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tv   Americas Choice 2016  CNN  February 20, 2016 10:00am-11:01am PST

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>> family members and friends are continuing to walk out of the basilica of the national shrine of the immaculate conception here in washington, d.c. a powerful two hour mass of christian burial for antonin scalia, associate justice of the united states supreme court. jake, these were powerful two hours, i must say, especially because father paul scalia, the son, one of nine children of justice scalia delivered such a powerful homily. >> the ability of father paul scalia to conduct that service
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as the celebrant, offering the homily, with such dignity, i know he would say his faith got him through it, but how difficult to conduct a service like that for one's own father, especially a father who was such a larger than life figure, not only to the nation but according to the sons and family members of justice scalia, to the family as well. such a tribute to him that father scalia was able to do it in such a way, wolf. >> and he did combine personal reflections of his dad, his father, with such powerful meaning and even brought in a little joke here and there. >> he did. there were some moments here and there about the one time his father accidently got in line
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for confession with his son, then realized his mistake. also i have to say it is moments like these when you see the american family coming together in such a place, setting aside partisan fights of the past. vice president biden who has known scalia for decades was there with his wife, dr. jill biden, and according to accounts from inside he greeted justice clarence thomas who was also close with justice scalia, shook his hand. obviously the two had a rough spot back during the clarence thomas hearings so many years ago but in moments like this, people put aside such disputes and such ugly histories and realize what binds us all together. >> jeffrey toobin, you studied the supreme court, had many opportunities over the years to meet with justice scalia.
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this is precisely the kind of mass he would have appreciated. >> exactly. justice scalia was a traditional man, this was a traditional mass. i think the other thing that struck me in watching it is that this was still such an unexpected death. justice scalia was 79 years old. it is not of course out of the realm of possibility a 79-year-old or anyone could die in any moment, but he was so full of life, so aggressive, he was so much at the heart of the supreme court. the idea that he died so suddenly is something that struck me today, certainly struck me yesterday when i was paying respects at the casket at the supreme court is that he leaves a huge void at the supreme court and in american life. i would be willing to bet more
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americans have heard of antonin scalia than heard of john roberts. he's just been there for so long, been prominent for so long that his departure will change that institution profoundly and that's a big deal. >> a very big deal. you see the hearse beginning to move from the basilica. jake, we still don't know exactly, haven't told us where he will be buried, but the hearse is now moving in this direction. just a reflection, you see the vans, it is a huge family following the hearse. >> it is a very sad moment and as jeffrey noted he had an enormous presence on the american stage. his views, dissents, even with one vociferously disagreed with
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him, one could find pleasure in the cleverness and skills of the writer. he was a brilliant and gifted writer. and it is a real loss. there are, of course, many people who disagree with justice scalia on issues but as a person he was really loved and respected. pamela brown, you were at the supreme court yesterday and you saw people paying tribute and they weren't all former justices or former clerks, a lot of them were employees of the supreme court. >> that's right, employees of the supreme court, it was a tight knit community, you can't forget. four clerks per justice and there are not that many people that work there. i keep thinking about how difficult this must be for the other justices on the bench. he had his own unique relationships with other justices. justice ginsberg was liberal on the bench, polar opposite, they
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were friends. they rode elephants together in india, went par a sailing together, loved the opera. he had a close relationship with justice thomas which he not only shared conservative ideology with, but off the bench they were close. this has struck a chord with former clerks as well who we saw lined up on the steps, many of them say that justice scalia really changed their lives. also it is worth noting that he was a controversial figure through the years, but despite that, people yesterday in line who we spoke with are able to put this aside, say we want to pay respect to this man, he gave 30 years of life to public service. he had such impact on the court, left an indelible mark as the way we look at the law. >> father beck, i want to bring you in here. one suspects that justice scalia wherever he is would have enjoyed his son's celebration of his life.
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it started out in an interesting way where one thought that he was talking about paying tribute to his father. he said everyone had gathered to pay tribute to one man. let's play that back. >> a man known personally to many of us, known only by reputation to even more, a man loved by many, scorned by others, a man known for great controversy and for compassion. that man, of course, is jesus of nazareth. >> really was interesting. i can tell you as a priest who buried his own father two months ago, it is not an easy thing to
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do, especially an unexpected death like this. i think the way he was able to do it is what you saw, he focused on the message of christ. he said his father did not like eulogies. he talked about jesus yesterday, today, and tomorrow. and wove how his father is part of the fabric of the story of jesus. he said his father was a practicing catholic. usually that means someone that goes to mass, et cetera. he said no, it meant he was imperfect. he was a sinner. he hadn't gotten it right. it was really a theology lesson, a beautifully executed theology lesson and tribute to his father. >> and wolf, it wasn't of course only serious. there were lighter moments as well. >> yes, father beck, i want you to respond to this. i'm play this clip. this is father paul scalia, the son of justice scalia, talking about an incident involving
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confession. >> the issue that evening was not that i had be hearing confessions but that he had found himself in my confessional line. [ laughter ] and he quickly departed it. as he put it later, like heck if i'm confessing to you. the feeling was mutual. >> that was typical justice scalia. those of us who met him, albeit briefly over the years, he had that sense of humor. >> and i so resonated with that. my parents were the same way. they would never go to confession to me, and i wouldn't want them to go to me, it is just not something you do. so to bring that kind of humor the way the justice was able to and for his son to bring it in, i think many people saw justice
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scalia as stoic, very removed. he would be studying a lot. and you saw that somewhat in this funeral. to have that composure of that family, that was a lot of strength there, but it was based on faith. this was a faith filled family, and they're holding on to that faith. what you see there is a great testimony to how that allowed them to get where they are today. >> joan, it was a moving homily delivered by the son. i was personally amazed he could get through it as strongly as he did. i am sure he loved his dad as much as any good son would love his father and he got through it, but you know this family well. >> well, i'm sure the father and mother, backbone, discipline, they were watch ward of the family. they had this tradition, this conservatism, one thing i want
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to mention, we were all captivated by the son's words. i'll never forget maureen scalia saying at one point we don't do boring. so even with such a solemn occasion, there's so much to listen to in his words. i was especially struck by the final when he was moving with the casket down the aisle to go out of the basilica for the last time. there was certainly still the look of seriousness on his face, but there was a look of this is it. this is the end. think of where father paul scalia and everyone else here was just seven days ago. we had no idea that justice scalia died until late saturday of last week. and now his casket has rolled out, draped in the flag, put into the black hearse, and that's probably the last you and
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i and all of your viewers will see of that. i thought that the tribute the son gave so reinforced this man's presence in our lives and the other thing i think is that we will probably be reminded for months, for years, even decades of his continuing presence in american life. >> he had an enormous presence on the u.s. supreme court and indeed on american life as you correctly point out. jake, it is time to reflect now. but the process is going to go forward and eventually will be a new supreme court judge, could be in a few months, could be in a year. >> hard to imagine. a lot of us felt the same way when we heard the news a week ago, no, that can't be. justice scalia, a larger than life character, hard to imagine a world without him. but jeffrey toobin, as the senate, the president begin the tussle more about who replaces justice scalia, what is his legacy, do you think?
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>> he has an unusually strong legacy for the supreme court. there have been more than 100 supreme court justices in history but there are only a handful that have a significant individual legacy, and justice scalia is at the very top of that list with people like chief justice marshall, louie bran dies, earl warren. the reason is he is someone that had ideas that will live after him, originalism, the idea that the constitution should be understood, should mean only what the framers of the constitution thought it meant. texturalism, means that statute and law mean what the words mean, not what words intended those words to mean, especially texturalism that's not as politically controversial as realism. there are all the rest of the supreme court justices except for stephen breyer have accepted that. that's an innovation, a
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philosophy that is something that stood for more than just political conservatism. >> a truly powerful moment indeed in american history that we will continue to observe and watch. the impact of justice scalia will be enormous for years to come. i just want to wrap this up for now. tell the viewers thanks for watching special coverage of justice scalia's funeral mass. stay with cnn for the latest. we will take a quick break and be right back. i'm hillary clinton and i approve this message.
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it is decision day in south carolina. across the state polls are open, people are casting votes now in the republican presidential primary. in nevada, excitement is building. doors open for the democratic caucus in about one hour from now. for the democrats and republicans, the campaigns are very heated. the fights are dirty and the gloves are definitely off. what happens today in either state could be turning points in the 2016 race. hello, everyone. welcome. i am fredricka whitfield. we are live from university of south carolina in coluombia. so much is ahead. 85 delegates are up for grabs in south carolina and nevada, and at this point who will win them is anyone's guess. five of six gop candidates are
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anxiously awaiting results in the palmetto state, including jeb bush who was seen earlier today at a polling station in greenville. and john kasich, seeing little chance of a win in this state has already moved onto key super tuesday states. in nevada, democratic candidates bernie sanders and hillary clinton are getting ready for today's caucuses. just a short time ago sanders was seen glad handing in las vegas with voters there. cnn has full team coverage of today's historic votes. brian todd is live in mt. pleasant, south carolina. athena jones is here in the state capital, and jeff zell me is covering close to where both candidates are today. so let's begin with brian todd, live outside a polling station in one of south carolina's most populated counties, charleston county. brian, voting has been open for
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six hours. what are you seeing and hearing from people. >> reporter: fredricka, good turnout in mt. pleasant, six hours into voting, a steady turnout, lines have fluctuated here, this is one of the most populous counties. the line thinned out, it was pretty long, almost to the door a moment ago. so basically this is where the action happens. they come in here, they don't register here. you are already registered by the time you get here and don't have to register by party. you come in, poll managers ask you, say this is the republican primary, do you intend to vote in this primary, they'll say yes, then you're good to go. go into one of the polling stations covered on three sides, only takes 25, 30 seconds to cast their ballot. what's interesting, we make our way back outside. again, it has been a steady turnout. they expect pretty good voter turnout, might break records, might not. this is unpredictable, it has
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been an energetic primary. the story here, fredricka, the fact that so many people we talked to, talked to dozens coming out. so many made up their minds last night or today. one of the ladies we talked to went into one of the polling stations and purposely simultaneously pressed john kasich and marco rubio buttons to see which one would come up. came up kasich, that was her vote. that was unusual. there was a lot of last minute decision making. one person that didn't makeup her mind in the last minute, angela. you voted for john kasich. what swayed you? >> his results in new hampshire and researched him more closely. the night of new hampshire primary looked on my ipad, saw he was going to be speaking in south carolina at a local pizza restaurant, so i went to see him. >> that solidified the decision more. >> yeah. >> had you been wavering before
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that? >> no, i was extremely nervous and worried by the republican choices and was looking for someone who was reasonable and sensible. >> thank you for talking to us. best of luck. >> reporter: here's part of the situation. steady stream of cars coming into the armory. we are today by poll officials, if you're out the door, down this way by the time the polls close, you'll get in and they'll let you vote. in new hampshire, we had cars going down the street, a lot of those were still allowed to vote. they'll play that by ear, maybe call in police officers if they need to direct traffic, fredricka. >> my goodness. it will be a big day across the state, not just there in mount pleasant. brian todd, appreciate it. today the gop candidates are making final pitches in any way they can to south carolina voters. the state could determine who battles on for the nomination or who might give up and go home. this morning, a confident jeb bush visited a polling station
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in greenville with his mom, former first lady barbara bush, and made a bold prediction about the front runner. >> trump can't win. plain and simple. this isn't about appealing to people's deep anxiety which is legitimate, he can't be president. a ton of people would be very uncomfortable with his divisive language and with his inexperience in so many ways, the way he speaks, it is clear he hasn't thought it through. we are living in dangerous times. i think we need someone who can be president from day one. >> athena jones is with me. hearing from jeb like that, you wonder is this a warning shot that he thinks perhaps he is in good position or is it another signal he's sending? >> this has been part of the argument he has been making for months against donald trump and way of contrasting donald trump with himself.
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he has been saying donald trump is unstable, trying to insult his way to the white house, not a conservative, not electable. this is more of that. he even said in a radio interview yesterday you can't trust donald trump. he will morph to mirror the current thinking, whether it is on abortion, he used to be pro-choice, now says he is pro-life or on iraq, seeing recordings of him saying he was for the invasion, he has been arguing all along he was against the invasion. you have to go with someone with a proven record and conservative, that's me. the question is is that resonating with voters. >> speaking of donald trump, he is reaching voters, whether in person, town hall, face to face or via tweet. he is doing that a lot today, in fact. sent a couple of blunt tweets, one criticizing cruz for a robo call. he said lying ted cruz on election day came out with a
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sneak and sleazy robe oh call. he holds up the bible but in fact it is a true low life poll. >> this is another illustration of the battle being waged between those two in particular in this state in south carolina. each one calling -- trump in particular has been calling ted cruz a liar. he has been using that similar language for days saying how can he be a christian, talk about the bible so much when he resorts to these dishonest tactics. we have heard him talk about a call made to cruz campaign backers in iowa urge them to tell people that ben carson was dropping out of the race. we are hearing that a lot from donald trump. it is more of the same, and it is unclear who it is hurting more. is it helping donald trump, hurting ted cruz? we have to see what happens. >> donald trump thinks it is effective. he continues to tweet or at least express himself in lots of different forms. today is a very busy day in south carolina. >> absolutely.
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>> he is a big tweeter. so far hasn't hurt him, seems to be helping him. >> athena jones, good to see you. the focus isn't just on south carolina today. in less than 30 minutes the doors open at the democratic caucus sites across nevada. to boost her chances, hillary clinton is tweeting star power support from will ferrell who urges people to caucus for her. >> hope you caucus for hillary. 11:00 a.m. pass the word. caucus for hillary. 11:00 a.m., guys, right? 11:00 a.m. can i get a quick cup of chocolate custard? yogurt? oh yeah. perfect. thank you so much. >> senior washington correspondent joining us from
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henderson, nevada, sizing up the race as democrats head to the caucus sites. jeff, what are these crowds like? what are the receptions like for hillary clinton and bernie sanders there? >> fredricka, a cup of chocolate custard sounds good as will ferrell points out. that's what the clinton campaign is trying to do, sanders as well. trying to impress on people to turn out at the appointed hour, in a half hour, then the caucus begins in an hour or so. it is about who turns out. that's the case in elections. the difference between south carolina where you can vote all day long, in nevada you have to show up at a certain time is critical. campaigns have to get supporters out. sanders campaign, they're working the casino crowd, not for gamblers, but going to
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cafeterias, laundry workers, urging people to come out and vote at the appointed hour. some casinos are giving workers a couple hours off to do this. others are not. but that's one of the key indicators, who will come out this morning. i am told a few minutes ago, two democratic rivals almost crossed paths in the same casino trying to get people out to vote at the same time. >> my goodness. jeff, as many voters feel like they're still trying to get to know candidates, today they got a chance to see a new picture of a young bernie sanders. we heard from bernie sanders about his involvement in the civil rights movement years ago. now today this image is believed to be confirmed that that's a young bernie sanders being arrested? >> right. his campaign says it is bernie sanders. this is 1963, fredricka, south
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side of chicago. he was a student at university of chicago at the time, the campaign says that is a picture of him that was being arrested at the time. a lot of voters don't know his life story, one thing he has talked about some. he talks about income equality and other things, doesn't talk about his past. this is an image his campaign believes gives him some credentials going forward. he has been on the frontlines of the civil rights movement as well. hasn't been as prominent as other people but has been there all along. this picture was found in archives of a chicago newspaper and it was just published recently. that's just one sign of a young bernie sanders that we haven't seen before when he was a young student at the university of chicago. >> all right. we will talk later about how influential potentially that image might be for bernie sanders at this juncture. thanks so much, jeff, appreciate it. after nevada, the next
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contest for bernie sanders and hillary clinton is here in south carolina. next saturday. before that, both candidates will take questions directly from voters on tuesday in a cnn town hall here in columbia at 8:00 p.m. eastern on cnn. on thursday, the last republican debate before super tuesday on march 1st, here on cnn. wolf blitzer moderates that republican debate this thursday at 8:30 p.m. eastern time. still to come. senator bernie sanders' wife, jane sanders, joins me live from las vegas. we will be talking about what she expects in nevada, there she's, and talk about the photo of her husband being arrested years ago many are seeing for the first time now. back live from south carolina right after this. >> what's the information you need to make a decision? >> see what the candidates have
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to say about students and mostly that, still in school, that's what pertains to my life the most now. trying to see what their stances are on that, then make my decision from there. >> last minute sell from any of the candidates, what do you need to hear from them specifically that will get you engaged and interested in them? >> probably education and the economy in terms of what their stances are in terms of moving forward with unemployment and what their plans are for the future. i'm there for bessie.
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i'm there for ray. ted loved baseball. dr. phil likes to watch football. renne, who wants sloppy joe on the menu every day. rosie's my best friend. evelyn likes to dance. harriett wants her fried shrimp as well. alice anne likes vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup and rainbow sprinkles. they give me so much back. i can't even imagine how i could possibly give them what they give me.
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welcome back live from columbia, south carolina. we are minutes away from the start of democratic caucuses in nevada, officially beginning at 2:00 eastern time. hillary clinton and bernie sanders have been crisscrossing
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the silver state, urging voters to caucus today. nevada was expected to be a clinton strong hold, but a surging sanders put the state in play. at sanders' final rally and concert, a confident sanders saying he danced and predicted a historic win in nevada. he is coming off a big win in new hampshire and close second to clinton in iowa. his strong campaign may have caught political pundits off guard, hasn't come as a surprise to the woman that knows his best. i am joined by his wife jane who is with him today in las vegas. good to see you. >> good to be here. >> how confident are you that your husband will indeed win nevada? >> we are as confident as we can be, hope to win by at least one
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vote, one caucus member. >> okay. well, he sounded very confident last night, you've got lots of support there, big crowds, how much do you read into that? >> yesterday alone we went to elko, reno, and las vegas, and we saw 6,000 people, and the crowds were not just big but fervent, very supportive, very hopeful for the future, and that's what's giving our indication about the vote. we started at 4% in nevada. now we're close to 50. so we'll see what happens. it all depends on turnout. we know that very well. bernie won his first race as mayor by ten votes, ten people had stayed home, maybe we wouldn't be here today. i am urging everybody to get out and caucus.
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>> and let me ask you about this photo, this archive photo showing your husband, bernie sanders, in 1963, being arrested in chicago. he was a student there at the university of chicago. as you know there have been many people, some ordinary voters, even people of prominence who doubted his activism, now with this image, how do you believe this might be influential in his narrative, in his story, his life experience about being involved in the civil rights movement? >> i think his opponent is trying to cast him as not having much of a civil rights record and i think a picture is worth a thousand words i guess. he protested segregated housing at the university of chicago. yesterday was the first time i saw that photo as well or he did. it was from the chicago tribune. he has 100% voting record from
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the naacp, during his time in congress marched with martin luther king, we went to selma for the 50th anniversary of that march at selma, before we thought he was going to run for president, just wanted to be there to mark the 50th year. so he has a long record. >> i know you have been -- okay. do you feel you have to work hard, bernie sanders still has to work hard to convey that long record that you speak of? >> we have to work hard to convey everything. as you know the national polls at first didn't show that most of america didn't know bernie. what we found though is by getting out, talking to people that they listen to his message and they embrace it, so the challenge for us is to get him to be able to meet as many
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people as he can, and it is hard, crisscrossing the country, but so far so good. bernie always works hard to educate, inform, and inspire people to volt. he says often, you know, whatever you're doing, whoever you're supporting, we urge you to go out and caucus because he believes passionately in democracy. >> and i know you have been quoted as saying you didn't at first think he should actually run for president, but someone one day came up to you both at a restaurant and said to senator sanders thanks for the work and please run for president. i suppose that was the moment that changed everything for you. you're quoted as saying, you know, i give up, you have to do it, but what do you believe now? what's your best sell to people. what's the characteristic about bernie sanders that you believe makes him deserving of being in the white house? >> sincerity, integrity,
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commitment and hard work. he basically, if he's on your side and he's on the side of the working people and the middle class in this country, as anybody who needs anything at any time, he seems to be there for them, and if he's with you, he's with you to the mat. he will work on every issue for as long as it takes to implement it. we met many people have asked bernie to run for president. we had been thinking about it and thinking about it, and i just felt that there might be another way. i was wrong. i think that that veteran coming up to us that day to tell us how supportive he was, how grateful he was for bernie's work on veteran's affairs made all the difference to me, i saw how much difference it made in his life. it wasn't a political statement
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it was a "we need you" statement. i think that for me now as soon as that day was over, i never looked back. i think it is extremely important that his voice is out there. i think he shifted the conversation. he shifted the debate. we are talking about campaign finance reform, talking income inequality, higher education. we are talking about quality of life for people in this country and how to make this the best country to raise families in, the best country to be number one around the world in health care, in education. we worry about being number one in other areas that are not anywhere near as important. i think no matter what, he has really made a difference already. >> and i hear you. you're often referring to him and the campaign as we because
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you're in it, you have been one of his advisers, not just speaking on behalf of being his wife, but his real partner in this journey, and you're talking about empathizing being a collective unit trying to get his mission conveyed. >> yes. and it is not just we meaning he and i. i think it is we meaning we the people, a government for the people, by the people, of the people, and this campaign is a team effort. he makes it very clear when he goes out and talks to people that you're not voting for bernie sanders, that's not all you're voting for, you're signing up to really work, to transform america, to have it be a better country. the country we all envisioned. so that's the we that we talk about more than just bernie and i. >> jane sanders, thank you so much. all the best on the campaign trail and all the best in
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nevada. see you next weekend in south carolina. >> okay. thanks. moving back to south carolina where voters are at the polls now for the republican primary. will marco rubio get a last minute boost in the palmetto state, similar to what he saw in iowa? we will talk about all of that next.
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welcome back. columbia, south carolina. decision day. publicly marco rubio's strategy come in a strong third place beating governor kasich and bush by a big margin. after securing three big endorsements in the state, might
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rubio do better? let's discuss with someone who has gotten to know. a lot of politics, knows very well, state house reporter for the "post" cynthia, good to see you. >> good to see you, too. >> not your paper. a state paper, from columbia, south carolina and does underscore the conflict. right? is it trump's race to lose? then you see marco rubio and nikki haley. that endorsement for marco rubio, hugely influential? >> depends who you ask. i was on the trail and a lot of people said it did matter to them, that they were a little undecided. we have a lot of undecided voters even as of yesterday even in south carolina. the fact governor haley threw in her support, big for them. and others, i really don't align with governor haley's idaealide
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and though i like marco rubio i like senator cruz better or trump better. >> and it is remarkable to hear from so many south carolina voters. a number have shed they'll decide when they get into the voting booth or brian todd, his piece earlier, pressing both candidates to see which one pops up. it was kasich noor voter. for that voter. as it pertains to a jeb bush, who has the family history that this state has served him well, should he feel fairly confident about that and that that is advantageous to him and his campaign? does this make or break for a jeb bush here? >> that's the question everybody's wondering. you know, we wrote an article about a week ago saying, is this a make or break it for him? a fight for third place? governor bush has been trying really hard. he's been investing a lot of time in south carolina, since early on in the days, he was here as far back as september. so, and he said at the time he
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was going to win south carolina and take it to the bank. a lot of things have changed for governor bush. i do believe that the campaign is hoping for a strong finish. third place would be ideal for them. but it seems like even bringing out george w. bush and his mother barbara bush doesn't seem to be panning out as well we voters. they are angry and they feel like senator cruz and donald trump address the issues and their concerns a lot better. >> what about religion? evangelical vote is huge here. you and i talked before we went on. when we both moved here for the first time, the first question people ask you is, what church do you attend jie lived in charleston right out of school and you moved here from florida. so now you've got donald trump who seems to have a grade advantage among evangelical voters, that's what polling told us, then ted cruz walks into this state and people presumed he would have an edge. how does that loyalty or commitment potentially unfold
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here? >> it's going to be interesting to watch, because trump had pretty much south carolina in the bank from the moment he announced. polls have shown him 20, 30 points ahead and suddenly within the last week, ted cruz has been gaining. the evangelical vote is very important in south carolina but so are military issues, and so both of them are talking about rebuilding the military, you know, attacking isis. they've both said very aggressive statements about attacking our enemies, and so it -- it seems like this abruptness of donald trump, people just don't care about it as much as you would think they would, when it comes to evangelical. they'd rather see somebody hoop aggressive and who's going to take it to, you know, our enemies and who is going to address our military issues and our v.a. concerns. >> cynthia rolldan, thank you so much. the courier down the street but
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working here in columbia. good to see you. >> thank you. we'll be right back from south carolina, after this.
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♪ here's what we were thinking. what if we did for mortgages what the internet did for buying music and plane tickets and shoes? you would turn an intimidating process into an easy one. you could get a mortgage on your phone. and if it could be that easy, wouldn't more people buy homes? and wouldn't those buyers need to fill their homes with lamps and blenders and sectional couches with hand-lathed wooden legs? and wouldn't that mean all sorts of wooden leg-making opportunities for wooden leg makers? and wouldn't those new leg makers own phones from which they could quickly and easily secure mortgages of their own, further stoking demand for necessary household goods as our tidal wave of ownership floods the country with new homeowners, who now must own other things and isn't that the power of america itself
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now shrunk to fit the hands of a child, or, more helpfully, a home-buying adult. anyway. that's what we were thinking. ♪ welcome back to columbia. i'm fredricka whitfield. republicans going to the polls in droves in this first presidential primary in the south. this vote is huge. since 1980, the winner of south carolina's gop primary has always gone on to become the nominee for president, with one exception. 2012, last election season, when mitt romney came in second place but went on to become the eventual nominee. joining me right now to offer perspective on today's big vote, republican strategist joel sawyer, a longtime gop consultant. in 2012 was a part of johns
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huntsman presidential campaign right here in the palmetto state. history shows south carolina has chosen the gop nominee. eight out of the nine past elections. so will tradition continue, or is this going to be a very unique year? >> i think it might be another unique year. >> yeah. >> if it keeps happening, less and less unique over time. trump seems poised to win but not at much as early polls anticipated. so i think it's going to be closer than people are thinking coming into today. if you look at recent polling, trump has been on somewhat of a downward trajectory. will it hold? i don't know. talking about reversing fortunes coming out of a primary. we'll see what the day holds. >> there has been a presumption that a ted cruz would do very well here. you've seen, i noticed, the dialogue and tweets coming from donald trump who says, there he goes again with robocalls that are inaccurate. we know the robocalls really
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develop some strain between ben carson and ted cruz in iowa. >> right. >> now we hear reportedly there was a meeting between the two candidates, kind of in a closet, is what's being described, perhaps, hashing out differences. perhaps mending fences. >> right. >> what are you hearing as a strategist within the gop about the concerns about that rift, the concerns about -- the problems between candidates getting along or criticisms, or if there's amending of fences? >> i read that story and i didn't know whether it was political story, the lost chapter of an r. kelly song. the most bizarre thing i've read so far this year, but there is a concerted effort from the rubio campaign, and from ben carson following iowa that you know, central narrative of ted cruz's campaign has been trust, consistent conservative, and then you have a couple rival candidates saying, he doesn't shoot straight. he plays dirty, and so they're trying to cut into that
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narrative of trust he's established. whether that's effective or not, time will tell. it looks like, if you look at what rubio is saying, some surrogates, trey gouty said last night to wolf blitz, trying to paint ted cruz as something less than truthful. we'll see what the voters think. >> i've talked to a lot of voters, they seem disgruntled and confused, even. >> right. >> about the candidates. i was alarmed to hear some so many voters saying i'm thinking about not voting at all. >> hmm. >> what is the expectation of turnout? realistically, now that people are kind of expressing sentiments like that? >> i think it's going to be still reasonably high. i'm hesitant to guess an exact number. there's a lot of focus on this. regardless how negative, there's so much interest, people will show up. >> leave it there. thank you. see you perhaps next weekend for the democratic primary here in south carolina. thanks for joining me here.
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live from columbia, south carolina. again, a big day for the republican primary. cnn special coverage from washington, now begins. we're counting down to two crucial contests in two states. >> both the democrats and the republicans have a lot on the line. >> announcer: it's a whole new climate in the presidential campaign with the first contests in the south and the west, the candidates are turning up the heat. >> it's not enough just to be against thing. >> they're throwing everything at me, except the kitchen sink. >> ted cruz, i think he's an unstable person. >> you noticed how rattled donald gets? boy, he really -- he lost. >> he is a liar. >> announcer: right now, in the democratic race, it's nevada's choice. hillary clinton, planning to look like a frontne

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