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Nancy Reagan Died at Age 94; Republicans and Democrats Voting in Separate Contests Today; Democratic Debate in Flint, Michigan. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired March 06, 2016 - 15:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:01:06] POPPY HARLOW, CNN HOST: Top of the hour. 3:00 p.m. eastern. I'm Poppy Harlow in New York.

Reaction and tribute pouring in as the nation mourn to the death former first lady Nancy Reagan. She passed away this morning at the age of 94. For more than 50 year-marriage to the former president Ronald Reagan, a true American love story. She said that her life fully begins when she married her husband. A lost for so many today who knew her and who loved her. We will have much more on her life, her legacy, we will speak to those who knew her best ahead this hour.

We also have a big day in political news. A huge weekend of politics in the race for the White House. We are expecting results in the Republican primary in Puerto Rico any moment. We are also monitoring the Democratic caucuses today in Maine.

And meantime, my colleague Victor Blackwell is in Flint, Michigan because CNN has big Democratic debate there tonight.

Victor, you have been there all weekend. And you know, thank goodness, the city of Flint is finally getting the attention it deserves after such a price.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN HOST: Absolutely. But you know, the people here want more than attention. They want some help. They want some money to fix the problem here. It is going to take of hundreds and millions of dollars just for the city, though, no telling how much is going to cost to take care of the kids here.

But we are counting down, five hours until the big debate, 8:00 p.m. eastern. Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton face-off right here on CNN.

Let me show you this NBC/"Wall Street Journal" Marist poll out today shows Hillary Clinton with a wide lead here over Bernie Sanders, 17 points. Now, this happens, of course, as the water crisis in Flint is expected to take center stage. I mean, that's why we are here.

Take a look, moments ago, Bernie Sanders who did a walk-through as he prepared to debate former secretary Clinton in just a few hours.

CNN's senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns is there on the stage, on the set of the big debate coming out tonight. Everybody is getting ready. You can see there behind him.

Joe, Flint of course is in the middle of this major water crisis. Secretary Clinton came here just a few days after the debate was announced. Senator Sanders followed just a few weeks later. But now and they come back, the people want some answers. They want some solutions. What are they going to layout tonight? Do we have an idea?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Well, I can tell you what they talked about on the campaign trail, Victor. And quite frankly, Hillary Clinton has among other things called on the governor to ask the federal government for emergency assistance. She has called on the federal agency management agency to expedite its review of the situation. She's even sent over a couple of her staffers to try to help the people of Flint in this time of crisis.

Bernie Sanders has called on the governor of Michigan to resign, which of course he has not. But Sanders has also talked about the fact that it's not just about the water in Flint. And one of the points he has made on the campaign trail as recently as this morning, is that in 1960 this town was one of the richest towns in the United States. And today far from it, just like Detroit. And he blames that on, among other things, the trade deals that various presidents have entered into and the auto bailout from 2008. That was when President Obama moved to try to save the automobile industry there by reducing the wages of some of the union workers.

So these are all the things they have been talking about on the campaign trail likely to come up this evening and probably so much more -- Victor.

BLACKWELL: Yes. The vehicle city is going through a rough time, but certainly has a great legacy here. Let's talk about what else we have been hearing from Senator Sanders on the campaign trail, especially in this part of the country hitting Secretary Clinton on these trade deals, NAFTA, TPP, to name just a few and outsourcing. And I expect that he is going to raise these points again tonight.

[15:05:03] JOHNS: I think you're absolutely right about that. It is fascinating last night I was in Warren, Michigan, which has been called the home of the Reagan Democrats. And even today after all these years NAFTA was sort of brought into being in part by President George H. W. Bush and also then later also President Bill Clinton. But even today people have a bad feeling when they talk about the North American free trade agreement. And fast forward to today, you have the issue of the Trans Pacific trade deal. That's something that's come across the transom much more recently.

Hilly Clinton was obligated to support that as secretary of state in the Obama administration. Now she says she's opposed to it, but it does open her up to some vulnerability politically on the campaign trail. Nonetheless, she leads apparently by a pretty comfortable margin in the polls here in Michigan right now, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Yes. Expecting that senator Sanders will continue that primarily economic message. Joe Johns there for us at the site of tonight's big debate.

Joe, thank you so much.

And reminder, the debate begins at 8:00 p.m. eastern moderated by Anderson Cooper live on CNN.

Poppy, back to you in New York.

HARLOW: Victor, thank you so much. We will get back to Flint in just a moment.

I do want to take you now live to Toledo, Ohio. There is John Kasich, the Republican candidate trying to stake his ground in that state, his critical home state in this race. A big endorsement today from former two term governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Let's listen in to Kasich.

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And we are doing that in Ohio. And I want to send those programs back. And I want to send the programs of health care for the poor, because we know we can do a better job if we were set free and send back job training. And send back transportation. OK. So I'm going to send these programs back all the within the first 100 days.

But I want to tell you something that I really belief coming from that little town in Pittsburgh. You got it, man. Let me tell you something. That little town in (INAUDIBLE), our hero was Roberto Clemente. He was the great athlete. He performed like we all dreamt that we could.

I didn't see my mother cry a lot, but I remember the morning she walked in my room in tears because she said Roberto Clemente had lost his life flying to help people in Nicaragua who had been hit by an earthquake.

You see in that little town of (INAUDIBLE), we didn't wait for any president to come galloping in to our town. We didn't wait for some politician to come in and solve our problems. You see the spirit of America in my opinion does not rest in politicians. We need to do our job to get things fixed where we are expected to do our job, what we are paid for. But the spirit of our country rests in you. It does not rest in a faraway city or a faraway place.

I was in Gulfport, Mississippi. Hurricane Katrina came in and levelled the entire town. It was nothing left. Maybe a couple of the saves that the banks had. And they went and got the cash and they put it in a Winnebago and they set card tables up in front of the Winnebago. And people came to get the cash they needed to survive. And they wrote them an IOU and passed out tens of millions of dollars in cash. And when all was said and done and all the IOUs were back, they had lost a total of about $300,000. And when the regulators showed up from Washington to look at the Winnebago bank, the advice was get back in your cars, get out of here, we know what we're doing.

These stories are all over the country of people standing up and fixing things. And the last thing I really want to tell you is this. Do you all understand that you're made special?

HARLOW: All right. There you have it. Governor John Kasich speaking live in Columbus, Ohio. And he is obviously stumping hard in his home state, trying to make sure that he can take it home. It is a must-win state, he has said, for his chances in this presidential race. The man standing to his right is former two-term California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger who came out endorsing Kasich today. We will continue to monitor this and bring you more in just a moment.

Meantime, the Democratic candidates are facing off today in Maine. Senator Ted Cruz won the Republican side in actually a surprise after the governor of Maine endorsed Donald Trump. Ted Cruz took home that state on the Republican side yesterday. Now voters are deciding between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

That is where we find our Polo Sandoval in Portland, Maine.

Real tossed up and I know folks there on line aren't really telling you who they're going to go in and cast their ballot for but there is an incredible turnout today.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Instead of just telling you about it, Poppy, I want to show you. The people here in Maine, the Democrats here in Maine are having their voices heard. But it is going to take a little. And here is why.

You see the line that virtually snakes all around this high school packed with Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders supporters. And as my colleague continues to pend to the right. You will see this line virtually snake around the block towards the American flag that you may be able to make out there and then eventually goes into the tree line, Poppy. So, it is really impossible to tell you how many people are here. Some preliminary, some indicates there could be well over (INAUDIBLE) perhaps even 10,000 people just putting some things in perspective here. There were about 14,000 voters that turned out for the GOP caucus yesterday. So now the question is, what are we going to see here today?

I could tell you that the folks here in Portland are mainly leaning to the side of Bernie Sanders, but it doesn't necessarily mean the rest of the state will lean in that direction. So it is going to be very interesting to see what happens as the results come in.

I will tell you, though, that organizers are taking extra steps to try to add some relief to the situation here. They are now allowing folks to essentially, register, sign in, vote and then head out and not necessary take part in the caucusing, which is something that has been obviously a special combination that's been made here, Poppy, because the crowd is so huge. The stakes are high there, Poppy. As you mentioned, 25 delegates up for grabs. And that no actual public polling. There's no indication on who likely will be the winner today -- Poppy.

HARLOW: Who knows which way it will go? We will let our viewers know as soon as we find out.

Polo Sandoval live for us in (INAUDIBLE), Maine. Thank you so much.

Also, I want to tell you about Puerto Rico. Voters in Puerto Rico have cast their decision, their ballots in the Republican primary there today. We are expecting results at any moment. We'll bring you results as soon as we have them. The island nation cannot vote in the general election, but they can put forth delegates and obviously that is key in this race right now.

Obviously, when you look at the issues facing people in Puerto Rico, the massive debt crisis is front and center. Puerto Rico is $70 million in debt. There are no polls to suggest of which way the voters there are leaning. The Democratic race there not until June 5th. We'll bring you the Republican results today as soon as we have them.

Coming up next, we remember a remarkable woman, a remarkable first lady of this country, Nancy Reagan. Her life, her legacy, her love story with the former President Reagan ahead.

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[15:16:30] HARLOW: We continue to remember the life and the legacy of former first lady Nancy Reagan. She passed way this morning from heart failure. She was 94 years old.

Let's talk about her life, especially her time in the White House with her husband, former president Reagan, with Charles Bierbauer. He is a former CNN White House correspondent. He was the White House correspondent during Reagan administration. He is also Dean of college of information and communications at the University of South Carolina.

Thank you so much for being with me. And you know, as a White House correspondent during the Reagan years, you got access and a perspective unlike really anyone else to the administration. What impact did Nancy Reagan have on her husband?

CHARLES BIERBAUER, FORMER CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on the phone): Well, she had a tremendous impact on her husband and a subtle, in fact, on his administration. Nancy Reagan may have been criticized early in the going for things like fancy dresses and buying China and redecorating the White House, but she was just utterly devoted to the man she always called Ronnie. That was her guy. And if you want to ask what kind of a wife she was, well, I asked my wife to be honest, my wife was the associated press correspondent at the White House (INAUDIBLE). She summed it up in a word, stalwart.

Nancy was pretty tough, tougher than most people thought. One moment that comes to mind, well, not part of what you ask but the Reagans were visiting Moscow for a summit meeting and Mrs. Reagan was accompanying Mrs. Gorbachev to a museum. She got there first and sort of dominated the conversation. And when Mrs. Reagan arrived, she was asked if she had anything to say. And initially she demurred being on the soviet ground (INAUDIBLE) spoken extensively. Nancy said, well, I've got a few things to say. HARLOW: Of course she did. You know, what I've heard her described

as is his personal protector and also as an absolute team. They were an absolute team in the White House. She very much had an influence on him policy-wise, whether it was apologizing eventually after Iran contra, whether it was sitting down with Gorbachev, the negotiations when it came to the Soviet Union. Much of that behind the scenes, though.

BIERBAUER: Behind the scenes there were certain small cadre of Reagan supporters officials, people like James Baker and Mike Beaver especially who were very close to them going back to the California days.

There were rough spots, though. And one of the particularly rough ones was when it was learned that Mrs. Reagan was on consulting an astrologer as to what would be good times for the president to make speeches, to travel. This came out at the time when (INAUDIBLE) not Reagan was the White House chief of staff and he was (INAUDIBLE) when he learned that. He also been stick around the White House a whole lot longer. After that we close. Among all the people in the White House, the one the president probably trusted most was the first lady.

HARLOW: She also very much protected him, didn't she, after his time in the White House as he was battling Alzheimer's. On the outside, she was a huge advocate for Alzheimer's research. She also very much kept him to herself and kept him sort of behind closed doors thinking what is best for my husband.

[15:20:09] BIERBAUER: Very much so. But they were very public and honest at a point where it became evident how difficult the Alzheimer's was making it for then former president Reagan to be seen in public. He stayed in their home in Los Angeles. And I remember talking with her at the Republican convention in San Diego in 1996. And at that point she told me how challenging it was for her, where he, one, no longer remembered he had been president and was at the point where he didn't remember her. And there were others like (INAUDIBLE). She said I can't go see him anymore. He doesn't remember me. But Nancy Reagan of course stayed with him through that entire period up until his death. And it was very, very much, I think, reflective on the difficulties that Alzheimer's creates for families who are experiencing it.

HARLOW: Charles Bierbauer, thank you so much for helping us remember her, honor her life, her legacy. An extraordinary first lady. Thank you so much.

BIERBAUER: Thanks for the opportunity.

HARLOW: Of course.

Quick break. We'll be right back.

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[15:25:12] BLACKWELL: Welcome back. I'm Victor Blackwell in Flint, Michigan, where we are counting down the hours getting ready for tonight's CNN Democratic debate.

HARLOW: And quite a night it will be. I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. So glad you're with us.

We are also awaiting, potentially this hour, the results of the Republican primary in Puerto Rico this afternoon. CNN political commentators Buck Sexton, Kayleigh McEnany back with us. Both conservative. Kayleigh is a backer of Trump. Buck is not. And let's begin there.

Buck, looking at the path forward here for the others, for Rubio who didn't take a state last night, for Kasich who got one delegate. He's stumping hard today with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Ohio. And then you look at Rubio seemingly putting all the eggs in one basket in Florida, what's the math tell us?

BUCK SEXTON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, the math tells us that it's very unlikely that Marco Rubio is going to be able to win outright. We know that. And it is actually unlikely anybody other than Trump at this point will be able to get the majority of delegates. Rubio, putting all of his hopes on this is really - on Florida is really Rubio saying we can drag this out and eventually maybe the party will coalesce around me at a convention which as I have said before I think would be very damaging for a number of reasons to the party. I thinks that would be really problematic. So right now what you have is the Cruz campaign pointing out a number of places where they had victories and saying that we are the only alternative. You know, Cruz is the alternative. It certainly wasn't a super Saturday for the Rubio campaign. I think Ted Cruz is capitalizing on that as best we can with the message.

HARLOW: And Victor to you?

BLACKWELL: Yes, Kayleigh, I want to ask you about what we heard from Donald Trump last night on super Saturday calling for Marco Rubio to get out of the race. I understand why Ted Cruz, why John Kasich would want Rubio out of the race, but it seems counter intuitive that Trump would want him out because then that would allow the anti-Trump vote to coalesce. What's the strategy behind getting Rubio out?

KAYLEIGH MCENANY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think you are right. I think there might have been some reverse psychology there. If I urge Rubio to get out, he will probably stay in just because he doesn't want to do what I say. So I think that might have been at play a little bit.

But look. There are really two theories. One is that when you look at second choice votes for Rubio voters, they do go to Cruz by in large, by about double of what they would go Trump. So that does look damaging for Trump. That being said, that is a national poll. So that includes a lot of southeastern voters, a of Midwest voters that might have already voted for Cruz. So I think Trump's theory might be in the northeast, I can beat Ted Cruz by virtue of his policies. So there are really two theories there. My vote is keep the status quo. Trump is doing pretty well with the status quo. HARLOW: Buck to you. When it comes to John Kasich in Ohio, he gets

this endorsement from Arnold Schwarzenegger. I mean, he needs something to really move the needles. He has said this is over from me if I don't win my home state of Ohio. What do you think the thinking is on the part of the Kasich campaign right now?

SEXTON: I think it's already over for the Kasich campaign personally.

HARLOW: They're not saying that.

SEXTON: Of course they're not saying it. They still have donor money to spend on the campaign and Kasich realizes that he plays a very important role here, which is how is he going to be spoiler for some of the other campaigns. If he is able to take Ohio, that changes the dynamic for Trump. And I think he is honestly angling for either a VP slot or some sort post in an administration. Whose administration and whose VP would really be the question that I think people have to ask. He doesn't --.

HARLOW: He told our Gloria Borger, he does not play second fiddle. He does not want to be a VP.

SEXTON: Well, this is surprising to no one. But he doesn't play second fiddle. Of course he is going to tell us he thinks he has a clear path to the nomination. I mean, until a few weeks ago. Jim Gilmore thought he had a clear path to the nomination. So Kasich -- it's different. But mathematically it is a near impossibility if you look at the Vegas odds of John Kasich actually winning. But John Kasich winning in Ohio I think makes him very attractive as a vice presidential candidate because he can then theoretically, at least deliver that for whomever he would be on the bottom of the ticket and he continues to extend out this race. Extending out the race is one means of beating Trump. But is like you saying if no one gets to the number before the convention, you're going to have a lot of very disaffected angry Trump voters who feel like the GOP establishment is taking it away from their guy.

MCENANY: And Kasich did beat Rubio in Maine. That's important to point out. He came very close to beating Rubio within two points in Kentucky. There were - he was within a few points in the other state. I mean, Kasich did not have a bad night. So that is worth pointing out. He did well, maybe not a path to the nomination but it was not a losing night for Kasich.

HARLOW: All right, guys. Thank you so much, Buck and Kayleigh. We'll have much, much more ahead from Victor, obviously, there in Flint ahead of what is very, very, very big night.

Coming up next this hour, you are going to hear our one on one interview. We sat down exclusively with the governor of Michigan not long ago, Rick Snyder, to talk about this crisis that happened on his administration. Watch, he has apologized multiple times. Now they're putting words into action this week, replacing some of those lead pipes in Flint. What is it all mean for the people? You'll hear directly from the governor next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:33:11] BLACKWELL: Little more than four hours until CNN's Democratic debate tonight in Flint, Michigan. And of course, Flint's toxic water crisis will take center stage tonight. And crisis is ravaging neighborhoods inflate. I mean, imagine turning on your water, not being able to drink it or wash your hands, cook with it. It's turning the city into a hollow frame of its former self.

HARLOW: It absolutely is. The drinking water there was poisoned by lead after a cost-saving measure that switched the city's water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River. The governor of Michigan told me that at least 100 children are now suffering from lead poisoning, something that is irreversible. He said potentially many, many more could be poisoned. So far $55 million has been committed to removing and replacing those lead pipes that have been leeching into the water supply.

Also, we are hearing congressional hearings are scheduled potentially for later this month. I went to Flint recently. I sat down with Michigan Governor Rick Snyder to talk about all of it. Here's part of our interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Why not just immediately replace all of the lead pipes?

GOV. RICK SNYDER (R) MICHIGAN: That's a question you can ask across the country. And the challenge of that is that's --

HARLOW: But I'm asking you.

SNYDER: That's not a short-term project.

HARLOW: Because Flint has had people poisoned.

SNYDER: That is not a short-term project in terms of ripping up all the infrastructure, replacing all that. That can take an extended period of time.

HARLOW: So say we're sitting back here in five years. Will those lead pipes be replaced?

SNYDER: Well, I hope a lot of work has been on that topic. It's too soon to tell because I can't tell you how many pipes and where they are. But as a (INAUDIBLE), we should be working on it very clearly.

HARLOW: But wouldn't that be the safest thing, Governor, I mean, given what they've been through?

SNYDER: It's the safest thing. It's a question of how to work through it in a best passion. To make sure we are getting all the resources because I view this lead infrastructure. Water system is critical.

HARLOW: But what would stand in the way of that other than money? What would stand in the way of replacing them? [15:35:09] SNYDER: Well, we have got a state-wide issue in terms of

lead pipes. So we need to make sure we are addressing all of Michigan and that is why I'm calling for a review of all that.

SNYDER: Your former spokesman wrote an email back in July of 2015. Here's part of it. I'm frustrated by the water issues in Flint. These folks are scared and worried about the health impacts and they are basically getting blown off but us.

You have said since then you knew about that email and that you were made aware of that. Why not act then?

HARLOW: The experts came back from both the department of environmental quality and health and human services to say they didn't see a problem with lead in the water or lead in the blood.

HARLOW: Folks here did. They were getting rashes, their kids were having rashes.

SNYDER: If you could let me finish, Poppy. I mean, that makes you feel terrible. I mean, I wish we would have done something different. I mean, that's tragedy of this this. That's the part I revisit all the time. You wish one more thing could it happen that would have gotten caught. This is awful. So when you say that, I appreciate in hindsight it's always hard to say. But there are all these permutations. And that's just something I'll have to live with. Bu we are focused on solving the problem today.

HARLOW: When it comes to the money to get this all done, the money to invest in the children's future, the money for the pipes, all of it, you're talking about hundreds of millions of dollars. You have a $500 million surplus now in the state. You cut corporate taxes by about $1.7 billion a year. How do you square it all?

SNYDER: Well, again, it's helped generate Michigan's economy coming back in terms of making our state stronger. We have places where we need to work extra efforts. Flint is clearly one of those places.

HARLOW: Do you feel like, governor, looking back now the cuts were made in the wrong places, that perhaps with $1.7 billion in corporate tax cuts, maybe a little bit more could have gone to, say, Flint, to fix stuff like this?

SNYDER: Actually, it's not about just moving money. This is a case of a handful of government officials making extremely poor decisions that had massive consequences for people. This raises a cultural question.

HARLOW: And you bring up culture. And you said in a recent interview one of the problems was quote "not having the culture of asking common sense questions. Doesn't that culture come from your office down?

SNYDER: Well, I'd say we've got a lot of wonderful people in many parts of state government that are common sense people. This was a place where common sense was missing.

HARLOW: As the scope of the crisis has grown, residents have rallied demanding that the governor step down.

A number of residents that I have spoken within Flint have said ultimately they want accountability. Governor, will you resign?

SNYDER: No. Again, I think it is normal, the right action is, if you have a problem that's happened from people you are responsible for, you go solve it. You don't walk away from it. You take it head on. And that's what I've been doing.

HARLOW: And to those who say, we trusted you, we trusted those you hired, you let us down, let someone else lead the fix, what do you say to them about who you believe you should keep your job?

SNYDER: Because I believe I'm the best person to do that. I'm focused on this. This is something that happened on my watch and I want to take responsibilities for addressing it. This is just a terrible tragedy. This is a disaster in the sense that a handful of people let people down. This could have been avoided in many steps. And this is something that you always second guess. What could have been done differently or how we ended up here. And that's why I apologized.

In my state of the state I made it very clear that when something is work that doesn't do the right thing, you're responsible. And I am. And I am truly committed both short, intermediate and long-term. And as long as I am governor to solving this problem.

HARLOW: A number of the people you appointed or worked for you that are responsible, have resigned, but you're keeping your job. Explain that to people.

SNYDER: I want to solve this problem. And again, I got bad information. I addressed it quickly. There's more to be done and I'm going to focus on commitment, committing to solve it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: My thanks to the governor of Michigan for sitting down with us. Obviously focusing on Flint tonight, not only is the CNN debate there, but the candidates will be talking what they would do as president to help. But there are many, many ways that you can help. We want you to go to CNN.com/impact. Again, CNN.com/impact. The whole list of ways to help right there.

Coming up next, the nation, the country, many around the world mourning a loss of former first lady Nancy Reagan. She died this morning at the age of 94. She was an icon in her own right. We will talk about her legacy and what she did behind the scenes that really shaped foreign policy ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:44:08] HARLOW: We continue to remember the life of Nancy Reagan, the former first lady passed away this morning at the age of 94. Tributes and condolences remembering her, her legacy, her life continue to pour in. My colleague Paul Vercammen is live for us this afternoon at the

Reagan presidential library in Simi Valley, California. And that is where her husband, the late president Reagan is buried and she will be placed by his side. Right, Paul?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Poppy. And in fact, she will be laid next to him in this beautiful area that faces west to the Pacific Ocean that they both so loved. And there will be an inscription that is there right now that reads I know in my heart that man is good, that what is right were always eventual triumph. And there is purpose and worth to each and every life. That's where the two of them will be.

You may know that they lived at the Reagan ranch in a very similar sort of setting at the top of a mountain looking out onto the pacific. So Nancy's body will be brought up here in the next couple of days. And they are preparing for a large viewing. It will be a closed casket. But as we pointed out earlier, 250,000 people came up this hill to go ahead and pay their respects to Ronald Reagan. And they expect large crowds as well for Nancy and a lot of dignitaries to show up, Poppy.

[15:45:32] HARLOW: No question. Paul Vercammen, thank you so much. We'll get back to you in just a moment.

But let's talk more about her life and legacy. We know she died at her home in Los Angeles from heart failure.

David Gergen is with me. He served as communications director under President Reagan and advisor. Also Julian Zelizer, he is professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University.

David, we know she had such an influence in the west wing, much of it sort of behind the scenes. If you think of one thing that she did that impacted this country the most, what was it?

DAVID GERGEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: I think she was a major influence on her husband in negotiating an arm s agreement with the Soviet Union and moving toward the end to the cold war. You know, he came in as tough anti-communist campaign or have been that all sort of most of his adult life. And in the beginning of his administration he had a big arms buildup. But she was always telling him it's important to talk. And for a long time he didn't have a partner to talk to in the Soviet Union. You know, the leaders kept on dying on him. But after they build -- Gorbachev came into power, he and Reagan and Gorbachev started to talk to each other and they did get together and they were able to lay the foundations for an arms agreement that was eventually signed in the George H. W. Bush administration. You know, that went against the instinct of a lot of conservative but she emphasized the importance of peace and a peaceful outcome. And in the meantime, of course, the president also came up with the strategic defense administration, the so-called "star wars" which I think hastened the end of the cold war too.

HARLOW: And Julian, I mean, she also sort of is the one who pushed her husband to apologize after Iran contra arguably the biggest sort of black stain on this administration. She had a big role on that and sort of the coming around afterwards.

JULIAN ZELIZER, PROFESSOR, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: She did. I mean, she was very critical of some of the people who had surrounded him and she blamed them for creating an environment that allowed for Iran contra. She pushed him to get out ahead of this and to respond to what really a significant scandal. And I would agree with David that, you know, she was often one of the main voices calling for negotiation and actually facilitating the personal relations with the Gorbachevs at a moment many deserves thought this was all some big trick by the hard-liners in the kremlin.

HARLOW: OK. Her impact on foreign policy is very clear.

But David Gergen, in the position you had, you saw the Reagans as many other people did not. Their love story is renowned. I mean, their love story is one for the ages. What did we not see that was very moving?

GERGEN: I think it's hard to describe just how much of a universe they had built for themselves and how he -- many presidents go back to the residence at night and they're on the phone the whole time or they've got people coming and going. Lyndon Johnson was famously reaching out to people at all hours of the night, so was Bill Clinton.

The Reagan -- this was his refuge, to be with Nancy at night. They rarely, you know, they had a lot of state dinners because she often believe that the best way to advance politics is to social relationships. But they had a very special personal relationship. And you as a staff member, I was remember the staff, you know, you didn't want to penetrate that. You didn't want to try to get inside that zone. It was very, very private. There was sort of the curtain there. And I think that is where he drew his strength as well as having someone who was a safe person for him. You know, he was a child of an academic father. And there's been a lot written in the academy how the children of academic parents often are insecure. They have a hard time forming a relationship. It was extremely important to him that he was able to develop this very close relationship. And I think she was his anchor.

HARLOW: Julian, to get to the president or to get him on your side, former secretary James Baker worked in administration said to me, you really wanted Nancy Reagan on your side to make sure that would happen.

ZELIZER: Yes. She played a very big role behind the scenes. Don Reagan who has been discussed today had a tense relationship with her. And I always talk about her in classes as an example of a first lady who was very careful about the personnel who surrounded her husband and could often be quite tough when she thought people were making the wrong decisions. She played a similar role in the 1980 campaign helping to switch some of the players involved in the campaign when she didn't think her husband was being advised well. So she had quite a reputation in the White House and she could be very forceful at times.

HARLOW: And you know she said -- GERGEN: Yes, Poppy?

HARLOW: Yes, go ahead, David.

GERGEN: On that question, Ronald Reagan was a very gregarious man in many ways, but he hated to fire people. He would just (INAUDIBLE). Dwight Eisenhower was like that as well. And you need somebody else to be the enforcer in that situation. And she was the enforcer. She was the one that kept a close eye. It is a case book example of someone at your side who becomes hugely important person. I once asked a buying of Lincoln, what's the most important asset a president needs and this is David Herbert Donald and he said, a friend. A friend. She was the first friend.

HARLOW: His best friend, love of his life. No question.

David Gergen and Julian, thank you for helping us remember her today.

ZELIZER: Thank you.

HARLOW: We appreciate it. We'll be right back.

GERGEN: Thank you.

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[15:54:53] HARLOW: As we have seen in this election and past elections, one bad night, one really bad moment can spoil the end of a campaign. It is one of the teams explored in a brand new CNN series called "Race for the White House, a revealing look at six of the most heated and ruthless presidential races in U.S. history. Here's a sneak peek.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[15:55:13] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are asked if they want make-up. And Jack Kennedy says no. And Nixon, who wants to be manly, says well, I don't need it either. Meanwhile, Kennedy goes back and get some max factor applied to him and Nixon sends somebody down to Michigan Avenue to buy some hideous thing called a shave stick which he rubs on like gray grease across his face.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nixon was pacing around. He was asking people questions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Think I better shave.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was past time for all those questions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Studio, 30 seconds to air.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kennedy did not present himself until he was fully ready. He wasn't going to stand around with Richard Nixon and chat before the main event. He was going to come in like the prizefighter he was.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And Nixon made every mistake you could think of in that debate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at the faces of the two candidates in this debate. And ask yourself, who is presidential and who is scared?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The contrast is dramatic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: You won't want to miss it. It is tonight, 10:00 p.m. eastern, only right here on CNN. The original series, "race to the White House," hosted by Oscar winner Kevin Spacey.

And speaking of the race for the White House, this race for the White House, well, it has been anything but ordinary. And potentially pivotal chapter of that race takes place just four hours from now. The Democratic debate in Flint, Michigan, the epicenter of what has become a lead poisoning crisis that has affected more than 100 children in Flint, a man-made disaster has brought the issues of poverty, race relations all to the four in this Democratic nomination.

Much more on that. Our coverage is ahead. Stay with us.

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