moderated by anderson cooper. it all starts just a little bit more than an hour from now. i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. good evening, i'm erin burnett. in less than one hour, republican candidates will take the stage behind me for the second night of cnn's exclusive presidential town hall. right now, donald trump, jeb bush, and john kasich are preparing to come face to face with voters in these final hours before votes are cast saturday. the pope taking on donald trump. the comments overshadowing the campaign trail today. the pope suggesting donald trump is not christian because of his promise to build a wall along

the mexican border. >> translator: a person who thinks only about building walls wherever they're located and not bridges is not christian. this is not in the gospel. >> and donald trump responded. >> the pope said something to the effect of maybe donald trump isn't christian, okay, and he's questioning my faith. for a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful. >> the only thing perhaps more shocking than this back and forth between the pope and trump was trump's rivals, catholics, taking his side on faith and the wall. >> i think his christianity is between he and his creator. >> as far as building walls on the border, the wall is not just about immigrations. it's about potentially terrorists crossing that border. >> in trump versus pope, who will win?

sara murray is outfront in gaffney, south carolina. sara, what are you hearing? can we expect trump to make more comments about the pope at the town hall? >> reporter: i think it is safe to say that donald trump will be asked about this at the town hall tonight, but here in gaffney he did not bring up the pope, but he did say repeatedly we are going to build a wall. he spoke about crime that undocumented immigrants are bringing into the country. a defiant donald trump in the most bizarre political feud of the election cycle. donald trump is facing off against pope francis. >> what did the pope say? i like the pope. was it good or bad, because if it is good, i like the pope. if it is bad, i don't like the pope. >> reporter: the pope offered a sharp rebuke of trump's plan to build a wall. >> i will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and

i will have mexico pay for that wall. mark my words. >> reporter: and questioned the candidate's faith? >> translator: a person who thinks about building walls and not bridges is not christian. >> reporter: the pontiff hasn't shied away from the political arena, once proclaiming a good catholic meddles in politics and becoming the first pope to address congress. >> we, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners. >> reporter: it's not the first time trump has taken a swipe at the pope. >> the pope is a very political person. i don't think he understands the problems our country has. >> reporter: today marked a dramatic escalation. >> if and when the vatican is attacked by isis, which as everyone knows is isis' ultimate

trophy, i can promise you the pope would have only wished and prayed that donald trump would have been president. >> reporter: tonight the holy war of words is quickly drawing in other gop contenders. >> the swiss army guard is probably taking pretty good care of the pope. >> reporter: his rival candidates steering clear of judgment on trump's faith. >> his christianity is between he and his creator. >> that's between donald and the pope. i'm not going to get into the middle of that. >> reporter: and defending their own proposed immigration overhauls. >> there's no nation on earth that's more compassionate on immigration than we are. the vatican city controls who comes in and when they come in. as a result, the united states has a right to do that as well. >> the pope only heard one side of the story and he didn't see the crime, the drug trafficking, and the negative economic

impact. people can come into our country, folks, but they have to come in legally. >> reporter: now, erin, there's always the question, will this be the thing that finally hurts trump. talking to voters here tonight, i've got to say that doesn't seem to be the case. i talked to one woman who said she's not a nice southern baptist lady. she doesn't give a hoot that donald trump is fighting with the pope. back to you. >> all right. thank you. outfront now, ben ferguson, pastor mark burns, and our political commentator. let me start with you. obviously not catholic, but christian, a man of faith. donald trump, not christian? >> donald trump is a christian. he's made very clear his stance on supporting our conservative values. we christians will have a friend in the white house. he stood by that and i'm going to stand by the fact that he is a christian. i would n-- we're voting for th

next president of the united states of america, so we can't expect donald trump -- he's not qualified to preach in anyone pulpit, but is he qualified to be the president of the united states? i absolutely think so. >> ben, the other day president obama said that donald trump -- now the pope is engaging with donald trump. did he just get elevated even further? >> getting headlines, the kardashians can get headlines. doesn't mean they're good people or we should be excited about what those headlines are. donald trump has a very unique dynamic now. he uses being a catholic as a negative against ted cruz, implying he wasn't an evangelical christian. he said, well, catholics come from cuba as if that is a

negative thing to be catholic. you see it. i think that's the reason why the pope probably got involved a little bit here. i think he feels like donald trump has been very unfair to catholics. he probably feels like he's used them in a negative light. i don't think this was a smart move, especially when you go to places like ohio. that's a place where this will play a lot different than it will in south carolina. >> people say the pope was on the cover of "rolling stone," "time magazine." when you look at his popularity among republicans, people may be shocked. it's only 56%. george w. bush is at 88% among republicans. >> this pope is not very popular among republicans. we all remember when he came to congress and lectured republican lawmakers about climate change and capitalism. republicans remember that. there's a group of evangelicals

for whom there is some distrust with the vatican, with the pope. i think this is a 100% win for donald trump. we're in a state, south carolina, where there's a very small catholic population, incredibly small. it's the 49th of 50 states when it comes to catholic populations. nationally, 20% of the population. they are voting more democrat these days than republican. i cannot see any downside out of this feud for donald trump. >> i think it's a downside for one reason. i don't think republicans like it when you attack someone's religion and demean someone's religion. i think that's where it gets donald trump in trouble, the fact that he uses it against ted cruz as if it is a bad character flaw. >> and he used it against donald trump. >> i think he took offense to that. >> he should. >> i can criticize anyone's religion that i want to, but you

can't because you're the pope. >> you're holding donald trump to a standard to his supporters are not abiding by. of course, there's hypocrisy. among his supporters, i don't see that mattering. >> i also agree ted cruz has done the same thing. >> tell donald. >> i think ted cruz has done the same thing to donald trump. again, when he removed that -- i said this yesterday, but i have so many positive responses of those who said pastor burns, thank you so much for standing up. ted cruz, the ad of the former porn star, who said pastor burns, thank you so much for teaching shawn grace. it was completely judgmental. >> it's smart not to have someone in your ad. >> it was her lifestyle and it is not who she is today. she should not be criminalized for what she did in the past

when grace teaches us -- >> does the pope influence anyone that you are preaching to? he's not an evangelical, but he is a christian. he is a fan of great faith. if he doesn't trust donald trump, maybe i should think again. >> i think it is horrible, in my opinion and so does donald trump, that the pope has been kind of a political pawn in this to put focus more so on the wall that millions of americans are agreeing that should took place. media has a part in this because the pope didn't say donald trump you're not a christian. the pope never said donald trump is not a christian. he said we should be focusing more -- >> he said building a wall is not christian. >> the pope is standing there taking a question on a plane

about something that is incredibly complicated. to reduce our national security and our illegal immigration problem and our problem with illegal drug trafficking to building bridges and not walls i think is doing a serious disservice to the complexity of this issue. >> you saw marco rubio jumping in defending the wall. this is something to keep in mind. everybody running on the republican side wants a wall. they want walls. >> there's this one issue and that is today donald trump was saying the people in mexico, the government had brainwashed the people into not liking him. he's saying the mexican government cannot stand him and is brainwashing the pope? that's absurd. >> i'll pause there. high stakes for jeb bush tonight. you saw him there on the issue of religion coming to donald

trump's defense. tonight, he's putting it all on the line at our town hall. south carolina's lieutenant governor is outfront to talk about why he is siding with trump. cnn's town hall kicks off in just about 45 minutes in columbia, south carolina. we'll be right back your path to retirement... may not always be clear. but at t. rowe price, we can help guide your retirement savings. for over 75 years, investors have relied on our disciplined approach to find long term value. so wherever your retirement journey takes you, we can help you reach your goals. call a t. rowe price retirement specialist or your advisor ...to see how we can help make the most of your retirement savings. t. rowe price. invest with confidence.

two words: it heals.e different? how? with heat. unlike creams and rubs that mask the pain, thermacare has patented heat cells that penetrate deep to increase circulation and accelerate healing. let's review: heat, plus relief, plus healing, equals thermacare. the proof that it heals is you.

i...just me...me andrd my four daughters.... ah, there's a lot of dancing and pageants that go on in our kitchens and living rooms and things like that. i've had to learn to accept certain things like the fact that my toe nails and finger nails are going to be painted constantly. but it's really awesome to watch them at their own things. they're great kids... all of them. whatever home means to you, we'll help you find it. zillow. othis highly sought-after device "nafrom progressiveool. can be yours for... twenty grand? -no! we are giving it away for just 3 easy payments of $4.99 plus tax! the lines are blowing up! we've got deborah from poughkeepsie. flo: yeah, no, it's flo.

you guys realize anyone can use the "name your price" tool for free on progressive.com, right? [ laughing nervously ] ♪ [ pickles whines ] i know, it's like they're always on television. what?

we are live in columbia, south carolina tonight. behind me the leading republican presidential candidates will be taking the stage. tonight, it is a crucial event for all of them, but especially for jeb bush. he has put everything on the line here in south carolina from campaigning with his mother and his brother to spending millions of dollars on campaign ads. yet our latest polls has the florida governor in fourth place at 10%. there's a lot riding tonight for bush. could he turn around and stage a big upset? >> i'm going to get on my hands and knees and asking for your vote after i answer this. >> reporter: jeb bush begging for a campaign comeback, but the hits keep on coming. >> this is not about picking

friends. it's about picking who you think would be the best president. >> reporter: losing the endorsement of governor nikki haley to marco rubio. the polls are grim. a survey shows him in fourth place while some national polls show him trailing the pack. now, two days before the first in the south primary bush is pulling out all the stops. >> you can trust jeb bush to be measured and thoughtful on the world stage. >> reporter: showcasing the bush family artillery. >> i'm so honored that my brother is here. >> reporter: bringing a new urgent aggressiveness. >> with all due respect, senator rub rubio, your years as senator does not match up to my capabilities of understanding how the world works. >> reporter: even changing up his look with swapping out his

glasses for contacts. in new hampshire where he came in fourth combined they spent $36 million on tv and radio ads. that's nearly $2,900 for each single vote. in iowa, they invested $15 million to come in sixth, amounting to $1,200 per vote. on the ground in south carolina, his supporters seem aware of this moment for him giving him a pep talk and some unsolicited advice. >> i'm afraid your message doesn't resonate to a national community. >> reporter: bush's response, there's no need for monday morning quarterbacking yet while he is still in the game. >> it's all decided. we don't have to vote i guess. i should stop campaigning. it's all done. that's not how democracy works, right? >> reporter: and a bush adviser

tells me they want to continue taking the long view here. they believe they have the resources to continue to compete strongly, but there is a real awareness within the bush campaign right now about where they do stand. that's why it puts so much pressure on jeb bush tonight at that cnn town hall to perform and also to leave south carolina with a strong showing. erin? >> thank you. outfront now, michael steel. he's with me along with hogan gidley. good to have both you have with us. it's a big night. you heard $10 million of ads. his family has been a part of this. his mother we expect will be here tonight. how important is tonight? is the voting on saturday for jeb bush's campaign? >> this is a wonderful venue for governor bush. he does best answering real people's substantive questions.

he has the best record in the field. in florida has governor he cut taxes every single year, a total of $19 billion. he managed to create 1.3 million new jobs. he has plans to fix the mess in washington, create new jobs, rising middle class incomes, and protect the american people from isis. >> what's the place that he has to have? i don't know you don't like it when you say you have to come in third or fourth, but these are real questions right now. for him to continue, he's got to do well here. >> we feel real well about south carolina. this is a commander and chief debate. this is the most military friendly state in the country. governor bush has been endorsed by lindsey graham. we think we have a great case to make that he is the best candidate on national security, which is the leading issue here in south carolina. >> what do you say, hogan? >> i don't disagree.

he has an amazing resume. the conventional candidates are having a difficult time resonating because it is an unconventional year. it is almost like voters have put on blinders to all the things he just said. there's a lot of things governor bush has done toward conservative, but they're gravitating towards those who have no accomplishment. jeb bush has built a fire wall here. he has money to continue on. it's going to be difficult for governor bush should he finish behind marco rubio here. >> you're looking at donald trump and you have ted cruz and marco rubio and then jeb bush. is that enough coming in fourth? is that enough? >> i'm not sure. i'm sure his folks will be out saying how great it is and how he came back from nothing and he was in single digits and he mounted a good comeback. but the perception and the narrative may already be written. once he leaves here, if he

finishes behind marco rubio, it's going to be difficult. there are jeb bush friendly states coming up. they're all very trump friendly as well. it is going to be difficult for someone who finishes fourth to continue. >> nikki haley came out and endorsed marco rubio, which the governor was very honest about in a very gracious moment yesterday saying i'm very disappointed. here's what she said today about why she chose rubio and not jeb bush. >> jeb is a dear friend and he has been a great mentor and has helped me along the way. this is not about picking friends. it is about picking who you think can be the best president. >> i mean, how does that feel? that is a big blow. it wasn't just a friend. a mentee. >> we disagree with governor hailey. we think you're not going to beat hillary clinton or bernie sanders without a conservative candidate with a genuine record

of accomplishment. we have donald trump who is not a conservative, who is hijacking the republican party, and then two senators with no real record of accomplishment compared to the most transformative republican governor of the 21st century. we have the best qualified candidate to achieve the ultimate goal, which is defeating hillary clinton or bernie sanders. >> governor hailey, she's my governor. she said she wanted a governor as president. she thought it was time for a governor. for her to make this switch is very interesting as well. there's another thing going on in her mind from what she said before. i can appreciate the accomplishments because i work for a man who is well accomplished too. typically i gravitate towards governors, but the people don't care about accomplishment. it's almost as the anger and seething rage that exists is somehow embodied by a person who

has captured that and regurgitated the things they say in their personal private living rooms and it's making him be the frontrunner. it's an amazing thing to watch. i don't understand. >> you're echoing what a lot of people say. next, amidst the trump mud slinging, south carolina's lieutenant governor is joining me. plus the breaking news, hillary clinton winning a major endorsement tonight. we'll tell you who it is and why it matters as we count you down to tonight's cnn gop down hall in south carolina.

i'm here to get the lady of the house back on her feet. and give her the strength and energy to stay healthy. who's with me?! yay! the complete balanced nutrition of great tasting ensure. with 9 grams of protein and 26 vitamins and minerals. ensure. take life in! i tabut with my back paines, i couldn't sleep and get up in time. then i found aleve pm. aleve pm is the only one to combine a safe sleep aid plus the 12 hour pain relieving strength of aleve. i'm back. aleve pm for a better am. urgent diarrhea.in. it could be ibs-d new prescription xifaxan is an ibs-d treatment

that helps relieve your diarrhea and abdominal pain symptoms. do not use xifaxan if you have a history of sensitivity to rifaximin, rifamycin antibiotic agents, or any components of xifaxan. tell your doctor right away if your diarrhea worsens while taking xifaxan, as this may be a sign of a serious or even fatal condition. tell your doctor if you have liver disease or are taking other medications, because these may increase the amount of xifaxan in your body. tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan on becoming pregnant, or are nursing. the most common side effects are nausea and an increase in liver enzymes. if you think you have ibs with diarrhea, ask to your doctor about new xifaxan. good.how was your commute? yours? good. xerox real time analytics make transit systems run more smoothly... and morning chitchat... less interesting. transportation can work better. with xerox. thank you for calling. we'll be with you shortly. yeah right... xerox predictive analytics help companies provide a better and faster customer experience.

hello mr. kent. can i rebook your flight? i'm here! customer care can work better. with xerox. wait i'm here! mr. kent?

welcome back to a very special edition of "outfront live." we are 30 minutes away from the second night of cnn presidential's town hall tonight in columbia, south carolina. making their final pitches, taking voter questions. the frontrunner will likely talk about his threats to sue ted cruz over his eligibility to be president and controversial ads

that cruz is running against trump. >> he just comes out and boom, boom, boom. absolute lies. now, he'll apologize. if he doesn't, i'm going to bring a lawsuit -- >> reporter: donald trump the candidate still the businessman, who is not afraid to turn to lawyers when he feels wronged. ted cruz says bring it on. >> you can never write off the possibility of donald trump suing you. if he wants to file a lawsuit, he can file it and lose. >> reporter: it would not be the first time the billionaire has used the courts after saying this about mexico sending its people to america. >> they're bringing drugs. they're bringing crime. they're rapists. >> reporter: univision announced it would not air trump's miss usa and miss universe pageants.

a confidential settlement was announced this month. >> donald trump has been a one-man full employment agency for lawyers, corporate lawyers, defamation lawyers, divorce lawyers. he's hired and fired them all. >> reporter: in 2006, donald trump sued the author of "trump nation" for underestimating his wealth saying it injured his credit and harmed business deals. here is trump announcing his action plan on abc's "good morning america." >> we're going to be suing her. >> reporter: an arbitrator ordered her to pay trump $5 million. the lawsuits are countless and not even his family is off-limits. in 1992 a new york state appeals

court allowed trump to sue his ex-wife for violating a confidentiality clause in their divorce agreement. the court ruled in donald's favor. who can forget this battle that never went to court after rosie o'donnell said this about trump on "the view"? >> he's one of those snake oils sales men. >> reporter: donald trump did not go bankrupt and he's now running for the president of the united states. >> thank you very much. outfront now, the lieutenant governor of south carolina, a supporter of donald trump. lieutenant governor, thanks very much. good to be hearing your statement in these crucial final hours. you're a former prosecutor attorney general. what do you think about trump's threats to sue ted cruz?

>> well, we're sitting in a law school full of students and lawyers. there is a question there about what i understand the suit is about the natural born citizen part of the constitution. that's something that's never been cleared up. it was sort of addressed when john mccain ran because he was born on u.s. soil, although on a military base. he had the senate pass a resolution to be sure he was clear. it's been suggested that ted cruz do the same thing. now this thing has erupted and has come back up. it's a question i'm sure will be answered one day. >> a war of words broke out between donald trump today and pope francis. we were joking that the donald and the pope are now in a war of words. here's what the pope said and what donald trump said in response. >> translator: a person who thinks only about building walls wherever they may be located and

not about building bridges is not christian. this is not in the gospel. >> if and when the vatican is attacked by isis, which is as everyone knows is isis' ultimate trophy, i can promise you that the pope would have only wished and prayed that donald trump would have president. >> you obviously support donald trump. he called the pope disgraceful for saying he wasn't christian. donald trump is a man who means what he says, says what he means. when you hear this, is this the kind of rhetoric that you had in mind when you endorsed him? are you all right with it? >> with all due respect to the pope, the immigration laws and the issue of building fences and walls has been one since the beginning of the country. we've had legal walls since the very beginning. we've had fences. we have about 700 miles worth of tall double steel fences built under presidents clinton and

president bush. congressional acts that call for the building of that kind of border. i think immigration is something that's important to every country. of course, it's important to mr. trump. as he explains, you cannot have a country if you don't have borde borders. in a law school, we believe in the rule of law. donald trump understands that situation very well and we need to protect the borders. that's what he's saying in very clear unmistakable words that everyone can understand. >> when people look at south carolina, they say, all right, you've endorsed donald trump. nikki haley has endorsed on marco rubio. did you talk about it? did you plan it out? >> everything is going just fine. lindsey has endorsed somebody. that's typically how it goes. donald trump is having people come to see him not only from south carolina but other places.

i've been to three, four rallies here where we've had two of them in excess of 10,000 people. those are real counts. those are not just estimates. it is a phenomenal thing. it's something i have never seen before. it's something that other people haven't seen and it is because he is a strong and powerful man and he has built an empire. something you don't build on words, but you have to be precise in building something in the way he's done it. he means what he says. everybody understands it. he has the power and capability and determination to get it done. that's why people believe in him. >> you like his strength and conviction. here's what marco rubio said after governor hayley endorsed him. >> i got the endorsement of a governor.

>> that is senator tim scott. you have nikki haley, tim scott, marco rubio. you have a woman, you have an african-american man, an indian american woman, and marco rubio, who is cuban hispanic. is that more the future of the republican party than what donald trump is selling? >> the future of the republican party and the future of this country is great. it is very bright if we do some very important things that we haven't done in a long time and that is we've got to see that our people have work and jobs by stopping this unfair trade that's going on. we have a trade deficit of about $700 billion. with china, it's 366 billion. it's not fair trade. they're putting up tariffs. they're requiring our companies to build plants there in order to sell there. trump understands that. we understands we have to knock isis out. we can't wait around on this.

we've got to get it done. he wants to make america great again. the people here believe and i believe he is the one that can do it. it's his vision. it's his understanding of the greatness of america, his determination and power. he has demonstrated he is a builder. you can't fake that. you can't fake all the work that he's done. he's a man of great accomplishment. >> thank you very much. i appreciate your time here in south carolina. outfront next, breaking news on the democratic side of this race. hillary clinton winning a crucial endorsement as a new national poll shows a statistical tie with bernie sanders. plus, just 20 minutes from now trump, bush, kasich taking the stage right behind me for our cnn town hall live right here in columbia, south carolina. lieve h your itchy, watery eyes and congestion. no other nasal allergy spray can say that. complete allergy relief or incomplete. let your eyes decide. flonase changes everything.

this just got interesting. so why pause to take a pill? and why stop to find a bathroom? with cialis for daily use, you don't have to plan around either. it's the only daily tablet approved to treat erectile dysfunction so you can be ready anytime the moment is right. plus cialis treats the frustrating urinary symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently, day or night. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, or adempas for pulmonary hypertension, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision,

or any symptoms of an allergic reaction, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. why pause the moment? ask your doctor about cialis for daily use. and for a $200 savings card, go to cialis.com

breaking news. we are live tonight in cluolumb, south carolina, where in just a few minutes our town hall will begin. a crucial night for all three candidates. there is breaking news tonight though on the democratic side of things and this is significant. a source telling cnn hillary clinton will pick up a key endorsement from congressman jim

clyburn tomorrow, one of the most influential black leaders in south carolina. the nevada caucuses taking place saturday and south carolina's primary one week later. we are outfront live in las vegas. jeff, there has been this courting of black voters here in south carolina, which of course are more than half of the primary voters on the democratic side. clyburn has withheld that endorsement. what are you learning about the timing of it? >> reporter: erin, i'm told congressman clyburn is going to issue that endorsement tomorrow morning at 11:00 in south carolina. he wants to make an impact in the week leading up to the south carolina democratic primary next saturday, but he also thinks he can have a bit of influence in nevada. that's why we decided to do the endorsement on friday. there were some in the clinton

campaign who were hoping for an endorsement to be timed on sunday perhaps as a bit of a campaign reset if things aren't ending as they would like here, but they're happy to have the endorsement. in 2008, congressman clyburn did not endorse. he did not side with either barack obama or the clinton campaign here, so it is significant that he is endorsing tomorrow morning, erin. >> and there's also, though, this poll coming out tonight that shows hillary clinton's lead nationwide has evaporated now. her and bernie sanders in a statistical tie. bernie sanders ahead three percentage points within the margin of error. this is the first poll to show him actually in the lead, but this has got to be a concern. >> reporter: it's not that surprising that a national poll would be finding this because bernie sanders, of course, is raising so much money across the board. that's showing his broad base of national support, but the

clinton campaign is focused on these contests state by state by state. the poll they're more concerned about is the poll here in nevada which shows the race absolutely tied with bernie sanders. they thought they would have a good advantage here. they thought this would be the launching pad as a sign to show she is able to reach out to this diverse electorate and he is not. this race in nevada could go either way. the clinton campaign knows this primary is going to continue for at least another month, perhaps much longer than that. the national polls are just one more indication that more people are getting to know bernie sanders, more people are finding some reasoning in his argument. they're really buyi ining what has to say. that's why the clinton campaign is trying to shut him down in nevada and south carolina. >> thank you very much. outfront now, our chief political analyst gloria borger.

gloria, let's start with the endorsement. this endorsement matters a lot. >> hugely. >> there has been a huge fight for this and a history of clyburn with the clintons not always positive. >> i think it is a make good. >> this is a make good. we talk about do endorsements matter or not. will he sway black voters to clinton? >> i think he is revered in this state. when the political action arm of the congressional black caucus endorsed hillary clinton, he did not. i think the timing of this is very interesting because, of course, as you point out and as jeff was just talking about, the polls in nevada very close in the caucus. obviously, she's ahead here in south carolina. national polls are clearly tightened over the last two months, so i think that this is clyburn's way of sort of just putting his foot on the gas here for hillary clinton. >> and obviously, we talk about

her ahead here in south carolina solidly so. when you look at nevada, a few months ago bernie sanders was pretty much no one knew who he was and now it's a dead heat. now you have national polls tightening. this fox news poll is the first to show bernie sanders in the lead. >> you have to look at these polls over a long period. they have been tightening. there's no doubt about it. and our poll of polls here at cnn shows it 48 to 43 for hillary clinton, but i do think nevada is very difficult for hillary clinton right now because they were supposed to be so far ahead. the thing about a caucus is in organizing for a caucus your passion matters of your supporters. >> which of course favors bernie sanders. >> favors bernie sanders. that's an issue that he has on his side, but again here in south carolina this endorsement tonight really does matter. we say endorsements don't

matter -- >> but this one does. >> this one does. >> the national tightening and the race on the democratic side very exciting. next, just moments away from cnn's town hall where trump, bush, and kasich will take the stage, a powerful moment from a voter whose family has been through suicide, divorce, and a lost job. a very dark place until he found hope in john kasich. >> i'd really appreciate one of those hugs you've been talking about. [ applause ] dear, if we had directv, we could put tvs anywhere

without looking at cable wires and boxes in every room. mother, we are settlers. we settle for cable. and the simpler things in life. like our drab clothing.

that's right, daughter. and homemade haircuts. exactly, boy. besides, if it weren't for wires, how would cousin tobias get his privacy? hey - shut the blanket! i need my privacy! (vo) don't be a settler. get a $100 reward card when you switch to directv. you can fly across welcome town in minutes16, or across the globe in under an hour. whole communities are living on mars and solar satellites provide earth with unlimited clean power. in less than a century, boeing took the world from seaplanes to space planes, across the universe and beyond. and if you thought that was amazing, you just wait. ♪ they say you shouldn't spoil your kids.

but your grandkids? how about front row seats to the best show in town? and that is why you invest. the best returns aren't just measured in dollars. td ameritrade®.

welcome back to a special live edition of "outfront" in columbia, south carolina. you can hear them getting ready for the town hall on the stage behind me. our political director david chalian, our correspondent dana bash and the host of our special town hall anderson cooper. last night, you know, it was great. there were personal moments. so many good moments but also ted cruz and his ongoing war with donald trump. so what do you expect tonight about donald trump now firing back? >> i mean, i have no idea what to expect.

obviously the big story today was the pope's comments about donald trump. that's something we're going to be talking to trump about, i'm sure. how much of that will come from voters. how much will come from us, i'm not sure. but i don't think given the nature of the race at this point, you're going to see continuation of what we've seen on the campaign trail. the allegations against each other. the word liar. all the things we've heard. that's what he hear in these town halls. it's an opportunity for undecided voters here who are going to be voting in the republican primary to ask questions. we want to give them an extended period of time where they can talk. that's one of the -- for me, the highlights of these town halls. it's not 60-second responses. sound bites. ideally, it's a conversation. >> there's no ding ding that goes off. >> as someone who covers these candidates day in and day out, they enjoy it. they enjoy the idea of being able to not be a 30-second sound

bite and not just speak to the room of 300, 400 people but to actually have a longer conversation about their ideas and the personalities. >> we've all complained about sound bites and talking points. this is a venue where they are aloud to talk. i'm not cutting them off. we want a conversation between them and the voter. >> what's at stake? obviously this is a room full of people who say they are undecided. and that means a lot is at stake. they can win over people tonight. >> the stakes are so high as they entered the room because we're two days away from the primary. it's going to be critical in redefining this race. we'll be at a real turning point come saturday night when the results come in. everybody is a little on edge but it gets back to this format that works so well for them all. they all benefit from this. obviously, donald trump always has the most to lose whenever he enters a venue like this. but this kind of conversation with voters about the issues most important on voters' minds

is something that benefits each of these candidates and the voters. >> let's remember the latest polls in south carolina show as much as 50% of the electorate could change their vote or is completely undecided. there's a lot of minds that have not been made up. >> still the single biggest category. >> the town halls can be so meaningful whether they are like this televised or smaller out in far corners of the state. governor kasich had a moment with a voter going through a horrible time that's touched a lot of people. let me play it for you. >> a man who is like my second dad, he killed himself. and then a few months later, my parents got a divorce and then a few months later, my dad lost his job. but -- and i was in a really dark place for a long time. i was pretty depressed. but i found hope and found it in the lord and in my friends. and now i found it in my presidential candidate that i

support. i'd really appreciate one of those hugs you've been talking about. [ applause ] >> just a reminder of how personal this truly is. >> i've talked to john kasich about this. he's talked about moments like that in other town halls. and i think that's one of the things that voters in particularly in iowa and new hampshire and south carolina, these early voting states really get the chance to have this interaction with a candidate. you really do hear remarkable things. we heard in the democratic town hall where you had a rabbi asking an intriguing question. a man who was walking with cancer, with a terminal diagnosis asking about death with dignity. >> and the other side of that equation is the candidate and what this means for the candidate. we do talk about all of the

nastiness, the liar and everything that's going on with the mud slinging. but in addition to that, there are moments like this that the candidates say genuinery affect them and change their perspective. john kasich has told me and others that he is going to focus a lot more, win, lose or draw, on human beings and talking to people and looking them in the eye. and that is something that i think everybody can benefit from. >> a genuine moment. he had moments like that in new hampshire. he's been moved to tears as have some of these other candidates. it's going to be an important night. up next our republican presidential town hall where for the first time donald trump, jeb bush and john kasich will be answering questions from the voters of south carolina in a forum that all of you can be a part of. we'll be right back. oice for hi. he's agreed to give it up. ok, but i have 30 acres to cover by sundown. we'll be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol.

yeah, i was ok, but after lunch my knee started hurting again so... more pills. yep... another pill stop. can i get my aleve back yet? for my pain... i want my aleve. get all day minor arthritis pain relief with an easy open cap.

hey, jesse. who are you? i'm vern, the orange money retirement rabbit from voya. vern from voya? yep, vern from voya. why are you orange? that's a little weird. really? that's the weird part in this scenario? look, orange money represents the money you put away for retirement. save a little here and there, and over time, your money could multiply. see? ah, ok. so, why are you orange? funny. see how voya can help you get organized at voya.com.

good evening. welcome from the university of south carolina in columbia. i'm anderson cooper. we're moments away from another cnn republican town hall. jeb bush, john kasich, donald trump answering voters' questions here making up their minds before the first in the south primary here in south carolina. it's been quite a day, to say the