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Inside Syria; Super Tuesday. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired March 15, 2016 - 15:00   ET

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


[15:00:30]

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And we continue along. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you so much for being with me here on this Super Tuesday, round three.

We are now witnessing the most consequential day in the presidential election thus far. After the tallies come in tonight, there truly could be fewer Republicans running for president. And one Republican here, Donald Trump, may actually become the undisputed presumed nominee, depending on how tonight goes, and specifically if he wins both Ohio and Florida.

Trump has already gotten off to a winning start, let me point out, taking all nine delegates in the Northern Marianas, U.S. territory in the South Pacific, so there's that.

As for the Democrats, any win by Bernie Sanders keeps Hillary Clinton's focus on the primary fight, taking time, taking resources from where many thought it would be right now, being the general election.

Then you have obviously voter turnout, the polls.

I have Dan Simon with us in North Olmsted, Ohio, which is near Cleveland.

Let's begin, Boris Sanchez, Dan Simon, with you live at a polling place in Winter Park, Florida.

How has the turnout been there thus far?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, right now, it's actually pretty slow behind me. Things are not moving very quickly, very different than how it looked this morning. There was actually a line out the door here.

Despite what looks like a pretty low turnout, it's actually exceeded expectations. In this precinct in Winter Park, about 40 percent of voters already cast their ballots through early voting. Now, Winter Park is expected to be a stronghold for Donald Trump, in contrast with South Florida, which tends to lean towards Marco Rubio, and North Florida, which is pretty evenly split between the two.

I can tell you, from voters that I have spoken to here, they're pretty evenly split between Rubio and Trump. One voter actually told me that she supports John Kasich, that she thinks he would be great in the White House, but that she was casting her ballot for Marco Rubio because she believes he has the best chance of stopping Trump from securing the nomination.

Of course, Florida's 99 delegates are huge in this race. It could keep Rubio's campaign afloat, and it could keep Trump from securing the 1,237 delegates he needs heading into the convention, Brooke.

BALDWIN: That's right, 99 there. Boris, thank you, 66 in Ohio.

So, Dan, to you, sir. What's the scene there?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hi, Brooke. Turnout has been pretty solid.

We chose this community of North Olmsted because it's diverse and has a large number of both Republicans and Democrats. Of course, the big storyline is whether voters who twice elected John Kasich to statewide office will give him a lifeline.

And I want to show you something, Brooke, this is pretty critical. Here in Ohio, if you're a voter, you can poll either a Republican ballot or a Democratic ballot. So, if you are a Democrat, you can vote for John Kasich or you can vote for Donald Trump.

We have talked to voters who have done both. We have yet to speak with a Republican voter who has pulled a Democratic ballot. So that's going to be interesting to see, how that crossover vote influences the election -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Dan Simon, thank you.

All right, so much to get into, so let's do it.

Joining me now, the author of "George H.W. Bush: The American President" series, Tim Naftali, used to be the director of the Nixon Presidential Library, now a professor at NYU. I have CNN chief political correspondent Dana Bash. She is with us from Washington. Political strategist Angela Rye, a former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus, and Amanda Carpenter, CNN political commentator, used to serve as the communications director for Senator Ted Cruz.

Welcome to all of you on this Super Tuesday part three.

And let me just first tee up the sound. We have been talking about it. Now we actually have sound from the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell. We had heard there was a phone call between the Senate majority leader and Donald Trump. Here's what Senator McConnell shared.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MAJORITY LEADER: I appreciated his call. And I took the opportunity to recommend to him that no matter who may be triggering these violent expressions or conflicts that we have seen in some of these rallies, it might be a good idea to condemn that and discourage it, no matter what the source of it is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, Dana, let me just begin with you.

Your beat has been the Hill for many a year. How unusual is it that Leader McConnell would have spoken with a presidential candidate?

[15:05:00]

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That they have spoken, not that unusual, but for the Senate majority leader to come out and talk to the press corps and say that he privately told the front-runner for president in his own party that he should try to tamp down on some of the violent rhetoric and some of the -- what has been going on at some of these rallies, that is extraordinary.

It really is. And it just kind of goes to show that, look, it's not a secret that Mitch McConnell has not wanted Donald Trump to be their party's nominee. He's said privately to senators who are up for reelection in his caucus, you know, do what you have to do, which is not something you usually hear again from a party lead about that party's potential nominee.

But this is different. This is something that has to do with decorum, and has to do with, again, the way the Republican Party is perceived. And the fact that he, just like the House speaker on the other side of the Capitol, came out and said this, is quite telling about how, I don't want to say panic, but how worried the Republican Party is, never mind the White House, but about keeping control of Senate in particular in November.

BALDWIN: We talk about some of the rhetoric. You then have the Ohio governor, John Kasich. And he was voting this morning in his home state.

And as he was doing so, he, you know, spoke, and noteworthy some of what he said. Here was the Ohio governor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It took for me to see the Friday video, and then I actually 48 hours ago asked Chris Schrimpf to give me a list of all the quotes, which I had not really seen before.

Things move fast in a presidential campaign. You don't really focus on -- I focus on what I'm going to be doing at my next event. It was really the first time that my eyes were really open, which meant I was probably like a normal voter.

In terms of what I saw on Friday night and what I have seen since then, reading these quotes, it's taken me to a whole 'nother level.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: So, Amanda, let me ask you about that. He's referring to quotes from Donald Trump. I think he's alluding to a video where there are women using some vulgarities against Mr. Trump.

He's apparently just, you know, learning of this. And, also, what do you make of a potential strategy change for the Ohio governor who for the most part has remained above the fray?

AMANDA CARPENTER, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I guess I'm glad that John Kasich has finally got up to speed on these matters. This is kind of a half-hearted response, and also from Mitch McConnell. You're talking about one of Washington's most powerful Republicans going out and telling Donald Trump it might be a good idea to condone -- the violence?

I mean, you think? This is part of the problem. The leadership in Washington has been so feeble. I mean, Mitch McConnell speaking to Donald Trump the way that a prisoner might speak to its guard and saying please don't hurt me, I mean, guys, Donald Trump is happening. If you're not condemning this violence, I think you're permitting it.

Donald Trump hasn't condemned it. And so I think people can be a lot more strong in their criticism of Trump for allowing this to continue.

BALDWIN: Angela, what do you think?

ANGELA RYE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I totally agree with Amanda.

I think -- and I said this last night on air -- if you have not blatantly condemned these attacks, this violence, this rhetoric, then you are complicit. The fact that John Kasich can say that he wasn't as familiar with it and it took for him to see the video Friday, he had to have seen that this is exactly what was coming when they were all kissing Donald Trump's behind at these debates earlier on.

He had to have seen it just because of how Donald Trump bullies the other candidates. This is not new material. We have seen this time and time again. And so I'm very shocked and frankly very disappointed that now Governor Kasich in the 11th hour is saying that now it's enough, enough is enough.

Well, now we're reaping all of the consequences of the rhetoric. We have seen, you know, there was a woman who was doing a heil Hitler sign, and she was like, well, I'm not a Nazi, but she then went to say that she heard on David Duke's radio program that Donald Trump was the lesser of two evils that they should support Donald Trump.

She says she's not a Nazi by quoting a white supremacist. And this is one of his supporters. I'm not saying that is all of them, but it is certainly his base. Shame on the Republican Party who has not condemned Donald Trump until it's far too late.

BALDWIN: All right, on Ohio, obviously, Trump wants it. Trump says he's going to win. Kasich, this is his home state. He's the executive of the state. So, Tim, my question to you this is from just a political perspective. Hugh Hewitt tweeted, "The future of the Republican Party hangs on Ohio today."

Do you agree with that?

TIM NAFTALI, FORMER DIRECTOR, NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY: Well, I will leave it to Hugh Hewitt to decide the future of the Republican Party.

What I will tell you about today, Brooke, is that Kasich wins Ohio, it becomes much more unlikely that Donald Trump will get the majority number of delegates before Cleveland. So, that means that the stop Trump movement can continue.

[15:10:09]

If Trump wins both Florida, where he's expected to win today, and Ohio, it becomes increasingly likely that he will get more than enough delegates to win in Cleveland. I suspect, and you would have to ask Hewitt -- I suspect that's what he means, that, frankly, Donald Trump is -- does represent for many Republicans the end of the party as they know it.

And tonight is the night where we know whether the stop Donald Trump campaign can continue past Ohio.

BALDWIN: Ohio's just such a bellwether and perhaps that's part of what he was referring to.

NAFTALI: Well, Ohio's a bellwether. It's a bellwether in our presidential elections.

In many ways, it's a diverse, powerful, important Midwestern state. It's also purple. And Kasich has rested his entire campaign on the fact that he can be the favorite son of Ohio.

What's very sad for Rubio supporters is that his campaign needs him to be the favorite son in Florida, and it doesn't -- we should be careful -- we have been surprised a lot. Last week, we were surprised about Michigan and Sanders. But it doesn't look like Sanders will be the favorite son in Miami.

So, the last chance for the dump Trump movement is Kasich winning today in Ohio.

BALDWIN: OK. Let me ask you all of you to stand by. We have so much more.

Moments ago, Hillary Clinton making a pretty interesting revelation about Donald Trump and her race with the Democrats.

Plus, I will speak with a Tea Party leader who says in Florida today's revenge day for their own Senator Marco Rubio.

And that time President Obama helped this guy freestyle. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:15:30]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (VT-I), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think that if there's a large voter turnout, we're going to do just great here in Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio, and hopefully North Carolina and Florida. I think that in the states that are coming down the pike, we have great opportunities to win many of them. So, we're feeling really good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Feeling good, Senator Bernie Sanders just speaking there this morning, commenting on his campaign from Chicago.

His opponent, Hillary Clinton, hosting her Super Tuesday round three party in North Carolina tonight.

That is also where we find Polo Sandoval at a polling location there in Charlotte.

How does it look there, Polo?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, North Carolina, a state you know well, it's a very special place.

But when it came time for the primaries, it perhaps didn't get a lot of attention. That's because at one point the primaries were held in May. That's when there's usually a presumptive nominee. However, the primary was actually moved up to March, which means people here in North Carolina get to be part of this Super Tuesday excitement.

And that's why we have seen some very impressive turnout here.

At this polling location in Charlotte, Brooke, we have seen at least 600 people pass through here. But keep in mind, there are about 250 locations statewide. They do expect, at least the count -- the state, rather, does expect some very high numbers, especially since the absentee and also the early voting numbers have already surpassed primaries in 2008 and 2012.

You talk to people who think they think they're going to win, and it seems to be that they're expecting a Clinton and Trump victory later tonight. But, ultimately, the voters have to decide, Brooke, and of course all these votes that -- by the way, they're still about halfway through the voting process here -- still need to be counted before we have a better idea exactly which way North Carolina will go -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Polo Sandoval, thank you so much, in Charlotte.

Come tomorrow, Hillary Clinton may be facing a very different campaign trail if -- if Donald Trump sweeps the field in his third Super Tuesday and solidifies his place as the presumed Republican nominee. Will she pivot and focus all of her energy on Trump, or stay in the good fight in her primary against rival Bernie Sanders?

Here is what Secretary Clinton said just a short while ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it is important that we really do focus on the very dangerous path that Donald Trump has laid out here.

The kind of luster and bigotry and bullying that he's exemplifying on the campaign trail is disturbing to, I think, the majority of Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: All right, welcome back to the panel.

Dana Bash, to you first out of the gate.

Secretary Clinton says it's not her choice about whether it's time for her campaign to start focusing, you know, on the general election and not on Sanders. But what she did say, it was important for Democrats to start focusing on Trump.

Put yourself in her shoes. How frustrating is this for her to be, I don't know if distracted is the right word, in continuing this onslaught against Sanders vs. a general election fight?

BASH: You know, I think in some ways, of course, it's frustrating, because she feels like she is going to be the nominee and the longer it takes to set her sights on Donald Trump or whomever the Republican is going to be, the harder it will be to make that case in November, particularly because, talking to Republicans who have, you know, fought and lost along the way in the primary fight against Trump, the feeling has been that because they didn't aggressively go after him earlier, early enough, he, who is a master marketer in his own right, was able to define himself before his opponents could define him.

Same goes for the Democratic nominee, if it is Hillary Clinton, assuming it is Hillary Clinton, against Donald Trump. So, in that sense, there probably is a lot of frustration. The other side of that coin though, Brooke, as you know, is that if she starts going after Donald Trump and she looks like she is, you know, kind of leaving the Democratic primary in her rear-view mirror and it's not done, she could potentially upset people who don't want her to look like she's got it all locked up when it's not entirely like that.

So it is a very, very fine line that she's got to walk right now.

BALDWIN: Professor, I want you on that as well. Let's say it's a huge night for Donald Trump and he wakes up tomorrow morning and it's all about Hillary Clinton, all of his ire against Hillary Clinton, and she's still fighting Sanders.

[15:20:04] NAFTALI: Well, in a sense, this is what happens when you have an

incumbent president who doesn't have a challenge, challenger, and has all this time to go after the Democrats or the Republicans.

And then you have a contested primary on the other side. What's surprising to everyone is that it's a really contested primary on the Democratic side.

BALDWIN: Yes.

NAFTALI: And last week in Michigan, people were very surprised.

And we might be surprised tonight in Ohio, which means that Secretary Clinton has to keep fighting. One of the bit of good news for her, I suppose, is that Sanders is pulling her to the left, on trade issues, he's actually pulling her closer to Donald Trump, because, in one sense, in this sense, Donald Trump and Sanders have similar approaches to trade, not the same, but similar.

This a big problem for Clinton. The other problem for Clinton, Secretary Clinton, is that there's a passion gap. The Sanders people are energized. They are out there. They care. And they're the Obama constituency. Now, the Obama coalition, you have to keep to win. You have to have the Obama coalition as a Democrat to win in 2016.

A large part of that coalition is pro-Sanders. Will Secretary Clinton be able to bring them over to her side once she defeats Sanders? She's going to defeat him because of the superdelegates. But what's important is that she also wins the hearts and minds campaign for the Obama coalition and she hasn't yet.

BALDWIN: Amanda, on Sanders as well, and the potential, to Tim's point, of an upset, we saw the upset, which is really, truly psychological and also helps him get a little bit more pennies, nickels and dimes, in Michigan last week, and potentially in Ohio, maybe Illinois, in -- where am I, geography -- Ohio and Illinois tonight, forgive me.

Do you think that that is a possibility for Senator Sanders?

CARPENTER: Sure. I mean, the magic could happen for him and Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders would continue their debate, which in terms of Trump, I don't think that hurts Hillary.

She can continue having these substantive, serious discussions about trade and other things important to Democrats. Meanwhile, the never Trump movement is going to continue. All she has to do is draft on that. Look at that commercial of the women repeating the never things that Trump has said.

She doesn't have to put out an ad. She just has to say, yes, I agree with that, and continue the serious conversation with Bernie. I think she's in a really good position to have it both ways.

BALDWIN: Angela, finishing with you, what is the one thing that will surprise you the most on either side when you wake up tomorrow morning?

RYE: Well, I think, in this race, the fact that Hillary supporters have been saying throughout this that these Midwest contests are serious and they're not as close as folks have called them, using Michigan as an example, we also didn't talk much about Missouri, but I think that there's a real contest there as well.

I that there are three -- at least three surprises that we can count on, on the Democratic side tonight.

BALDWIN: Angela Rye, Tim Naftali, Amanda Carpenter, and Dana Bash, thank you all so much.

Obviously, stay with us, date night with CNN, as we have been saying. This is a huge night, especially with these winner-take-all primaries.

Coming up next, a Tea Party leader in Florida saying Marco Rubio has betrayed the movement that got him elected in the first place to the U.S. Senate, he will join me live to explain why he's feeling, and I'm quoting him, "Trumptastic" today.

Plus, CNN senior international correspondent Clarissa Ward goes on a dangerous journey inside what used to be Syria's largest city.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There are snipers all around here, but this is the only road now to get into Aleppo.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Clarissa will join me here on set and share what she found five years into Syria's brutal war.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:28:01]

BALDWIN: Call it the revenge of the Tea Party.

Back in 2010, when Marco Rubio was running for Florida's Senate seat, he was the Tea Party candidate of choice. Fast-forward now to 2016, and many of those Tea Party supporters say Rubio betrayed them, and they're looking to embarrass him today in his home state presidential primary.

With me now, Dan Ray, a founding member of the Tea Party Group in The Villages. It's a large retirement community in Florida where Senator Rubio campaigned this week.

So, Dan, I see your T-shirt, "Time to pay the Trump card." You're giving away who you're liking instead. Nice to see you, sir.

DAN RAY, TEA PARTY GROUP IN THE VILLAGES: Thank you. Good to be with you. BALDWIN: All right, so you voted for Rubio six years ago. Today, you

call him a Tea Party betrayer. How has he betrayed you specifically?

RAY: Well, he betrayed all the people of Florida.

He's got the worst attendance record in the Senate in many, many years. But, specifically, he really betrayed the people, many of us, across the state who worked diligently in 2010 to get him elected in the first place, and then he turns around and he chums up with Chucky Schumer and Dick Durbin and the rest of the Gang of Eight.

And that was the final straw for many people. We gave Marco some chances. He had a great potential to be a good senator and he blew it. I don't know what they offered him or what he got kind of mesmerized by Washington, and the power maybe went to his head. I don't know. You will have to ask him that, but he betrayed the grassroots people that really put him into office in the first place.

BALDWIN: So, in the meantime, I take it you're taking your support from Rubio, throwing it on to Mr. Trump.

I see your Trump T-shirt. I actually heard you say it's a Trumptastic day in Palm Beach County. I understand you were 120 percent in favor of Trump. You have dipped to 110.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: Dan, what happened to that 10 percent?

RAY: Well, I didn't -- no, I have never gone down. I love Donald Trump. I have loved him for years. I have always admired him from a distance.

I just said that kind of in jest. You know, I was -- I started at 120 percent. Now I'm down to 110 percent, when they ask the questions like on Facebook.