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Hillary Clinton Secures Crucial Win in Nevada; Trump Wins South Carolina Primary; Jeb Bush Suspends His Campaign; Huge Cyclone Batters Fiji; The Importance of Delegates; Marco Rubio Gains Ground in South Carolina; Britain Debates EU Membership; Parents of Sandy Hook Victims Sue Gun Manufacturer; Aired 5-6:00a ET
Aired February 21, 2016 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:22] GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump make it two out of three primary wins apiece in the race for the White House. We will assess their chances of making it all the way.
Plus one man who won't be following his father and brother's footsteps to the Oval Office, Jeb Bush. We'll have the latest on his campaign's end.
And disaster averted. How Fiji managed to survive the strongest storm ever recorded in the southern hemisphere.
From CNN world headquarters, welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
A very good day to you. Another round in the U.S. presidential race has left a trail of winners and losers. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton came away the winners. Plus Jeb Bush is out. We'll have more on that in a moment, but first, in the state of Nevada, Hillary Clinton, she picked up almost 53 percent of the vote there. Bernie Sanders at 47 percent. In the state of South Carolina, the primary there, Donald Trump finished with a 10 percent lead over his closest competitors, clinching a little more than 32 percent of the votes there. With the unofficial vote count complete, Marco Rubio got 22.5 percent and Ted Cruz at 22.3 percent.
Hillary Clinton is already in the state of Texas. Just hours after her win in Nevada. But before heading south, Clinton gave a very emotional victory speech there. She mentioned the need for more middle class jobs, for reforming the criminal justice system and equal pay. The frontrunner also took jabs at Bernie Sanders, who she calls a single-issue candidate.
Brianna Keilar reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hillary Clinton with a decisive win in Nevada. What many of her top aides have decided as the best night of her campaign since she declared last April. And besting Bernie Sanders in a state where she really thought she might not be able to, she seemed to relish the moment and take aim at Sanders saying that he doesn't have wide enough appeal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't think it's right to look a person in the eye who's hurting and needs help and tell them that if they vote for you, you will get $5,000 in health care but only have to pay $500 for it. You shouldn't say that, unless you can really deliver it. And I don't think you should tell millions of young people they'll get free tuition if it actually depends on Republican governors, like yours, deciding to kick in tens of billions of dollars.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: The next stop for Hillary Clinton is the first in the south primary state of South Carolina, which will hold its contest next Saturday. Hillary Clinton in Houston at a historically black college trying to target the all-important African-American vote that is so key not only in South Carolina but in other southern states that will go to the polls March 1st.
Brianna Keilar, CNN, Houston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: Brianna, thank you.
Donald Trump's win is now firmly establishing him as the candidate to be the Republican frontrunner. CNN's Sara Murray has more on Trump's primary victory from South Carolina.
SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump crushed the competition in the South Carolina Republican primary. The billionaire businessman going from what was once a long-shot candidacy to now being the undisputed Republican frontrunner.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We will never, ever forget South Carolina. We will never forget our great volunteers. We love our volunteers. We'll never forget all of the people that have helped us so much. My family, and, folks, let's go, let's have a big win in Nevada. Let's have a big win at the SEC, let's put this thing away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MURRAY: Now Trump made no mention of Jeb Bush dropping out of the race in his victory speech and there's plenty of bad blood between them. But he did take on the conventional wisdom that when a candidate drops out, it will bolster his other competitors. He said he fully expects some of those supporters to come over to his side. And in order to ensure that happens, he is continuing to hit the campaign trail. On Sunday he'll be in Atlanta, Georgia. And from there, we move on to Nevada just ahead of the caucuses.
Back to you, guys. HOWELL: The son of a U.S. president and brother of another is no
longer running for president. That's Republican Jeb Bush who suspended his campaign for his party's nomination. The one-time frontrunner just could not shake that low-energy brand that was branded by Donald Trump. Bush also struggled to defend himself from attacks by rivals of Donald Trump.
Here is CNN's Athena Jones with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, South Carolina proved to be the end of the road for Jeb Bush. He suspended his campaign here after coming in a distant fourth place behind frontrunners Donald Trump, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. In fact, it was the governor's former protege Marco Rubio that the campaign really hoped to beat, to show that Jeb would be the best mainstream or so-called establishment candidate in the race. In the end, Rubio bested him by more than a dozen points. Despite the fact that Bush pulled out all the stops, bringing out his popular brother and mother to campaign with him here. Take a listen to what he told a crowd of supporters gathered in a hotel ballroom here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEB BUSH (R), FORMER REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: But the people of Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina have spoken, and I really respect their decision. So tonight I am suspending my campaign.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
BUSH: Yes, yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: Bush also said that he believes the next president has to be someone who sees himself as a servant and not as a master, and that despite what you may have heard, ideas matter. Policy matters. Those two lines sounded like veiled references to Trump who was perhaps Bush's chief sparring partner over the course of this campaign.
In his own remarks, Rubio hailed Governor Bush, calling of his admiration for the former governor and his affection for him and said that he had run a campaign of ideas. Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: Earlier my colleague Natalie Allen spoke with BuzzFeed's senior political writer McKay Coppins. He just left the Marco Rubio rally in Columbia, South Carolina, and had this to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCKAY COPPINS, BUZZFEED SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: I will say that, you know, it was widely expected here that Donald Trump would come in first place. The real competition was for second where, you know, between Cruz and Rubio. And inside the kind of event room where all Rubio's supporters and campaign aides and volunteers were gathered, the biggest applause and celebration of the night, it didn't have anything to do with where Rubio placed in the polls. It was actually when Jeb Bush announced that he was dropping out of the race. There's a widespread sense at that rally and among Rubio's campaign that that was a huge victory for him.
The people who are backing Jeb Bush or who have been backing him up until now are kind of natural Rubio supporters. And there's an expectation that those people will kind of flow to Rubio. But I can also tell you, just in the last couple of hours, as I've been talking to sources throughout the Republican Party, there is a lot of movement behind the scenes now to consolidate support and resources behind Mario Rubio, in hopes that they can elevate him to be the consensus kind of standard-bearer of the Republican establishment to take on Donald Trump, who at this point is unquestionably a surging frontrunner and looks hard to stop.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: That was of McKay Coppins, senior political writer with BuzzFeed. So what is next? It is still relatively early in the race with plenty
of action yet to come before the Republican nomination is decided. But there are some emerging trends based on what we've already seen.
Chief U.S. correspondent John King sheds some light on what we might expect going forward.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: On we go into Nevada next. Here for the sake of this hypothetical, we're assigning this to Donald Trump, saying he's going to win essentially with the margins we had tonight, 35 percent, other candidates getting 20, 20, 20. Splitting up the delegates there. That's what you would have after -- after Nevada, excuse me. Four states in. Then you come ahead to Super Tuesday.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Which is a week from Tuesday.
KING: A week from Tuesday when you've got a dozen states voting and you watch this now. Under this scenario, Trump wins them all. Again essentially, 35, 20, 20, 20. I know some of you at home are saying no way. But let just say if he won them all under that -- relatively close to that split, he would start to pull away in the delegate chase. So let's say you're a Ted Cruz supporter. You say no way, Ted Cruz is going to win in Texas. So let's give Ted Cruz first Texas and give the other -- oops, sorry, keep them at 1, and 3 and 4, decide that way, Cruz catches up a little bit.
Dana just mentioned a few minutes Governor Kasich tonight is in Massachusetts. It's a more moderate state. We'll see what happens there but let's just say for the sake of argument, either Kasich or Rubio wins that. We'll give it to Kasich here, two, three, four -- two, three, four, don't matter, you see because the delegates come easy. So it doesn't mean -- even if do you that, if Trump wins most, he starts to pull away a little bit in the delegate chase. So this is where it gets really interesting.
We should to go forward because the map, you have so many states voting at once. Donald Trump has such an advantage. These other candidates who say they're still in the race, Cruz has a decent amount of money. Rubio is trying to raise money fast. Kasich doesn't have that much money.
Donald Trump has celebrity, 100 percent name I.D. and money if he wants to spend it. So this is where it gets interesting because with the momentum he has right now, you assume Trump is in the lead just about everywhere, and the question is, can the other candidates, they're going to have to pick and choose. And if you're Ted Cruz, you're going to have to worry about home.
BLITZER: And they call it Super Tuesday. What, about 11 or 12 contests. A quarter of all the delegates are awarded -- on the Republican side, they're awarded on Super Tuesday, March 1st. That's going to be a huge, huge prize.
KING: Right. That's a big prize. And if you ran it out, and again, this is a hypothetical, we're assigning these states to Trump on a 35, 20, 20, 20.
[05:10:06] If you ran it out, well, that's Super Tuesday, by the end of March, 50 percent of the delegates on the Republican side will have been decided. So if you assign them all out to Trump this way he could pull out a stretch. And even if you took a few states away, Trump would still have a big lied. Doesn't mean he's going to be the nominee. But at the moment big challenge for the other candidates as the calendar gets crowded, Wolf, and as the calendar gets busy, pick your targets, and for several of the candidates, they better raise money and raise it fast, because you need resources to win when the map expands so quickly.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: The next Republican caucuses in Nevada will take place on Tuesday.
America's choice for the next president will have big implications outside of the United States. Jacob Parakilas is the assistant project director at the U.S. Chatham House, a London-based think tank. Earlier he told us what impact Donald Trump might have as president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACOB PARAKILAS, CHATTAM HOUSE PROJECT DIRECTOR: A bit difficult to parse what President Donald Trump would look like because he's released almost no information in terms of policy positions of what he would actually do. His statements tend to be, of course, very bombastic, very much in the language that he's perfected over years of being on television and of promoting his real estate projects. So it's hard to know how you would act -- hard or impossible to know
how he'd actually act in office. He has made a few very specific statements and those put him to odds not only with his Republican colleagues but the Democrats as well. Amongst those, he wants to re- impose tariffs on China. He wants to engage in protectionism, which is largely fallen off the U.S. trade agenda over the last 30 years. He wants to pursue as more transactional approach with American allies. He thinks that South Korea, Japan, Europe should all pay for financially or otherwise the presence of American troops on their soil.
And that's completely at odds with the post-World War II history of American of foreign policy. It's not clear what his policy would be with regards to the Middle East. He's talked about bombing ISIS and taking their oil. But again, he hasn't released a specific plan about how that will be operationalized, what that would entail and how he would pay for it. And of course he's talked about building a giant wall on the Mexican border and making Mexico pay for it which Mexico has explicitly stated that they will not do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: That was Jacob Parakilas, assistant project director of the U.S. at Chatham House.
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. From politics now to the very latest on the deadly shooting rampage in the state of Michigan. We want to give you this very latest, this breaking story. At least seven people are dead, including at least one child after a gunman attacked three separate locations in the city of Kalamazoo. An apartment complex, a car dealership and a restaurant parking lot each hit over the course of a few hours. An police spokesman and an eyewitness shed some light on these attacks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL MATYAS, KALAMAZOO COUNTY UNDERSHERIFF: We've had several shootings here tonight in the county of the city Kalamazoo. They all appear to be related. We have multiple people dead. In summary what it looks like is where somebody just driving around, finding people and shooting them dead in their tracks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As soon as he said like the type of vehicle, she said, is it a Chevy? And I said, it totally was, like I couldn't put two and two together, like this is the vehicle that they've been describing all night, and you know, you just never expect it to be, you know, that person. And you know, that's the thing, you know, that's why my respect goes out to the police officers because of the fact like I said, you know, it takes a lot to be -- subject yourself to those kind of things. So I don't know, I can't imagine how --
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Did you ever see a weapon?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, like I said I was never that close, but you know, I knew for sure that that was them as soon as I had seen all the police cars arrive. So I was just, you know, driving right by. I was just spending, you know, my birthday down here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: That community certainly shaken. A news conference is expected a little later today. Police say that they do have a strong suspect in custody.
Another round of voting in the U.S. presidential race yields two big winners.
Ahead, what these latest victories for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump mean in the race for the White House. Plus, a killer cyclone makes a direct hit on Fiji. Now people there are trying to recover and clean up after a great deal of destruction. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:16:59] HOWELL: This is new video coming in from the Syrian city that was once called the capital of the revolution. At least 25 more people are dead in Homs after two suspected car bomb explosions. The bombings hit a district that is home to members of the same sect as the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. It is unclear who is responsible, but it is noteworthy to point out that ISIS has claimed multiple attacks in that same neighborhood in the past three months.
Now we move on to Fiji. The death toll there is rising from a monster cyclone. Fiji's government says at least five people were killed after the tropical cyclone Winston made a direct hit on Fiji's main island on Saturday. The powerful storm is now swirling out to sea. It's left behind flooding and a great deal of destruction. Homes are ruined. Trees, as you see, are blocking roads. And power is out across much of that island nation. A curfew remains in effect until Monday so that emergency crews can clean up debris and get power back on.
CNN's senior international correspondent Ivan Watson now joins us live to talk more about this live from Hong Kong.
Ivan, you know, regrettably, five people lost their lives in this storm, but when you consider the power of this cyclone, thankfully, there weren't more casualties. What more do we know about the damage there?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fiji, George, just survived what experts say is the most powerful storm in history in the southern hemisphere. This tropical cyclone Winston was a category 5 tropical storm. It had sustained winds of up to 230 kilometers per hour, gusting up to 325 kilometers per hour. And yes, at least five casualties, the prime minister says, as a result of these intense winds and the destruction that they caused, but the damage could have perhaps been far, far worse.
The government wasn't taking any chances. It imposed a country-wide curfew. It's declared a state of emergency for the next 30 days. And the prime minister in recent statements is urging people, now that the winds have subsided, to please avoid going outside while they're still trying to assess the scale of the damage. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANK BAINIMARAMA, FIJI PRIME MINISTER: In the aftermath of this great tragedy, many are without power and full access to water and of course cut off from communication. My government team is working overtime to repair the damage that has been caused and restore these essential services to our people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: George, a lot of the damage is due to flooding. It's due to downed power lines. The government says it's working to get telecommunications back up, to get electricity and water back online, that they've had to turn off the electricity in some places to avoid further potential accidents, that they've mobilized the armed forces there as well as other emergency providers to help out with this.
[05:20:06] And they're still trying to assess some of the scale of the damage since Fiji, of course, is an archipelago of islands, and there are of course concerns about some of the smaller islands, some of the more vulnerable villages about the damage that could have been incurred in those locations -- George.
HOWELL: Ivan Watson with the very latest details on the aftermath of this storm. Thank you for your reporting now.
And now joining us to talk more about this cyclone is Danielle Perry, she is the public information officer for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs now on the line from Fiji's capital of Suva.
Danielle, good to have you on the line with us again this hour. I know we spoke an hour ago, but now we have our United States viewers joining us. If you would share with them your experience going through this storm.
DANIELLE PERRY, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER FOR THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS: Look, it was a very harrowing night here in the capital Suva. It was very windy. There was a lot of rain. There were a lot of trees broke down. The power went out. It was early in the evening. So it was a night spent in darkness for a lot of people.
The power has now been out for in excess of 24 hours. So it's a feeling people are getting used to. It was certainly a very wild night here in Suva, but that is nothing compared to what was happening in the west and the north last night. It was certainly very much in the eye of the storm up there. A category 5 cyclone going directly overhead some of the very small communities on the outlying islands, and then coming onto the main island.
It was certainly, to them, I'm sure, a very terrifying experience. And, at this stage, reports are starting to come in, and some of the damage that those very, very strong winds, gusting up to 325 kilometers an hour caused in the northwest and east of the country.
HOWELL: When you consider the power of this cyclone, and, again, regrettably, five people killed in this storm, but to what are officials crediting the simple fact that they got so many people through this very powerful storm?
PERRY: I think the government took a lot of steps early on to get prepared for what was to come. There was a lot of public messaging about taking shelter, making sure people were safe. A curfew came into effect yesterday afternoon before the storm hit, trying to get people to safety, and it was enforced around the country. I think that certainly has contributed to this, but it is very early days. I have to stress that emergency authorities here in Fiji are still doing assessments.
There's some aerial surveillance going on to try and have a look at exactly what the scale of this damage is, especially on the outer islands. Fiji is a country made up of more than 300 islands. Some of them very tiny and quite isolated. And communication sometimes are very difficult, and they certainly have been in the wake of the category 5 cyclone passing over. Even the rest of the main island, we have had very scarce communication with that side of the island.
And so the message from the Fiji government has been very much that they are in the process of assessing what the damage is. The humanitarian community has offered its support if requested by the Fiji government and is standing by. There has been no request for international assistance as yet. The partners are very much ready if that is requested. But at the moment, the Fiji government is really assessing exactly what they need, what the situation is and just how bad things have gotten in some of these outlying regions.
HOWELL: And a state of emergency there continues for the next 30 days.
Danielle Perry, live on the line with us from the capital of Suva, Fiji. Danielle, thank you. And we are thankful that you're OK and wish others well-being as crews work to recover.
Let's get a closer look at the power, the trajectory and strength of this cyclone. Meteorologist Karen Maginnis joins us with more on that -- Karen.
(WEATHER REPORT)
[05:26:56] HOWELL: Regrouping after a great deal of damage there, Karen Maginnis, thank you.
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Still ahead, Britain sets a date for a crucial decision on whether to remain in the EU or to go their own way. We'll have more on that.
Plus, U.S. presidential candidate Marco Rubio made a bit of a comeback in South Carolina. The latest from the southern U.S. live in the United States and around the globe this hour.
You're watching CNN worldwide.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[05:30:49] HOWELL: And a warm welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell. Good to have you with us this hour. Here's the headlines we're following.
A suspect in the shooting rampage in the U.S. state of Michigan has been identified as 45-year-old Jason Dalton. Police say Dalton attacked victims at three seemingly random places at an apartment complex, car dealership and then a nearby restaurant. At least seven people were killed in that shooting spree.
Syria's president says he is ready for a so-called cessation of hostilities. But Bashar al-Assad says that Syrian forces would continue to fight terrorists during such ceasefire. The Syrian regime brands anti-government rebels as terrorists. And negotiated pause in fighting did not start on Friday as had been planned.
At least 25 people are dead in the Syrian city that was once called the capital of the revolution. Two suspected car bomb explosions hit Homs in a district controlled by the Syrian government. It is unclear who is responsible.
Republican Donald Trump won his party's primary in South Carolina. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are at a virtual tie for second place. Meanwhile, Jeb Bush, former frontrunner, ended his campaign after a disappointing end in South Carolina.
Although polls showed Nevada has up for grabs, Hillary Clinton pulled out a win in the Silver State's caucuses. She defeated Bernie Sanders by about six points. Hillary Clinton is now in the state of Texas, campaigning ahead of the South Carolina primary set for next weekend.
Let's take a look now at the delegate count as it stands now. With his win in South Carolina on Saturday night Donald Trump snagged most of that state's delegates to lead with 58 delegates overall. Ted Cruz follows with a distant 11 and Marco Rubio right behind him with 10. The nominee will need more than 1200 delegates to claim the party prize.
For the Democrats, team Clinton, they are breathing a sigh of relief after securing a major majority of delegates in Nevada. That's 26 to Bernie Sanders' 16. All together Clinton is far ahead when you consider super delegates, party officials and elected leaders who have already pledged their support to the candidate. Clinton is closing in on 500 total delegates to date compared to Sanders who has 69 delegates.
Candidates need almost 2400 delegates to win the party's convention in July to win the presidential nomination.
This part of the U.S. presidential election comes down to delegates. While Hillary Clinton is leading by quite a few right now, she has to win many, many more to clinch her party's nomination. CNN's chief U.S. correspondent John King explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING: She just won Nevada. This assigns her South Carolina next week at a 55-45 margin. She wins, 55-45. Let's assume, OK, that's a hypothetical. Let's assume she wins everything else, right. She wins Super Tuesday, 55-45. Then she would start to pull away with delegates. Let's assume throughout the month of March Hillary Clinton won everything. Now the Sanders campaign thinks he's going to win some of these states, right. They think they're going to win Vermont, for example. This is a hypothetical.
Let's assume she wins 55-45 all through there. Then we get to May. She's continuing to win 55-45. Then we finish out. The final progress, if she won 55-45 all the way out, she would still be short of what she needs to clinch the nomination if Sanders stays in to the end because of the Democratic Party delegate rules, but she has over 400 super delegates right now and she actually has more people who have pledged to support her but keeping it private for now in case they want to roll them out, maybe when their state is up or if she has a bad week and wants to roll out endorsements.
So if she won everything 55-45, and again, Bernie Sanders may win some of these states. Hillary Clinton may win some states by 65 percent. But if you just hypothetically play it out like this in a long contest, it is conceivable she gets to the convention even if she won 49 states she could end up short of the delegates, the pledged delegates from the primaries and caucuses. She needs the super delegates. The way to keep the super delegates is to keep the party support by winning contests.
This isn't winning beautiful. Iowa and Nevada, some people will say it's winning ugly or it's winning close but it's winning. And that's how you keep the party establishment on your side.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[05:35:08] HOWELL: As for the Republicans, Marco Rubio surprised many in South Carolina with his second-place finish albeit a narrow one behind Donald Trump. Rubio had a less than stellar performance in New Hampshire but he came to the south with a little more momentum.
CNN's senior political reporter Manu Raju has a look at that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: A huge night for Marco Rubio for two reasons. One, ending up in that virtual tie with Ted Cruz behind Donald Trump. No one really expected that coming into the night, but the momentum had been breaking his way, particularly after that really disastrous performance in New Hampshire, where he was sort of left for dead. Now a really rejuvenated Marco Rubio believes he has a real solid shot at the Republican nomination. But the second reason why this was such a huge night for him was that Jeb Bush is out of the race. Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio really have fought for such a long time for that establishment mantle in the lane of those moderate right of center voters who really like both Jeb and Marco.
Now the Marco Rubio campaign believes that a number of those Bush supporters will come their way, as well as big Jeb Bush donors, we're looking for a hub already, the hunt is on for those donors, but perhaps even more importantly, Right to Rise, which is Jeb Bush's super PAC have been spending millions of dollars on the air, just attacking Marco Rubio for not being prepared to be president, for being a flip-flopper on immigration and for not being a leader.
Those attacks no longer be on the air waves. It will be up to another organization to come after Marco Rubio, perhaps Ted Cruz's who has also been going after Marco Rubio, will start to do that more intensely. You heard Rubio make the case pretty aggressively that this is a three-person race that's because they do not view John Kasich as the kind of viable candidate who can compete with them in the long run.
Marco Rubio has that organization going forward. Whether or not John Kasich does is a big question in this race.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: And be sure to tune in to CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" Jake Tapper. Later this Sunday he will be talking to most of the leading presidential candidates including Republican Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. And Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. That's at 9:00 a.m. in Washington, 2:00 p.m. London, only here on CNN.
Scott Lucas is a professor of International Politics at the University of Birmingham in England. He specializes in U.S. politics. And I asked him about the international reactions to Donald Trump as a presidential candidate. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT LUCAS, PROFESSOR OF POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM: I think the initial reaction of many people was that Trump really wasn't a serious candidate. We knew him as a reality TV star and as this loud, you know, tycoon. But now in the past few weeks, I've had -- you know, talked to many people, colleagues, that these aren't conservatives, liberals, these are people in the street, you know, mainstream voters who say what exactly is going on? Because they're worried that he's provocative, they're worried that he's making comments that could be seen as Islam phobic.
They're worried that he has made comments which can be seen as against women. We really have this idea that plays to fears in Europe of Trump being an antagonistic figure representing the worst of American politics rather than the best.
HOWELL: Is there a sense, though, that Donald Trump will continue to gain voters or that he will hit a ceiling with the base that he is holding onto?
LUCAS: Well, I think that plays to a larger question, which is -- which should go to the Republican establishment. And that is as long as Trump has a dedicated 30 percent to 35 percent of voters behind him, and these are loyal voters in a crowded field, he's going to look like he's the frontrunner.
HOWELL: Right.
LUCAS: As the field narrows that you ask, can the Republican establishment find an alternative that can bring across the majority of Republicans who do not see Trump as the way forward. Now I think that will be Marco Rubio, but there's been stumbles on the way, such as in New Hampshire. What we need to look at in the next week is whether Trump -- Rubio has really solidified his position as being the alternative to both Trump and to Ted Cruz. I'm looking I think at probably a three-candidate race all the way to the convention this summer.
HOWELL: Wow, that would be interesting. All right. Let's talk about Bernie Sanders now. Here is a guy who has energized younger voters with a very anti-Wall Street message and using that really to chip away at Hillary Clinton. What do you make of the Sanders campaign?
LUCAS: I think he's just really drawn attention to people over here who had no idea who Bernie Sanders was until a few weeks ago. I mean, followed him for decades, first as an independent and then a Democratic senator, and he has this really progressive message that has a lot of appeal over here. That is we need to really focus on all people in society. We need to make sure it's not just the well-off who benefit. We need to look at a society which deals with social issues such as race, such as claims of division.
[05:40:05] And in contrast to Trump, who's seen as a divider, Sanders is really seen as a potential unifier, raising issues that need to be addressed in American politics. So he's getting a very positive reception here. I don't think he can defeat Hillary Clinton, but I think it'll be a very good feel-good moment both for us over here and I think also for the Democratic Party, which will look a lot more unified than the Republicans going into the general election.
HOWELL: Scott, you're walking right into my next question here.
LUCAS: OK.
HOWELL: You've seen a similar movement there, an anti-establishment movement in Britain, you know, with the election of the opposition party leader, Jeremy Corbin. Are there any parallels?
LUCAS: I think there's a parallel in the sense that people in Britain, as well as in the U.S. really don't want a small group at the top or a small perceived group at the top making all the important economic and political decisions, and so I think Corbin has caught the attention of a lot of people to unexpectedly become the leader of the main opposition party.
The problem is that the establishment within his own party are still skeptical. So in a way, I think in contrast to what is going to be a positive moment for the Democrats, we are in a very tricky situation here in Britain especially, because to be honest with you, the big question that will dominate our politics over here is not how we see the United States. It's going to be Britain's relations with Europe, where we may be facing a decision to leave the European Union.
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HOWELL: And the date is now set for the U.K.'s decision. More on Britain's historic referendum as NEWSROOM continues.
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HOWELL: In the U.K., June 23rd is a day that could go down in history.
[05:45:03] It's when Britain will hold a major referendum to decide if it should remain in the EU or strike out on its own. While the decision is still months away, the campaigning has already begun on both sides of the issue.
Nima Elbagir has more.
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NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Britain's prime minister in the fight of his political life.
DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Let me be clear. Leaving Europe would threaten our economic and our national security. Those who want to leave Europe cannot tell you if British businesses will be able to access Europe's free trade single market or if working people's jobs are safe or how much prices would rise. All they are offering is a risk at a time of uncertainty, a leap in the dark.
ELBAGIR: Britain's relationship with Europe strikes to the heart of the nation's popularly espoused island mentality, part of Europe, but separate from it. And to the heart of the ruling party's conservatism. Cameron has relieved his ministers of the responsibility to back him on this issue which means come polling day collegial relations could deteriorate as cabinet colleagues fight to convince the British public come the June 23 referendum that their vision for Britain's future is best.
An early boost for the stay campaign came from Home Secretary Theresa May who said in a statement, "For reasons of security, protection against crime and terrorism, trade with Europe and access to markets around the world, it is in the national interest to remain a member of the European Union."
The numbers certainly seem to back the stay campaign's rhetoric. EU countries invested more than $700 billion in the United Kingdom in 2014. That's almost half of all outside investments in the country. According to official figures, trade supports 3.4 million jobs, according to the London School of Economics European Institute. 45 percent of the UK's exports go to other EU states while 53 percent of the UK's imports come from within the European Union.
(On camera): What we heard there from the British prime minister was in essence his campaign speech. Those are the key points that he will be hitting again and again in the months to come. He's arguing that Britain in Europe is a Britain who is standing and influence is amplified, because of course this isn't just about Britain's place in Europe, this is about Britain's place on the international stage and no one inside that building is under any illusions about the reality that what happens on referendum day is going to reverberate around the world.
Nima Elbagir, CNN, 10 Downing Street.
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HOWELL: The latest presidential primary in the U.S. has prompted another candidate to drop out of the race. Ahead, how the voting on Saturday has reshaped the race for the White House.
This is CNN NEWSROOM.
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[05:52:5] HOWELL: So Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. He swept the Republican primary in South Carolina and she won the Democratic caucuses in Nevada. Their wins on Saturday are fueling both candidates' momentum as their parties' frontrunner. Meanwhile, Jeb Bush, he has dropped out of the Republican race after a weak fourth place finish in a state that had always been good for the Bush family.
It was a pivotal day in so many different ways for Republicans. Here's a quick look at how it all played out.
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BLITZER: In South Carolina, the polls are closing, right now. The early leaders right now, South Carolina, and this second tier candidate, CNN predicts Donald Trump, the billionaire real estate magnet, will win the South Carolina Republican primary.
KING: He's getting nearly half the votes here in the Myrtle Beach area, Horry County. It's a big population there, nearly (INAUDIBLE) state population is getting near 50 percent. So whether you like Donald Trump or don't like Donald Trump, that speaks for itself, Wolf. This is a thumping.
IVANKA TRUMP, DONALD TRUMP'S WIFE: He will be the best president.
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Jeb Bush has run a very hard race. At one time was considered the frontrunner. Right now has decided to suspend his campaign.
BUSH: The people of Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina have spoken, and I really respect their decision, so tonight I am suspending my campaign. JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: There is a key battle going on right now for
second place between Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz.
SEN. TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Right now we are effectively tied for second place.
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: After tonight this has become a three-person race and we will win the nomination.
DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Donald Trump is on the path to become the Republican nominee for president. More so than any other candidate in the race.
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HOWELL: For the Democrats, the race in Nevada was expected to be close, and team Clinton is likely breathing a sigh of relief now that those votes have started rolling in, in her favor. Here's a quick look at how things unfolded for the Democrats on Saturday.
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BLITZER: Three months ago it looked like Hillary Clinton would win easily in the state. But now her campaign seems to be lowering expectations here.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: The Clinton campaign worked hard behind the scenes with casino owners to try and get paid time off so the hotel workers -- excuse me -- could actually go caucus today.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They actually let everybody come in without completing the registration process. Apparently, they're going to try to complete it while they're holding the caucus.
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These are English speakers registering to vote, filling out Spanish forms because they ran out of English registration forms.
BLITZER: Take a look at how close it is right now. 50 percent for Hillary Clinton, 49.6 percent for Bernie Sanders. It's a dead heat, 50-50.
KING: Yes, it's a dead heat and the winner essentially needs to win Clark County. Secretary Clinton with a lead over Bernie Sanders at the moment. But this is the bulk of the votes that will be counted tonight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many of you guys are first-time caucus goers? Here for the first time, raise your hands?
BLITZER: CNN projects Hillary Clinton is the winner of the Nevada Democratic caucuses, beating Bernie Sanders.
[05:55:04] KEILAR: This is certainly a win, Wolf, that she is savoring. CLINTON: Some may have doubted us, but we never doubted each other.
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CLINTON: And this one's for you.
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We are bringing working people and young people into the political process in a way we have not seen for a very long time.
TAPPER: This is a big win for Hillary Clinton. She needed it, and she delivered.
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HOWELL: And now for a quick reminder of our other top story this hour. The suspect in a shooting rampage in the U.S. state of Michigan has been identified as 45-year-old Jason Dalton. Police say that Dalton attacked people in three seemingly random locations, an apartment complex, a car dealership and then at a nearby restaurant parking lot. At least seven people were killed.
CNN's Ryan Young has arrived in Kalamazoo, and we will hear from him in the coming hours ahead about the investigation there.
That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm George Howell at the CNN center in Atlanta. For our viewers in the United States, "NEW DAY," is next. And for other viewers around the world, "THE BEST OF QUEST" starts in just a moment. But we leave you with the moment that Jeb Bush left the race for the White House. See it here.
This is CNN.
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BUSH: I congratulate -- I congratulate my competitors that are remaining on the island. On their success for a race that has been hard fought. Just as the contest --
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