trump and clinton widely expected to become their party's nominees. donald trump continues to stand his commanding lead with roughly half of republican voters supporting him. marco rubio is second with 16%, more than 30 points behind trump. ted cruz with 15%. if you add up all of trump's competitors, they still cannot match him. >> that is the key point. so much for consolidation. on the democratic side, hillary clinton opening up a wider margin. she has a 17-point lead. both front-runners at this point with big momentum as they head into super tuesday. voters in 11 states head to the polls tomorrow. this is the biggest week of this campaign. let's beginning with chris frates in alabama where donald trump picked up a big endorsement overnight. chris. >> reporter: good morning, john. the gop campaign starting to look like a middle school spat is rather than the race for the highest office in the land.

with hours to go until voting starts on super tuesday, marco rubio arguing donald trump is a con man. donald trump saying marco rubio is a choker. >> he doesn't sweat because his pores are clogged from the spray tan he uses. >> his latest string of personal attacks on donald trump. >> donald is not going to make america great. he's going to make america orange. >> reporter: at a rally in alabama. >> little marco rubio. a total, total featherweight. >> he is always calling me little marco. he's taller than me. he is 6'2". which is why i don't understand why his hands are the size of someone 5'2". you know what they say about men with small hands. you can't trust them.

this stirs up controversy for what he didn't say. donald trump refused, refused to criticize the ku klux klan. >> i don't know anything about david duke. >> reporter: trump deflecting questions by jack tapper. >> i don't know anything about white supremacy. i don't know. did he endorse me? what's going on? i know nothing about david duke. did david duke endorse me? i disavow. okay. >> reporter: back in 2000, he had a reform party who had ties to the former kkk leader. saying, this is not company i wish to keep. and trump took to twitter to disavow duke's support but only after he was attacked by some

rivals. >> reporter: donald trump got another establishment support when alabama senator jeff sessions endorsed him at a rally here in alabama. it comes as the billionaire continues to coalesce establishment support around his run. john, al sip, back to you guys. >> chris, thanks so much for that. so voters in 11 states head to the polls. here this morning to dissect the new polls could impact this vote, we have fellow georgetown institution of politics, jack kucinich, errol lewis. the polls were released three and a half men's ago. let me show everyone what the big news is. trump has 49%. marco rubio is his closest

competitor at 16%. trump and rubio have gone up since last month. trump now has more than all of his competitors combined. what does this mean for super tuesday? what does this mean for the nomination? >> as donald trump points out, if the competitors were to drop out of the race, clearly some of the votes would go to him. so all that talk can now be put to an end about donald trump's ceiling. we have a two-pronged story going on now. donald trump is likely going to be the republican nominee for president. he is in such a dominant position across every category in our poll. can solve the problems of the country. cares about people like you, even though he is a billionaire. people give him that score. honest and trustworthiness he wins on as well. across the board, he is dominant

in this poll. he is likely to be the republican nominee. you saw chris mention in his piece, we are seeing republican party leadership, republican party establishment really starting to become more concerned than i have seen before about the party's very own existence going forward >> more concerned than i have ever seen before. another word is panic, david. you are starting to see the first signs of panic. there was a piece over the weekend talking about how republicans are beginning to deal with it. it's the kitchen cinque out there on the campaign trail. sit why, errol, perhaps every time donald trump does something controversial, they jump on it. let's just listen again to the exchange. >> will you condemn david duke and say you don't want his vote or that of other white supreme

sifts in this election. >> well, just so you understand, i don't know anything about david duke. >> will you say you condemn them? >> i have to look at the group. i don't know what group you're talking about. >> i'm talking about david duke and the ku klux klan. >> i think it's safe to say they would say, yes, i denounce it. i don't want his endorsement at all. that's an easy question to answer for most questions. later he did say he did denounce david duke. the vehemence is it speaks to what david is talking about. >> the vehemence is a few months late. he has done this on obama care, abortion, party registration, which is to take both sides of the issue and then in any given

conversation, pick whichever part of the statement at that time. we just is saw him refuse to go just come out and say i don't want anything to do with the ku klux klan. this is in part why some of the extremists said out of all the candidates out here, trump is our guy. >> this and other things are making the gop freak out. if republican voters hand such an unstable individual their party's nomination, they will do immeasurable harm to it. fortunately, there is still time to stop him. that was about 10 days ago. is it too late to stop him now? >> it certainly seems to be. they seem to be running out of time here. i think there was conventional wisdom that trump would fan out on his own. that hasn't happened.

there was a hashtag over the weekend, never trump. they will need a lot more than a hashtag and op eds to fix this problem at this point. you saw rubio super pac going after trump. kasich going after trump for a while. but it certainly seems at least the republican base has their mind made up. >> david, it is really interesting. our poll is saying essentially donald trump now has a near majority of all republican voters. the idea that you had a ceiling is caput, gone. he is very close to 50%. ben sass, republican senator from nebraska, overnight said he will not go for donald trump. not now, not every, not in the general election. this is a very highly respected new republican senator making

that statement. this speaks to the internal struggles right now within the party. >> without a doubt it does. in any other election cycle, john, we would have looked at that ben sass statement as a complete bombshell that would sort of upend something. it is not too surprising if you have been watching what's happening with the republican establishment side of this equation. ben sass is a rubio supporter. nonetheless, you're right. that is astonishing. a sitting united states senator already rejecting who is hikely to be the party's nominee. there are a couple things to look at that i think are important. one, this moment of last throes and thrarbg. rubio or cruz could stand in this if they could put some wins on the board. i would imagine the dynamic still may continue. i don't see it as anything other

than this last ditch effort and thrashing about. but what is important to note is how enthusiastic and committed trump voters are compared to the others. so that whole kitchen cinque strategy we're seeing right now, i don't know where, if you look inside our numbers, they think that is going to work. 78% of trump voters are completely committed to him. that is much higher than rubio or cruz voters. nearly 8 in 10 are more enthusiastic than they were in the presidential election. that is a committed base of support. as you noted, john, it is a base of support registering 49%. >> panel, stick around. we want to look at individual state polls leading into super tuesday as well. coming up in the 8:00 hour, we'll speak with republican presidential candidate governor john kasich about what he makes as the state of the race.

and milania trump speaks tonight on ac"360" tonight at 8:00 p.m. >> vowing to fight on until the democratic convention in july. this after her big south carolina win over the weekend. senior washington correspondent joe johns is live in minneapolis where joe is today. stpwrr that's right. bernie sanders will be here at the minneapolis convention center later today pushing across a handful of states where he hopes to do well and get a lot of delegates to the democratic national convention. hillary clinton, for her part, is attempting to create an heir of inevitability at the same time using just a little bit of caution. her campaign does not seem any way to land a knockout punch on

bernie sanders super tuesday. they would like to rack up a big lead over the next 14 days and through the month of march. hillary clinton also sounding more and more like a general election candidate, repeating her relative on the donald trump campaign slogan. >> i believe that america is great right now. be need to be whole where all of us have a place, where everybody feels like we're all in this together. that is why i want to do in this campaign. and it is what i want to do as your president. >> a lot of travel for both candidates the next 24 hours or so. hillary clinton in the northeast in boston and springfield, massachusetts. then on to fairfax, virginia, as well as norfolk. bernie sanders here in minnesota, then milton, massachusetts. then he will end up in vermont,

where he will spend super tuesday night. john, back to you. ? this is a real campaign schedule, criss-crossing the country. thanks joe johns of minnesota. cnn is your home for the most comprehensive super tuesday coverage anywhere. tomorrow voters head into the polls. the final numbers in the wee hours of the morning >> it was quite a night last night. michaela is in hollywood for our big oscar coverage. girl, you looked so great last night. beautiful. >> not too bleary eyed right now. it is so fun here in the montage hotel in beverly hills. we are taking in all the post oscar vibe here in the montage lobby. "spotlight" may have won big picture. but the big buzzst chris rock

the awards show was filled with politics last night. take a look. >> well, i'm here at the academy awards, otherwise known as the white peoples choice awards. >> chris rock's highly anticipated monologue took the oscars so white controversy head on. >> no black nominees. people are like, chris, you should boycott. chris, you should quit. how come only unemployed people tell you to quit something. you know? >> not holding back. >> it is the 88th academy awards, which means this whole no black nominees thing has happened at least 71 other times. black people did not protest. why? because we had real things to protest at the time. [ applause ]. we had other things to protest.

too busy being raped and hreufrped to worry about who won best cinematographer. >> we want opportunity. we want the black actors to get the same is opportunities -- [ applause ]. >> that's it. >> vice president joe biden was met with a standing ovation. >> take the pledge. a pledge that says i will enter situations when consent has not or cannot be given. let's change the culture. >> presenting lady gaga's performance of "until it happens to you" for best song. ♪ dozens joining is gaga on stage for her emotional tribute. and leonardo winning for his

leading role in the revenant. >> climate change is real. it is happening now. it is the most urgent threat facing our entire species. let us not take this planet for granted. i do not take tonight for granted. thank you so very much. >> it was his moment last night for sure. not a lot of shockers last night. one big upset, "spotlight" took the top prize, not the refuse rant, had had been highly favored to win best picture. one of the film's producers urging pope francis to protect children and restore faith. one of the other things that was interesting, alisyn, mad max won eight awards and surprised a lot of people. did you watch it? did you have a viewing party? >> i watched your preshow and then i had to go to bed."

spotlight" is the one movie i watched. >> it was a bad night for bears. >> some people saying how bad the bear was. hillary clinton pulling away in the polls. is the party suffering from an enthusiasm gap? what do you think michal? i agree. let's get out there. let's meet these people. (vo) whewe ate anything.ake home until i decided we both needed to eat better. now jake gets purina cat chow naturals indoor a nutritious formula for indoor cats with no artificial flavors. it helps to control hairballs and maintain a healthy weight. so these days, we're both eating better.

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big warning signs for the democratic party. yes, hillary clinton won. but voter turnout was way down. down 30% compared to 2008. it has been down across the board in all the early voting states for democrats. for republicans, it's been up across the board. cnn political analyst paul says this keeps him up at night. here with us to discuss, jackie sis in, errol lewis and david. david, you look at the turnout numbers, up for republicans, down for democrats. in our new poll you ask voters, are they more enthusiastic than

previous elections? republicans, 58% say is, yes, they are more enthusiastic. 46% of democrats say, yes, they are more enthusiastic. there is a palpable, measurable gap between the two parties right now. >> there is no doubt about it, john. i don't think anybody in the democratic party was looking to have turnouts. that was a record year for democrats. but i certainly know in talk to go democrats nobody expected this kind of drop off from 2008 in these early contests. those get sort of the most candidate activity on the ground campaigning. seeing that there is a great concern. there is no doubt about it. john, if hillary clinton examine donald trump are the nominees of the parties as now looks likely, it seems to me that they are base motivating candidates for the opposition. so i would imagine although there is a warning side

democrats should clearly worry about, i have a feeling if it is trump verse is us clinton we may see that dissipate over time. >> errol, people who say they are most enthusiastic are trump supporters. look at this new poll. it shows people who support trump 78% say they are more enthusiastic than they have been in previous elections. 39% for the others. what does this mean for hillary clinton? >> it means, among other things, she is going to have to reverse what normally goes on. democrats fall in love. republicans fall in line. everything they did from putting the debates on sunday night to lining up all the support of the superdelegates and other established figures, hillary clinton has worked against her. it has put the electorate to sleep i think that's what the numbers represent. in 2008, when lots of enough people came into the process. she has to decide either stick with the existing strategy a

little longer or start looking ahead to the general election and do whatever it takes to get new people into the process, to get young people enthusiastic about her campaign and candidacy. >> you make it sound like that's easy. isn't she trying to get young people enthusiastic? >> i'm not sure she is. she is trying to win primaries, which is going right to her base. she's focusing like a laser. that's why she has the blowout victory in south carolina. that's different than trying to make real inroads into the power and strength that bernie sanders has shown. >> can we look ahead to the polls. talk about the republicans here. 11 states voting. va is va, donald trump is ahead. in tennessee, donald trump is ahead. in texas, ted cruz is ahead. is and in georgia, donald trump is ahead.

i suppose let's let's talk about texas. that's one place donald trump fails to lead in polls. if he does win, what does that mean for the race? >> ted cruz has morrone to go forward. if he doesn't win, it's hard to see where ted cruz wins. which is why you see marco rubio focusing on colorado, minnesota, more suburban areas where he thinks he's voters are. the other candidates challenging trump need to start racking up wins here. or you have to -- they're going to have trouble answering the question, why are you still in this? >> marco rubio is just launching personal attacks, many of them funny, at donald trump. let's play am montage. >> he doesn't sweat because his pores are clogged from the spray

tan he uses. donald is not going to make america great. he's going to make america orange. he always calls me little marco. he is 6'2". his hands are the size of someone who is 5'2". you know what they say about men with small hands. you can't trust them. >> i don't think he was talking about his hands. >> small hands, small gloves. >> very elevated debate about the future of the country is where we are? >>. >> is it effective for rubio? >> i think he took a page out of the donald trump playbook. i think he understood the way he was going to get coverage, attention, and to be mono au

mono was to play the game and do that with controversial remarks, insults, and get television coverage and get into the conversation with donald trump. he has proven ability to just dominate the conversation is and keep all the other candidates sort of out of the mix. in one way i understand what marco rubio was doing. in another way, it is so against the brand that marco aoubrubio been building for himself. >> thank you. we will rely on you heavily tomorrow. >> thank you. >> a heart-breaking tragedy in virginia. a female police officer shot and killed during her very first day on the job. the suspected gunman stationed at the pontiac gone. late breaking developments when "new day" continues.

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that go into it. i'm very proud to make dog chow right here in edmond, oklahoma. ♪ prepare for challenges specific to your business by working with trusted advisors who help turn obstacles into opportunities. experience the power of being understood. rsm. audit, tax and consulting for the middle market. most new wealth flows it's called a rigged economy, and this is how it works. to the top 1%. it's a system held in place by corrupt politics where wall street banks and billionaires buy elections. my campaign is powered by millions of small contributions. people like you who want to fight back. the truth is you can't change a corrupt system

by taking its money. i'm bernie sanders. i approve this message. join us for real change.

almost 24 hours after you're sworn in as a police officer to be killed in the line of duty.

that's exactly what happened. it started saturday 5:30 in the evening. 28-year-old ashley gwendon. she and two other officers went to the home. they approach the front door. they confront the suspect. he starts shooting. he shoots all three with critical wounds. then other officers arrive at the scene. they have a dilemma. they have officers with critical bullet wounds. they realize somebody in the residence is doing the shooting. they have the suspect sur is render to them and walk out. that suspect is defendant ronald hamilton, who today will be arraigned. he is being charged with capital murder of ashley gwendon who died later at the hospital. when officers went in the home they realized it was his wife who was dead.

ashley gwendon had started the academy in 2015 while she was doing her graduate work in tprepb forensic forensics. back to you. >> this is so, so sad. you get that feeling in your gut. she was excited to be a police officer and on the very first day. >> and graduate work in forensics. look at that dedication all the way around. >> she is a rising star in the democratic party. why did gabbert step down? we'll ask her when she joins us live on "new day" next. great jo) ♪ cut it out. >>see you tomorrow. ♪

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in order to endors bernie sanders. she is also an iraq war veteran. congresswoman, thank you for being on "new day". >> good morning. aloha. >> why endorse bernie sanders now when frankly it feels as though the momentum has shifted away from him and towards hillary clinton. >> alisyn, the most important job of our president is their job as commander in chief. from what i hear from military families across the country is how real war is. this has a very real cost. i have seen it in my first deployment to iraq when i served in a medical unit. i hear from him almost every day from our veterans who come home and suffering from invisible wound. we need a commander in cheap who

will stop getting us into this interventionist regime change wars as we have seen in iraq and libya and now occurring in syria. the stakes are very high. with hillary, we have seen not only was she a champions for the iraq war but an architect for the war in libya to overthrow gadhafi, which has resulted in tremendous loss of life. now with isis having a stronghold in that country. now pushing for the same regime change in syria by putting a so-called no-fly zone in place that puts us directly at odds with russia. with bernie sanders, we see a very different post iraq war and has come out in opposition to this no-fly zone in syria. >> who knows more than the

former secretary of state? >> i'm glad you asked is. that's the important question here is the question of experience versus judgment. you know, we could look to a lot of different places. we could look to dick cheney if we want to look for experience in foreign policy. but to me, the real question is judgment. as a soldier, that's what i look for. who will exercise good judgment? who will exercise foresight in looking to see when should we use america's military power. just as importantly, when should we not use that power? i'm confident with bernie sanders he will not take us into these interventionist regime change wars that have cost our country so dealer in american lines. he's been clear about fighting isis and al qaeda and his

commitment to continue to doing that. this isn't being an isolationist. >> but with troops, how? if not ground troops, more aerial war? >> whether we look at syria, if we look at libya, iraq, we will see different strategies in these different places. i have been very vocal about saying we need to work with kurdish, ground groups there. quick and certain. quick exit to be able to conduct the missions. and of course supporting these with our air strikes. but the issue with syria and where there is a great contrast between hillary clinton and bernie sanders is whether or not to continue this counterproductive war to overthrow the syrian government

of assad. it is worsening the humanitarian crisis on the ground. the difference between hillary clinton and bernie sanders on this issue as an example speaks directly to the difference in judgment. and that's the critical key here, the critical point here with this election. >> very quickly we mention you had to leave your post at the dnc in order to endorse bernie sanders. did any part -- how much of a role did any tension with debbie wasserman schultz play ahead in your decision? >> not at all. this is not about politics. as i said, this is about the very high stakes that exist in this election. i couldn't stand on the sidelines any longer. i have been talking about these issues. but i felt necessary as people are heading to the polls tomorrow and in the coming weeks that they are informed about who our next commander in chief could be, what kind of judgment they exercise. and you can tell what a person will do in the future by their record and what they have done

in the past. i think it's important for the american people to know that as they go to select who our democratic nominee will be. >> congresswoman tulsi gabbard, thank you so much. politics playing a key lead at the oscars. he called on hollywood for its lack of diversity. will it make any difference? michaela joins us live next. ady? i mean, really ready? are you ready to open? ready to compete? ready to welcome? do you look buttoned up, prepared, professional? you've got to be ready. the floors, mats, spotless. the uniforms clean and crisp, ready to produce. ready for the unexpected. are you ready to prosper, to grow? do your people have the right safety gear? are they protected? to be ready is to anticipate. prepare. emergency lights, alarm panel. ready. ready? ready. ready is safe. you think your customers can't tell the difference between

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good morning, coy. >> vonn suffered a hairline fracture in her left knee after crashing on saturday. she percent veered and allowed herself to extend the lead in the overall title hunt. she hit a soft spot in the snow. you see her being taken down on a rescue sled. turn your head if you get queasy. vonn showed her getting her knee drained before competing. she wrote she was going to give it a try on sunday. give it a try she did. she posted the fastest time in the open of sunday's competition, the super g. she struggled in the slalom but still finished 13th overall is. honda classic, adam scott was scaring the pants off the competition. that's gary woodland. he hit it straight into the sand pit. he would actually end up parring that hole on the sixth.

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it's more than just wifi, it can help grow your business. you don't see that every day. introducing wifi pro, wifi that helps grow your business. comcast business. built for business. welcome back. >> well, i'm here at the academy awards. otherwise, known as the white peoples choice awards. you realize if they nominated hosts i wouldn't even get this job.

so y'all would be watch neil patrick harris right now. this is the wildest, craziest oscars to ever host. we have all of this controversy. no black nominees, you know? people are like, chris, you should boycott. chris, you should quit. you should quit. >> no other job is ever tells you to quit. so i've thought about quitting. i thought about it real hard. but i realize they are going to have the oscars anyway. they're not going to cancel the oscars because i quit. and the last thing i need is to lose another job to kevin hart, okay? >> poor kevin hart is there minding his business. joining is me from the montage in beverly hills, nishelle

turner and brian stelter as well. host of reliable sources. all right, guys, how did we feel about the show? how did we feel about chris rock? >> i got a little bit of an advance. i had listen to this. watch out for this. chris is going to do this. he's cooking some stuff up. i buckled my seat belt. you knew it would be an interesting night when he came out to fight the power. i said you're ready. here we go. full disclosure i think he is the greatest living stand-up comedian of our time. whatever he does i think is going to be forward thinking and edgy. i did expect him to go there. >> he went there. >> it awkward. i love awkward comedy. >> it was interesting to be in the room, brian. there were times when it was like, ouch, awkward. >> it seemed to me he was almost universe sally claimed. the people in the front rows,

are they going to laugh or not? i thought the key line was sew errority racist. he said it is sorority racist. >> let's play that sound bite right now and you can hear it for yourself. >> is hollywood racist? you're damn right hollywood is is racist. it is a racist that you have grown accustomed to. hollywood is sorority, racist. we like you, rhonda, but you're not a kappa. that's how hollywood is. >> you know, it's a good point to point out. it is such a great way to handle it. one monologue, one event with the focus on diversity is not going to change the problem, fix the problem. but it is a good start. it's a conversation to have. >> the conversation we have been having, some of them have been

very painful, very raw, but very heated. i think one of the things chris did well is he didn't just is put it all on hollywood. he went at will and jada, sexism, gender is equality issue. he went there with everything. just like chris rock does. and his comedy is relevant. it's political. i think it's very smart in a lot of ways. when people say, gosh, you went too far, wouldn't you expect chris rock? have you ever seen his comedy? >> he went back to it so much i think it was borderline too much. it is better to do too much than too little. it wasn't like we were celebrating hollywood at all. it was such a serious ceremony. then again it is a big opportunity to talk about these issues in front of $4 million. we talked about indigenous people, sexual assault survivors. important themes throughout the whole three and a half hours.

>> there certainly were. it wasn't just chris rock. many people brought that. in fact, let's listen to the man who won for best director. >> what a great opportunity to our generation to really liberate ourselves from all prejudice and, you know, this way of thinking and making sure once and forever that the color of the skin become as irrelevant as the length of our hair. >> such an important statement, such an important voice. latino voice on this issue. diversity is about diversity of everyone, not just about the black experience in america. >> alejandro is one of the preimminent directors of our time. he is doing film like we have never seen before. don't try to play this man off when he is giving a speech like

that. he was making a beautiful point. you're right. it is all people of color and minorities and the disenfranchised, lgbt community. >> i want to show video of a really powerful moment. vice president joe biden and lady gaga together talking about an issue important to both of them. i think we have the video we can show. this performance by gaga, brian, was one of the most powerful moments of the night. walking out there with all of those victims. >> it is the part i will remember after the oscars. it was a remarkable. the movie about the boston globe's investigation into the catholic church.

>> it certainly was. boy, lady gaga, this is close to her heart. i know you need sleep. i know i do. stick around. we are following a whole lot of news this morning. a poll that could shake up the 2016 race. let's get to it. >> he doesn't sweat his his pores are clogged from the spray tan he uses. >> i'm running against little marco rubio. total featherweight. >> donald trump refused to criticize the ku klux klan. >> i don't know anything about white supremacists. i would disavow if i thought there was something wrong. >> we do not defend american democracy as citizens if we do not vote. >> instead of building walls, we need to be tearing down pair kwrers.

barriers. >> is hollywood racist? you're damn right hollywood is racist. if they nominated host, i wouldn't even get this job. you would be watching neil patrick harris right now. >> this is cnn breaking news. >> good morning, everyone. welcome to your "new day". we do have a lot of news for you this morning. chris is off today. john berman joins me. michaela is in l.a. covering everything from the oscars. but we begin with breaking news. new cnn poll in the 2016 race shows donald trump and hillary clinton pulling way ahead of their challengers heading into super tuesday. trump and clinton now widely expected to become their party's nominees. trump expanding his lead with roughly half of supporters supporting him. they still do not his his numbers. marco rubio in second with 16%. that's more than 30 points

behind donald trump. >> what consolidation? what ceiling? on the democratic side, hillary clinton opening a wider margin against bernie sanders. she now has a 17-point lead. both clinton and trump charging full steam ahead as they head into super tuesday. the biggest voting day of the primary season. let us again with chris frates live in alabama where donald trump, chris, picked up another many big endorsement. >> hey, good morning, john. so the gop presidential campaign starting to look more like a middle school spat than a race for the highest office in the land with donald trump and marco rubio trading personal insults over their looks. with hours to go until super tuesday, arguing donald trump is a con man. >> he doesn't sweat because his pores are clogged from the spray

tan that he uses. >> his latest string of personal attacks on donald trump. >> donald is not going to make america great. he's going to make america orange. >> reporter: at a rally in alabama. >> little marco rubio. a total, total featherweight. >> he is always calling me little marco. he's taller than me. he is 6'2". which is why i don't understand why his hands are the size of someone 5'2". you know what they say about men with small hands. you can't trust them. this stirs up controversy for what he didn't say. donald trump refused, refused to criticize the ku klux klan. >> the billionaire refusing to disavow support from david duke. >> i don't know anything about david duke. >> reporter: trump deflecting

questions by jack tapper. >> i don't know anything about white supremacy. i don't know. did he endorse me? what's going on? i know nothing about david duke. did david duke endorse me? >> but on friday. >> i disavow. okay. >> reporter: back in 2000, he had a reform party who had ties to the former kkk leader. saying, this is not company i wish to keep. and trump took to twitter to disavow duke's support but only after he was attacked by some rivals. >> reporter: donald trump got another boost from the establishment when alabama senator jeff sessions endorsed him at a rally here in alabama. it comes as the billionaire continues to coalesce establishment support around his run.

alisyn. >> chris, thanks so much for all of that. ron brownstein, cnn senior a little bit will cal analyst and michael smerconish host of cnn's smerconish. thanks for being here. >> the polls out exactly one hour ago are fascinating. let's start, ron, let's just look again at the numbers. donald trump gets 49%. if you add the totals of all of his competitors up, they do not reach 49%. what does this mean for super tuesday and beyond, ron? >> well, super tuesday donald trump is poised to do something that neither mitt romney neuer john mccain could do. he is on the republican's geographic and demographic tkwaoeufpltd he is on a strong position on a swath of southern states that are heavily evangelical and blue collar. arkansas, oklahoma, texas. 60% of the voters were evangelical. on the other side, he is also right. now ahead in more white collar

and is in the border states in the north, which is virginia, massachusetts, vermont. if he can win on both side of the divide, he will send an enormous statement on the party. on the other hand, alisyn, consistently now your poll is different here. in the exit polls and other state polling, he is not running well as the noncollege republicans. the question is whether rubio in particular or anyone can consolidate them against them in this 11th hour. >> there is still a large chunk of people who are anybody but trump contingent. the poll sort of reflects that. one of the questions at least. in trump wins the nomination, would you support him? definitely is and probably match. probably not and definitely not. is that a problem, michael, or has he passed that? >> i think it is a significant

problem. what's at odds is he is winning in two categories that you reserved that are already in conflict. one is the category you want to win. are you voting for him? 49% say i'm voting for him. 35% as you pointed out, say definitely not. which i find to be a staggering number. what really is motivating these numbers is passion. that trump constituency is hard-core, alisyn. 78% of them say we are locked in. you look at a weekend we just had. look at the enter is view he had with jake and the refusal to disavow white supremacy. you say, my god, how could someone running for president take that and still be leading? it's because his constituency at this stage, they don't care what he says. they're for him. >> let's play that again right now, ron. because it was stunning. jake tapper gave donald trump three opportunities you to

disavow the kkk and david duke. and he demured at every opportunity. so watch this again. >> will you unequivocally condemn david duke and say you don't want his vote or that of other white supreme sifts in this election? >> well, just so you understand, i don't know anything about david duke. >> will you say you condemn them? >> i have to look at the group. i don't know what group you're talking about. >> i'm talking about david duke and the ku klux klan. >> he retweeted a quote from mousse leany. he said it was still a good quote. after all the incendiary comments of this campaign cycle,

now we're at the point of the kk and mousse leany not so bad after all. >> right. as i've said before, donald trump is drawing primarily on a constituency in the republican party reshaping america. these are voters who feel the america they have known is fundamentally slipping away from them. the more outrageous he gets, the more he will fight by whatever means necessary to reverse the trends that they decry. on the other hand, the kinds of things he has said over the weekend are exactly the sort of things that lead others in the party, particularly that mainstream conservative, to question whether this is someone they can envision as president, who has the temperament, background and inclinations. this is the core question in super tuesday and even more important, march 15th. can anyone consolidate? we have seen joe scarborough,

ben sass, anything they could not under any circumstance support donald trump. and the question is whether rubio or kasich, the most hikely ones, can son sole date that vote. virginia is the place to watch. white collar votes, 60% of the electorate. it is very unlikely. republicans will be on this into the electoral unknown with a candidate showing he can say or do anything. >> michael in terms of establishment republicans, karl rove, the architect of george w. bush's campaigns are one of those. he, 10 days ago, said if republican voters hand such an unstable available under party's nomination they will do immeasurable harm to it. there is still time to stop that. that was 10 days ago. is there still time? >> with every passing day, there's less time to stop him. i think what karl rove and others are concerned about is

the damage being done to the gop brand. you just played sound of marco rubio questioning whether donald trump's manhood is sufficiently large to be president of the united states. are you kidding? is this how far we have now stooped? are these thoughts and comments and images going to linger beyond the nomination process? i would think so. do you not think they are not saving all of this archival footage? the republican party tried to rain in after the last cycle. they knew the debates and all the back and forth had wounded the eventual candidate. i think the same thing could be happening right now. >> we have reached a fascinating point with this primary. michael, ron, thank you very much. great to talk to both of you. coming up in the next hour, republican presidential candidate john kasich. he has run a positive campaign.

how does he think that's working out? and milania trump, what does she think of her husband's controversial campaign. ac"360", 8:00 p.m. vow to go fight for the nomination until the convention in july. this despite the new poll from cnn showing hillary clinton with a commanding lead around the country after her big win this weekend. joe johns. >> reporter: bernie sanders is expected to appear at a rally at the minneapolis convention center later today making last best case to the people of minnesota before the caucuses despite the fact that he had the big loss in south carolina over the weekend. he's doing all he can to pick up delegates in the handful of states where he think he can do best. in a sign of things to come, he, like hillary clinton, is talking

about donald trump, the republican candidate, on the campaign trail. listen. >> there would be nothing that would give me more pleasure than to defeat donald trump. i know some of his supporters say we like mr. trump because he tells it like it is. >> bigotry is not telling it like it is. >> reporter: the clinton team is trying to manage expectations but also make her appear as much as possible as the inevitable nominee. they do not see a way to deliver a knockout punch to bernie sanders on super tuesday. but they are hoping to wrap up delegates and a lead over the next 14 days or so and through the month of march. both candidates have a busy schedule the next 24 hours. hillary clinton in massachusetts, springfield. and then boston. then down to fairfax, virginia and also to norfolk.

bernie sanders also headed to massachusetts as well is. and he's going to end up in vermont. so just a lot of travel coming up in the next 24 hours. >> this is what a campaign looks like as it moves on. gets big, gets national. thank you so much, joe johns. cnn is your home for the most comprehensive super tuesday coverage anywhere. join us tomorrow as voters head to the polls for super tuesday and for the results late into the night. in fact, into the wee hours of the morning. >> one of us had a very glamorous night. >> i'm calling it fantastic monday, to your super tuesday. chris rock giving hollywood and the nation plenty to chew on, alisyn. ignoring calls to bow out of duties. instead, tackling the issue among oscar nominees.

it wasn't the only political issue of hollywood's biggest nights. >> well, i'm here at the academy awards, otherwise known as the white peoples choice awards. >> chris rock's highly anticipated monologue took the oscars so white controversy head on. >> no black nominees. people are like, chris, you should boycott. chris, you should quit. how come only unemployed people tell you to quit something. you know? >> not holding back. >> it is the 88th academy awards, which means this whole no black nominees thing has happened at least 71 other times. black people did not protest. why? because we had real things to protest at the time. [ applause ]. we had other things to protest. too busy being raped and

lynched to worry care about who won best cinematographer. >> rock took this moment to put it all in perspective. >> we want opportunity. we want the black actors to get the same is opportunities -- [ applause ]. >> that's it. >> vice president joe biden was met with a standing ovation for taking a stand against sexual assault. >> take the pledge. a pledge that says i will intervene when consent has not or cannot be given. let's change the culture. >> presenting lady gaga's performance of "until it happens to you" nominated for best song. ♪ dozens joining is gaga on stage for her emotional tribute. and leonardo winning for his leading role in the revenant.

uses his accept is answer speech to address climate change. >> climate change is real. it is happening now. it is the most urgent threat facing our entire species. let us not take this planet for granted. i do not take tonight for granted. thank you so very much. >> leo wasn't the only winner to address. alejandro saying making it as irrelevant as the length of our hair they had to idea to have a scroll along the bottom. it clocked in over three and a half hours. you only saw the scroll at the bottom sporadically. >> that did not work. playing the music often does not

work as well. what did you think about" spotlight"? i saw it. i enjoyed it. >> journalists win. do not mess with us because we will report the heck out of you. >> it was seen as a three-way race. you could ask three different people and three different idea. but "spotlight" came ahead. %-pd causing panic among some gop leaders. why aren't any of the attacks slowing him down? that's next. i'd like to make a dep--

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whenever you need them. great, that's what i said. so your business can get back to business. sounds like my ride's ready. don't get stuck on hold. reach an expert fast. comcast business. built for business. all right. deep concern within the republican party right now, some bordering on panic as donald trump gains ahead of super tuesday.

i just want to know your reaction when you watched his interview with jake tapper. not once, not twice. three times he was given an opportunity, a simple opportunity to say i disavow david duke. kkk, bad. >> here's the deal. i think he stumbled a bit there. but the fact of the matter he said the other day with chris christie he disavowed david duke's support. he had it yesterday afternoon. if i can, this is respectfully typical of what rush limbaugh calls the drive-by media. they make up a controversy about something that isn't a controversy at all and then

drive off. >> there is no limit to how many times you disavow the kkk. i think people say this draws questions about his character. >> john, with all due respect, the undercurrent is donald trump is playing for the white supremacy vote, which is b.s. it simply isn't true. if we're going to have a conversation about race, we should turn it back on the democratic party. they still haven't apologized for slave relative after 151 years. i think that's pretty basic. why not ask them them. where is debbie wasserman schultz, president obama? hello? >> we are talking about an exchange that happened between donald trump and jake tapper. margaret, i want put it to you, margaret. republicans, the other republicans in this race obviously are jumping all over this. >> well, i respect jeffrey i think jeffrey has the terrible task of defending what is

completely indefensible. the kkk being sort of the lead among them. this is not a hard call. it is easy. very, very easy. and it's not like donald trump hasn't denounced him in the past. it does beg the question, why didn't he denounce them with jake yesterday? again, this is not difficult. ronald reagan, easily denounced it in 1984. is he not courting white supremacists's votes? >> no. >> let's hear it from him, not you. >> this is not drive-by media. >> we have something new to play right now. moments ago donald trump did address this issue, did address the interview. and i think tried to explain what the heck was going on during that enter is view. he was just on the "today" show. let's listen.

>> first of all, he talked about david and other groups. >> but you said three times i don't know who david duke is. >> excuse me. well, i know who he is but i never met david duke. so when you talk about it, i never met david duke >> you refused the platform because david duke was a member of it. >> i'm saying to myself, how many times do i have to continue to disavow people? >> all right. we just heard it. the sound stopped right there. jeffrey, you heard him say how many times can i disavow him? ? when ronald reagan ran for governor of california, the press tried to get him to denounce the birch society. he said i am not endorsing them. they are endorsing me. he is not playing the game.

david duke is an anti-semite. yes, margaret, it is a function of the left. it is the military arm of the democratic party. hello? i mean, donald trump's daughter and son-in-law is jewish. he is an anti-semite, for heaven's sake. this is ridiculous. >> when william buckley was starting the conservative movement in the 1950s and 1960s, the john birch society is the same thing. they said, no, you have to stand for something. he said you are not going to be part of this movement. where is the moral courage who aspires to be the leader of the free world to say on level at some point we do not need the voice and the support of bigotry. >> margaret, the ku klux klan is a leftist group. >> it is a hate group, jeffrey lord. >> it is a leftist group. >> i don't care what side

they're on. they are on the side of hate. they are on the side of murder. they have blood on their hands. this is a scourge on america, humanity. your guy will not denounce it yesterday. that is bad for america and bad for the republican party. >> margaret, it is a racist hate group from the left. that counts. that is important to understand. it is not conservative. it has nothing to do with conservatism. all the clan members have been elected in governorships over the year, supporting roosevelt because they like social security. let's get our history straight. >> if all that is true, shouldn't it have been any easier for a guy running for the republican nomination? >> he has done it. he has done it. he just heard his explanation. he did this the other day with chris christie. this is why this is exactly the kind of thing why people are voting for donald trump. they think the media is making

something out of nothing. nothing. this is crazy. >> jeffrey has a point. donald trump leads with 49% of the vote right now. this is a national poll. >> those folks are not white supremists. >> the idea of a donald trump ceiling, margaret, seem to be a fallacy. >> outside money is getting into the race and finally taking donald trump head on. by the way, nobody likes negative campaigning. by the way, it also works. the reason donald trump has run

away with this so far, he has hit on concerns of the republican primary voters who have been ignored for many, many years. nobody is taking that away from donald trump. but you hit somebody negatively, it stakes way more than a positive. until now, for marco rubio, ted cruz and for any of the outside support to decide to go after donald trump. maybe it was too little too late. maybe it was irresponsible to let us get this far. >> begging for his endorsement in 2012. a lot of people going after him. jeffrey, last word? >> when i hear all of this, if you go back to 2000 when they were sending out flyers that john mccain had a black child, the bush campaign got rough about this stuff and they were not called on it. i just find that fascinating. >> apples to apples.

that was in south carolina, dirty politics. we also saw robocalling saying donald trump was a white supremacist. >> we are talking about 2016 right now. there is plenty to talk about there. jeffrey lord, margaret hoover, thanks so much. what's in donald trump's tax returns? do they contain a smoking gun of some kind? we're talk to go a journal issist who covered trump for three decades about what he thinks might be in there. i just wish one of those people could have been mrs. johnson. [dog bark] trust me, we're dealing with a higher intelligence here. ♪ the all-new audi q7 is here. ♪ being hacked and intellectual property being stolen.

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republican presidential candidate ted krupz raising questions about why donald trump refuses to release his tax returns. >> there are multiple reportings about his dealings with the mob, the mafia. maybe they are a lot more extensive than has been reported. >> david k. johnston has covered donald trump's financial dealings for 27 years. he wrote an article called nine

key points about trump's income taxes. thanks so much for being here on "new day". no one knows about trump's financial dealings better than you. let's go through some of the major points that may suggest something dubious in his taxes. the first i want you to address is what ted cruz talked about. did you up cover any mob connections? >> donald has a very long history of dealing with mobsters, drug dealers, and others. for example, his personal helicopter pilot was a major cocaine and marijuana trafficker. donald pleaded for leniency for him. the case ended up out of 800 federal judges, his sister, mary ann trump-barry who excused herself of the case but notified others of the sensitivity of this. he got a very light sentence.

somehow his girlfriend owned two units in trump tower. by the way, trump tower was built of concrete supplied by a&s concrete owned by the two, most vicious mobsters in new york. >> okay. let's also talk about trump tower and how it was built. you say that it was built with using 150 illegal immigrants. you write donald trump paid them less than $5 an hour. they got no benefits. their physical safety was in danger. now, this one seems like a big deal. this one seems like one that his supporters would certainly want to know about. what did you learn? >> he was found by a federal judge and has claimed he didn't know what was going on with the

website was concerned. his labor consultant a convicted felon told me when he was alive of course knew exactly what was going on. basically donald got mob protection so he could have a site that used 15 labor union members and then all of these other guys who didn't even have hard hats on to take it down. this is a pattern with donald that has continued. the "new york times" just did a story how the top organization has turned away numerous americans but hired people who are here from other countries. >> now, do you think supporters know about it? >> i think frankly the coverage of mr. trump's background, his history of cheating people, not paying people, money owed, limiting investigations by law

enforcement is what we should be focusing on as journal issist, not the wild and crazy things that are said. our duty is not to be stenographers. it is to be watch dogs and alert people to the salient facts about every one of the candidates. >> one of the things that came up is trump university. students paid $35,000. >> he was kurpbtdly running a fraud there that ripped off $35 million. he never showed up. he never mentored anyone. they gave out donald's secret tips. it was a photocopy from a magazine you could buy at the newsstand for three bucks. >> what do you think is in his

tax returns that he has not yet presented to the public? what his returns are likely to show is that donald pays no income taxes because congress has special rules for real estate developers, private equity managers like mitt romney that allow them to live tax free if they choose to. i have his tax information from the late 70s when his income went negative even throw he had a lavish lifestyle. i gave him some tax advice, which he thanked me for. >> the other thing that is likely to show, he makes little or no gifts to charity despite all of his claims to the contrary.

he has not even made a contribution to the trump foundation in a decade, according to its tax return. >> interesting if they were to be released. thanks so much for sharing your reporting with us. fascinate to go hear it. >> thank you. >> over to john. >> alisyn, thank you so much. fresh polling shows hillary clinton is winding her national lead over bernie sanders. so, what is the strategy now? does she want to try to end this? what will she try to do before super tuesday tomorrow? we will ask ahead of a pro clinton superpac next on "new day".

therwe cannot defeatsay a corrupt political system and fix a rigged economy. but i believe we need to lift our vision above the obstacles in place and look to the american horizon. to a nation where every child can not only dream of going to college, but attend one. where quality healthcare will be a birthright of every citizen. where a good job is not a wish, but a reality. where women receive equal pay and a living wage is paid to all. an america where after a lifetime of labor, there is time for rest and grandchildren. a nation that defends our people and our values, but no longer carries so much of that burden alone. i know we can create that america if we listen to our conscience and our hearts and not to the pundits and the naysayers. i'm bernie sanders. i approve this message, and i ask for your vote. ♪

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all right. brand-new this morning. a new cnn/orc national poll shows hillary clinton widening her lead over senator bernie sanders. so can she finish this race by sweeping super is tuesday states tomorrow? broad woodhouse is president of the pro hillary clinton superpac. brad, a softball question to start out with. i imagine you are pleased with this new poll out this morning? >> i'm very pleased, john. look, hillary clinton in this race on the democratic side is the candidate with momentum. she's the candidate with enthusiasm. south carolina was such a stunning and resounding result. and going into super tuesday i think it means a lot. but, look, bernie sanders will win several states on super tuesday. to your question earlier, no, she is not going to wrap this up

or sweep super tuesday. but we feel good going into tomorrow. >> you had a big win in south carolina. another stunning figure is how much democratic turnout was down there. it was down in nevada. it was down also in new hampshire. it was down also in iowa. in our latest poll we asked, are you more enthusiastic than previous elections? republicans, 58% say yes. only 46% among democrats. how do you light a fire under your base? >> i think hillary clinton will do that. as we move forward, you will see a lot of enthusiasm for her candidacy. there might be some question on the democratic side whether there is still a race going on and whether or not bernie sanders remains viable. i happen to think he does. the race will go on for a while. when we turn to the general election, i think donald trump is going to be a big part of the

discussion. and i don't think it will be hard to get democratic voters and independents for that matter enthusiastic about keeping them out of the white house. >> i want to keep this on the democrats for a second. >> sure? the numbers are flat out down. they just are. republican numbers are flat out up across the board. why? what's the problem here? you say hillary clinton is going to build some enthusiasm. but the enthusiasm doesn't seem to be there. >> well, i think the enthusiasm for hillary clinton versus bernie sanders is there. yes, the numbers are down. look, i'm like paul. sit something we are looking at, something we're concerned about. there has been a bigger field on the republican side. donald trump is a phenomenon that quite frankly we are going to have to deal with. i don't think we is should let the first four states dictate what we think is going to happen in the general election. i believe democratic voters will

be enthusiastic. i believe once they can focus on the fact that they had the opportunity to break one of the ultimate barriers in terms of hillary clinton and getting into the white house, i think you will see that enthusiasm even get better. >> so donald trump right now leading the republican field, 49% of the vote in the new cnn poll. >> stunning. oh, my god. >> he said he's ready for you at the cnn debate last week. let's listen. all right. >> hillary clinton. take a look at "usa today". i beat her and i beat her badly. i only had one little interchange and that was four weeks ago when she said he was sexist. and believe me, they had a rough weekend that weekend between bill and hillary. >> hasn't even started on you. how do they go after donald trump if they are the nominees? >> one thing is hillary clinton needs to go at donald trump. the problem the republicans made

is they just assumed that his rhetoric and his outlandish statements, they assumed he would implode. they assumed he wouldn't be successful. the thing that concerns me most about donald trump is how unpredictable he is. the thing that doesn't concern me, he can come up with a charge or hit or attack against hillary clinton or bill clinton that hasn't already been leveled. remember, one of the things, a lot of the republican candidates that he ran out of this race or he is beating now, we're not that well-known to the american people to begin with. he came in like a laser and went after jeb bush, went after the rest of this field. with hillary clinton, these attacks have been tried. they have failed. i'm concerned about how he will deliver them. i'm concerned about how we need to respond. but i think that she needs to run a campaign about breaking barriers. but she needs to go after donald trump's a fragile cease fire i

barely holding in syria. russian jets back up in the skies as diplomats scramble to keep both sides in check. we will take you live for the war zone as only cnn can. that's next. when your cold makes you wish... ...you could stay... ...in bed all day... ...you need the power of... new theraflu expressmax. new theraflu expressmax. the power to feel better. something we'll show you..

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a cease-fire in syria spae s appears to be up raffling. russians and syria carrying out a series of air strikes on sunday. cnn's senior international correspondent clarissa ward has just returned from rebel-held syria where she was able to witness how the cease fire is holding up. she is the only western journalist to have traveled top area in more than a year. clarissa, tell us everything you saw. >> reporter: well, good morning in the days running up to this cessation of hostilities, we visited hospitals and courtrooms

that had been leveled to the i don't understand and perhaps that will give you a sense of why there is so little support and so much september civil abo skepticism about the cease fire there is so little support and so much september civil skepticism about the cease fire. take a look. this entire area has seen some of the most intensive bombardment in the past few months. so we've been traveling all around here for nearly a week now and certainly it is fair to say that since the cessation of hostilities began, there has been a dramatic decrease in the number of air strikes. having said that, earlier we visited a town on the outskirts of allepo and people there told us that about 30 hours after the cease fire began, there was an air strike on a house. we were able to capture some video of the aftermath of that air strike. there have also been reports of clashes in other parts of the country. but certainly it does feel quite a bit quieter here.

now, what is interesting is that you won't find anybody here celebrating about the cease fire and that is for a number of reasons. firstly, in the run up to the cessation of hostilities, there was a dramatic increase in the russian air bombardment. and the people here simply don't trust the regime. and many we've. so to are actually against the cease fire. just a few days ago we attended a protest where people were carrying signs saying this cease fire is a betrayal of you're ou tirs. they were chanting over and over gasoline we must keep on fighting and we must unite. even the imam in his weekly sermon was urging people not to heed the cease fire, and to continue fighting.

>> so that is just -- help us get our mind around that. they are protesting the cease fire. so does that mean they do not want peace? >> reporter: let me be very clear. these people absolutely want peace. but at this stage they feel they have sacrificed so much, so much blood has been shed, so many lives have been lost, that they're not willing to enter into any negotiation whereby they don't feel their needs and voice are being represented. and the way they see the negotiations that are on going, they don't feel that they have a seat at the table. they feel that this is a chess game between super powers in the world that syrians don't have a seat at the table. and what they really want to see is a negotiation that starts with the absolute requirement that with a simil that bashar al assad be removed.

and without that, will they won't sign on to any negotiation. and there a fundamental disconnect between the dying on xwroubd a groufrpd and the people broke iring these deals. >> it's hard for us to understand what is happening on the streets there. and your video shows these bombed out buildings and homes. are there people living there, is there any normal life nothing on on the streets there? >> reporter: remarkably there are still people living there.n on on the streets there? >> reporter: remarkably there are still people living there. but you could not say this there are any signs of normal lepo say she struggles with the decision of whether or not to accepted h send her daughter to school. every single time she sleeves the house, there a possibility that she might not come back alive. and sometimes the cameras can't

really capture the scope and scale of the conflict. i've never seen anything quite like these parts of syria. >> we really appreciate your reporting. say with cnn for more of clarissa's exclusive reports from inside syria. we're following a lot of news for you this morning. there is a new poll that paints a stark picture of the 2016 race. so let's get right to it. donald is not going to make america great, he's going to make america orange. >> he sweats too much and i don't want him negotiating to us. >> donald trump refused, refused to criticize the ku klux klan. >> you wouldn't want me to condemn a group i know nothing about. >> we don't need to make america

great again p merg has never sopped being great. >> we're looking to the future. >> i will stand up and fight for you. >> i'm here at the academy awards. otherwise known as the white people's choice awards. >> the 88th academy awards did not shy away from the diversity controversy. >> want the black actors to get the same opportunities. that's it. good morning, everyone. welcome to your "new day." it is monday, february 29, 8:00 in the east. we begin with breaking news for you because donald trump and hillary clinton running away with their respective races in a new national cnn poll. trump and clinton now widely expected to become their party's nominees. take a look. trump has the support of 49% of republican voters. marco rubio is second, 33 points behind.

challenging the idea that anyone else can consolidate support and challenge trump. in fact, trump has opened such a commanding lead he's beating all four of his rivals combined. >> so much of the idea of a ceiling. hillary clinton has opened a wider 17 point lead over bernie sanders. both frontrunners with momentum now as they head thinto super tuesday. let's begin coverage with chris frates in alabama where trump picked up a key endorsement town there. >> reporter: good morning. so the gop presidential campaign looking more like a middle school spat than a race for the highest office in the land with marco rubio and donald trump trading personal insults over their looks. and with just hours to go until voting starts on super tuesday, marco rubio saying donald trump is a con man. donald trump saying marco rubio is a choker. >> he isn't sweat because his pores are clogged from the spray

tan that he uses. >> reporter: marco rubio unleashing an onslaught of insults in his latest string of personal attacks on donald trump. >> donald is not going to make america great, he will make america orange. >> reporter: only hours after trump took jabs at the freshman senator. >> little marco rubio, a total, total feather weight. >> he's always calling me little marco. and i'll admit, he's taller than me which is why i don't understand why his hands are someone the size of a5'2". and you know what they say about men with small hands. you can't trust them. >> reporter: this as trump stirs up controversy for what he didn't say. >> donald trump refused, refused to criticize the ku klux klan. >> reporter: the billionaire refusing to disavow support from former grand wizard david duke. >> i don't know anything about

david duke. >> reporter: trump deflecting questions by jake tapper. >> i don't know anything about what you're even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists. so i don't know. did he endorse me or what is going on? because i know nothing about david duke. >> reporter: but on friday -- >> david tubinduke endorse me? okay. is today vow. >> reporter: and back in 2000, the billionaire ended his brief flirtation with the presidential bid with the reform party saying in a statement this is not company i wish for keep. and trump took to twitter sunday to once again disavow duke's support, but only after he was attacked by some rivals. now, donald trump got another boost from the establishment yesterday when alabama senator jeff sessions endorsed him at a big rally. the first sitting senator to endorse donald trump as the billionaire continues to

coalesce establishment support. >> thank you so much, chris. here to discuss with us further, senior adviser to the donald trump campaign sarah huckabee sanders. sarah of course a republican strategist who worked on hr father's campaign mike huckabee who ran for president twice. say remarks thanks so much for being with us. i really appreciate it. you obviously know that over the last 24 hours, so much of the discussion in this campaign has been an interview that donald trump did right here on cnn with jake tapper where he was asked about the fact that david duke endorsed him. he was asked whether or not he would repudiate that endorse him and the endorsement of white supremacist groups. just moments ago,him and the endorsement of white supremacist groups. just moments ago, donald trump had a new explanation. let's listen to what he just said. >> first of all, he talked about david and other groups. he talked about other groups. >> but you said three times i don't know who david duke is. >> no, no. well, i know who he is, but i never met david duke.

but -- >> but in wow, you refused to run on the reform party platform because david duke was a member of it. >> a day before at a major press conference and i'm saying how many times do i have to continue to disavow people and the question was asked about david duke and various groups. and i don't know who the groups are. i said would you do me a favor and tell me the groups. he was unable to tell me. >> he says i'm just talking about david duke and the ku klux klan here. and you said honestly, i don't know david duke. >> reporter: so i'm sitting in a house in florida with a very bad hair piece that they gave me. and you can hardly hear what he was saying. i don't mind disavowing anybody and i disavowed him the day before at a machblg news conference which is surprising because cnn was at the major news conference and they heard me disa strou dad duke.

>> so he said he had a bad earpiece. he didn't have any problems hearing any other questions. >>. >> earning the real proob is he disavowed him in 2000, he did it friday and again today. i don't understand why we're still talking about it. he's repeatedly disavowed david duke and i think it's just another desperate attempt of his rivals trying to create a controver controversy. i think it's time that we move on and focus on the issues that americans care about. who will bring them up instead of stair each other down. >> i've 4erd your father before talking about growing up in a segregated south and how important it is to take a firm stand to these things. yes, donald trump did disavow david duke on friday. yes, did he disavow him in 2000. but there is no limit here 37 he

clearly did not disavow him in the interview with jake. it sends a vapg message for voters. >> i think he's answered it and where he need to move on. i think this is just a desperate attack from his rye values. >> donald trump a 49% support, marco rubio at 16%. ted cruz at 15%. you do clearly sense a feeling of panic in some circle it is in the republican establishment.

ben sass nebraska, he flat out says that he will not vote for donald trump if he's president. he says i'm as frustrated and sad ped as you are, but i cannot support donald trump. i sincerely hope we select one of the other gop candidates, but if donald trump ends up as the gop nominee, come seven differences will need to find a third option. are you concern that had there are members within the republican party who say they will simply not vote for dud? >> i think it's a huge mistake. they're so sick and tired of 24 establishment trying to roll this process p pnd the minute they lose that control, you see these nasty negative attacks that they have been unleashing. and that's why donald trump is resonating with the american people because he will shake up washington.

>> erick erickson says he won't vote for donald trump in november. what if more and more people join this chorus? >> i think the more and more of the establishment crowd that you see joining this chorus, the more popular donald trump becomes. we've seen time and time again that endorsements have no bearing on this race. and it's because the establishment is part of the problem. if they want to blame anybody, it's them because our elected officials have failed to control this white house and this administration. and the american people are mad and they want somebody to go in and fix it. and donald trump is the only person that can come in from the outside and do just that. >> one endorsement that donald trump does not have at this point is the former governor of arkansas, mike huckabee. a man you know well. just moments ago go, your father refused to endorse donald trump again. z why no endorsement?

>> you'll have to ask him. right now i'm 100% behind donald trump since my dad got on the race and. >> are you trying to convince your father to vote for donald trump? >> i learned a a long time ago that most of the time when i try to convince him of things that's not the pebest thing. my dad likes donald trump a lot and you haven't heard him say negative things about him. and right now i think he's still just trying to process coming out of his own race and looking to see what is next. >> sarah huckabee sanders, thanks so much. come back. >> absolutely. thank you. in our next half hour, we will speak to john kasich, the governor of ohio. we'll get his take on all this news. and also an interview you really don't want to miss.

mil trump's wife will be on ac 360 tonight at 8:00 eastern. on the democratic side, bernie sanders is vowing to stay in the game and fight for the nomination. december spirt hillary clinton having a commanding lead nationally. joe johns is in minneapolis where sanders has a big campaign rally planned today. >> reporter: the hillary clinton team trying to make her candidate look like the eventual nominee. they do not see a way to deliver a knockout punch to bernie sanders on tuesday, but they are trying to build the delegate count through the month of march. trying to sound more like a jen election candidate. >> i believe that america is

great right now. what we need is to be whole. we need to be whole. where all of us have a place, where everybody feels like we're all in this together. that's what i want to do in this kaem pain and as your president. >> reporter: bernie sanders appearing at a rally later today here at the minneapolis convention center. he goes on to massachusetts and ends up in vermont where he will spend super tuesday night. hillary clinton going today also to massachusetts and then fairfax, virginia. >> cnn is your home for the most comprehensive super tuesday coverage anywhere. you can join us tomorrow as voters head to the polls and for results late into the night. cnn has learned that the delta force unit is preparing to target isis leaders in iraq. operations to capture and kill top on that i havities after

several weeks of covert preparation. the death toll is rising. 66 people were killed, 160 hurt after twin bhomings near a busy market in baghdad. videotaped confession from an american college student detained in north korea since early january has come forward. otto is accused of trying to steal a com new this political sign from a hotel in pyongyang. the 21-year-old somebodies on the tape. as he confesses to the hostile act. the university of virginiaunder graduate claims he was manipulated by the u.s. government. it is not known if north korea coerced him into this

confession. let's get to michaela out in hollywood. i don't know if you've slept yet. tell us about your big night. >> reporter: i slept for a moment. there are a few people coming behind me at the lobby. last night at the oscar telecast, chris rock did not let hollywood off the hook. the comedian is lighting up social media giving the movie industry some tough love, hammering home the lack of diversity in film. his monologue just an opening act to what would be a politically charged night. >> well, i'm here at the academy awards. otherwise known as the white people's choice awards. >> reporter: the highly anticipated monologue took the verse have controversy head-on. >> people were like you should quit. how come it's only unemployed people that tell you to quit

something? >> reporter: rock holding nothing back. >> the 88th academy awards. which means this whole no black nominee thing has happened at least 71 other times. black people did not protest. why? because we had real things to protest at the time. you know? we had other things to protest. we were too busy being raped and lim lim lynched to care. >> reporter: rock took this moment to put it all into perspective. >> it's not about what -- it's just we want opportunity. black actors to get the same opportunities. that's it. >> reporter: joe biden was met with a standing ovation. >> take the pledge, a pledge

that says i will intervene in situations when consent has not or cannot be given. >> reporter: presenting lady gaga's performance of till it happens to you nominated for best song. ♪ dozens of survivors sharing gaga on stage for her emotional tribute. and leonardo dicaprio winning for his role in the "revenant" addressed climate change. >> climate change is real, it is happening right now. it is the most urgent threat. let us not take this planet for granted. i do not take tonight for granted. >> reporter: it was finally leo's big night. so not a lot of shocker last night. one of the big upsets, though, "spotlight" taking the top prize, not "the revenant," which

had been highly favored to win. the subject matter brought an impassionate acceptance speech there one of the producers. big night in hollywood. big morning here in hollywood. people are still trickling in. i thought a couple of experts joining me later to talk fashion, some of the other big moments on the show and of course how chris rock handled the whole thin. >> fantastic. i have some fashion issues with some things that happened last night. so i look forward to hearing about that. >> did you not like the deep plunge? >> it was a little shocking. >> don't look at me, i'm not commenting. all right. coming up for us, what is keeping democratic strategists up at night? why are they so worried after four contests? david axelrod shares his take straight ahead.

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donald trump not just leading the republican race right now, bringing a lot of new voters to the polls. democrats not so much. turnout slipping this all the early contests. so should democrats be worried? david axelrod is senior political xhcommentator. david, every single state republican turnout is way up in some cases, democratic turnout

is way down in some cases. and in the new poll when we asked about enthusiasm, p republicans essentially say yes, 58%. democrats 46% say yes. how big of a problem is this for the democrats? >> well, i think it's a concern for democrats. it is not an uncommon problem for a party trying it to hold the white house for a third term to run into these enthusiasm issues. and that's been the case throughout history. that's why the last time some party has done it was 1988. but this election is different because it's increasingly apparent that donald trump could become the republican nominee and while he creates great enthusiasm among his supporters, i think he also has the potential to create great enthusiasm among democrats who are eager to stop him from becoming president. so he could end up being a gift, though i think one that

democrats will eye warily because he's defied all expectations so far. >> so let's look at another one of these polls. for people who support donald trump, 78% say they are more enthusiastic than they have been in any previous elections. so what do you think in -- what does this tell hillary clinton, how concerned should she be for all the enthusiasm for donald trump and it is unclear whether that will be a motivating factor for her fans. >> well, i think one thing is very clear, many people including myself expected donald trump to be gone by winter. and he may well be the nominee. he's not a side show. he's not as governor o'malley said merely a carnival barker. he could be the republican nominee for president. he does stir great enthusiasm among his base and his base includes a lot of people who haven't been engaged before. so that is concerning. on the other hand, he has walled

himself off from hispanic voters. he has antagonized many within the electorate. and especially within the emerging electorate of minorities and young people. so i think that he has his work cut out for him, as well. and he may be what hillary clinton needs to do what she hasn't been able do which is stir great enthusiasm among the democratic base. >> i want you to weigh in on the controversy over this weekend. donald trump and david duke and the kkk. jake tapper asked him several times in an interview on state of the yunion whether he wanted to denounce david duke. in the interview, he can't do it. before and after, yes, but yesterday given the opportunity he did not. what kind of an impact can take have in the republican race going forward? people say this could be a todd akin moment. you remember back in 2012 he used the legitimate rape comment. is this something that sticks with trump?

>> todd akin was not donald trump. todd akin didn't have -- hasn't built up the kind of momentum, can't have the name recognition or persona of donald trump. he has survived everything else. he's made a number of things that pundit and elites said were gaffes and has survived them smartly throughout this campaign. i'm not willing to say at this point that this one is disqualifying for the nomination. i do think these things linger if he becomes the republican nominee. but i think he's going to have a good day tomorrow. certainly the cnn poll, you know, with all the talk of water battles and sweat and pant sweats, you'd say this was a fluid race. but you look at the cnn poll and you'd have to say it's over. now, this is one poll. it may be an outlier. but he's in a very good position to win this nomination. let me say one more thing, though. these presidential races are a series of tests.

because you're auditioning for the toughest job on the planet whether everything you say can send markets tumbling and armies marching. so how you deal with these questions under pressure is part of the test. yesterday he failed that test. we'll see how he does moving along. >> you set us up per textualper for the marco rubio montage we've prepared. it appears to have gone into standup comedy.the marco rubio prepared. it appears to have gone into standup comedy. >> he didn't sweat because his pores are clogged from the spray tan that he uses. donald is not going to make america great, he's going to make america orange. he's always calling me little marco. and i'll admit, he's taller, he's like 6'2", which is why i don't understand why his hands are size of someone who is 5'2" p. have you seen his hands? they're like this. and you know what they say about

men with small hands. you can't trust them. >> david, what do you think of this new line of attack? >> i'd say to senator rubio keep your day job because i'm not sure you're going to make it in standup. look, i think he's sgied that the way you get on television, the way you make yourself the alternative to trump is to try and emulate him, but i don't know that you can knock off donald trump by trying to be a kno knockoff donald trump. and i think marco rubio has diminished himself by going after him in the way he has. he may feel like this is his last desperate attempt to tackle the guy before he reaches the end zone, but we'll seal tomorrow whether it has a positive affects. he's going after up scale highly educated republicans.whether it affects. he's going after up scale highly educated republicans.

i don't know how impressed they will be. >> david, thank you so much for being with us. donald trump is leading in the new cnn poll ahead of super tuesday. but ohio governor john kasich says he has a plan to turn things around to get the nomination. we'll sit down with him next on "new day." actions. they speak louder. we like that. not just because we're doers. because we're changing. big things. small things. spur of the moment things. changes you'll notice. wherever you are in the world. sheraton. most new wealth flows it's called a rigged economy, and this is how it works. to the top 1%. it's a system held in place by corrupt politics where wall street banks and billionaires buy elections.

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a brand new poll, donald trump at 49% in the republican race. more than all of his rivals combined. the democratic race also looking somewhat lopsided. hillary clinton widening her lead over bernie sanders 17 points now in that latest new poll. clinton is polling ahead of sanders in most super tuesday states, as well. army staff sergeant dharchargedh killing his wife and a police officer. he's due in court today. anding to

capture and kill isis leaders in iraq. and chris rock keeping a focus on hollywood's diversity or lack thereof at last night's academy awards. he said african-american actors want the same opportunities as their white colleagues. "spotlight" the surprise winner for best picture. for more, go to cnn new day.com for the very latest. it's time for cnn money now. chief business correspondent chris tetine romans is in the h center. >> it is the last day of february. stocks have a chance to snap a two month rolosing streak. had been down 10% earlier this month. warren buffett says candidates are wrong to bash the u.s. economy. in his annual investor letter, he writes because of all the incorrect gloom, many americans thousand believe their children will not live as well as they themselves do. that view is dead wrong. the babies being born in america

today are the luckiest crop in history. for the record, he has ledged h pledged his support to hillary clinton. he says the the economy is still good, don't bet against it. chris rock facing hollywood diversity or lack thereof head-on. we'll break down all the big moments from the academy awards live from the montage hotel next. ♪ i built my business with passion. but i keep it growing by making every dollar count. that's why i have the spark cash card from capital one. i earn unlimited 2% cash back on everything i buy for my studio. ♪ and that unlimited 2% cash back from spark means thousands of dollars each year going back into my business...

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is hollywood racist? you bet hollywood is racist. but not racist that you've gron accustomed to. racist is sorority racist. like we like you, rhonda, but you're not a cappa. that's how hollywood is.

>> that was chris rock over hollywood's lack of diversity last night in hollywood. here on discuss the big moments and of course the fashion, nischelle turner, joseph cakatzs with us, and we're live from the honest damage hmontage hotel. you look like you're alive and ready to go. >> makeup and hairspray and coffee. >> it's not even light outside. overall the overall feel of the show for you. big surprises, was it what you expected? >> well, what i usually expect from the academy awards is the night we celebrate hollywood. so you do want to be a bit of the pageantry. and it was a heavy show. you went into it and you really got some life lessons, you got preached to a little bit, made to feel uncomfortable a little bit, which are all those things that i like. when i come out feeling a little awkward, this is good.

so i thought chris rock was very good. i think from the beginning he set the tone. i think he went at everyone. we knew he was going to do that. so for people saying, oh, god, come on, you knew chris rock was going to go there and keep going there. >> and there were other statements that brought in political statements and the question of diversity. my question for you, is this going to move the needle now? because we've been having this conversation for many, many years. >> i was going to say chris rock said it last night, 88th academy awards, so at least 71 other years where people of color hasn't been nominated. and it's a part of a big problem in the industry. maybe that the studio executives will have a little pressure on their meck to start group lighting different films and seeing different people doing roles. so i don't know. if i'm being honest, i just don't know. and not that i don't hope that

it happens. i just don't know. >> did you see miss nischelle turner on red are carpet looking beautiful so beautiful? >> gorgeous. >> a good mignight for fashion? >> i charlize theron is always my favorite. she usually wears harry winston. she was wearing about $3.7 million in diamonds. gorgeous cluster earrings. >> and that naomi wats. >> and i loved her necklace. >> her arm candy was not so bad. >> she looked gorgeous. >> and fans really responded. and here is one that our fashionistas disagree on.

margo roby. >> i'm a huge fan of tom ford and i thought she was bold in that gold. >> she embodied an oscar. >> she did. i thought it was very sexy. i thought she looked very sexy. >> another look that was a little different but we all loved, lady gaga. >> gorgeous. i loved her. the thing that i loved, it was like a dress but with pants. and she just really opened it. and i love what she did with her hair. it kind of had a retro old hollywood look. and when she played the piano and message that she gave during the show was so touching. like that song was so -- >> that was one of the more powerful moments last night. >> i think the most powerful of the show. because it was so in your face and you had men and women and with the messages and every woman was in tears. >> standing ovation. >> gaga has come a long way.

>> it seems like every show she hits it out of the park. >> and then michael, you said -- >> i love it. i dress people all year round and he looked fabulous. and i want to put more people like nhim in suits. >> we want to bring controversy. allison isdisagreeing. olivia wilde we think looked stellar. >> she's very beautiful, no two ways about it. but i felt that the plunging neck line was possibly a little too plunging. don't you want to leave something to the imagination? >> never. >> it was all about plunging neck lines. >> and what you couldn't see from the television, too, she had this shear netting on this dress, as well. >> of course she wasn't going to have a misstep. but that is fierce.

>> fierce. that valu it was a work of by tdebate. >> i'll have to end it here. you're just clear wrong. >> shear netting to modesty purposes makes all the difference. >> and i have to go from shear netting to super tuesday. maybe the candidates will be wearing shear netting as they troll for votes ahead of super tuesday. john kasich, he says that he expects a big night for donald trump, but he sees an tuc opportunity to turn things around. he will joins us next. these are my dogs dusty and cooper.

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kind of like grandkids equals free tech support. oh, look at you, so great to see you! none of this works. come on in. republican presidential candidate john kassjohn kasich positive and believing a strong showing this his home state of ohio will provide the boost his campaign needs. governor kasich joins you this morning. good morning, governor. >> i want to thank the academy, i want to thank my family -- >> which category did you win?

>> well, listen, you you know, i've been running into leo here the last couple weeks. and ice a really nice guy. i'm really, really happy. the last time i saw him, his other was with him. and i guess my wife told me that she actually did a lot to get him on the road and happy for her and him. >> that is nice. he always does bring his mom as a date though he could bring super models. so that is nice. and before we get to your campaign, governor, i do want to ask about the controversy that bubbled up with donald trump where he was asked three times by jake tapper yesterday about david duke and the kkk. and three times donald trump refused to reject what david duke stands for. he did later tweet out hours later as i stated at the press conference on friday regarding david duke, i disavow. is that enough, case closed, have we heard enough of this

controversy? >> i think so. i mean, look, i don't know how you -- i don't know what is in his head. all i know is that white supremacist groups have no place in our society. and clearly not in the republican party. it's just one controversyoff another. but i have to tell see, the name calling and what i consider to be childishness when we are running for president of the united states. he should have immediately condemned them. this is like every day. it's like a circus like i know a guy writing a book about this campaign. the problem he is going to have is people are going to read it and they are not going to believe what he writes because this is almost beyond fiction. it's a terrible situation. >> you pride on having run a positive campaign and having not

engaged in mudslinging. let me show you our latest poll. this is cnn poll and it has trump at 49% now. he has gone up since last month. he now beats all of the other rivals, yourself included, combined. so do you think that your positive campaign has worked? >> i always believe that when you raise the bar whether in politics, in the media or teaching school the long term impact of having and being positive and i mean having the things that we kind of admire is never lost. let me also say we don't run a national campaign. i will beat donald trump in ohio. head to head i beat him by 18 points in the last poll. i beat hillary by more than any republican candidate. i understand -- i don't

understand that much about the poll but it doesn't concern me because we don't run in the national election. and this is nothing more than a reflection of people basically. i ran into a guy yesterday in chick apea, massachusetts and he says i'm voting for trump because he tells it like it is. i have become more convinced that wrestling with him in the mud is no way to overcome trump. the way to overcome is with accomplishments and vision. if that doesn't work we move on. >> 31% to your 36%. i know you are putting eggs in the ohio basket. there are 66 delegates up for grabs there. let's say you do win ohio, that's still less than the 82 delegates he currently has. how does that propel you forward? >> there is a lot more to go, illinois, pennsylvania.

these are places where we are going to be going to michigan. the key is ohio. ohio is a reset. let me predict to you because everybody says you put all of your eggs in new hampshire basket and i'm still standing here. we are down to four or five when most people thought i wouldn't get here. when i win ohio it will be a reset. we haven't made the effort there yet. we will and i will win ohio. i have always been direct and blunt with all of you in terms of these things. we are going to win ohio, a reset and people are going to say let's really get to know john kasich and then i'm comfortable. >> there are some reports that some republican leaders including mitt romney are pressuring you to get out of the race. what are they saying to you? >> nobody is pressuring me to get out of the race. frankly, we have some elections coming up. marco rubio is trailing in

florida by 17 points. why aren't they telling him to get out and get behind me. i have a better chance of winning in ohio than he has in florida. these are washington insiders. and i don't really hang around with them. they are not comfortable with me. people say there are a lot of voters that would vote for trump or for me. why is that? they know i don't take orders from the establishment. those people, the big lobbiests i beat them 25 years ago and they resent it. it's great. they can have their opinions. i'm not even aggravated by it, but it means nothing to me. they are not out here. they are not in the arena. take a deep breath. >> what are you expecting to happen tomorrow on super tuesday? >> i think trump will probably win everything. maybe cruz will win in texas and then has to figure out how to head north with his message. we'll do okay but not great.

this was never our plan. we have a campaign plan and then we campaign our plan. our hope now is that our belief is that we go north and you will begin to see things change. >> governor john kasich, we appreciate you being on new day. thanks so much. >> thank you. the good stuff. that's next. stick around. you premium like clockwork. month after month. year after year. then one night, you hydroplane into a ditch. yeah... surprise...

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a maine woman in need taking matters in her own hand. linda found out in december 2014 that she needed a kidney transplant. doctors told her it would take up to six years to find a donor. linda started posting signs everywhere looking for a match and it worked. >> that's what we did. we went out in search of a live donor and i'm still amazed at the number of people who don't have a clue who i am but are willing to give me a piece of their body to save me. she has to just be a wonderful person. >> you are going to have to trust us. it worked and she was very happy

about that. linda's surgery is scheduled for tomorrow. we wish her well and we will bring you an update when we have it. time for news room now with carol costello. good morning. >> good morning. you guys have a great day. "newsroom" starts now. happening now, donald trump on the kkk. >> i know nothing about white supremacists. >> i disavow david duke. when we looked at it i disavowed david duke. i disavowed david duke all weekend long on facebook and twitter and obviously it is never enough. >> i ask donald trump jr. about race in america with one day to go until super tuesday. hillary clinton turns focus to november targeting trump. >> we don't need to make america great again. america has never stopped being great. >> bernie sanders is saying don't count him out.