this is "nightline." >> liar, liar. escalation, the race for president getting even nastier and more chaotic. >> single worst liar i've ever seen. >> from schoolyard taunts to b bush brings out his brother, the former president. >> in my experience, the strongest person usually isn't the loudest one in the room. >> theme down during his reign, so -- >> add into this combustible mix the sudden death of a supreme court justice. and an epic battle looming over how and when -- >> the president should appoint someone --

the grammys. performs by music's finest. fierce competition between lamar and the pop sensation taylor swift. hailing hero of the past. lady gaga's electrifying performance. music icon david bowie. but first the "nightline 5." >> the bold nissan rogue with eel drive. because winter needs a hero. now get a $189 per month lease on the 2016 nissan rogue. excites. >> number one in just 60 seconds.

by ignoring it. but that's how some presidential candidates seem to be dealing with social security.ard, and pay into it. so our next president needs a real plan to keep it strong. (elephant noise)

good evening. just when you thought the race for president couldn't get any crazier, we saw escalations on today. from candidates crying liar, liar, essentially, to new threats of a lawsuit to a war of and the former president george w. bush, who was out on the stump for his brother jeb tonight. and adding fuel to this inferno there is now an epic political battle looming after the sudden death of a supreme court antonin scalia. >> george w. bush! >> reporter: usually when former presidents hit the campaign trail it's a reasonably poe heat affair. >> how thanks for your service. >> reporter: hours before george w. bush went out to stump for his brother jeb in south carolina, he got hit by a hurricane known as donald j. re you ready? >> yeah. >> the world trade center came

that was, you know -- it's like he was the top. down. >> reporter: in response, w.t trump by name was talking about. >> it is not bluster. it is not theatrics. real strength, strength of rom integrity and character. and in my experience, the strongest person usually isn't room. >> reporter: the former president also defended his handling of 9/11, talking about how he reacted when he learned, group of schoolkids in florida, that a second plane had hit the towers. >> my first reaction is i was hot.th these people. my second reaction, when i was staring at this young child, is that my job became crystal clear.rotect her, her community, and her country.

>> i thought it was a little strange that a front-running attack the president of the united states who did keep us safe. while he was building a reality tv show -- >> reporter: trump is fighting a multi-front battle right now, with t-minus fivhe south carolina primary. >> ted cruz is desperate. yeah i think ted's a very unstable guy. >> reporter: aside from slamming the bushes he is also spewingexas senator ted cruz. >> single worst liar i've ever seen. >> the l-word is not something you see thrown around much in politics.rump went from and has taken this to a personal level, this is no longer about policy, it's about personality. >> reporter: for good measure, florida senator marco rubio is joining the liar pants on fire both men accuse cruz of distorting their records. >> there's no other word for it but liar. >> i would note when marco rubiom liar, liar, liar, makes you wonder how

>> reporter: in the battle with cruz trump says he's willing to go past name calling to >> i'm going to bring a lawsuit because in my opinion, based on what i've learned the past two or three days, he doesn't even have the right to serve as president.ent. he was born in canada. >> the world trade center came down -- >> reporter: as you absorb the mayhem in the republican race -- >> you probably are worse than jeb bush.sider that it is now playing out against the backdrop of what promises to be a historic battle set off by the sudden death of supreme court justice the weekend. >> i, antonin scalia, do solemnly swear -- >> reporter: scalia was the e on the bench, appointed by ronald reagan in 1986. he was a pillar of conservative thought known for his biting dissents and his belief thathould be guided by the words of the constitution as it was drafted.

was found dead in his room at this hunting ranch in texas.tural causes. he was 79. word of his sudden passing hit washington, d.c. like a thunderbolt. >> we are one justice away from ntal rights in this country. >> scalia's death throws a huge unknown factor into this campaign. it has the potential to scramble the entire race for president. itution says the. >> sitting president can nominate the next justice, which is what president obama says he will do. >> i plan to fulfill my esponsibilities to nominate a successor in due time. >> reporter: but that successor needs to be confirmed by the u.s. senate. which is controlled by the and in an unprecedented statement just an hour after confirmation of scalia's death, the senate majority leader mitch would block any obama nominee. "the american people should have

their next supreme court justice. therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new." democratic senator elizabeth warren making this counterpoint in a now-viral facebook post. senator mcconnell is right that the american people should have a voice in the selection of the rt justice. in fact, they did. when president obama won the 2012 election by 5 million votes. >> to have a lame duck presidentt's the opposition party in the senate at the same time as you have this volatile, angry, raucous presidential campaign -- this confluence of factors has never >> reporter: with the makeup of the supreme court potentially hanging in the balance, republican presidential candidates are pulling no punches.ng no time releasing a new attack ad just yesterday asking south carolina voters if they trust donald trump to choose a supreme court justice. >> we cannot trust with these serious decisions.

debate saturday night in south carolina, just hours after the news of scalia's death broke, a moment of silence quicklyhe candidates one-upping one another on who could talk toughest on stymieing the president's plan to install a replacemenlieve the president should appoint someone. >> it's called delay, delay, delay. >> we're not going to give up the u.s. supreme court for a generation by allowing barack obama to make one more liberal >> reporter: meanwhile the democrats are vowing to put up a fight. hillary clinton signaling she'll make the republican effort to block president obama's nominee a campaign issue. make one point. barack obama is president of the united states until january 20th, 2017. burning question now, who might president obama nominate? 48-year-old srinivasan's name is

as d.c. circuit judge was unanimously confirm by the senate. he would be the first supreme court justice of south asian descent. 63-year-old meric garland is thehe d.c. circuit, a widely respected moderate whose name has been floated as a possible nominee before. also the d.c. circuit court. the eight remaining supreme court justices are scheduled to return from a break next week. they are facing a docket filled issues including abortion, discrepancy contraception, unions, voting rights, affirmative action.eans the court no longer has a tie-breaking court. if the eight remaining justices are split on a decision that means the lower-court ruling will stand. >> the chief justice could also ome of those cases that would be 4-4 cases over and have them reargued, presumably after there's a replacement for justice scalia in place. scalia's body was returned to virginia in

for now his body remains at this funeral home. no plans announced yet about hisplace. meanwhile the fate of his vacant seat still an open and seemingly infinitely contentious question. taylor swift, lady gaga, adele, kendrick lamar, highlights from the grammys. the biggest night in music.k and choose world. choose, choose, choose. but at bedtime... ...why settle for this? enter sleep number and the ultimate sleep number event, going on now. tells you how well you slept and what adjustments you can make. you like the bed soft. he's more hardcore. rom good to great to wow! only at a sleep number store, right now save 50% on the ultimate limited edition bed, plus 24-month financing. know better sleep with sleep number. if you have allergy congestion ...to get relief, anything is fair game.

allergy sprays of zyrtec . powerful relief from nasal allergy symptoms, all day and all night. try new rhinocort allergy spray. muddle no more awless as easy as... one... "tru"... three. now there's a gorgeous trublend face for each of us one: new trublend primer it hides two: trublend makeup matches 99% of skin tones. three: new trublend blush and bronzer - a baked blend to get you glowing!our trublend it's easy as 1 tru 3 easy breezy beautiful covergirl. when lobster gets grilled, baked, and paired with even

you get hungry. and you count the seconds until red lobster's lobsterfest is back with the largest variety of lobster dishes of the year. dueling lobster tails with one tail stuffed with crab, and the other with langostino lobster mac-and-cheese, it's a party on a plate!very bite of 'lobster lover's dream' lives up to its name. hey, eating is believing. so stop dreaming

lease a 2016 lincoln mkx for $399 a month

taylor, adele, gaga, bieber.

cavalcadeamous they only need one name. who came out on top? here's abc's chris connelly. r: from adele's epic "all i ask" to demi lovato's "well hello." hello is it me you're looking for r: from trift's aylor swift's "are we out of the woods yet." to the multi-cultural wonders he broadway musical "hamilton." in new york you can be a new man >> reporter: by luck or design tonight's 58th awards came at a moment when music sits proudly at the head of the culture table. thanks to beyonce's formation video.owl halftime performance. steeped in black lives matter imagery and substance.

possible rollout for his newest of pablo" featuring a madison square garden fashion show. a "saturday night live" performance. and a ez-esque tweet-storm. potential of popular song, much on the minds of those there. and when i wake up i recognize you're looking f them fans of the rapper kendrick lamar. >> whether he takes a trophy home or not, which i'm pretty sure he will, it's a win for him regardless. that that's what he's doing, he's promoting positive values. and encouraging unity. bringing people together. >> it's not often that you get to hear an artist this authenticthis complete in his vision. >> and he's due. >> definitely due, i hope he wins evidently. >> reporter: beloved from the streets to the oval office. jumping off from his "all right" video with a galvanizing e. and winning five gram meals.

everything i know coming heavy >> thinking of love! t. swizzle cheering along ed sheeran won best song as what looms for a generation-defining track "thinking out loud." >> if you had told an 11-year-old, 5-year-old, any ageld have received an award from stevie wonder, i would be in shock. thank you very much. >> reporter: the pop unicorn herself sporting a banged-up bob, picking up album of the year for "1989." an empowerment speech that featured shade thrown at 100 miles an hour in the direction of kanye west whose new record declares, imous. heroes of the past. don't say maybe >> reporter: eagles reuniting weeks after the passing of front playing "take it

freya who tattooed her torso shown on snapchat, the carpet buzzing in anticipation. >> why is she the right person to honor a guy like bowie? >> you can just tell that she is such a big fan.s so present in all her work. you know you tell she lives and breathes it. >> did he give you a way of looking at the world that was difference for you? >> his ins influenza is in ever done. >> reporter: technology allowing gaga to manipulate the colors and images upon her face. commencing countdown engines on nie raitt, long a friend and colleague of the late bb king, bluesing it up with chris stapleton. >> chrisor me specifically to be part of this. knowing i was good friends with b it was nice. i just have to not turn around and see those photos, it will make me too r: old school sound via this hitmaker earned the best new artist grammy for

though this tribute to hard rock legend lennyd offered an unexpected new front man in johnny depp. >> what's it going to be like to look at 15 rows of well-known musicians while you're singing? >> i won't be looking.raight down. yeah, no, i can't. i can't look. i'd drop dead. >> reporter: the entire night a showcase for thrived amid the seismic changes in the music business, in the age of digital and streaming. >> adele is a fascinating star. deep and dark and sort of lonely songs and she's so funny. and she's a very, very likeable character. >> reporter: and a good thing too. late reports and tweets chnical issues at the top of her performance. long-time "american idol" producer nigel lythgoe tweeting, human? was the television sharp?

explain her last-minute decisionerformance telling fans, so sorry i couldn't unbe there, a statement saying she'd been put on vocal rest for an infection. what's not canceled the daytime rama between taylor and kanye. one long-running show to which anyone can buy a ticket. one that figures to play itself come. >> keeping up with kanye west can be a full-time job, especially when heat in overdrive mode like he's been lately. i think it's great. >> reporter: for "nightline" i'm chris connelly in los angeles. next here, remembering an ciated part of supreme court justice antonin scalia, his sense of humor.

nissan rogue. with the power and performance of our intuitive all-wheel drive. now get a $189 per month lease rogue. wish your skin could bounce back like it used to? neutrogena hydro boost water gel.acid it plumps skin cells with intense hydration and locks it in. for supple, hydrated skin.

pearle vision has provided the neighborhood with expert eye care. that was dr. stanley pearle's visionroudly carry on his legacy. today, doctors like lisa hamilton perform

detect diabetes.e for you... and your eyes. this is genuine eye care, in your neighborhood. this is pearle vision. there has to be a way. carry the centimeter, divide by 3.14 something something something... [ beeping, whirring ] great caesar salad! e name your price tool shows people policy options to help fit their budget. is that a true story? yeah! people really do save when they switch. i mean about you inventing it. i invented the story, and isn't that what really matters?

and finally tonight, supreme court justice antonin scalia who died over the weekend may have been best known for his fiery positions on hot-button issues. also damn funny. abc's terry moran covers the court for us. >> reporter: in so many of the pick does of justice antonin scalia, he's laughing. he was a naturally funny man.him tell cnn in 2012 the secret of his marriage of more than 50 years. >> maureen made it very clear early on that if we split up, i . >> reporter: scalia looked at life with a wry smile and a ready quip. and often his quips had a point. for instance, when the court upheld obamacare for the second

his quip with scorn. we really should start calling this law , when he wrote in his dissent. when he was asked about the bush versus gore decision that awarded the presidency to george w. bush -- >> preserve, protect, defend thetitution of the united states so help me god. >> reporter: scalia delivers a dismissive shock like this on "60 my opinions" --ing, so there. get over it, it's old by now. >> reporter: scalia's sense of humor stemmed from a mind never at rest. he loved word play as when he called the majority'she 2013 defense of marriage act case legalistic argle-bargle and slammed the decision on thee act jiggery pokery. or this -- >> how can the federal government establish a state exchange? that is gobbledygook. >> reporter: in cases big and

one academic study finding him the funniest justice with 1.027 laughing episodes per argument. 't refuse your money or your life. but your life or your life's? i could refuse that one. >> reporter: there was a warmth in the middle of scalia's humor for all his he had a gift for friendship. most famously with justice ruth bader ginsburg. >> we agree on a whole lot of stuff. >> we do. nly on the knee-jerk stuff. >> reporter: when one of his many grand daughters graduated from high school in 2015, scalia offered advice -- >> never compromise youress, of course, your principles are adolf hitler's. in which case you would be well advised to compromise them as much as you can. >> reporter: a funny t and the country will be a duller place without him. for "nightline" i'm terry moran

>> another side of a giant of thank you, terry moran, for that report. thank you for watching tonight. tune into gma first thing in the morning and as always, we're online 24/7 on our "nightline"and at

your host barbaraonzo braden. jeff simmons. and so worldly, every night, he