sunlen serfati, thanks so much. i know it was tough talking with the crowd, the rousing crowd there. so good job on that. we'll check back with you. let's talk more about this, katrina pearson, national spo spokewoman for the trump campaign and bob beckel, a democratic strategist. both of you joining us right now. bob, you first. you're seeing the crowd that has turned out of mostly supporters there. hard to know exactly what was being said clearly and, you know, why they were also being escorted out. so, how do you kind of assess the scene right there, because on one hand, trump is saying, as we heard from sunlen, he says, it's a beautiful thing that people can speak their mind, at the same time, people are escorted out. what do you make of what just happened? >> i'm glad to see that trump has sort of changed his tune. not too many weeks ago, a protester was beat up and thrown out by trump supporters and trump said, "i think the guy deserves it." so i'm glad to see he's changed that, at least. but what you see here

cnn's sunlen serfaty has latest. >> reporter: good morning.rump is trying to capitalize on the comments made by hillary clinton. claims she made in saturday's debate that isis is using trump in videos to recruit fighters. donald trump wasting no time. hitting back calling clinton a liar. saying the claims she made, them and demanding an apology. - >> you see hillary. did you watch that? what happened to her? she's terrible. donald trump is on video and isis is using him on the video to recruit. it turned out to be a lie. she's a liar. it turned out to be a lie. turned out to be a lie. and the last person that she wants to run against is me, believe me. believe me. >> reporter: the clinton campaign is pushing right back defending her claim. saying she wasn't referring to a specific video, but rather isis using rhetoric as a tool for propaganda. the clinton campaign asked if she will apologize. her spokesperson saying quote hell no. hillary clinton will not be apologizing. for trump, this line of attack from hillary clinton helps him fire up his

sunlen, you keep us posted. appreciate it so much. >>> terror and national security will be the main topic at tuesday night's republican debate in las vegas and as you can see, it is still a pretty large field of gop candidates right there. joining me right now, larry sabado, director of the university of politics for virginia. so larry, trump leading with voters on the issue of terrorism, according to polling. what did the others on stage, really, what do all of the candidates need to say, how do they need to establish themselves as it pertains to national security with isis and other terrorist threats being global throats? >> well, fred, the obvious thing is they have to make a case for their own experience and ability to deal with terrorism and national security. but we're at the point now, where it's time to put away the playing of paddy cake. we're down to the end here. it's six weeks until iowa. and it's pretty clear that except in iowa, where ted cru may now be the front-runner, rather than donald trump,

>> sunlen, thank you very much.n hear, donald trump is going to be appearing behind sunlen. we'll be monitoring that for you and bring you live as he starts to talk about hillary clinton. "outfront" now, host of "the money matters" and amanda carpenter, former communications director for senator ted cruz. wes, let me start with you. huge 21 points in the latest national poll. are the other republican candidates running out of time to stop him? do you buy this national polling? >> i do. this polling is very indicative of the tide in america. there's an unmistakable tide and it's anti-establishment. and that's exactly what trump is. quite frankly, it's what cruz is as well. you see who is leading the gop and they are taking advantage of it and the establishment tide. you go back to june, july when trump just got into the race, it was a fad kapd, a fad fand. it turns out that it's too late for a lot of the other gop field to make up any ground on trump at this point. >> amanda, do you accept trump as inevitable? >> no.

he hangs around because of what sunlen was laying out there. look, when you move into march, suddenly you have a bunch of other states light up. 13 states in one early day there. hundreds of delegates up for grab, including some of those southern states, including texas, his own home where he should do very well. so his idea is just stay in striking range and he's got the ground game out there, erin, to make it happen in a lot of places. >> so if he, though -- when you go through the ground game, you get a lot of second, that's good. but he still loses, right? it's close but no cigar? >> that's exactly right. however, there are several ways in which that may not be the way it plays out. first of all, what if trump does stumble in all of this. sunlen mentioned a minute ago, if trump gets into trouble, he's positioned to grab all of those voters. what if cruz gains momentum? what if he has some big win somewhere? and he could. and suddenly people say, he looks like the guy right now. that changes it. and again, being in position everywhere helps

boris and christine. >> sunlen serfaty, thank you. traveling with trump in michigan. >>> breaking overnight. a texas grand jury deciding not to indict anyone in sandra bland's death. the 28-year-old found hanging from a noose at the wahler county jail. she incarcerated after a traffic stop in july. police say she committed suic e suicide, but her family disputes that. the grand jury will reconvene in january to take up any remaining issues in the case. she failed to signal and her family says three day later she is in jail. bernie sanders s there is no doubt in my mind that she, like other african-americans in custody would be alive if she were a white woman. >>> let's bring in cnn's political reporter eric bradner. we have talked about the politics for a couple of days now. clinton said she will not here is a statement from her campaign. it reads, quote hillary clinton will not apologize to trump for pointing out how his hateful rhetoric helps recruit more terrorists. how does this land with voters? clinton is the least trust worthy

sunlen serfaty is "outfront."t almost seems like ted cruz is wishing that it has become a two-man race but is that now where they are also focusing their campaign strategy? >> kate, i think for the cruz campaign, framing this race as a two-man showdown really plays into the certain narrative that they really want right now, especially as they try to consolidate republicans and it presents cruz alternatives to trump and outplays positioning in the race and that's the key here. rubio is the candidate that they have been focused on and still very much are but this declaration that it's a two-person race allows them to project all of that without having a say at all. >> that's exactly right. that's exactly what those campaigns are about. cruz is clearly happy about the polls that are out but also furious about a very different issue on the campaign. how has cruz responded? >> he's been out on the campaign trail all day today in oklahoma really blasting "the washington post" bringing it up multiple times depicting his

sunlen serfati is in los angeles with ted cruz. let's start with jeff. donald trump's speech in arizona, almost like a self-declared victory lap. >> anderson, it certainly seems that way. if donald trump was subdued last night, he certainly was not today. he entered this rally in dramatic fashion. he was landing his airplane right in the front of a hangar. loud, loud music from the air force one sound track. not surprisingly here. so this is all part of his plan to, you know, if you say you're winning, you are winning, you keep winning. but boy, anderson, there was no specifics about policy. there was nothing really discussed that would, you know, change any voters' minds, if someone sort of came to him with an open mind and wasn't quite sure about him. he talked about how he's leading in the polls. he listed 13 separate online polls. he read from a sheet of paper, saying he won the debate last night. so donald trump is obsessed about these polls, about winning. the question is, if he ever does not win in one of the actual contests in iowa or new hampshi

we heard the back and forth in sunlen's piece.s cruz believes a lot of the same things he does, doesn't understand why this line of attack. cruz says there's an ocean's length of distance between them. but let's fact check this for a second. when rubio was working with the gang of eight, kmkts and republicans pushing his immigration reform bill that would have offered a path to citizenship for the undocumented immigrants in this country, cruz did offer an amendment that took away the path to citizenship but kept a path to legal status. is that right? >> it is right but it's part of the alice in wonder land part of congress that we see sometimes. because what you see -- what it appears to be isn't really the meaning. so let me just explain that. yes, it is accurate that ted cruz did offer an amendment to allow undocumented immigrants to stay legally, but the reason he did that was what is called on capitol hill a poison pill. he only offered that to try to kill that piece of legislation. >> that's not what he said at the time. >> t

cnn's sunlen serfaty has the latest. >> reporter: good morning. donald trump has a dominating lead in the republican field. the cnn/orc poll shows trump on top with 39%. that is more than double against ted cruz. on handling the economy, on immigration and isis. voters all said trump is the best equipped candidate by a commanding margin. meanwhile, trump is in this war of words with hillary clinton. clinton speaking out responding to trump's vulgar rhetoric. >> i really deplore the tone of his campaign and the inflammatory rhetoric that he is using to divide people. >> reporter: donald trump is hitting back tweeting, hillary, when you complain about a penchant for sexism. who are you referring to? i have great respect for women. be careful. she said she doesn't want to personally respond to trump because he thrives on that exchange. >>> thank you. ted cruz feuding with the media over a cartoon as a fund raising opportunity. his daughters were mocked in an ad depicting them as organ grinding monkeys. the cartoon proofs the liberal media is desperat

cnn's sunlen serfaty zeroing in on that rivalry on the trail in l.a.ith cruz. >> reporter: good morning, cristina and boris. this clash, this front that has been opened up with marco rubio and ted cruz. i asked cruz about his new laser focus on marco rubio. the battle that has been set up and brewing for some time. if that is an indication that he is a little nervous about rubio's rise. he said i'm not nervous. he said rubio's nervous. >> i think rubio's campaign understands if conservatives continue to unite. they don't have a path to victory. their own hope is to launch false attacks. that is something they have been doing more and more. >> reporter: trying to create momentum, ted cruz will kickoff his 12-city 12-state week long barn storming tour. he will hit all super tuesday states. the states vote in march. trying to set the tone and invest in a longer campaign. boris. >> no love lost. thank you. >>> terrorism and the most recent victims on the president's schedule the rest of the week. the president will visit the national counter terrorism cent

as sunlen serfaty reports... a new poll shows him than three of his donald trump dominating the g- o-p field. a new cnn/orc poll showstrump on top with 39 percent support. more than double his next closest opponent, ted cruz. trump's lead is even more definitive.when measured by the depth of his support on issue after issue. on handling the economyimmig ration. ..and isisvoters all deem trump the best equipped candidate..by commanding natsot/trump:"she was favored to win and she got schlonged, she lost, i mean she lost." the frontrunner...thou gh...still in the storm...caused by his latest controversy... (donald trump, (r) presidential candidate): "i'm watching the debate, and she disappeared! where did she go!? where did she go!? (butt to) "i know where she went, it's disgusting, i don't want to talk about it." and now, hillary clinton for the first timeresponding directly to trump's vulgar rhetoric about her (hillary clinton, (d) presidential candidate):"i really deplore the tone of rhetoric that he is using to

judicial review process. 3 donald trump is rock solid on top of the republican presidential field.as sunlen serfaty reports...a new poll shows him with more support than three of his closest rivals combined. 3 donald trump dominating the g-o-p field.a new cnn/orc poll showstrump on top with 39 percent support. more than double his next closest opponent, ted cruz.trump'p' lead is even more definitive.when measured by the depth of his support on issue after issue.on handling the economyimmigration. ..and isisvoters all deem trump the best equipped candidate..by commanding margins.natsot/trump:"she was favored to win and she got schlonged, she lost, i iean she lost."the frontrunner...t hough...still in the storm...caused by his latest controversy...(donald trump, (r) presidential candidate): "i'm watching the debate, and she disappeared! where did she go!? where did she go!? (butt it's disgusting, i don't want to talk about it."and now, hillary clinton for the first timeresponding directly to trump's vulgar rhetoric about her(hillary clinton, (d) presidential candidate):"i really deplore the t

>> sunlen, serfaty, thank you so much. some serious fighting words out there. other republicans have called vladmir putin a bully and a thug but that hasn't stopped donald trump from saying he will get along with the russian president. >> why russia keeps coming in and the implications that these comments might have. for years to come. how can you help? by giving a little more, to yourself. i am running for my future. people sometimes forget to help themselves. the cause is retirement, and today thousands of people came to race for retirement and pledge to save an additional one percent of their income. if we all do that we can all win. prudential bring your challenges® get fast-acting, long-lasting relief from heartburn with it neutralizes stomach acid and is the only product that forms a protective barrier that helps keep stomach acid in the stomach where it belongs. for fast-acting, long-lasting relief. try gaviscon®. for fast-acting, long-lasting relief. when a moment turns romantic why pause to take a pill? or stop to find a bathroom? cialis for daily use

sunlen serfaty has more. >> reporter: good morning, alison.ld trump has a dominating lead in the republican field. the cnn poll shows trump on top with 39% support. that is more than double ted cruz. trump's lead is more definitive when measured by the depth of issues. on handling the economy and isis. voters say trump is the best candidate by a commanding margin. he is in a war of words with hillary clinton. speaking out to trump's vulgar rhetoric. thinking trump has a penchant for sexism. >> i really deplore the tone of his campaign and the inflammatory rhetoric that he is using to divide people. >> reporter: donald trump is hitting right back tweeting out quote, hillary, when you complain about a penchant for sexism, who are you referring to? i have great respect for women. be careful. clinton saying she doesn't want to continue to respond to him personally because he thrives on that. >>> and ted cruz feuding with the media over a cartoon and now using that to fund raise. he is upset over the washington post using the ad as his daughters di

sunlen serfaty has the story... donald trump dominating the g-o-p field. a new cnn/orc poll shows...trump on top with 39 percent support.... more than double his next closest opponent, ted cruz. trump's lead is even more definitive....when measured by the depth of his support on issue after issue. on handling the economy......immigrati on.... ..and isis...voters all deem trump the best equipped candidate.....by commanding margins. natsot/trump:"she was favored to lost, i mean she lost." the frontrunner...thou gh...still in the storm...caused by his latest controversy... presidential candidate: "i'm watching the debate, and she disappeared! go!? "i know where she went, it's disgusting, i don't want to talk about it."and now, hillary clinton for the first time...responding directly to trump's vulgar rhetoric about her presidential candidate:"i really deplore the tone of his campaign and the inflammatory rhetoric that he is using to divide people."...clinton saying she thinks trump has a "penchant for sexism." presidential candidate: "i don't know that he has

>> sunlen, thank you very much. again, less than two months away from those critical iowa caucuses.e the reporting tonight. >>> straight ahead, you saw it right there, donald trump on a roll nationwide and particularly in iowa after yet another poll has him far ahead of his rivals. >> and about what happened to us just now with the two sleaze bags that did what they did, where they killed 14 people, probably end up being more than that by the time it's over with because people are in very, very serious shape. >> but some in the gop worried about what it means for the party. we will talk about it with ben and mark next. stay with me. >>> our heros don't fly, they soar. ♪ >> i don't see barriers, i see solutions. >> connecting with the communities along the way helps re-establish your faith in humanity. >> love you. >> love you, too. >> don't give up on yourself, because you're still worthy. >> see the stars come out to celebrate the change makers. >> we all love to pay tribute, and this is a way we really can. >> people who are living the work they are doing every day. >> going to be

. >> sunlen serfaty is "outfront." how significant is that? >> no doubt it will be a boost for ted cruz but the question is how big of a boost and jump will he get from this? i think the biggest significance is what he can do for his campaign, especially in the short term in iowa. very influential among christian evangelicals and so his endorsement will certainly go a long way with this key voting booth. they make up 60% of the voters in iowa. that will certainly go a long way but has a potential to give him a burst of momentum. we saw ted cruz today responding to this endorsement and him make specific mention of that. also, really notably calling on conservatives saying it's time to coalesce around him at this moment. >> sunlen, thank you very much. >>> and cruz's ride to the top has been a long time in the making. ed lavandera is "outfront" with that. >> i cannot wait to stand on the debate stage with hillary clinton. >> reporter: a confident ted cruz finds himself in second place in the latest national polls. the texas senator is running se

wolf. >> sunlen, thank you.ry and all the latest political news turn to jeff zeleny, our senior politics digital correspondent chris moody and chief political correspondent dana bash. jeff, they're going after each other, cruz and rubio, but why aren't they going after the front-runner right now donald trump? >> wolf, a couple reasons. one, it's difficult to go after donald trump. we've seen example after example this year of republican rivals who have tried and failed. but more importantly they really are as sunlen said turning out to be this alternative to him. most republicans still think there will be a moment when voters will really reflect on this race and wonder if donald trump is actually the serious candidate for this job. so both rubio and cruz want to be in that position. and they're sort of occupying the same space here. they're so similar in background and biography. and in politics really until these few differences that we're seeing now. that's why they're going after each other to sort of block o

sunlen, thank you very much. >>> and tomorrow on "state of the union," 9:00 a.m. eastern is when you'll see jake tapper's one-on-one with donald trump, also where you'll hear for the first time who will make the coveted main stage for the last gop debate of the year. that debate just three days away, tuesday night in las vegas. cnn partnering with the salem radio network on the debate. to find the debate on your radio in your area, go to salemmedia.com. >>> well, last night donald trump called surging gop rival ted cruz, quote, a nice guy. >> one guy that's doing pretty good with me in iowa is ted cruz. he's a nice guy. i mean, everything i say he agrees with me. no matter what i say. i was going to do one really wild, but he agrees. >> so which is it, because cruz implied that he killed trump with kindness. what do cruz's supporters think of that strategy? next. ♪ ♪ you may not even think about the energy that lights up your world. but we do. we're exxonmobil. and the cleaner-burning natural gas we produce generates more of our electricity than ever before... ...

for that, let's go to sunlen serfati in los angeles. did cruz address trump at all today? >> reporter: well, keeping in line with last night's debate, anderson, ted cruz said not a single bad word about donald trump today. it was all positive. and he really seemed to go out of his way to praise donald trump today, saying he's energized and happy that a lot of voters will potentially coming out to vote. this is a well-masked strategy by ted cruz here, making sure he doesn't alienate trump's supporters, wants to woo them over to his side, if they should come. and he seems for the most part really determined to stick to that strategy, at least publicly, and for the short term, really hone in his sights on marco rubio. >> and he's suggesting rubio's campaign is now nervous. what do you have to say about that? >> reporter: that's right. at least four times today, ted cruz mentioned that he does think that rubio and his campaign are getting a little nervous. and that was the reason he said he thinks they clashed repeatedly during last night's debate. but this, of course, has bee

cnn sunlen serfaty is following the camp today. >> well, jake, both candidates really hitting the othern the perceived inconsistencies. ted cruz right now wrapping up his campaign event in virginia where this really big emergent of this dynamic between the two candidates has become quickly the center of gravity in the gop race. and it's really showing no signs of letting up and getting more heated by the day. the war of words between marco rubio and ted cruz taking a sharp personal turn. >> i oppose amnesty. marco rubio supports amnesty. >> the rivals not only arguing over their roles in the 2013 immigration reform fight, but now openly baiting each other accusing the other of lying to gain a political edge. >> senator rubio unfortunately made the decision not to honor the promises he made to the men and women who elected him. and i made a very different decision. >> the cruz campaign launching a new offensive in the battle debuting a tv ad connecting rubio's work on the comprehensive immigration reform bill to voters' fears over national security. >> that's why i fought so hard to defe

you know, her campaign aides as sunlen was just talking about she didn't necessarily mean a video.he sort of meant he could be a rekrucruiting tool. but you know what, facts matter. we're all very hard on donald trump when he makes claims about videos that may or may not exist and she should have the same scrutiny. it's actually unfortunate for her because other than that she had a pretty strong debate. >> here's donald trump earlier this morning on the "today" show speaking about this, chris. listen to this. >> i will demand an apology from hillary, okay. you can be the messenger. i will demand an apology from hillary. she should apologize. she lies about e-mails. she lies about whitewater. she lies about everything. she will be a disaster. >> strong words from donald trump. i assume it makes him stronger among republicans to say that. and it makes her stronger among democrats to have a spokesman go out and say, hell no, she's not apologizing. >> i think that's precisely right because we're talking about a primary process here and hillary is talking to hard core democrats, donald

sunlen serfaty has more. >> reporter: making the point he believes the government should be monitor thep went affair the mother and sister of the california shooters using much stronger language than he has in the past, insinuating that he believes they knew the plans and the intentions of the shooters ahead of time. here is what he said over the weekend in iowa. >> i believe the sister of the killer, i watched her interviewed. i think she knew what was going on. i think -- excuse me. i think his mother knew what was going on. she went into the apartment. anybody that went into that house or that apartment knew what was going on. they didn't tell the authorities. they knew what was going on. the mother knew. i think the sister interviewed, i think she knew. we better get a little tough and a little smart or we're in trouble. >> reporter: trump has also been trying to gain a little traction on the issue of k-1 or fiance visa. this visa program under more tense excrete knee since the shootings and the female shooter coming to the united states on that fiancee visa. trump telling the audie

. >> thank you, sunlen serfaty. >> bowe bergdahl is now facing a military court, and could spend a life prison if he is found guilty of desertion. we will catch up to what has happened in fort bragg, and what bergdahl could face next. >>> u.s. army sergeant bowe bergdahl made his first appearance before a military judge. no cameras were allowed in the courtroom, but we did seiberg dal when he left the building clean shaven and in uniform. he has stayed out of the spotlight and trying to keep a relatively low profile since his rele release from the taliban last year. you remember that he disappeared from the u.s. military base in afghanistan in 2009. the taliban captured bergdahl and held him captive for five years. he was later freed in a controversial prisoner swap for five gitmo detainees released. nick valencia was in the courtroom, and in fort bragg, north carolina, and also in the st studio, is larry solis, and former jag attorney and let's go out to you, nick valencia, what did you see in the courtroom? >> well, about ten minutes before the arraignment got under way, it was as if

cnn's sunlen serfati has details. marco rubio and ted cruz really went at it last night.ter: well, wolf, today is no exception. they both have been going after each other today, and i asked earlier today, senator cruz, this kind of laser focus that he suddenly has on marco rubio. it's a sign that maybe he's getting nervous by the challenge rubio poses. and he says, no, he thinks that rubio is the one that is nervous right now. this battle between the two senators has certainly been brewing quietly for quite some time, but tonight it's boiling over. the gop leaving las vegas with new battle lines drawn. >> everyone on that stage talks tough. it's easy. i like to stand here tonight and say we're going to utterly destroy isis. we're going to blow them up. we're going to make the sand glow. that's easy to say. what are you going to do it with? >> reporter: the sparring between marco rubio and ted cruz moving from the debate stage to the campaign trail today. >> i think senator rubio's campaign understands that if conservatives continue to unite, they don't have a path to vict

>> sunlen serfaty, thank you. >>> let's talk a little bit about what is going on between ted cruz and donald trump, political commentator and former cia analyst, buck sexon with us. also with us, katrina. you first. it seems like there was a bromance between trump and cruz. now gloves are off. what happened. >> this is a competition. only one person can win. it was pretty much known from the beginning that eventually they were going to have to begin to show the voters who they are compared to each other. and that's what's happening today. you saw senator cruz in his little video, his leaked video talk about carson and mr. trump because those are the top three outsiders and it's coming down to the wire. >> and so buck, is this kind of the beginning or is this what happens when you've got less than two months away from the first primary caucus? >> i think this is gentle and gentlemanly stuff between these two as far as politic goes. you essentially have trump making a couple minor jabs here and there. cruz is already coming out saying i'm not going to get into a steel cage fight for don

for that, let's go to sunlen serfati in los angeles. did cruz address trump at all today?er: well, keeping in line with last night's debate, anderson, ted cruz said not a single bad word about donald trump today. it was all positive. and he really seemed to go out of his way to praise donald trump today, saying he's energized and happy that a lot of voters will potentially coming out to vote. this is a well-masked strategy by ted cruz here, making sure he doesn't alienate trump's supporters, wants to woo them over to his side, if they should come. and he seems for the most part reallyer

sunlen fresh back from trip. just to underline this, trump's number in this poll is more than double that of his next closest rival. >> that's right. he is by far ahead 20 points ahead over the entire rest of the republican field. and more revealing this poll shows republicans are coming around to the idea that they have the best chance at winning the white house by nominating trump. donald trump dominating the gop field. a new cnn/orc poll shows trump on top with 39% support, more than double his next closest opponent ted cruz. trump's lead is even more definitive when measured by the depth of his support on issue after issue on handling the economy, isis and immigration, voters all deem trump the best equipped candidate by commanding margin. >> she was favored to win and she got schlonged. she lost. >> reporter: storm caused by his latest controversy. >> i'm watching the debate and she disappeared. where did she go? where did she go? i know where she went. it's disgusting. i don't want to talk about it. >> repo

sunlen, thank you so much. >>> let's talk about this with cnn politics editor mark preston.is falling behind cruise, but the new york times/cbs poll, trump is far behind there. help explain to people what is that gap, because it's a significant one there. >> it is significant, and it's a very good question because it can be very confusing. very simply it's this, donald trump is being seen nationally several times a day being interviewed by television networks, including our own, getting his own message out, trying to build support for his campaign, so that's why you see his support build and certainly stronger than what we're seeing in iowa, even though he is doing well in iowa. in iowa, the voters in iowa have an opportunity, christi, to meet the dozen or so candidates seeking the nomination and in many cases get to meet them personally, they have more of a familiarity with the other candidates in the race, so when you're looking at the state polls versus the national polls, that's the reason why. in some cases we see that in new hampshire, as well, chris christie in new ha

let's bring in dana bash and national correspondent sum sunl sunlen. then this happened.went from hints to outright statements coming from the trump campaign. when i asked a campaign spokesperson who that warning was about, here's what she told me. >> hillary clinton has some nerve to talk about the war on women and the bigotry towards women when she has a serious problem if her husband. i can think of quite a few women who have been bullied by hillary clinton. we have go there, but the thing about hillary is she needs to be very careful. >> bill clinton's past has now entered the race. >> isn't that the future. let's go back to the part you were reading about the night before christmas. i'm just kidding. you did it very well. it was only a matter of time before we got there. it's going to be front and center in the new year because hillary clinton regardless because hillary clinton said her husband is going to go back out on the campaign trail and be a public surrogate for her in a way he's done mostly in private this campaign season. the thing about it is that as we hav

. >> sunlen, thank you very much.ciate that. >>> next, a texas jury has decided not to indict anyone many in the case of san bra bland, the woman who died in police custody three days after she was arrested for failing to use a turn signal. her family calling that decision flawed. we'll discuss that, next. the only way to get better is to challenge yourself, and that's what we're doing at xfinity. we are challenging ourselves to improve every aspect of your experience. and this includes our commitment to being on time. every time. that's why if we're ever late for an appointment, we'll credit your account $20. it's our promise to you. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible. because we should fit into your life. not the other way around. >>> a texas grand jury decided d not to indict anyone in the death of san bra. bland. the 28-year-old african-american woman who was found dead in her jail cell just three days earlier she had been pulled over for allegedly failing to use a turn signal.

sunlen serfaty is joining us now. what's behind his recent surge?ll, his rise, wolf, has been fueled, in part, by his infli infli inflammatory and controversial rhetoric, he doesn't shy away from this. it plays well to his base and that might be a big reason why cruz is now within striking distance of donald trump. >> let me be very clear, i don't believe donald trump will be our nominee. >> reporter: ascending, within striking distance of donald trump in iowa. >> going to have to hit me, right? a sad day but we will hit back. >> reporter: the texas senator's success bringing greater scrutiny to provocative rhetoric, plenty in the last 48 hours alone, cruz turning voter's question about access to birth control -- >> what do you do? go, aha! the condom police. >> reporter: -- into a condemnation of democrats for what he sayses a fabricated narrative. >> when the war on women came up, republicans would curl up in a ball, they'd say, don't hurt me. jiminy cricket, this is a made-up, nonsense example. last i checked, we don't have a rubber shortage in a

sunlen, thank you so much. and donald trump is dismissing claims that his calls to temporarily ban muslims is rooted in bigotry, saying that some members of the islamic community have actually praised him for his actions. >> as you know i have muslim friends, they are phenomenal people. they are so happy at what i am doing. i was called by three people today. very big. they said you are doing a tremendous service. >> joining me now sar sabado, director of the university of virginia center for politics. larry, i guess it is no surprise that donald trump is saying muslims love me. they are supporting this. he's been embroiled in controversy since announcing his candidacy. now the ban on muslims. each time pundits say this is going to be the end but he may not maintains his lead. what can knock him out of the race. >> what could knock him out of the lead is real votes. this five month period of 50 states and d.c. and all of the territories voting. so let's remember the real race hasn't started. but it is perfectly

sunlen serfaty is in nashville following the republican race for the white house.ld trump said and how people today are reacting. >> well, wolf, when donald trump launched into that series of heated and personal attacks on hillary clinton, the crowd absolutely went wild. they seemed to love it. a big round of applause at each time he hit hillary clinton. again, demonstrates showing how well this line of attack works to his base. >> reporter: donald trump's rhetoric takes a vulgar turn, mocking clinton for taking a bathroom break during the debate saturday. >> i'm watching the debate and she disappeared. where did she go? where did she go? i know where she went. it's disgusting. i don't want to talk about it. no, it's too disgusting. don't say it, it's disgusting. we want to be very, very straight up, okay. >> reporter: using offensive language to describe her loss to barack obama in the 2008 campaign. >> she but was going -- favored to win and she got schlonged, she lost. she lost. >> reporter: clinton today in iowa hinting at trump's rhetoric. >> we shouldn't let