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Trump in South Carolina; South Carolina Race; Scalia's Funeral Information; Candidates Trade Insults. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired February 16, 2016 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:01] WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: For our international viewers, "Amanpour" is coming up next. For our viewers in North America, "Newsroom" with Brooke Baldwin starts right now.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf Blitzer, thank you so much.

Great to be with all of you on this Tuesday. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you for being with me.

The race for the highest office in America could be at its lowest now. The insults, they are getting uglier by the hour. Any minute now, Donald Trump will take that podium there in South Carolina for what we can only imagine will be another verbal shredding of his rivals. Remember what happened right around this time yesterday? Trump, fresh from calling Ted Cruz a basket case, the biggest liar he knows, a total of six times in 90 seconds. Oh, and also threatening to sue him as well, don't forget that. Ted Cruz, hitting back, telling Trump he's lost it.

Then there's Marco Rubio joining the "Ted Cruz is a liar" chorus. And as for the usual staid and reticent Jeb Bush, well, he's at it too, telling Trump he sounds like Michael Moore. All of this as we still have four more days until the real slaughter begins, the South Carolina primary.

Let's kick off our coverage this hour with Jim Acosta, who is in North Augusta, South Carolina, where Donald Trump is set to take the stage.

Any guesses what could happen in a matter of minutes there, Jim Acosta?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Donald Trump was already measuring himself against George W. Bush earlier this morning. He made a pit stop at this fixture for presidential candidates here in South Carolina, Brooke. Maybe you've heard of it before. It's Tommy's Country Ham House. I've been there before. The ham's pretty good. Donald Trump was there earlier this morning and he made the remark that he's getting a better response there than George W. Bush. So there you go, another dig at the Bush family.

And this comes after George W. Bush was reminiscing about his time at Tommy's Country Ham House back when he was running for president. And at one point, as you remember in that speech last night, it was kind of amazing to see George W. Bush speaking again at a campaign rally, saying that the strongest person in the room isn't always the loudest person in the room.

So now this is Donald Trump's chance to respond. And I think it will be very telling which way Donald Trump goes during this rally, which is expected to start any minute now. Does he go after George Bush? Does he continue to go after Jeb Bush and the Bush family? Or does he - does he continue to be what appears to be kind of a pivot, to going back to his attacks at Ted Cruz? We heard that earlier this morning on "Good Morning America." Brooke, you know, Donald Trump, once again, calling Ted Cruz a liar, saying that he's seriously considering, along with his lawyers, a lawsuit against the Texas senator.

Now we should point out, in just the last several minutes, Jeb Bush held an event with Lindsey Graham and this was very tough coming from Lindsey Graham, some very tough comments. The South Carolina senator, who is a top surrogate for Jeb Bush, he said at one point during this event, Brooke, quote, "I will never vote for a man who says that George W. Bush is a liar. You're not a Republican if you're asking Nancy Pelosi to impeach President Bush." That goes back to Donald Trump's comments at that debate over the weekend when he said that the Bush administration lied about the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

You know, Brooke, just to wrap this up, you know, typically Republicans will stop short of saying that they won't vote for somebody. That they'll always support the Republican nominee. But this is Lindsey Graham coming very close to saying, no matter what happens, if Donald Trump is the nominee of this party, he's not going to support him. I think that's pretty newsworthy, Brooke.

BALDWIN: It is indeed. It is. Jim Acosta, thank you so much.

Let me bring in Matthew Dowd, chief strategist for the 2004 Bush/Cheney campaign and ABC News analyst.

Nice to see you, sir.

MATTHEW DOWD, CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST, ABC NEWS: Great to be here.

BALDWIN: Let's just kick off of what Jim Acosta was just mentioning. You know, listen, we talked to a lot of Republicans and they say, of course, yes, ultimately, whoever the nominee is, we will support them. And it sounds like Senator Graham may be opening the fact they that may not happen if it's Trump, based upon what he said about Bush 43. Why do you think so far Donald Trump has gotten away with saying these thing?

DOWD: Well, he's gotten away with it since June when he's been in this race. He's basically led the race from June until today, whatever that is, 240 straight days in the course of this. I think he's had a better understanding of the Republican electorate than anybody else running in this race and most of the people that have looked at this race.

BALDWIN: Does that cause you pause, saying that?

DOWD: No, it doesn't cause me pause to say that because I think he's got a great understanding of the electorate. If you're going to win a race, you have to understand where the voters are.

BALDWIN: Yes.

DOWD: Now, whether or not the outcome of that is good for the country, other people can have that discussion. But he has a better understanding of the electorate, they're - their emotional place they are and what they care about today. And he's appealed to them. I think Donald Trump has crossed the line in a number of places that if he really wanted to win, he shouldn't have gone that far. But it doesn't seem to have damaged him. And what we've seen in South Carolina, the first polls that I've seen -

BALDWIN: Yes.

DOWD: That have come out post-debate, Donald Trump has a double-digit lead in South Carolina.

[14:05:00] BALDWIN: He's soaring. He's soaring. You know - listen, you know the deal, working on campaigns. I'm wondering, though, all the - the liar rhetoric, basket case, and even from, you know, the Bush camp talking about Donald Trump being this Republican - Michael Moore. I heard it yesterday from Jim Dike (ph) and then we heard it from - from the governor last night. How is that going to sit with southerners?

DOWD: Well, I think that having been through this race before and having gone to South Carolina -

BALDWIN: Yes.

DOWD: Right after we lost New Hampshire, George W. Bush in 2000, we went to South Carolina, there is not a huge amount of difference between pockets of voters around the country. The idea that somehow South Carolina is vastly different than conservatives in Michigan or conservatives in New Hampshire is way overplayed in the course of this.

I think the voters have already factored this all in. They already know Donald Trump. They know he says stuff like this. They know he at times swears on the campaign trail. They know sometimes he calls names. They know all this about him. But for some reason they've stuck to him because they think Washington is so broken and so beyond fixing that the only way to do that is to send Donald Trump there right now. And I -

BALDWIN: To your point about speaking to the electorate, he's hitting (ph) that button (ph).

DOWD: And every time I think Republicans have made a huge mistake, every time - I watched the debate on Saturday and so many people said, oh, Donald Trump did poorly and Donald Trump did badly and the crowd booed him. I came away with that thinking Donald Trump is going to come out of that stronger because as he's booed, it basically makes the voters feeling out there like those people don't understand.

BALDWIN: Yes.

DOWD: They're booing our guy. And they're - we're going to defend this guy to the end.

I think Donald Trump, unless something changes dramatically in the next four days, is going to win South Carolina. And if Donald Trump wins South Carolina after he attacked President George W. Bush, after he basically called him a liar, he attacked Lindsey Graham, which is his home state, South Carolina, and every conservative has come out against Donald Trump in South Carolina and Donald Trump wins, how do you stop Donald Trump?

BALDWIN: He says he's going to run the table once he wins South Carolina.

DOWD: I think if there's three candidates left in this race, if there's three candidates left in this race, Donald Trump will win nearly all of the states on March 1st.

BALDWIN: Wow. On Super Tuesday?

DOWD: Yes.

BALDWIN: What about Jeb Bush? What about now that we've seen in South Carolina, as you very well know, this is a state that's been very good to the Bush family, that he not only has brought out Bush 43, we know Barbara Bush, the beloved 90-year-old mother who was - you know, got those capacity crowds when we were all in New Hampshire a weekend before last, they're bringing her out again. I mean is this sort of a sign of, well, she - she really did wonderfully for us before. Let's bring her out again. Do we attribute the Bush sort of - I don't know if surge is the word, but he is sort of seeming more comfortable, to his family?

DOWD: Well, I think his probably comfort level has changed based upon the fact his family's around. He seems more comfortable in the aftermath of President Bush's speech. I don't think any of this helps George - any of this helps Jeb Bush.

BALDWIN: Jeb.

DOWD: It didn't help him in New Hampshire. Barbara Bush is a beloved figure. She got great crowds -

BALDWIN: You don't think it helped him in New Hampshire?

DOWD: No, he finished, whatever he got, 11 percent of the vote.

BALDWIN: Right.

DOWD: And prior - a month ago he was at 10 percent. So he got 11 percent and finished fourth. I think in South Carolina, George W. Bush is loved in South Carolina, but it doesn't attribute necessarily to Jeb. I make it akin to a starting pitcher as having a very difficult time pitching in a game. You can't bring a bunch of hall of famers around stand them around the mound and think they're going to pitch better and think the fans are going to support them if they've given up a bunch of runs already. I think it's a great moment for the Bushs to reflect on it for - for the Bushs. It's not going to help Jeb in South Carolina.

BALDWIN: Who then, if you talk about the potential for Donald Trump running the table despite everything he has said post South Carolina, who is that other candidate who could give him a run for his money?

DOWD: Well, here's what has to happen. In order to stop Donald Trump, first of all, something has to - crazy happen in the next 72 hours unless -

BALDWIN: Let's assume that doesn't happen.

DOWD: OK, let's say he wins South Carolina, all right?

BALDWIN: Yes, let's say.

DOWD: Because everything crazy has happened and it hasn't changed it at all. He wins South Carolina. The only way Donald Trump can be stopped, if it becomes a one-on-one race very quickly. If it's a one- on-two race or a one-on-three race, Donald Trump is going to clean up in all those states because Donald -

BALDWIN: Because of his whole circular firing squad (INAUDIBLE)?

DOWD: Well, and Donald Trump seemingly has a 35, 36, 37 percent solid base of support. When you have three or four other candidates, he's going to win those states. And he wins those states. So it has to go to a one-on-one race before Donald Trump gains too much momentum, because as you win, voters begin to start supporting you more and more along the trail. So the voters that say they don't like Donald Trump, if Donald Trump starts winning, then those voters will start saying they like Donald Trump. It happens in every race that I've ever seen.

BALDWIN: They want to get on the winning bandwagon.

DOWD: Exactly.

BALDWIN: Matthew Dowd, come back, OK?

DOWD: It's great to be here, Brooke. Thank you.

BALDWIN: Thank you so much.

Wow, starting - by the way, starting tomorrow, it is a unique two- night event here on CNN. All six Republican presidential candidates taking part in this South Carolina town hall. And this is what's so great about it. This is - these are questions coming from South Carolinians themselves straight to the candidates spread out over the course of the two nights. You see the different crop of candidates per night, 8:00 Eastern, Wednesday and Thursday nights, here on CNN.

Meantime, new questions today about why there was no autopsy on Justice Antonin Scalia. This as the owner of the ranch tells us what was found over his head in this bed.

[14:10:09] Plus, the daughter of the man who died during a chokehold by police here in New York will join me live on why she is supporting Bernie Sanders. By the way, we talked last week on the phone. She says Bernie Sanders speaks to her soul. But her mother is actually standing by Hillary Clinton.

And the performances that have everyone talking today from Kendrick Lamar to Lady Gaga. Also some of the comments from Beyonce, Taylor Swift. We've got you covered on the Grammys. But also Adele, what happened last night? We'll talk all about it coming up.

You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

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BALDWIN: You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

And take a look at this picture with me. Today, the bench chair of Justice Antonin Scalia is draped in black. A tribute to the leading conservative on the nation's highest court who passed away Saturday. And just who will fill his seat is the reason there is such high anticipation for what President Obama will do about two hours from now because the president will be holding a news conference and will likely reveal his next step in this U.S. Supreme Court showdown that he's now embroiled in with Senate Republicans. They have vowed not to confirm any person the president names, saying that that choice should go to Obama's successor. Politics aside here, there was no doubt the 79-year-old jurist will be greatly missed and now we're learning exactly how the public will be able to pay their respects.

[14:15:17] So let's go to our justice correspondent Evan Perez with some of the new details here.

Evan, first just tell me, what do we know about the funeral?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE REPORTER: Well, Brooke, first, Justice Scalia will lie in repose at the Supreme Court on Friday so people will be able to come by and pay their respects to him. And then on Saturday, there's going to be a formal funeral mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. It's a - obviously Justice Scalia was a catholic and this is one of the holiest places in American Catholicism, one of the biggest churches in the world. It's a place where St. Pope John Paul II visited and two subsequent popes have also done - celebrated mass here. So this is going to be a very majestic place. Obviously the justice - Justice Scalia is used to pomp and ceremony at the Supreme Court and this is certainly very fitting for his funeral.

BALDWIN: We are also learning today some new details about the way he was found. Can you tell me what you know?

PEREZ: Well, yes, this is actually one of the silliest things that's taken hold on the Internet, certainly on Twitter, is questions about whether or not Justice Scalia was killed and why the family has asked that an autopsy not be done. There was a story out of west Texas that the owner of the ranch where Scalia died, Justice Scalia died, the Cibolo Creek Ranch in west Texas, that he found a pillow over his head. And so we talked to - CNN talked to the owner of the - of thee ranch. His name is John Poindexter. And he clarified, again, that this was not over his face. This is

something that had been repeated on the Internet a lot in the last couple of days to raise questions about whether or not there's anything fishy or perhaps suspicious. I mean we're talking about a 79- year-old man and we're told he had all of the problems you might expect with a 70-year-old man, health problems, a 79-year-old man would have. So this family does not want an autopsy. And they certainly don't believe that there's anything suspicious in his death, Brooke.

BALDWIN: OK. Evan Perez, thank you so much.

Again, we mentioned the president. He will be speaking, addressing this presumed battle brewing around this seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. That will happen at 4:30 Eastern. We will take it here live on CNN.

Meantime, Donald Trump just now stepping up to the microphone. This is a rally there in South Carolina. Will he fire back at President George W. Bush over the thinly veiled swipes he made? We'll listen in.

And, we are moments away from a big speech by Hillary Clinton on race relations in America. Hear what happened inside a meeting she just held in Harlem.

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[14:22:31] BALDWIN: Got some live pictures for you here in South Carolina. You know who that is, Donald Trump, speaking there. Making a pitch four days before that Republican primary in the Southern state. Four days for these candidates to separate themselves and hopefully not rip the party apart in the process.

Let's break down this final stretch with Danielle Vinson. She is a political science professor at Furman University in South Carolina.

Professor, welcome.

DANIELLE VINSON, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR, FURMAN UNIVERSITY: Thank you. It's good to be here.

BALDWIN: So, of all these different, you know, words we're hearing thrown about on this trail as we are nearing the primary in your state, the word it feels like we're hearing the most is "liar." Here is what I mean by that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (voice-over): I've dealt with many people over my lifetime and I've been very successful and I dealt with some people a lot tougher than him, but I've never dealt with anybody that lies like him.

Sen. TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's a curious thing two of the candidates in this race, Donald trump and Marco Rubio. Both have the very same pattern. Whenever anyone points out their record, they simply start screaming "liar, liar, liar." It's a very odd dynamic.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, he's lying. And I think it's disturbing. I said that at the debate. He's now literally just make things up. I don't expect he's going to apologize. It's part of their campaign strategy to not tell the truth and it's - it's troubling. It really is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Listen, this is not a new thing, Danielle, for candidates to point out a lack of maybe truthiness in some candidates, but all this "liar, liar, pants on fire," what do you make of this?

VINSON: Well, I think there's some folks trying very desperately to separate themselves from the crowd. And as they gain more scrutiny from the other candidates, there's not a lot of room for nuance right now. And so you've got candidates just going after each other and hoping that some of these labels will stick to somebody.

BALDWIN: Basically, you have two races within the Republicans, you know, going on. You have the - the insiders and you have the outsiders. How do you see the race shaping up? How do you think the field will be trimmed come Sunday, Monday, Tuesday?

VINSON: I think with the outsider's I'm Trump's to lose. Cruz has a good ground game, but I'm still seeing a lot more Trump signs and a lot of enthusiasm among the Trump supporters. I think on the other side it's really anybody's guess right now.

The Bush name plays well in South Carolina. I think having George W. Bush along with Jeb on the campaign trail yesterday probably helped. It certainly raised the profile of his appearances, not just in Charleston but around the state.

[14:25:06] I think Rubio is still considered a fresh new face and that appealed to a lot of voters in South Carolina who just worry that Bush may have been around too long, the name may have been around too long.

And then I think Kasich has actually shown some life in the polls. It's a challenge for him. He's not going to be in the state every day this week. And he's also not got the same ground game that Bush and Rubio do.

But I would expect that somebody will emerge out of that group. If Bush doesn't come out close to the front of that group, then he's looking at the beginning of the end. But I think for the other two, if they either keep it close or finish ahead of that pack, then they're - they've got some momentum going forward after South Carolina.

BALDWIN: Let me pause on this conversation. We just turned around some sound. Here we have Donald Trump speaking at a rally in North Augusta and he's talking about Hillary Clinton who essentially last night was saying, you know, every time you hear one of these Republican candidates say lie, if only we had a - we had a dog barking, and she barked a little bit as she was just explaining this. Here is Donald Trump responding to that. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hillary Clinton is a joke. If she gets it, she's like a joke. You know, I turned on last night - I'm sure you saw it. I'm watching television and I see her barking like a dog, right? No, she's barking like a dog. And everyone said, oh, wasn't that wonderful? Wasn't that wonderful? Isn't that cute? Isn't that great? If I ever did that, I would be ridiculed all over the place. I won't do it. I'm not going to imitate her. But she's barking like a dog and they're saying wonderful. If Trump does it, believe me, you'd read about it, what's wrong with Trump. So they'll be no barking. But we're going to be respected again. We have to be respected.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So he says there will be no barking from him. What do you make of that?

VINSON: Given some of the things he's done on the campaign trail, barking actually might not make the top ten. You know, it's going to - it's going to play well with the South Carolina crowd. They're not very supportive of Hillary if they're showing up to a Trump rally. So it certainly doesn't hurt him with - with the voter he's trying to reach in South Carolina. I think longer term and for some people who are looking for someone who looks presidential and sounds presidential, than perhaps this does not win him any points.

BALDWIN: Danielle Vinson from Furman University, thank you so much.

VINSON: Thank you.

BALDWIN: And starting tomorrow, let me remind all of you, a unique two night event here on CNN, all six Republican presidential candidates taking part in a South Carolina town hall, answering voter's questions, spread out over two nights. It will be 8:00 Eastern Wednesday and Thursday nights, only here on CNN.

Coming up next, a video that just absolutely shocked the country. A New York City man dying after police officers put him in a chokehold there on the sidewalk. And now Eric Garner's daughter is out and about on the campaign trail. We will talk to Erica about why she is backing Bernie Sanders, but also her mother is not.

Plus, a black drape now covers Justice Antonin Scalia's chair there at the U.S. Supreme Court. We have new details today about the fight to fill his seat. One expert says Loretta Lynch could be a good choice. Why? That's ahead.

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