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Candidates Battle for Votes on Super Tuesday 2; Ted Cruz Banks on Strong Showing in the South; GOP Rivals Battle for Michigan Votes; Bernie Sanders for Hillary Clinton's VP?; Strong Indications of Iran Missile Tests; Steady Turnout Reported in Mississippi. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired March 08, 2016 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:02] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts now.

COSTELLO: Happening now in the NEWSROOM, four states vote.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Do you swear that you are going to vote for Donald Trump tomorrow? Raise that hand. I love you.

COSTELLO: Four chances to take on Trump. Cruz hoping to close the gap.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Call your friends, call your family, call your neighbors and say this election matters.

COSTELLO: Rubio and Kasich looking ahead to their home turf.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm going to be on the ballot. We're going to win Florida. This is going to be a very long process. You guys have never covered a campaign like this.

COSTELLO: Plus Michigan maybe make-or-break for Bernie Sanders.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There is a large voter turnout tomorrow we will win. And if we win here in Michigan.

COSTELLO: But Clinton is sounding confident.

HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The sooner I could become your nominee the more I could begin to turn our attention to the Republicans.

COSTELLO: Plus, a packed California commuter train derails, plunging into a creek.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Looks like a scene from the movie "The Fugitive."

COSTELLO: Survivors describe the panic.

Let's talk. Live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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

Super Tuesday round two. Another day of voting underway as the presidential candidates scramble for delegates that can make or break their campaigns. This morning Donald Trump brushing aside the GOP's efforts to derail his campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The biggest story in politics is how many people are going to the primaries on the Republican side. It is a record number. They're up 55 percent, 60 percent. Some are up as much as a 100 percent and that hasn't happened ever. They say it's never happened. And the Democrats are down 35 percent. So, you know, something very positive is happening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Republican candidates vying for a total of 150 delegates today. Four states are in play from Michigan to Hawaii. Democrats will fight in just two of those states in Michigan and Mississippi. 166 delegates at stake.

The big prize for both parties, though, Michigan. The south looms large, too, though. This is a live picture from a polling place in Jackson, Mississippi. Just hours before voting got underway, the state's governor threw his support behind Senator Ted Cruz with hopes of derailing Trump's momentum.

Our correspondents are scattered across the country to follow this critical day for the campaigns. But let's begin with Jean Casarez. She's at a polling station in Warren, Michigan.

Good morning.

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. You know, this is the heart of the Midwest. We're in Warren, Michigan. It is the largest suburb outside of Detroit. And this is the heart of the auto industry. General Motors' technical center is several miles away and so this vote is pivotal and really will create a momentum for some candidate on either side for Ohio and Illinois.

It's very easy how you get going. And I think what makes this unique, this is an open primary. So if you are a Democrat, registered as a Democrat, you can vote Republican, or vice-versa.

This is the check-in desk. So this is where you first go. There are several check-in guests in this room, and then you go on over to a table where you're going to get your ballot. These fine ladies right here are working all day, I think you're going to work very hard, and it's been a steady stream of voters today. Luckily nobody is here right now so we can talk with you about this.

But you get your ballot here. You show your picture I.D., and if you want to have that open primary and vote for the other side, you can do it here in Michigan.

Now I just talked to a voter that said that he voted for John Kasich because he said that he wanted to be loyal to the Midwestern roots that he grew up in and John Kasich is a part of. And that's why he voted for him. There's a family man.

Also voted for several people of course saying that they were voting for Donald Trump. But also a lifelong Republican told me that he voted for Bernie Sanders because he believes he's the only candidate that is really for the people and that's what you need right now.

And, Carol, I want to tell you they have ordered extra ballots today. The polling station stays open until 8:00 tonight. Not extra personnel at this point. But this is a rather large facility and there's just been a steady, constant stream of voters here in the heart of the Midwest -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Do you know what's fueling the voter surge?

CASAREZ: You know, the feel that I'm getting, I'm seeing every -- absolutely every demographic part of this community. It's just -- I am seeing all ethnicities come to this polling place, and I'm seeing a variety, I would say overwhelmingly maybe Republican but not necessarily all for Donald Trump. But they're not saying the last few weeks have influenced them. They're looking at the debates. They're looking at the demeanor. They're making their own decisions.

COSTELLO: As it should be. Jean Casarez reporting live from Warren, Michigan, this morning.

Time is running out for Republicans to close the gap on the frontrunner Donald Trump, and Senator Ted Cruz hopes to make a stand and have a strong showing in his native south.

[10:05:05] CNN's Chris Frates is at the site of an upcoming Cruz event in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Good morning.

CHRIS FRATES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Carol. So another big day on the GOP primary calendar with Ted Cruz trying to cut into frontrunner Donald Trump's delegate lead and he is competing in a couple of states very hard. He's in Idaho and he's trying to make a stand in the last southern state to vote in this GOP primary, Mississippi.

He got a big endorsement yesterday from Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant. Governor Bryant saying, "It's time for Republicans to join together and unite the party for the good of our state and our nation."

Now Cruz emerging as that Trump alternative after a very strong showing on Saturday. He won two states. Donald Trump winning two states. Trump winning in Kentucky and Louisiana, and of course Cruz taking Kansas and Maine. Donald Trump even making a little bit of fun of Cruz's win in Maine saying that, you know, Cruz was born in Canada, of course he would win his home turf in Maine. But nonetheless, Cruz making the majority of the delegates on Saturday.

So let's take a look at the math real quick. If you look at where things stand on this big voting day, Donald Trump, 389 delegates. Ted Cruz right behind at 302 delegates. So he wants to continue to cut into that lead today in places like Idaho, Mississippi, Michigan, and Hawaii, all voting today. And he's making the argument that he's the most electable Republican in November.

Let's take a listen to what he was saying on the campaign trail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRUZ: We're seeing a lot of supporters who had been with Donald Trump coming to us, and then the other thing we're seeing is more and more people unifying behind our campaign, those voters who recognize Donald Trump is not the best candidate to go neck and neck with Hillary Clinton.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRATES: So there you have Ted Cruz saying he's the one who can take on Hillary Clinton. But I'll tell you, Carol, Donald Trump was in North Carolina just outside Charlotte yesterday making that same argument, and no -- there's no mistake why both candidates are in North Carolina. They're looking ahead to next Tuesday, March 15th. That is a huge day on the primary calendar. North Carolina goes to the polls as does Florida. That is the first winner-take-all contest of this election season. 99 delegates at stake.

And let's not forget, Marco Rubio, the Senator from Florida, making a big play to try to win his home state in Florida and in Ohio, another winner-take-all state that votes on March 15th. John Kasich, the governor there, trying to win that state. The GOP establishment trying to get behind both Rubio and Kasich's bids there to put the brakes on Donald Trump. Donald Trump, of course, looking to continue to collect delegates today going into that huge contest on March 15th -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Chris Frates reporting live from Raleigh, North Carolina. Thank you.

With Michigan being the big prize today, could be a make-or-break moment for some of the campaigns. Time of course running out to slow Trump's momentum.

With me now to talk about this and more, columnist for the "Boston Herald" and radio host Adriana Cohen, she's also a Trump supporter, and chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, Ronna Romney McDaniel.

Welcome to both of you.

RONNA ROMNEY MCDANIEL, CHAIRMAN, MICHIGAN REPUBLICAN PARTY: Great to be here. Thank you.

ADRIANA COHEN, COLUMNIST, BOSTON HERALD: Great to be here.

COSTELLO: Nice to have both of you here.

Adriana, I'll start with you. Rubio -- Marco Rubio may be lagging in the polls, but some analysts say his attacks are working against Mr. Trump because it's fueling this Cruz surge. Your thoughts?

COHEN: I don't know. I think -- I think Donald Trump, if you look at all the polls, he's leading. I think he's going to have a very strong finish today. And you know, for every attack that Rubio may put upon Donald Trump, Donald Trump is going to push back and say hey, Marco Rubio has the worst voting record of any senator last year, and also Trump is beating him in his own state. The latest Monmouth poll shows Trump ahead of Rubio by eight points and it could get even greater by next week.

COSTELLO: Ronna, your uncle is Mitt Romney. Do you agree with your uncle's anybody but Trump strategy?

MCDANIEL: I'm chair of the Michigan GOP and I do come from a very politically active family. Obviously my Uncle Mitt but I have an aunt in Pinckney who's for Donald Trump. I have an uncle and aunt in Bloomfield who are for Rubio. My son likes Cruz. My daughter likes Kasich.

My job as chair of Michigan is to bring them all together. I'm neutral. We have to support our nominee. We have to support who the voters choose.

COSTELLO: Adriana, speaking of Mitt Romney, he's out with a new anti- Trump robocall in support of Marco Rubio. Let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY, FORMER REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Hello. This is Mitt Romney and I'm calling on behalf of Marco Rubio for president. I believe these are critical times that demand a serious, thoughtful commander-in-chief. If we Republicans were to choose Donald Trump as our nominee I believe that the prospects for a safe and preposterous future would be greatly diminished. And I'm convinced Donald Trump would lose to Hillary Clinton.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:10:03] COSTELLO: Adriana, you know, Mitt Romney is from Michigan. He has deep roots in the state. Right? His niece is sitting right next to you. What might Mr. Trump say about this robocall?

COHEN: Well, what he's going to say is, why is anyone even listening to Mitt Romney? You know, if he was the smartest guy in the room, with all due respect, he still lost two races. And so in Massachusetts where Romney is base is from, where I hailed from, Donald Trump had a really strong victory here by 49 percent, and so I don't think it's going to have any big impact. You know, the establishment is trying to take Donald Trump down, even Ted Cruz. They're perceived as the outsiders. But this is an anti-establishment race. And so what Donald Trump -- and excuse me, what Mitt Romney and the

establishment is missing is that when they go after Donald Trump, this isn't just about him, the candidate, this is about millions of Republican voters who are fed up with establishment because they've been incompetent, they've been dysfunctional and they have not stood for conservative values.

So this is a movement and that goes well beyond Donald Trump. And so I don't believe that Mitt Romney is going to have any impact today whatsoever.

COSTELLO: And, Ronna, I just -- you know, it's still your uncle, and he's out there. He's put himself out there and he's taking some major league hits. And there's been some nasty stuff said about him. Is it worth it to him that he's done this? Because he didn't have to.

MCDANIEL: Well, you don't stop caring about your country after you run for president. And that's clearly -- my Uncle Mitt cares so much about this country. And I'm proud of him, and he was a great standard bearer. As chair, I have seen the passions all across the state. People are concerned. They're very concerned about what a third term of Barack Obama will mean for the citizens of this country and Hillary Clinton from a national security standpoint and an economic standpoint.

So let's get those conversations out. Let's have that passion and get behind your candidate. Express your concerns. But when it's all said and done, when the dust settles, we're going to have to unite behind our nominee if we're going to take the White House.

BLITZER: All right. I have to leave it there.

Adriana Cohen and Ronna Romney McDaniel, thanks to both of you.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, Hillary Clinton calls Bernie Sanders an ally, but Sanders is sharpening his attacks on Clinton.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:16:10] COSTELLO: The battleground state of Michigan is shaping up to be a supersized battle for Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. And now voters get to have their say. Clinton and Sanders are locked in a war of words over the auto bailout. But with the general election looming, are the candidates possibly eyeing ways to bridge the divide in their bid to defeat the Republicans?

Our senior White House correspondent Jim Acosta is here with me now with more on that. Good morning.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. That's right. It has been a tough battle between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders for this Democratic nomination. And, you know -- you know, this is making its way into the questions. Hillary Clinton today, town hall, yesterday, she was asked whether or not she considers Bernie Sanders an ally or an enemy, considering how nasty this fight has been between these two candidates over the last several months. And here's how she answered that question.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Secretary Clinton, when you think of Senator Sanders, do you consider him an enemy or ally?

CLINTON: An ally, for sure. And here's how I think about it, Samuel. We have differences, and we are passionate about our positions and our differences, and, you know, like we saw in the debate last night, we air those differences about issues.

I hope to win the nomination. If I am so fortunate, I hope to work with him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Now why is this -- why is this so interesting, Carol? It's because, obviously, this conversation brings up the subject of the deep stakes. It may be early to be talking about this on the Democratic side, but the moderator of that town hall, Bret Baier over at FOX News, asked right after that response, you know, Madam Secretary, would you consider Bernie Sanders as your VP, and she said, oh no, no, let's not get ahead of ourselves here, but this is a conversation that is occurring in Democratic circles.

I talked to several Democratic strategists this morning who said yes, it makes sense to consider Bernie Sanders as the vice presidential running mate for Hillary Clinton. He would bring a lot of enthusiasm to the ticket. One of the Sanders' top advisers, Tadd Devine, was saying to Politico earlier this week that, yes, maybe he should be on the ticket.

Now when you talk to other -- when you talk to these Democratic strategists about this, Carol, they'll say yes, Bernie Sanders should be considered, but there are other names being floated out there, and the first among them it seems at this point is Tim Kaine, the Democratic senator from Virginia. Obviously the HUD secretary is being mentioned as well, Julian Castro.

And so this is going to be interesting to watch over the coming months. But the Clinton campaign, they want no part of this. They don't want to talk about this at this point. They feel like that's getting ahead of theirselves, and it may just energize the Sanders campaign if some of these talks gets going. And so that is something they're trying to avoid at this point -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Jim Acosta reporting live for us this morning. Thank you.

Super Tuesday round two, just part of the big political week here on CNN. We'll have complete coverage all day of the primaries in four states. Tomorrow the Democrats will debate in Miami. On Thursday, the Republicans will also debate in Miami. You can see it all right here on CNN.

Still to come in the NEWSROOM, new reports suggesting Iran has already violated that nuclear deal. So what happened?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:23:40] COSTELLO: Checking some top stories for you at 23 minutes past.

Erin Andrews is thanking supporters after a big legal victory.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The amount of damages submitted to you, plaintiff Erin Andrews, $55 million.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: A Nashville jury awarding the network TV star $55 million in her peephole lawsuit. That footage of Erin Andrews has been viewed 17 million times according to court testimony. Splitting the bill will be Andrews' stalker and the group that manages the hotel where Andrews was secretly filmed nude.

Incredible video from Florida. Watch on your left side. The garbage truck driver loses control. He veers off a 100-foot bridge, and lands in a city park, and actually survives. This is video taken from inside his truck. The video just released after it happened on Interstate-95 last month. Amazingly, no one in the park was injured and the driver is already home from the hospital.

The White House says it was surprised to learn Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not be meeting with President Obama after all. And it says it only found out he cancelled his U.S. trip through news reports. The vice president Joe Biden does plan to meet with Netanyahu in Jerusalem tomorrow as part of his tour of the Middle East.

The cost of keeping Americans -- safe, rather, it is the focus of a Senate hearing committee now underway on Capitol Hill.

[10:25:08] The Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson will testify before lawmakers. They're reviewing next year's budget proposal to fund the agency.

And this just into CNN. We're now learning there are strong indications Iran has carried out ballistic missile tests. A move that potentially violates a United Nations resolution.

Let's get right to CNN's chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto. He's on the phone. What happened, Jim?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (via phone): Carol, a senior administration official tells me this morning that there are strong indications, as you say, that this missile test by Iran is inconsistent with current U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231, banning ballistic missile tests by Iran.

Now to be clear, the administration or this administration official makes clear this is not in violation of the Iranian nuclear deal. That's simply because the Iranian nuclear deal did not cover ballistic missile tests. It was focused purely on the nuclear program.

Now critics of that deal will say this is the consequence of having those negotiations be focused solely on the nuclear program and not other aspects of Iranian policy that the U.S. has issues with, including what it considers an offensive missile program with these missile tests.

When you see these tests this morning, they were broadcast live on Iranian television. This is something clearly that Iran is not trying to hide. In fact it's trying to advertise it. The administration says that if it is confirmed this is in violation of that U.N. Security Council resolution, it's going to go to the U.N. it's going to urge, in the words of this administration official, an appropriate response.

But this is not the first time it happened, Carol. You and I were talking about this a few weeks ago, another ballistic missile test by Iran. And we had a similar response afterwards. It's clearly something -- it's a policy that Iran appears to be sticking with.

COSTELLO: So this does not violate the Iranian deal, but it -- but Iran is able to buy weapons because of the Iranian deal, right? So is it buying those missiles from places like Russia?

SCIUTTO: Well, this is a criticism of the deal again because you heard this on the campaign trail. Now that you have this Iranian nuclear deal, it opens up the Iranian economy to trade that it wasn't able to do before. Sell its oil more openly on international markets, sell other natural resources. It is also getting back frozen assets, tens of billions of dollars of frozen assets. The criticism is they can then use that money for this program.

The fact is, this program, this ballistic missile program existed before the Iran nuclear deal, but it is true, they have more money now, and Iran will use that money as it sees fit. And then it's not implausible to imagine that some of that money goes to weapons programs like this one.

COSTELLO: All right. Jim Sciutto reporting live for us this morning. Thank you.

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

Ted Cruz picks up a late endorsement from Mississippi's governor. Will it be enough to keep Donald Trump from sweeping the south? The polls are now open with a lot of delegates at stake on each side.

Polo Sandoval is live in Jackson, Mississippi, with more. Good morning, Polo.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning. And you can bet, Carol, that at this point Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant hoping that the rest of the people here in Mississippi follow his lead after he came forward with that endorsement of Texas Senator Ted Cruz. But I can tell you ultimately we won't know for sure who comes out on top on each respective party until tonight when those results are in.

Here in Mississippi there is excitement. There's a lot of energy with people here knowing that they're sharing the spotlight with Michigan, the process very simple. As soon as they walk into the front door, they either go to the Democrats' table here to pick up their ballot or perhaps to the Republican table, which is to my left. They cast their vote and the process is so simple. The gentleman with the green is -- that's where that ballot is then submitted.

High stakes here, too, Carol, with 40 Republican delegates and 36 on the Democrats' side at stake. So again, people here understanding that obviously it's very critical state, but nonetheless, they are sharing that spotlight with other states like Michigan, Idaho and of course with Hawaii as well, where caucuses are happening today.

COSTELLO: All right. Polo Sandoval reporting live from Mississippi this morning. Thanks so much.

The battle for Michigan will be decided by tonight. Hillary Clinton is 13 points ahead of Bernie Sanders in the latest Monmouth poll. But who knows? Sanders is pushing back hard against Clinton's claim that he voted against the auto bailout at the height of the recession.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDERS: There was one vote in the United States Senate on whether or not to support the auto bailout and protect jobs in Michigan and around this country. I voted for the auto bailout.

CLINTON: I voted for the auto bailout. He voted against it because it also helped some other groups like the banks. But you know sometimes you don't get perfect choices in life or politics.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: All right. So here's the truth of it. Sanders did vote for the auto bailout. That measure failed.