finally stuck to the issues. but they still took swings at donald trump. >> the answer is not simply to yell china bad muslims bad. >> presidents can't just say anything they want. it has consequences, here and around the world. >> you can be politically correct if you want, i don't want to be so politically correct. >> candace mccowan is live for the coverage of the debate. now here's josh benson and jennifer leigh. good evening everybody. >> thank you for joining us this evening. the overall tone of tonight's debate seemed to be play nice. >> big noticeable difference for sure. the candidates didn't throw out low blows like in past debate, and keith cate is live at the university of miami where the debit just wrapped up, ask -- debate just wrapped up, and boy what a change. >> reporter: yes, the closing statements are going on in the back room.

behind me, but really it's a different debate, and there's always memorable moments in a debate, the highlights we'll talk about tomorrow, well these highlights came early, in fact in the first 15 minutes. while answering a question about education, donald trump did a name drop about a key endorsement coming tomorrow. >> i want everybody to get together around school and make education great, and it was very interesting, i was with dr. ben carson today who's endorsing me by the way tomorrow morning, and we were talking, we spoke for over an hour on education, and he has such a great handle on it. >> reporter: ted cruz also has a pretty good handle on education in his mind, saying he's willing to do away with the department of education, and kill common core, but there was another memorable moment

donald trump's comments on islam hating america, and it created a heated exchange between he and marco rubio. >> mr. trump, let me start with you, last night you told cnn quote islam hates us. dappen all 1.6 -- did you mean all 1.6 billion muslims? >> i mean a lot of him. >> donald says what people wish they could say. >> you can be political collect if you want, i don't want to be so politically correct. >> i'm not interested in being politically correct, i'm not, i'm interested in being correct. >> reporter: and senator rubio had several applause lines tonight, but so did all of other candidates, one thing i noticed early on in the debate, and it caught my attention,

were talking agent the -- about the things you want to hear candidates talk about. immigration, trade, cuba, social security, but i noticed it right away when they started asking about social security, and marco rubio was questioning some of donald trump's numbers, and the moderators sort of challenged donald trump to respond. watch some of these questions in give and takes. >> senator rubio says that your numbers don't add up, what's your response? >> well i don't know if he's saying that. >> did you just compare donald trump to hillary clinton? >> i'll let donald speak himself. >> senator cruz, donald trump has so far won 35 percent of the vote, those people are signing up to his vision of republican party. what do you think is wrong with that vision? >> reporter: basically what

setting it up, but the candidates not taking the bait. it's like they got together and said no personal attacks, candace mccowan is i didn't knowing me now, and you -- joins me now, you watched the same debate. much different with no low blow, what did you notice? >> reporter: it was 24 minutes into the debate before i heard an insult, from donald trump talking agent the democrat, and ted cruz really tried to make this about him and donald trump, and also hearing other things about you know, the other candidates hitting trump, not with insults, but with issues. i talked to political reporter mark caputo to get his ideas. >> a lot of people wanted this debate on issue, but were bored by it, but marco rubio really faded, so you wonder if he's

on, or if he's slowly saying good bye. >> reporter: yeah, so donald trump not the only person calling the debate boring. the question now is this really enough for marco rubio, but we have to wait until tuesday to find out. >> reporter: yes, marco rubio is behind donald trump by double digits when it comes to the polls. there's a lot to overcome. what i take away from the debate, senator rubio had a great night, was it enough to make it a big difference? and the big key endorsement coming tomorrow, dr. ben carson, and also john kasich was strong, but still the outsider. i think you're right, it's a two-man race, will marco rubio be in the race tuesday? we'll have to wait and see, and everybody is coming out saying my candidate did the best, right here behind us is where it all starts.

final sell. >> reporter: yes, it's been interesting to watch. two debates back to back here in miami, and meanwhile jim back to you. >> all right, keith cate and candace mccowan, thank you both so much for that coverage, and we want to know what you think. who did you think won tonight's republican debate? come to www.wfla.com to vote in our online poll. turning now to the democrats, hillary clinton and sanderson are pushing for the support of tampa bay voters, both making stops in the area today, and sanderson held a rally at the fairground tonight. melanie michael is live. >> reporter: yes, it was packed tonight, and supporters were excited about the big win in michigan and today they showed up to feel the bern. he took the stage to a deafening round of applause, visibly energized by the large turn out, but before addressing the crowd, he spent a few

>> looks like we have 7over 8,000 people in the -- 7 or 8,000 people in the next room, so that's exciting. >> reporter: he specifically mentioned the future of tampa bay. >> i think we have an agenda that would work well in the area. >> reporter: and sanderson gave a shout out to bay area seniors. >> florida has a lot of senior citizens, my plan is to increase social security benefits, take on republicans >> reporter: and you know in the end the rally total numbers were pretty impressive by these standards. they say abouted thousand people showed up, it was -- about 9,000 them showed up, it was a -- of them showed up, it was a packed venn view, and we went a -- venue, and we went a little off topic with sanderson in our interview, no politics,

snack he is eats on the trip, and bands -- trail, and bands he like, and his answers might surprise you, if you want to know the answers go to our facebook page, and we have the whole interview right there for you. >> getting the inside school. melanie michael live for us from the florida state fairgrounds thank you. the last time hillary clinton visited the tampa bay area she was trying to secure the democratic nomination against senator obama in 2008. today she spoke to a capacity crowd at the ritz, and hundreds listened as she urged people to get out and vote. >> i will fight for you every day through this campaign, and most importantly if i'm so honored as to be your president. >> florida's presidential preference primary is march 15th. early voting is going on now. everything you need to know about voting in the primary is on www.wfla.com. time for other news,

drive by shooter, the gunman opened fire hitting two people. one of them was just 3 years old. now it happened at a house in south st. petersburg, and a group of people were sitting on the porch one minute and ducking for cover the next, and tonight on 8 we're hearing from the little girl's family. paul mueller is live, and how's that little girl doing? >> reporter: just three years old, jayla shot once inspect stomach -- in the stomach and taken to all children, and she's okay, that's the good news, and the family saying they want to see the person that did this off the street for good. bullet holes serve as a remindser of terror that -- red minder of the -- reminder of the terror that took place here. >> it sounded like fireworks, but never stopped. >> reporter: a neighbor that

herd the gunshots -- heard the gunshots, called # 11, and saw -- 911, and saw the little girl. a white car drove by the house in broad daylight, and sprayed the porch with bullets. the 3-year-old and a 23-year- old are both hit and rushed to the hospital. >> really horrible, it's disgusting, it's not even horrible, it's unspeakable for you to shoot a child. >> reporter: st. petersburg police converged on the area, crime scene tape is put up for blocks, evidence markers all over the street, and disgust fills the air. >> just starting to live her life, and whoever did this needs to be in prison. >> reporter: but just look around, so many children live here, the police chief taking them away from the violence, the mayor later arrive, they're fed autopsy, enough is enough. -- up. enough is enough. >> our guys are going to find you, we'll get you and put you behind bars. >> reporter: police say it's not a random act, they could have been targeting the 23-year-

last year. >> it's sad you don't care about anybody in the house, whether it's kids or old people, that's really sad. >> reporter: and jayla expected to be just fine. the 23-year-old treated and released, and the shooter still on the run tonight. josh? >> good to hear the little girl will be okay. paul mueller live in st. petersburg, thanks. new tonight a wild high speed chase caught on camera in polk county. >> here it comes. a witness posted this video on youtube of this morning's pursuit. you can see the sheriffs vehicles chasing a white pickup truck. at one point it drove through a pasture, ditch, crashed into another truck and kept going before the deputies caught up with him. a sick secret language used by predators.

ending up on a child's toy, but now we're digging deeper into the symbols and thousand spot

(vo) you can check on them. you can worry about them. you can even choose a car for them. (mom) honey, are you ok? (child) i'm ok. (announcer vo) love. (mom) we're ok. (announcer vo) it's what makes a

frightening account, an 11-year- old girl told detectives a man tried to abduct her at a bus stop, and now she admits she made it up. they had drawn up a sketch of the man, but today she said she made up the story because she didn't want to walk home from school. >> finally mom broke the child and the child said yeah, i lied. but the reason she lied is she has to walk from wrote the bus drops her off -- where the bastrops her off approximately one mile home. >> the girl wrote a letter to the sheriffs office saying i'm true. i never meant to hurt anyone or for it to get this big. i'm truly sorry for making the

she'll be charged with a misdemeanor and get counseling. tonight an 8 on your side investigation. >> seedy symbols, secret symbols on children's toys. know. a bay area company is investigating how a pedophile logo made its way on to its toys. it's offering refunds, and steve andrews found a series of symbols pedophiles use to communicate their desires. >> reporter: these monster jam shows are produced by feld entertainment, a company located locally. it sells sowf anywheres like this -- souvenirs like this truck pillow. nicole picked one up in syracuse, new york, then discovered the double heart is a symbol for pedophile.

mama bear, and i was angry and wanted to get answers. >> reporter: people that sexually abuse children, and those that distribute and trade child porn use various logos or symbols to recognize one another and distinguish sexual preferences. the double heart or girl lover logo similar localizes the relationship with a minor girl. these tampa moms had no idea. >> i've never heard of that. >> and we have lots of toys and never seen that or thought to look for it. >> reporter: have you ever heard of that? >> i have not. >> reporter: feld vice president of communications states the pillow was pulled from service, and it's offering refunds or exchanges. according to him, in 30 plus years they never had an issue with toys or recall. the company is looking into all products associated with the

it doesn't know if there was an accident, oversight, or intentional. >> feld maintains it would never put disturbing imagery on product, and if customers want to get an exchange or refund they'll take care of it. >> but i mean, who would really know this? both of us were thinking it's like a foreign language. >> yeah, and it was for the moms i spoke with today, and one law enforcement agency said they'd never heard of symbols or logos, just something else parents need to know and worry about. >> as well as law enforcement at this point. >> absolutely. >> thank you steve. and another gorgeous day and ice evening for us, just a few -- nice evening for us, just a few clouds around, and a nice shot of monday taken by

picture, and tomorrow morning will be very mild. starting off in the mid-60s, heading into tomorrow afternoon. we'll top out in the low to mid- 80s again today up to 85. probably just a couple of degrees cooler tomorrow. we'll see a little more cloud cover around but heading into friday evening, still very comfortable in the mid-70s for you. so great day to head out to spring training. all week just awesome, pack the sun screen, you'll need it. a few clouds, but still plenty of sunshine, and temperatures near 80 to start each of these games. and unfortunately along with the great weather, we haven't seen much rain, and the pollen count is really high. a lot of folks complaining agent this, and i wish everyday -- about this, and i wish we had better news, we might get some rain sunday, but probably not quite enough to knock down the pollen count. but it won't hurt. mostly clear right now in tampa bay, and high pressure generally keeping us really

that southeast flow, and here's where the rain is though, heading towards texas, louisiana, mississippi, that area of low pressure just blocked these systems from moving to us, but left them training over the same areas. almost a foot of rain in northwest louisiana over the last 48 hours, so they're hour still. so as you wake up tomorrow morning for us, mild to begin the day, mid-60s, mix and sun of clouds, friday afternoon looking awesome, great beach weather for spring break. mid-80ings. partly cloudy -- mid-80s. partly cloudy skies, and a warm start to the weekend, mid-60s saturday to begin the day, and by saturday afternoon more clouds around, but the rain chances looking low for saturday. only a slim 10 percent chance of a passing shower. the better rain chances come in sunday, some showers developing i think by the early afternoon hours, lasting mainly through

rain, not too stormy, and if you have weekend plans like heading to the grand prix sunday, unfortunately the rain could be an issue, and of course remember to set your night. we spring forward, and into next week, even behind this system not really much in the way of cooler air. still in the low 80s all the way through next week, and i know a lot of folks looking forward to the rain, i know jennifer leigh, the allergies are rough, but i wonder if we'll see enough to really knock it down. >> we need a big glass of rain. >> maybe a little bit. >> i'll take anything, it's miserable. coming up next in sports, high winds causing trouble for some of golf's big names. >> and he was once a defensive football player, tonight he's the bucs 32 million-dollar

with all the attention to the bucs defense this off- season, the retirement of logan remind us there are two sides, and the bucs found themselves with a big hole on the offensive sign, but enter sweezy, he's a great story, he comes from seattle, and he was an offensive lineman there, so why leave? he says the bucs offense is headed the right direction. >> everybody says we're on the brink of something special here, and you know, when you

it, you know, it's -- about it, it's real, something, something's going on here, and it's something i want to be a part of. >> and the tampa bay storm opened training camp, the first order of business, get the quarterback position solidified, right now there's one quarterback in camp with help on the way. but quarterback or not, the playoffs are still an expectation for the head coach lauren samuels. >> -- lawrence samuels. >> you know, you can't wait to actually get it on the field after planning the offense and put it into motion. >> we're set opt playoffs, man, so once everybody gets here, you know, ain't no telling what might happen. we just want to be at home hosting in the end. >> and world number one golfer jordan spieth not only has work to do to defend his title at the valspar championship, he

just to see the weekend. there were some bad shot, but then shots like these. barber, two hops in the hole. an eagle. he finished even on the day. charles howell, watch this one, the winds had slow down in the afternoon. sticks that easy birdie. he's four under, and part of a three-way tie atop the leader board at 4 under with bradley and duke. hadley a stroke back. and the rays jennings had a hot bat, he's five or ten this spring, seven runs batted in. he needs it. the rays win it 5-1 behind

innings for drew smile lee -- smiley. and college basketball, the bulls win it 71-66. they're going to play temple tomorrow. florida plays tomorrow, and beat arkansas today, and the hurricanes winning in their game with a couple minutes left. >> nothing worse than wind in golf. other guess rain doesn't help. >> no matter where it's blowing. >> but five over on the day. >> that's a big hole. >> yes, all right, thank you,

cash 3, 9, 5, 0, play 4, 0, 9, 9, 5. and the forecast? >> things looking be the rest of tonight. quiet and mild, temperatures falling back into the mid-60s, tomorrow afternoon back up to 83. another dry day, partly cloudy skies, great one to head out to the beach. the rain chances mainly just on sunday for us. >> all right, sounding good, and in the night cap, 14 dogs getting a new leash on life after being rescued from a puppy mill in arkansas.

society in tampa bay, and are getting checked out. they'll eventually be put up for adoption. >> how cute are they? that does it for us. jimmy fallon is up next. >> have yourself a great night.

[ cheers and applause ] >> steve: from studio 6b in rockefeller center in the heart of new york city, it's "the