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GOP Rivals Make Their Case in CNN Town Hall; Cruz Versus Trump Fight Escalates; Obama Not Attending Scalia's Funeral; Retired Supreme Court Justice Weighs in on Scalia's Replacement Battle; Clinton, Sanders Hold Dueling Nevada Rallies; Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired February 18, 2016 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[10:00:24] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, the hottest four-letter word on the GOP trail? Liar.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Whenever anyone points to their actual record they start screaming liar, liar, liar.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you say something that isn't true and you say it over and over again and you know that it's not true, there is no other word for it.

COSTELLO: And that is just round one. Tonight round two of the CNN Republican town hall.

Also the Democrats in a dead heat in the Nevada desert. Fighting for the minority vote.

Can Clinton keep Nevada in her column? Or can Sanders sway the Silver State?

Plus, just get on with it. Straight talk from retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor over that open seat battle.

Let's talk. Live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me.

The Republican primary in South Carolina now just two days away, and the candidates are sprinting to the finish line in round one of CNN's town hall with us, Anderson Cooper, the candidates made their closing arguments selling themselves, jabbing at one another and condemning the nasty tone that infuses the race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBIO: Well, I've said he's been lying because if you say something that isn't true and you say it over and over again and you know that it's not true, there's no other word for it. And when it's about your record, you have to clear it up. CRUZ: Both Donald Trump and Marco Rubio are following this pattern,

that whenever anyone points to their actual record to what they've said, to what they've voted on, to what they've done, they start screaming liar, liar, liar. I mean, it is the oddest thing. I can't think of any precedent in any previous Republican presidential election.

CARSON: I think the American people are smart enough to be able to understand bluster and rhetoric versus truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Tonight round two of the CNN town hall meetings. John Kasich, Jeb Bush, and Donald Trump will field questions directly from the voters. Also in the audience tonight, 90-year-old Barbara Bush. The former first lady hoping to bolster the sagging campaign of her son, Jeb.

We have a lot to cover this morning so let's begin our coverage with CNN's Athena Jones. Good morning.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. There were some fire last night, some attacks that continued. We heard, as you just played, some of the repetition of these claims that one or another candidate is a liar. But we also saw some moments from -- well, you got to see the personal side of some of the candidates like Marco Rubio talking about whether he experienced racism growing up. And perhaps one of the most interesting things that Marco -- Senator Rubio said was when he made note of the fact that he had just been endorsed by an Indian American, Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina.

He also has been endorsed by a black Republican, Tim Scott, a senator from South Carolina, and that the three of them would be campaigning together. It was in line with the argument he's making about him -- his candidacy being one about the future of the Republican Party. And that mention of diversity was in line with that argument.

We also heard from Senator Ted Cruz talking about the fact that he is a U.S. citizen and eligible to run for president. Take a listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRUZ: I was a citizen by birth by virtue of my mother's citizenship. So I've never been naturalized. I've never breath the breadth of air on this planet when I was not a U.S. citizen. It was the act of being born that made me a U.S. citizen. So under the law, the question is clear. There will still be some who try to work political mischief on it, but as a legal matter, this is clear and straightforward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: In terms of who's trying to potentially work legal mischief, he's clearly talking about Donald Trump there who has threatened to file a lawsuit challenging Cruz's ability to run. And there were some lighter moments amid the attacks. We got to hear that Ben Carson likes to play pool, that he likes classical music and especially baroque. Marco Rubio likes electronic dance music and Ted Cruz likes to try to sing to his wife.

So the event covered all sorts of ground last night. And tonight, as you mentioned, we'll be looking to hear from Donald Trump, John Kasich, and Jeb Bush. Of course Barbara Bush joining him on the campaign trail later today and tonight. She's trying to help her son do well here in this key state. A state that's been very good to Bushes in the past. This is a contest that could really be a make or break moment for the Bush campaign -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Athena Jones reporting live from South Carolina.

Ted Cruz enjoying a major perk of last night's forum. He could reel against Trump without Trump reeling back against him. We'll expect that to change tonight when the billionaire seizes the spotlight in round two of the CNN town hall meetings.

[10:05:05] CNN's Sunlen Serfaty joins us now from Greenville, South Carolina, with the Trump side of the story. Good morning.

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol. Well, the Cruz campaign, of course, watching very closely what Donald Trump does next. And what he'll say at tonight's CNN town hall. We've really seen Ted Cruz in the last 24 hours really go on the offense on this issue, saying to Donald Trump over this threat of lawsuit, go ahead, sue me. Really issuing a big dare to Donald Trump.

And the Cruz campaign is pushing this issue really forcefully because they think it works for them. Not only are we spending the last day, really, talking about in the terms of this lawsuit, Donald Trump's record on abortion, but also they think that this reveals something about Donald Trump's authenticity, his character, his honesty, and they're happy with the contrast that draws with Ted Cruz.

And that's why we've seen Ted Cruz, like last night at the CNN town hall, lay into Donald Trump over this. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRUZ: I don't think anyone is surprised that Donald is threatening to sue people. He's done that most of his adult life. But this letter really was -- I practiced law 20 years, and this letter really pressed the bounds of the most frivolous and ridiculous letters I've seen. Most of the words in the ads are his own words on national television and his argument in the letter is running his own words was defamation.

It is, quite literally, the most ridiculous theory I've ever heard that telling the voters what Donald Trump's actual record is, is deceitful and lying.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SERFATY: Now we saw Ted Cruz last night celebrate a new NBC-Marist poll which showed him inching ahead so slightly ahead of Donald Trump nationally. He quickly came out on stage and said, I am the new national frontrunner, but there is a new poll out this morning from CBS which shows an entirely different landscape. That shows Trump nationally ahead 35 percent to Cruz at 18 percent. Well behind him there, nationally. Really shows the state of the play, and that poll is more consistent with other polls we're seeing, Carol, which still points to Donald Trump being the national frontrunner.

COSTELLO: That is indeed true. Sunlen Serfaty, reporting live from Greenville this morning.

So let's talk about this. Kayleigh McEnany, a Republican strategist and Trump supporter, is here along with John Avlon, editor-in-chief of the "Daily Beast" and CNN political analyst, and Margaret Hoover, a Republican consultant and CNN political commentator.

Welcome to all of you.

MARGARET HOOVER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: Good morning. So, Kayleigh, Donald Trump participates in tonight's town hall. Will he directly go on the attack against Ted Cruz?

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I think we'll expect to see him address the question because here's the thing, last night Ted Cruz said quite pointedly truth matters. But then he went on to mischaracterize Donald Trump's record as he's repeatedly done on Planned Parenthood, on the Second Amendment, on same-sex marriage. He is saying patently false things about Trump's record. For instance, he says Trump does not want to defund Planned Parenthood. False. Trump calls Planned Parenthood an abortion factory saying that they treat baby parts like automobile parts.

That is patently false. We will expect to see Donald Trump address that but we'll also see him be very good and engaging with voters. He's a very likable guy. Voters like him. So we'll also see that personal side of Donald Trump as well.

COSTELLO: OK. So one caveat to that, there's no evidence that Planned Parenthood trades baby parts like auto parts. So I just want to make that clear.

So John --

JOHN AVLON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Appreciate that clarification, Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, you know. You know, just like, you know, shed some truth in journalism, right? OK, so, John.

AVLON: Facts, you know.

COSTELLO: Facts. So, John, why does Trump feel the need to attack Cruz so fiercely when in most polls he leads Cruz by double digits?

AVLON: Well, I think Trump embodies the idea that in politics as in sports, the best defense is a good offense. That's worked for him incredibly well and Cruz is the guy in second place. He has been closing the gap in some states. So, you know, now that their bromance officially broke up a few months ago, this is really vicious. It's personal. The cease and desist letters are a little ridiculous, but there's also something a little absurd about them each calling each other liar. I mean, you know, both men have a tenuous relationship with the truth at times.

COSTELLO: OK. So, Margaret, I want to talk about Marco Rubio for just a bit because Governor Nikki Haley took the stage with Marco Rubio today. It was a very powerful image for the GOP. How much does Nikki Haley's endorsement help Marco Rubio?

HOOVER: Look, what's interesting is that Nikki Haley decided to wait three days before the vote this time to endorse instead of -- last time in 2012 you'll recall she endorsed Mitt Romney a month ahead of time. She is the most popular -- one of the most governors in America right now. Certainly one of the most popular Republican governors. Well over 55 percent of the state approves of her coming off of her really daft handling in the wake of the horrible shootings and taking down the confederate flag.

[10:10:01] So this matters to Marco Rubio. And this broke against Jeb Bush. I mean, Jeb Bush was also hoping for that endorsement. And what it does is it helps consolidate Marco Rubio as this third place candidate in South Carolina. And what was interesting when you look at last night's town hall, you had -- you have Cruz and Rubio, both vying for second in South Carolina. But a really different tonal approach between the two of them.

Cruz was clearly going after values voters, clearly going after South Carolina and the SEC primary participants over the next couple of weeks. Marco Rubio's message while not, you know, while still tenable to those voters was really more geared toward the general electorate. He spoke about sort of broader themes and unifying themes. He didn't hit social issues over and over and over again the way Ted Cruz did.

He didn't hit some of the really important issues that -- and sort of dog whistle issues that conservatives need to hear. And so what Marco is doing is this is -- puts wind in his sails certainly. It gives a new face to the party and it does sort of give him momentum going into beyond the SEC primary in the south.

COSTELLO: OK. So let's talk about these two very influential political types in South Carolina.

Kayleigh, why didn't Governor Nikki Haley or Senator Tim Scott get behind Donald Trump?

MCENANY: Because here's the thing. They want a mainstream sort of establishment guy. They want someone who's held political office. Oftentimes we see people with political pedigree want people with political pedigree. But here's the thing. And Ben Carson -- COSTELLO: But Nikki Haley is Tea Party. She's Tea Party backed.

MCENANY: She's Tea Party but she still --

COSTELLO: She was endorsed by Sarah Palin.

MCENANY: She's a conservative woman, but she is still a political figure. And a lot of people in politics have a problem with Donald Trump's rogue approach, saying it like it is, not the polished politician. He says what's on his heart and he gets into the heart of American voters with that. Nikki Haley is --

AVLON: OK. All right. Hold on there.

MCENANY: Part of the scripted politician approach.

AVLON: You know, before we wrap them up a little bit too much in the American flag, Nikki Haley is Tea Party but she's not troll party and that's the difference. The endorsement of Tim Scott and Nikki Haley matters a great deal and it also undercuts stereotypes about South Carolina. It starts at the Republican Party. The Republicans actually have a more diverse field of statewide elected than the Democrats. Not true among their base and certainly not among the House.

And South Carolina has one of the most diverse statewide elected slates in the country. And the fact that Haley and Rubio and Scott are standing together does send a message about a future look of the Republican Party. And while Trump has a lot of support among conservative populace that should not be dismissed, it's also not a great shock that, you know, the next generation of Republican politicians don't look at him and see this guy is appealing to the sense future as much as reaction to the past.

MCENANY: It sends the message the politics are --

(CROSSTALK)

MCENANY: It sends a message that politicians stick together.

AVLON: No, it's a lot deeper than that.

MCENANY: Yes, it does. Yes, it does.

AVLON: It's a lot deeper than that.

MCENANY: There's a reason Ben Carson and Donald Trump have been rejected from the get go. They don't fit the political narrative.

HOOVER: But to both of you, though, I will just say, this is an outsider's year. There are people who do feel disenfranchised by the system, and the Republican Party, whoever the candidate ends up being, is going to have to get the Trump voters.

MCENANY: Yes. HOOVER: And by the way, they're Bernie Sanders people, too, who are

disaffected and they want an outsider, they want somebody to represent a voice they feel has gone unrepresented. And Republicans are going to have to figure out a way to do that.

COSTELLO: All right. I have to leave it there. Kayleigh McEnany, John Avlon, Margaret Hoover, thanks to all of you.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, as the battle intensifies to fill late Justice Antonin Scalia's chair, we know who won't be filling one at his funeral. That would be President Obama.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:17:32] COSTELLO: President Obama will indeed visit Cuba next month. He tweeted out the news about the historic trip last hour. It's been 90 years since a sitting U.S. president visited the island nation. The Obama administration formally reopened ties with Havana in late 2014 and as I said the president will make his way to Cuba soon.

One place the president will not be is at Justice Antonin Scalia's funeral service. The White House says Mr. Obama will, instead, pay his respects on Friday when Scalia's body lies in repose at the Supreme Court.

This as partisan tensions intensify to fill the late justice's seat. Here's where the Senate stands right now. All 46 Democratic senators say Mr. Obama should nominate a successor. Of the 54 Republican senators, 29 say the Senate should not confirm President Obama's nominee, whoever it is.

With me now is Chris Frates and Manu Raju, both are in Washington.

Manu, let's start with you. Give us the latest Republican reaction to Obama not attending his funeral.

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, not surprising, Carol. You're hearing a fair amount of criticism from the Republican side, but in addition to that, you're hearing a lot of Democratic guys sort of puzzled at the president's decision. They know we're heading into a very hot political fight and they're questioning why give Republicans even more fodder as we head into that battle.

Now Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, was asked about this yesterday and he gave us a little bit of a sense of what the president was going to do this weekend.

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JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I don't have a sense of what the president's plans are for Saturday. The president obviously believes it is important for the institution of the presidency to pay his respects to somebody who dedicated three decades of his life to the institution of the Supreme Court. It will be an important moment and we'll have some more details for you about the president's plans for both Friday and Saturday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Now after the funeral arrangements and funerals concluded for Justice Scalia, we're going to head into that really contentious political fight. We've already of course seen a lot of that in the last several days and what we have learned from talking to a lot of Republicans over the last several days is that it looks increasingly unlikely that they'll even do anything in the Senate, even confirmation hearings.

And one thing that we are hearing a lot about is that Republicans who say that this nominee is not going to be confirmed, so why even go through that process, why even give a nominee a chance to talk, to build momentum behind their case, to potentially shine when the national spotlight is on them?

[10:20:07] So they think it's better -- a lot of Republicans think it's better to just not move forward at all, stop it in its tracks immediately. Republicans will gather next week in the Senate for the first time since Justice Scalia's death and to talk about their strategy. But right now what we're hearing it sounds increasingly unlikely there'll even be confirmation hearings -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Manu Raju, many thanks to you.

Chris Frates, we're hearing from retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor about this. What's her take?

CHRIS FRATES, CNN INVESTIGATIONS UNIT CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol. So a little bit of a boost for the White House here. The retired justice of course was appointed by Ronald Reagan, the Republican president back in the 1980s. And she's saying that the Senate should move forward, the president should get a nomination., that they should move that nomination forward. That it's too important to wait. And in fact she was asked by a local Phoenix TV station about it. Here's what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR, FORMER SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: I don't agree. I think we need somebody there now to do the job, and let's get on with it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRATES: So there you have Justice O'Connor weighing in there but that's unlikely to sway, as we heard Manu talk about, many Republican senators. Both Senator Marco Rubio, Senator Ted Cruz are running for president. They believe that the next president should get that choice, unsurprisingly. And that lines up very well with what Mitch McConnell said very early on after Scalia's passing that he believes the next president should get this.

And Republicans already pointing to polls that are starting to come out showing that Americans are split on this. You know, there's a split among those who believe that they should get a vote this year or that we should wait until the next president. Not surprisingly, Republicans favor waiting until the next president. Democrats favor giving this president his shot. And independents interestingly are also split.

So Republicans, as Manu pointed out, don't feel like there's a lot to gain here. The White House certainly going to continue to say that it's the constitutional responsibility of the Senate to pick this up, to do confirmation hearings and to have a vote. Certainly Republicans don't feel the same way. In fact they say we just have to advise and consent. And if we don't do anything, we're not consenting -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Chris Frates reporting live from Washington, thank you.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, it's become a hot-button issue on the campaign trail. Women serving in combat. The hot issue especially in South Carolina, a state steeped in military tradition. Up next I sit down with two female Marines who have very different views.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There were instances in which I took enemy fire and I had to provide fire.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It follows suit with other destructive things that this administration has done with the military and weakening it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:27:15] COSTELLO: A dead heat in Nevada as Hillary Clinton clings to a one-point lead over Bernie Sanders. Now with the critical vote days away, Clinton is on the ground in Nevada hoping to rally her supporters at an event tonight in Las Vegas.

CNN senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns has more for you. Good morning.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. A quick pivot for Hillary Clinton. She started out here in Chicago last night. Did some fundraisers, then flew down to Las Vegas where she met with members of the Culinary Workers Union. This is very important because the Culinary Workers Union is the largest and most powerful union in Nevada. They have thousands of people. And the concern is, will they get out to caucus? She is trying to make sure that they will caucus for her. And so far the Culinary Workers Union has not endorsed anyone in the primaries.

Mrs. Clinton's campaign also putting out a new ad, and this is an ad reaching out to Latino voters that shows a little girl telling Hillary Clinton that she got a deportation letter, at least that her parents did, and Hillary Clinton's response. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I feel really, really strongly that you're being very brave. And you have to be brave for them, too. Because they want you to be happy. They want you to be successful. They don't want you to worry too much. Let me do the worrying. I'll do all the worrying. Is that a deal?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: Bernie Sanders, by the way, is also jumping around the country. Started out in Washington, D.C. today meeting with some civil rights leaders once again including Al Sharpton and the head of the National Urban League. Sanders is headed on to Las Vegas later today. He's expected to have a town hall there as well as a rally. And he will be facing off in that town hall with Hillary Clinton.

Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: Reporting live for us this morning, thank you.

And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. We're now just two days away from the Republican primary in South Carolina. And the candidates are scrambling to lock down votes.

In the first round of CNN's town halls with Anderson Cooper, the candidates made their closing arguments, selling themselves, jabbing each other and talking about a strong military in South Carolina. A state steeped in military tradition. The elephant in the room? Whether opening combat roles to women will weaken the U.S. military. Here's Senator Marco Rubio's take.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBIO: I do not believe that the military is a place where we should be lowering standards in order to meet some sort of other goal. I believe that -- I'm open to people in both genders serving in combat so long as they can meet the minimum requirements necessary for the job. And we can't weaken those standards in order to accommodate somebody into the job. That I believe in strongly because lives are on the line. And national security is on the line. By the way, there are plenty of men that can't meet those standards either.

(END VIDEO CLIP)