i'll is he auto you in the white house. thank you for watching. i'm brianna keilar. after proposing muslims being banned from the united states, the debate is less than 24 hours away. plus, ted cruz has been called names by the party establishment. and did one of the san bernardino shooters get a free pass? why did u.s. immigration officials completely ignore tashfeen malik's social media accounts before giving her a visa. let's go "outfront." good evening to all. i'm erin burnett. "outfront" tonight, trump is surging. donald trump taking a more

commanding lead in the new poll tonight as he prepares for the final gop debate of the year live on cnn. the latest monmouth university poll giving trump his biggest nationwide lead ever. 41% of republican voters. just look at the screen for a second. if you're listening on the radio, i'll make it loud and clear. that is 27 percentage points ahead of ted cruz, which is who is number two, and it's up 13 percentage points since october. that's a stunning lead. to be loud and clear, this poll was taken after trump's controversial proposal to ban muslims from entering the u.s. you are looking at a live picture of the debate stage in las vegas that is at the venetian where the republican candidates will face off tomorrow night. rehearsals are under way right now. trump will be at the center podium with ben carson and ted cruz because cruz is closing in on trump in at least one poll, according to the latest des moines register poll. he has a lead in iowa. ten points ahead of trump. the stakes are incredibly high

for marco rubio who moments ago avoided his gop rivals in a speech to vegas supporters. >> it is our turn. the time forever us to act is now. what we have before is the opportunity to be the authors of the most extraordinary chapter in the amazing stories of america. >> jeff zeleny begins our coverage in las vegas. jeff, how high are the stakes? this is as big as it gets. >> reporter: erin, there is no question this is as big as it gets. voters are beginning to make their choices in the early voting states of iowa, new hampshire and south carolina. donald trump is leading nationally. no question about it. but at this point in the contest, it's the state by state polls that may be more important. that's why all eyes are on ted cruz and donald trump tomorrow night. >> thank you very much. >> reporter: donald trump is still on top but tonight a new pecking order in the republican race. a new line-up on the debate

stage. ted cruz suddenly gaining ground nation nationally and in the key state of iowa, overtaking trump by 10 percentage points. this is the first time the candidates have come face-to-face since the attacks started. trump giving the state of the union a preview. >> because i'm more capable, because i have a much better temperament. because i actually get along with people much better than he does. >> reporter: he took it one step further on "fox news sunday". >> when you look at the way he's dealt with the senate where he goes in there like a -- frankly, a little bit of a maniac, you're never going to get things done that way. >> reporter: that generated the most unusual response from cruz. responding on twitter with a 1980s flashback to "flashdance." "in honor of my friend donald trump." cruz refuses to hit back publicly against trump.

but behind closed doors, he took the first swing. >> people are looking for who is prepared for a commander-in-chief. i think that is a question that is a challenging question. >> reporter: senator marco rubio is drawing attention to cruz's voting record, accusing him of being weak on national security. >> i guess my point is, each time he's had a chance to choose, he seems to side with the isolationist. >> reporter: cruz hopes to convince voters he's more electable. in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup, hillary clinton beats by 40%. a different story with marco rubio. he leads her 48% to 45%. donald trump will be coming to las vegas tonight to hold a

late-night rally. some medical news from trump's doctor. he's 69 years old and they are having some questions about how his health is. his doctor put out a statement saying his health is astonishing excellent. so sort of talking about some of the superlatives. he's lost 15 pounds over the last year or so and the doctor closed the statement saying this. "if elected, mr. trump will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency." unclear how this doctor can make quite that judgment. but donald trump is saying he is incredibly healthy and he's ready to be president. >> wow. as you say, it's almost as if donald trump wrote it himself. i'm sure we checked to make sure it's a real doctor. just kidding, everyone. "outfront" next, endorsing ted cruz for president and s.e. cupp and ben ferguson. thanks to all of our contributors. trump started a fight behind

closed doors. >> i don't think so, erin. listen, ted cruz has been right to welcome donald trump to the republican party. i mean, the establishment hates him but they are always the ones talking about growing the party and here's donald trump, a lifelong democrat, a liberal who's given more money than anyone watching. we should be welcoming him to the republican party with open arms. at this late arm, he's finally decided to adopt conservatism and i'm happy to hear that. >> well, if he could bring democrats in, it would be the biggest of all. >> by bringing in donald trump, we've brought democrats in. yes. >> so jack, cruz is a master debater. even arguing in front of the supreme court nine times. it trump afraid facing off against ted cruz? >> no, i don't think so.

donald trump is not afraid of much, if anything. no. i don't think so. i think he'll perform as he's supposed to perform. he'll do very well. you know, at this point, interestingly, we've had so many of these debates. as you saw after all of these debates and after his most recent comments, he's broken the 40 mark. i don't really know that there's that much going on in terms of his debate-wise tomorrow night. i mean, what can he lose? >> ben, that's the point, right? >> co-lose a lot. >> he could lose a lot. >> i mean, if you're ted cruz, do you want to go back with donald trump back on stage? yes. do you want to trash talk? no. his campaign versus your campaign stop? absolutely not. but tomorrow night, if you're ted cruz, engaging donald trump on issues and showing how vulnerable he is compared to the knowledge of what is going on is

a good move to make. >> s.e., nothing donald trump has done on the stage as or has not hurt him so far. he called carly fiorina a beautiful woman because people said she was ugly. none of this hurts him. this latest poll, 41%, 13 percentage points up since october. 20 percentage points ahead of ted cruz after the muslim comments. that is pretty stunning. for sure. yeah. he seems to be teflon. rush limbaugh was talking about donald trump and donald trump's attack on ted cruz. and it's a very complicated little love triangle between trump and cruz and rush. but basically, rush criticized donald trump's attack on ted cruz as sort of the establishment attack on ted cruz. and if rush is suddenly sorting -- seeming to side with

ted cruz and defend ted cruz against trump, that might put trump in a very, very precarious position. you know, as loyal as donald trump's supporters are, they can't hold a candle to russia's supporters. so he -- you know, interesting to see if he goes after ted cruz again on the same line of attack knowing he might get russia's wrath again or if he seems, you know -- starts to moderate it a bit, both at the debate and in future events. >> it was one of the most awkward, i think, debates that i've ever seen with donald trump ripping on ted cruz for going after the gop establishment. he literally was going after mitch mcconnell which is exactly why people love donald trump. now he's saying, when you go to washington, you don't attack the establishment? it was one of the most shocking moments for me. if i'm ted cruz tomorrow night, i'm going to walk out there and say, donald, if you go to washington and people send you

there, are you saying you will not go after the establishment? you'll play a game with them? you'll be nice to them? you won't call them out when they are lying? because that's what america fell in love with with donald trump. that's what conservatives fell in love with. now he's saying that ted cruz is a m a maniac. >> jeff, who has to hit it out of the park tomorrow? >> well, i mean, they all -- i mean, i would say that ted cruz, donald trump and marco rubio have to hit it out of the park respectively. frankly, at this point, i'm not sure any of the others matter with the possible exception of governor christie. i'm amused to hear the people say he's acting like a maniac. this is good. we're making progress. >> and that's not what i'm saying at all. my point is this. donald trump has come out and said, if you send me to washington, i'll go after the republican establishment. he's even threatened to leave the gop over the republican

establishment yet he's criticizing ted cruz for doing the exact same thing that he's claiming he wants to go to washington to do. >> maybe he's saying he wouldn't shut down the government. he wants to get something done as opposed to ted cruz. >> i don't want to put words in donald trump but that's not what he said at all. he said he's a maniac because he called the leader of the republican party a liar when he lied to him and that's something people should pay attention to. >> steve, i'll give you the final word. >> i completely agree and i think if i'm ted cruz, all i'm going to be concerned about is to continue doing what i'm already doing, erin, which is consolidating the conservative vote because there are more conservatives than trump supporters. he's already built a larger coalition in iowa than trump has. and if trump ends up being the polling leader heading into iowa and loses the very first contest where people actually vote, you will see his campaign implode and i do believe he will lose iowa. >> we'll talk more about this at this hour.

we have the fully electoral map coming up. next, could ted cruz topple donald trump and which one of them really is a bigger nightmare for the republican quote/unquote republican establishment? plus, the primaries are kicking into high gear. we're going to show you on that map how quickly a republican nominee could emerge. would losing iowa cause trump to quote/unquote implode. tashfeen malik posted about jihad on her social media account. she never tried to height that. it is purposeful. it's policy not to check social media. shocker. we'll be bab. you won't find the brand pharmacists recommend most for cold and flu relief at the shelf. advil cold & sinus is only behind the pharmacy counter. ask your pharmacist for fast, powerful advil cold & sinus. relief doesn't get any better than this.

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now. this is their final debate of the year, the crucial debate before everyone starts to talk about the real vote. center stage will be the front-runner, donald trump. next to him is ted cruz surging ahead of trump in a new iowa poll. the two have one big thing in common. the so-called establishment detests them both. sara murray is "outfront." >> reporter: donald trump and ted cruz leading the field in iowa. a conundrum for establishment republicans. is the bigger threat the enemy you know? >> we need to take power out of washington and back to we the people. >> reporter: or the one you don't? >> i'm dealing with all of these blood-sucker politicians and they will make their deals and have all of their money guys around and in the back room making deals. but if i get the number of delegates, there's not a thing they can do. >> reporter: both candidates have made waves. cruz suggesting a religious test

for syrian refugees. >> christians right now are facing persecution and potential genocide by isis. they are being beheaded, crucified. and we ought to be working to provide a safe haven to the christian refugees but shouldn't be bringing potential terrorists into america. >> wow. thank you. >> reporter: and trump, calling for blocking muslims altogether. >> 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. >> reporter: like trump -- >> when mexico sends its people, they are not sending their best. they are bringing drugs, they are bringing crime, their rapists. >> reporter: cruz also has a history of making jarring remarks. one saying that accepting obamacare is akin to appeasing

the nazis during world war ii. >> in america, there were voices that listened to that. >> reporter: and taking a flip approach to a question about contraception. >> last i checked, we don't have a rubber shortage in america. >> reporter: now, neither of these kwands are stranger to starring with the republican establishment. when i talked to a number of republican sources today, they told me begrudgingly that they felt like ted cruz might be a slightly better option out of cruz and trump but all of the republicans i talked to, the mainstream establishment republicans said they still felt confident that the party would rally around someone like marco rubio or maybe someone like chris christie, someone closer to the mold of the candidates who have been nominated in the past. erin? >> sara, thank you so much. "outfront," president and ceo of the influential family leader. ben ferguson with me and david

gergen, former adviser to four presidents, including reagan and clinton. bob, let me start with you. people have criticized trump's rhetoric. but cruz referred to the nazis. is that acceptable rhetoric from ted cruz? >>. >> reporter: when you lo >> well, when you're seeing trump and cruz rise to the top, it's because they are saying what is on the minds of the american people. they want national security. they want border security. they want bold leadership. they don't want someone who is going to roll over with the establishment and play politics as usual. these two men are real forces in this campaign and i think in iowa it's going to be down to trump and cruz. i have to believe that cruz is defining the conservatives and i believe he has a chance to be successful in the state of iowa. >> all right. i noticed you didn't directly address my question on the nazi

issue. carl, let me put that to you. you have ted cruz talking about nazis and obamacare and donald trump saying he wants to ban all muslims. >> sure. >> these things are offensive to a lot of people and divisive to a lot of people. >> they are divisive. the american people have a fire in their gut and they are igniting it. the iowa poll, that's fine. look who won iowa. huckabee, santorum in 2012. >> even if the poll is right, it doesn't matter? >> i don't think it matters. in the last eight years, nobody has gone on to be president who has won the republican primary in iowa. >> which is a fair point on that poll. >> it's a fair point but i think this election is a little different. this is a different election this time because donald trump is setting himself up for failure. he said, i'm the greatest, i'm the best, i'm going to win everything. >> right. >> you come out and lose the first one. it's a momentum starter and makes everyone pay attention to this other person that, in the eyes of the media that has been talking about this, was not supposed to be able to win. donald trump said no one is supposed to be able to win this.

i'm the guy, i'm the winner, i always win. >> david, when we just heard in our last panel the conclusion from steve was, look, if trump doesn't win iowa, his campaign i am implodes. >> i don't think that's true there. is that danger. does the air start going out of the balloon? i think it's way too early to call. if you go into new hampshire, you don't see a lot of support for ted cruz. you find a fair amount of support for donald trump. >> in terms of the duel going on that all of us are talking about, the latest poll that i mentioned a few moments ago, % 41%, that's not the way to look at this poll. combining the outsider candidates, trump, cruz and carson, you get to 64%. 64% of the republican voters are going to pick one of those three.

18% is the combination for the establishment. rubio, pubush and chris christi >> they are furious. >> i would argue the worst establishment goes to the outsiders because the establishment here is the fringe. >> it's been losing. you can go back to eric cantor and he lost. why? because he was the establishment. it was that simple. and i think there's a lot of people that look at this and i talk to them every day when they call in. they are furious with the republican establishments, the easy person to hate right now. they gave you jeb bush. you rejected him instantly. look where he is in the polls. >> isn't that a recipe for loss if their anger is directed at their own party? >> when the republican control the senate, the house, they have more than half the governorship, it's hard to say they are not the establishment. they are angry at a lot of these republicans and have been too establishment. >> they are angry at the people currently in office. i've been saying this since day one. people said, 5%, 15%, the trump

train is coming. get on board or get run over. >> it is now about 40. people said it couldn't get there. >> they are praying a very dangerous game, though. the kind of rhetoric is one thing to go after the establishment and it's another thing to start talking about naziism the way ted cruz is and the other thing to talk about muslims the way donald trump is. if they are not careful, they are going to give it to hillary clinton. >> cruz is seeing the trump -- the factor saying the most o outlandish stuff in the world. >> bob, are you worried, though, to this point that if you have this fight within the republican party, right, establishment versus outsider, you end up fighting so much within yourselves that you do hand it to hillary clinton. >> absolutely not. because hillary clinton is a great motivating factor for all republicans to come together. and to think that republicans are the only ones having this conversation and discussion and argument and being upset with d.c., take a look at the democrat side. you have this thing called

bernie sanders. hillary clinton has got a huge issue with her base. and i take exception with iowa. george w. bush and barack obama all got their start in iowa. i believe in '08, the country got it right with huckabee, but this time when cruz wins iowa, i believe he runs the table and we get it right and you see a president cruz. >> thank you all four very much. "outfront" next, does donald trump have a lock on the nomination? obviously not what bob just said. or could they derail his campaign? we have a special report on that map, coming up. and the san bernardino shooters ranted about jihad on social media. why didn't u.s. officials ever even look at tashfeen malik's account beforehandi handing her visa? it wasn't even a mistake. ♪ antlers on reindeer, gifts tied with laces ♪

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tonight, the countdown to iowa. we're just weeks away from 2016.

donald trump has led the pact for six months running. who has a real shot at winning a nomination? tom foreman is "outfront." tom, how long will it take for a winner? >> if the numbers of the polls are correct and if donald trump has his way, it might only take five weeks. but there are plenty of people who want to stop that. let's look at these early states. they all come off in february and there is still a contest in play here. donald trump is out here in iowa. he's got -- they have 27 delegates there to compete over. he's very close to tied with ted cruz in the state. they could be splitting those delegates. move over to new hampshire. there, donald trump has a much bigger lead. look who is running there. chris christie and marco rubio and ted cruz. come down to south carolina. look what is happening there. again, trump has a lead but this is not all overall. it's proportional. ben carson and marco rubio and

jeb bush and in nevada, it's ben carson behind him for 30 delegates. you can see what is happening here. yes, donald trump has big numbers out here. but -- but bear in mind, all of these elections can affect the next one along the way. and the question becomes in this debate, in this debate, can anyone push that momentum down on him and establish himself or herself as a strong second so that they are still in the game as they move further down the way? erin? >> because it sounds like what you are saying, cruz is a second, rubio is a second, carson is a second. you can see how it gets complicated quickly. i know that getting in early matters but you're going to just four states. if trump -- even if he does well, could others catch up later? because as you point out, you don't win. you get 100% of the votes in those early states. >> that is exactly right. and you nailed it right there, erin. you talked about all of the other people in second but it's a question of momentum. what they have to look at is a

possible momentum because as soon as you move into march, look what happens. 13 states come in to play. hundreds of delegates are out there and we don't have great polling to say who is doing the best job but we know in many of the states, trump's issues run very well. it becomes an uphill battle if they let him get a lot of momentum. that's why in this debate, the candidates have to somehow knock trump down a little bit or somebody has to emerge as a clear second. if they do that, and these numbers hold true, then they have a real race. if they don't, then trump might be able to do exactly what he said, run the table. we don't know until the actual voting begins. but the numbers are tough right now. >> the numbers are tough and the uncertainty in so many ways unprecedented. tom foreman, thank you very much. "outfront" now, the chief strategist for the bush/cheney candidacy matthew dowd and david

gergen are joining me. >> it could be short, little or long. if donald trump wins iowa, there's a reasonable possibly he could win the first four. >> and it's done? >> and then he sweeps the table. if ted cruz wins it, he could shake things up. if cruz was to win iowa and south carolina and trump win the other two, new hampshire and nevada, then you could have a two-man race. or, if there are four different winners and it's the first four, it could go all the way to the convention. it could be short. or it could be long. >> uncertainty is what makes it so exciting. >> exactly. >> you pointed out that donald trump's lead is similar to other winners, ronald reagan, among them. does donald trump has the clearest path to victory right now? >> donald trump absolutely has the clearest path to victory right now. he's basically tied in iowa. he's the most dominant candidate we've had in a primary since george bush in 2000.

he's the most dominant primary candidate. he's more dominant than mitt romney was in 20 12. keep this in mind. if february is a state by state month, if it's a state by state, those states matter after february, it become as national race. and if donald trump can piece this together long enough in february that it becomes a national race, it's very hard to stop donald trump if the national race -- if donald trump is carrying a 15 or 20-point lead. that's why everybody else in the past process has fallen off and it becomes a national race and the national race takes over. it's state by state for the first month and a nationalized race after that. >> when you say nationalized, last month i felt like every week there were one or two primaries. once you get to march this time, you have a tuesday where you have ten states and another tuesday, five or six. it favors those with money that can play in multiple regions.

>> well, it favors those with money but, more importantly, it favors those with momentum and a broad constituency across the country. there's going to be multiple states at one time. even though primaries and caucuses are conducted in different states in march, they are simultaneous. you can't be a ted cruz in iowa and spend all of your time and effort and go after one constituency. you're in multiple states at one time. i agree with david. this race could go any a number of ways. it all depends on what happens in iowa. after that, the do. knows start to fall. ted cruz, as david says, wins iowa, it could be the most important debate in the cycle because we have these christmas hol lays and new year's holidays and and then the sprint going into iowa in new hampshire and then quickly the states start

falling. that's why tomorrow night is so important. for all of the candidates in the field. >> trump is like the other front-runners in terms of the numbers. 41. big number for him. but he's the least reliable and most unpredictable and volatile candidate and every week by week, who knows how to get a blowout. >> what about marco rubio, jeb bush, does anyone else have a chance to show it both of you? >> i don't think jeb bush has much of a chance. i think jeb bush has spent $25 million in iowa, new hampshire, he's had 5% in both states. i don't think money is going to solve jeb bush's problems in january. he has no momentum or real

message. he's the wrongs guy at the wrong time in the republican primary. i think marco rubio still has a shot. i think marco rubio is the most electable republican going into an election. i think marco rubio is going to have to show in new hampshire quickly in new hampshire, he doesn't have to win new hampshire. he just has to finish better than all the other quote/unquote establishment candidates. he has to hope this race comes down to him, donald trump and ted cruz. that's what marco rubio has to hope. >> marco rubio has to win the debate. >> this debate which is so crucial. thank you both so very much. "outfront" next, u.s. officials don't check facebook, twitter, social media when approving a visa. anti-muslim attacks are on the rise in the united states. is it fair to blame donald trump?

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tonight, the obama administration facing serious questions after officials acknowledge they did not check tashfeen malik's social media accounts when applying for a visa. it's a shocking admission given that groups speak openly on facebook and twitter. we also know that this was not an oversight but formal policy. jim sciutto is "outfront" in washington. what are you learning as to why authorities did not check any of her social media accounts, which i should emphasize, the word "social" means it's for the

public. it's for other people to see. >> that's right. it wasn't until very recently they started to check social media as a regular part of the visa process. two, there were privacy concerns. three, the understanding was that oftentimes people might not say on social media exactly how they feel. they didn't consider it to be a necessary step. that has changed recently. the department of homeland security only in recent months adding this is one step to the visa vetting process. >> i know cnn is learning more about her social media accounts. you know, what she was exactly posting and that she may have been using a pseudonym and setting their privacy settings on facebook or twitter or elsewhere. it's only seen by a small group

of friends. and likely one would not have known the pseudonym or social media postings. that's a fact. what it shows you is that you can take measures like this, start making social media the part of the vetting process for a visa but it doesn't guarantee that you catch people already radicalized. or another natural step is to confine it to a very small group, which is what she and farook appeared to have done here. >> jim sciutto, thank you very much. from an intelligence perspective, one would think you would be able to break both of those issues. is everyone able to go through that level of scrutiny? bob baer is "outfront." this is not a mistake. it's not as they were supposed to check social media. they didn't check it because it wasn't part of their policy. what is the reason for that? were they trying to be politically correct? were they worried about privacy

which, of course, as a nonu.s. citizen shouldn't have been an issue or did they just think, whatever you post on social media, you can't trust it anyway because someone can lie? >> it's a combination of concerns about privacy and manpower and visa applicants are checked by embassies. it's a very inefficient system. you depend on the locals. sometimes they check with the police. sometimes they do. sometimes they don't. erin, our visa system is as broken as it was on 911. all of those hijackers that came in came in on tourist visas. none of them were properly checked and we still don't know how they got here or why they are even given visas. they came to schools but couldn't go home and get jobs. they should have been excluded in a clause 214b, to get

technical. but the system is lax and it's still lax. >> what is it that is making it lax if it's still a crucial issue? you had 9/11 happen because of it. what would hold them back to not check everything that they could? >> it's not a right of everyone without to vet people and get into their bank accounts and we simply don't have the same standards for immigrants coming here and it is a big mistake because it's turning our politics in the wrong direction. americans don't understand it and we get these statements by donald trump when the system is fixable and you have to look at the state department congress and right now they just haven't done their duty. >> so are they even able to do it? you just heard jim saying malik may have been on social media under a pseudonym. if he had someone from the cia or nsa looking at this, they

could have figured this out. if you're looking at piles and piles of applications, you can't go to that level. you would think they wouldn't be posting under their own name. is it even possible to catch them anyway? >> put more money into it, the money is spent efficiently and not only should you be looking at social media, it's amazing what they have in their computers and certainly she was up on telephones and they picked her up at some point but the state department doesn't have the mechanism nor immigrations to check those databases. we have to start spending our money wisely on this or we're going to get another attack. >> bob baer, thank you. and with this issue of immigration out front and center, "outfront" next, mosques set on fire, a pig head and fake grenades left at doors. our report, next. and jeanne moos with ted cruz owning the maniac label.

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three mosques were vandalized in california. the growing number of assaults targeting the muslim community now the worst since 9/11. some are blaming anti-muslim rhetoric, including donald trump. jason carol is "outfront." >> reporter: american-muslims are becoming increasingly concerned about being targeted because of their faith. in the past three days, mosques targeted in california, in philadelphia, a cut pig's head thrown at a mosque. and then there was this attack. >> i understand -- it was a second or minute or less, then he turned and punched me. >> hawk owns a convenience store in queens, new york. he said last saturday a man attacked him because he is muslim. >> he said i kill, because

you're muslim -- >> i'm sorry. >> he said i kill because you're muslim -- >> he punched you? >> i said help, help, help. >> this man who did not want to be identified for his safety heard the cries for help. >> and the guy was just angry, and wanted to keep hitting him and hitting him until the cops came. >> hawk believes that donald trump, who is from queens, is partly responsible. he says trump's plan to ban muslims from the united states is part of a continued effort to demonize their faith. >> these were policies enacted by the nazis in germany. trump is inciting real discrimination. >> he called out not only trump and gop candidate ben carson for his claim of muslims should not be president, but also new jersey governor and gop candidate chris christie.

>> i think many muslims in new jersey feel a sense of betrayal for what governor chris christie as done. >> why betrayal? many new jersey muslims thought christie was an ally, but now disappointment over this comment by christie about syrian refugees. >> i don't think orphans under five should be admitted in the united states. >> the bashing seems to be the red meat. >> as for trump, a new washington post poll finds 60% of republicans support his plan. the frontrunner himself says he has support among the muslim community. >> i have many friends who are muslims and i will tell you they are so happy that i did this, because they know we have a problem. >> but his problems are just beginning, he is on his way to speak to the district attorney hoping his attacker gets the punishment he deserves.

>> and of course so many of these -- the muslim-american community have been trying to assimilate. >> yes, and disappoi rk, and de says, they are not happy, they have been here for generations and want somebody to speak out on their behalf and they hope that will happen tomorrow. but given the rate that things have been going so far, they really don't have much hope at this point. >> all right, jason carol, "outfront." >> all right, next, jeanne moos and the method to try to turn the trump attack around.

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so after all we've heard over the past few months is it any surprise that one of the theme songs for "flashdance" has because the same as the race for the white house. >> reporter: how did the flashdance because a flash point for the election? it was only two months ago when donald trump and ted cruz shared a hug.

then, a shoulder pad and a hug, all in the space of a minute. now he says he acts like? >> frankly, a little bit of a maniac. >> reporter: and trump tweets in honor of my friend at real donald trump and good-hearted maniacs everywhere, he then linked to the iconic movie. >> she is a maniac ♪ >> reporter: many right-wing bloggers said right on. it flattens donald trump without actually attacking him. >> tweeting maniac from footloose, that is -- >> flash dance. >> flash dance? >> you're forgetting your iconic dance movies. >> thanks for the video, it's good. >> reporter: maybe not good.

so what is next? is jennifer beal going to come out and pour cold water on the cruz campaign for injecting her into the race? some thought the chris farley version was more appropriate for the campaign. but my, oh my. >> what a feeling ♪ >> reporter: it is the know that the lyrics to maniac actually apply when it comes to trump insults. >> can cut you like a knife! >> reporter: but ted cruz is not stabbing back. instead he is -- >> dancing like she has never danced before. >> reporter: jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> and of course among some people called a maniac is very much a compliment. all right, thank you for joining us, be sure to set your dvr so you can watch our show any time. and the big event, the republican presidential debate

is tomorrow from las vegas, "ac360" with anderson begins now. hey, good evening from las vegas, thank you for joining us. we are at the venetian hotel on the eve of the big debate. 13 candidates, including donald trump, rising challenger, ted cruz, and marco rubio, and ben carson and jeb bush who continues to struggling, now polling close to zero. he, rand paul, john kasich, chris christie, carly fiorina will have a chance tomorrow to gain ground. and whoever is in the spotlight remains not just on the major players but the one standout among them. new polls show him significantly expanding his national league while facing a strong challenge