Mr. Trump. Rubio in third place in most recent polls behind Trump and Ted Cruz.

Trump's lead in the national polls is sure to shape Tuesday night's debate.

For more on that, I spoke to our senior political analyst, Ron Brownstein, just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Let's look at the latest poll numbers. Donald Trump is leading by a lot or a little. He's still leading and he's continuing his lead nationally. Does that change this debate? Clearly Trump isn't going to self-implode. Does someone now have to take him on and take him down? If so, who is that?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: It's more and more clear, everyone who thought Donald Trump was simply going to implode are now looking for plan B. Plan b isn't so much taking him down as it is enveloping him. Donald Trump has a hold on his portion, blue collar, not exclusively, but particularly. The question is whether that's a majority and whether someone can consolidate a larger portion of the party against him. We're seeing the potential of a three-way race. Something Republicans haven't seen before.

VAUSE: You are accepting this narrative there's this three-way race. Trump and Cruz on one side and Rubio on the other. Why is that? Just because the way polling is shaping up?

BROWNSTEIN: You have the evolution of the Republican coalition is having three distinct pots of voters that can sustain campaigns through June. Cruz is consolidating evangelical Christians. That's the core of his rise in Iowa where he's moved into first place in the polls. He goes beyond that on the most conservative activist part of the party. Donald Trump is Benefiting from this class inversion. A lot more of the white working class are identifying as Republicans. Trump is dominating among those voters, particularly those who aren't evangelicals. What we used to call Reagan Democrats, the center right white collar, less religiously devout voters. It was Mitt Romney's lane, John McCain's lane.

VAUSE: How does that shape this debate heading into tomorrow night? Do Cruz and Rubio go after Trump? Do Rubio and Cruz fight it out? No one touches Trump because that's dangerous territory?

BROWNSTEIN: It's interesting to see. You have separate races going on and Rubio, Christie, Bush and Kasich competing for the center right part of the party. Rubio seems most focused on Cruz. Rubio, his principal goal is going to be raise questions about the national security credentials of Ted Cruz who went through a libertarian flirtation when that looked like a more powerful strain in the party. That's indicative of Rubio's strategic brilliance or strategic uncertainty. He is still trying to bridge the establishment and the base. The risk is he doesn't do quite enough of either and ends up a man without a country.

VAUSE: National polls are out. We had this poll out in Iowa. And it shows Ted Cruz, which is leading there. What's more important here, the Iowa poll or national poll?

BROWNSTEIN: They both matter. Iowa -- what's happening in Iowa is necessary but not sufficient for Cruz to really make a run at the nomination. Cruz is rising in Iowa by following a tried and true path. He's consolidating evangelical Christians who are about 60 percent of the vote. That's what Huckabee did and Santorum did. They could not advance far beyond that to make a run at the nomination. Rick Santorum, the exit polls in 20 states. He won evangelicals in ten more after Iowa. He won non-evangelicals in Louisiana. He has to reach a broader coalition. He is a full spectrum conservative as his supporters say. He has a lot more money but has to show he can do that. The national -- the Iowa polls show that potential. The national polls show that challenge, which is Trump's hold on the working class, half of the Republican Party, is remarkable. These national polls with 14 candidates, he's polling 45 percent to 50 percent among non-college Republicans. That could make him formidable across a lot of Midwestern states, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. I have a piece out today walking through the states. You could imagine these three different pots demographically leading to three different geographic paths towards the nominating.

[01:35:44] VAUSE: Taking this all the way up to Cleveland in July?

BROWNSTEIN: Yeah.

VAUSE: OK. Finally, regardless of what happens here tomorrow night, no one is getting out of this race?

BROWNSTEIN: It doesn't seem like it makes sense. If you have gone this far, might as well roll the dice, in Iowa, if you are a social conservative, like Huckabee or Santorum, but certainly, even more important, Jeb Bush, John Kasich, Chris Christie, they've put all their eggs in the New Hampshire basket as the center right candidate. There's a real possibility those three and Rubio could fragment the vote in New Hampshire and allow for Trump to win. Evangelical candidates don't normally do well in New Hampshire. But imagine a scenario where Cruz wins Iowa, Trump wins New Hampshire, what do establishment Republicans do the morning after that? They don't really like either of those choices and they are dubious either of them will be a strong general election nominee. It's going to be a wild ride.

VAUSE: And it has been already.

Ron, good to speak with you.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you, John.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: A wild ride, indeed. CNN will host the final debate of the year for the Republican candidates. Wolf Blitzer will be your moderator. Our coverage starts at 3:00 p.m. eastern. For our international views are, coverage begins Wednesday, 7:00 a.m., bright and early, 8:00 a.m. in Tokyo. Set your alarm clocks. You won't want to miss it.

I'll have more from Las Vegas in just a moment. But first, back to Isha in Los Angeles.

SESAY: Thanks, John.

Well, the U.S. Army sergeant who disappeared from his post in Afghanistan in 2009 is under new legal scrutiny. The details are next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:40:22] SESAY: Hello, everyone. The U.S. Army says Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl will face court-martial on charges of desertion and endangering fellow soldiers. That means he could face a life sentence if found guilty. It's a much more serious punish than the one recommended during Bergdahl's preliminary hearing when an Army officer suggested he get no jail time. Bergdahl disappeared from his post in 2009 and was held captive by the Taliban and six U.S. soldiers died in missions to find him. Bergdahl was freed in a controversial prisoner swap in 2014.

The days of Bergdahl's arraignment will be announced at a later time.

But for more on what we can expect, let's turn to attorney and legal affairs commentator, Areva Martin.

Areva, always great to have you with us.

What do you make of this turn of events now saying he'll face court- martial?

AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR & ATTORNEY: Definitely, surprising. His defense team thought that the first recommendation that he not face any additional jail time would be the final recommendation and this whole ordeal would be over for him. We have to look at what happened in 2014 when there was that swap for those prisoners, the Republican Party was very angry and lots of Americans and veterans were angry. This is a deserter. We should not be treating him like a hero. Since 2014 there's been this large number of people in the country who have always felt as if he needed to be punished. We have that public pressure and also we have him going public in this podcast talking about what happened and admitting that he left his post. Now he says he left it because he wanted to report about the lack of leadership and the way that the leadership was failing the troops in Afghanistan. But his -- the soldiers there with him say, look, you had a job to do and that was defending all of us and being a part of this team. Look at the resources and the lives lost trying to find you. So he's not the hero that we were told in 2014.

SESAY: As we talk about this podcast, this -- it's called cereal. It emerges a few years ago and the impact it may have had in terms of leading us to this point. The question then comes from some people is, isn't this a legal process? How would it be or why would it be prejudiced or influenced by him taking part in this podcast?

MARTIN: We don't have any facts that link the two together. What we do know is the general that's making the decision, who is making the decision to move forward with a trial, he will not comment on why he made the decision. But we know it's a very political process. We have the Republican Party saying, if he was not held accountable, they were going to bring him before Congress and hold their own hearing. So we have this political process at work, this pressure from the Republican Party. And it's this public nature. And it almost feels as if he's profiting. He's benefiting from this very horrific situation. So there's no facts to make a link between the podcast and the new recommendation about how the legal process should move forward. But you can imagine that it doesn't look good to have all of this controversy, to have so many people upset about him leaving this post, and now you're engaged in this entertainment, this podcast.

SESAY: Like wanting to be an action figure and all of that.

(CROSSTALK)

MARTIN: I think he's ruffled a lot of feathers.

SESAY: Areva, stand by, because I want to talk about another legal issue. Bill Cosby, back in the news. The comedian is countersuing seven women for defamation claiming they ruined his reputation when they accused him of sexual assault. He's seeking unspecified damages and retractions. The seven women initially sued Cosby for defamation. More than 40 women have accused him of assault over a 40-year period. Important to note, Bill Cosby has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crime.

Areva, did you see this move coming on the part of the Cosby camp?

MARTIN: I can't say that I'm surprised by it. He did something significant a couple of months ago. He changed his legal team. He'd been represented by a high-profile lawyer in the Los Angeles community. Then he changed to a really large, very influential law firm full of very high-powered and very talented trial lawyers. So whenever you see that kind of change in legal team, you can expect something different and new to come out of that. And it's important to note that although there have been more than 40 and some even say 50 women that have accused Cosby of some kind of rape or sexual assault, there are only seven thoughts filed in the Massachusetts area. And there are two that are pending in Los Angeles. So although there are four dozen or so women that have accused him, there are only nine pending lawsuits. So the countersuits that were filed were against those seven lawsuits in Massachusetts and the spin is they sued Cosby for defamation and now he's suing them for defamation saying you have maligned my character by falsely accusing me of raping you and I want damages. So it's a counterstrategy that's often used in the law. You sue me, well, wait a minute, I'm going to turn around and sue you. He's trying to send a very strong message, one, to those women who have sued him, but also to any other potential litigants or plaintiffs to say, if you sue me, you can expect me to put forth a very vigorous defense and even come after you.

[01:46:03] SESAY: Some great insight.

Areva Martin, we appreciate it.

MARTIN: Thanks you.

SESAY: We know the Cosby story isn't going away any time soon.

MARTIN: It's going to be around for a long time.

SESAY: So we'll be talking.

(LAUGHTER)

Thank you.

Well, shifting gears now, and "Star Wars" took over Hollywood Boulevard tonight. I'll give you my view from the red carpet in just a few moments. Do stay with us.

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(WEATHER REPORT)

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[01:50:13] SESAY: You are watching CNN NEWSROOM, live from Los Angeles. I'm Isha Sesay.

VAUSE: I'm John Vause, live in Las Vegas.

Donald Trump has not been shy when it comes to attacking other candidates. But now the conservative talk show host, Rush Limbaugh, who has been a big fan of Trump is firing back. Limbaugh is unhappy that Trump has called Senator Ted Cruz a maniac. On his radio show, Limbaugh said, "A genuine conservative, even in the Republican field, would not go after Cruz this way." So that just raised a red flag for me, made me somewhat curious.

Meantime, Donald Trump's doctor has released a health assessment, and it is, according to the doctor, astonishingly excellent. That is, of course, Donald Trump's health. Harold Bornstein is an internal medicine and gastroenterology specialist. He's been Trump's doctor for 25 years. In a letter the candidate released, he said, "If elected, Mr. Trump, I can say unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency."

So, Isha, clearly, they do, in fact, share somewhat of a similar temperament, Mr. Trump and his doctor.

(LAUGHTER)

SESAY: Fancy that.

John Vause there in Las Vegas.

Appreciate it, John. Thank you.

Now, turning to a galaxy far, far away, that came all the way to Hollywood Boulevard, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" premiered just hours ago here in L.A. I was on the red carpet to talk with all the stars.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISHA: There has been so much secrecy surrounding "Star Wars, Episode 7," the movie trailers barely have given away any of the plot. That has generated a unique level of excitement, an excitement that is very much shared by the film stars.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Protection of the first order.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: How much do you enjoy these things?

HARRISON FORD, ACTOR: I love it, Isha. I can't think of anything better to do. We sort of dress up in my backyard on Wednesdays, because it's special.

SESAY: Come on, Daisy, how do you feel as the big night is here?

DAISY RIDLEY, ACTRESS: I was feeling sick with nerves. Then I started and then kind of cool. It's great.

JOHN BOYEGA, ACTOR: I feel great and fantastic and surprisingly relaxed. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: All of these memories going off, popping off in

your head, the smell of it, the place where Chewy played chess, sitting in the cockpit, like going back to your old school.

SESAY: The film is about to be shown to the world effectively. How are you feeling?

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: I'm feeling relief and excitement because finally the fans get to see the film. It belongs to them after all.

GWENDOLINE CHRISTIE, ACTRESS: And I think that is what these films instill. They stimulate our imagination and fire up our imaginations. They work their way into our dreams and make us laugh and cry. They give us hope.

SESAY: According to the film's director, J.J. Abrams, in addition to the excitement, there is also a little bit of nerves.

This is the moment that directors live for, the unveiling of a show and sharing it with an audience, does it come with nerves for you?

J.J. ABRAMS, DIRECTOR: Oh, of course. There are nerves just going into the editing room, working with an editor. There are certainly nerves showing the movie to a thousand-plus people tonight. But I feel very confident about the work that was done by the actors. So if nothing else, I know people will enjoy watching the performances.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: Cannot wait to see the movie.

Well, the latest movie is an exciting mix of old and new stars from the original films joining some fresh faces. I sat down with the movie's newest stars.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: We all need to run.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: Tell me about Finn.

BOYEGA: Finn is a storm trooper who doesn't feel like the path of the first order is his to take so he escapes and meets Ray and BBA.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOYEGA: Are we really doing this?

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: BBA, hold on.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BOYEGA: And they embark on a journey unwillingly together. And you get to see how they interact with the old generation and play their part in this fight between good and evil.

SESAY: What can you tell us about Rey?

RIDLEY: She goes on this adventure she never could have imagined. So open to meeting new people. She's so hopeful as to what might be and meets incredible relationships and sees incredible things and ends the film in a very different place than she began.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Who are you?

RIDLEY: I'm no one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[01:55:09] BOYEGA: It's good to have a faith in your co-stars and to work closely with them, and it felt like an organic collaboration especially between Finn and Hawn. Their relationship is quite significant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You sure you're up for this?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDLEY: Every day things would come up. We'd have conversations. Somebody would happen and we'd be like, this feels right. This feels right. It was just a progression the whole way through.

SESAY: What's going to surprise viewers and audiences when they watch this film?

BOYEGA: It takes risks. It's not just a "Star Wars" film that plays to the tune of good versus evil. Good wins. We can all go home. It takes risks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RIDLEY: I think I can handle myself.

FORD: That's why I'm giving it to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDLEY: I never aspire to be famous. That's something I never wanted. For me, if I can do this and have people not recognize me, that would be ideal.

SESAY: You know that's out of the question now?

(CROSSTALK) RIDLEY: Yeah. Ultimately, I'm incredibly proud and pleased to be

part of this thing. If that means people know who I am, that's fine. And if people relate to Rey, that's great. If people relate to me, that's great. It's all like a positive thing.

SESAY: Do you have a handle on how much your life is going to change? How much have you thought about it, explored what lies ahead?

BOYEGA: For me, the way I see it, it's like being on a roller coaster and you are trying to figure out, why did I get on? It's going to drop anyway. Just raise your hands and have fun.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SESAY: They are in for quite a ride.

And you're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Isha Sesay.

VAUSE: I'm John Vause, live, I am, reporting from Las Vegas. Much more after this.

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