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New Day

Donald Trump Criticizes Ted Cruz; GOP Candidates Prepare for Upcoming Debate; Background Checks Missed Alarming Posts; Cruz Picks Up Steam in Iowa. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired December 14, 2015 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00] GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK: Fight the good fight. Fight against the enemy, the big enemy, the big over-dog, western civilization, the United States. I think we're actually playing into it when they hear Trump's rhetoric. And I think it's dangerous and hurtful, as a matter of national policy. Whether it works for him in the Republican primary, I don't care to opine.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: OK.

ANDREW CUOMO: But I think it does a disservice to this country.

CAMEROTA: Governor Andrew Cuomo, great to get your take on new day.

ANDREW CUOMO: May I ask you a quick question?

CAMEROTA: Go right ahead. Make it quick.

ANDREW CUOMO: Chris looked a little pale this morning. Is he feeling OK?

CAMEROTA: Are you feeling fine?

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: I was nervous.

ANDREW CUOMO: Don't tell him I asked, but I was concerned.

CUOMO: I was nervous for my mother listening to what was coming out of her older son this morning. Otherwise, I'm fine.

CAMEROTA: He seems to be in good form, governor. Thank you for your concern, as always.

ANDREW CUOMO: OK, but don't tell him I asked.

CAMEROTA: Just between us. Got it.

ANDREW CUOMO: I'm just concerned.

CAMEROTA: As always. Thanks, governor. Great to see you.

CUOMO: What are you looking at?

CAMEROTA: We're following a lot of news this morning. Let's get right to it. MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Good idea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: The stakes have never been higher for the last GOP debate of the year.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Trump is center stage once again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ted Cruz is suddenly soaring in Iowa.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't think he's qualified to be president.

JOHN BERMAN, BERMAN: National security will be the focus here on Tuesday night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama speaks at the Pentagon later this morning.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Could a change in strategy be brewing?

BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to hunt down these terrorists wherever they try to hide.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: After three days of searching a murky lake in San Bernardino, the FBI recovered no items.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Social media postings talking about her support for violent jihad, those background checks missed it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota, and Michaela Pereira.

CUOMO: Look at Vegas, baby. Good morning, welcome to your NEW DAY. It's Monday, December 14th, 8:00 in the east. And of course we're counting down to the big CNN Republican debate tomorrow night in Las Vegas. The stakes have never been higher.

CAMEROTA: Donald Trump and Ted Cruz already tangling on Twitter and in the polls. Cruz taking over the top spot in Iowa and closing the gap nationally, or getting close, in the latest polls. And now the insulting are flying. Let's kick off our debate preview with Athena Jones. She's live from Las Vegas. What's the latest, Athena?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn. The countdown has certainly begun here in the Venetian Theater. You can see behind me the stage is set up. National frontrunner Donald Trump will be smack dab in the middle yet again, but he won't be the only target as these candidates try to stand out here tomorrow night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: Only one day away from the last GOP debate of the year in Las Vegas. And for these 13 candidates, one last chance to make an impression heading into the holiday season. The main debate lineup seeing most of the same players as last time. And no surprise here, frontrunner Donald Trump again taking center stage. Chris Christie moving up to the main stage. Trump will be flanked by Dr. Ben Carson and Texas senator Ted Cruz, who is now surging in Iowa according to this FOX News poll released Sunday. On Saturday, the "Des Moines Register" and Bloomberg Politics releasing their own poll showing Cruz ahead of Trump by 10 percentage points in the state.

SEN. TED CRUZ, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm very glad Donald Trump is in this election.

TRUMP: It is a little bit of a romance. I like him.

JONES: Their "bromance" beginning to wane after audio from a private fundraiser captured Cruz questioning Trump's judgment.

TRUMP: I'll tell you what, my judgment is great. I built a multi- multi-multi billion dollar company, some of the greatest assets in the world. I have good judgment. I have great judgment. I would say I have far better judgment than Ted.

JONES: Trump later tweeting, "I was disappointed that Ted Cruz would speak behind my back, get caught, and then deny it. And after Trump said this about Cruz's temperament --

TRUMP: When you look at the way he's dealt with the Senate where he goes in the Senate like a, frankly, like a little bit of a maniac, you're never going to get things done that way.

JONES: Cruz tweeting, "In honor of my friend Donald Trump," with a link to Flash Dance's popular song "Maniac."

(MUSIC)

JONES: Carson, once Trump's nearest rival, now dropping in the polls.

BEN CARSON, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Poll numbers go up and down. I wasn't excited when their up. I'm not excited when their down. People will make the correct choice.

JONES: Heightened fears of terrorism around the world and right here at home could make for fireworks on stage tomorrow night.

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: And this is a new environment inside the campaign right now. And so this will be the first time the candidates take the stage in that new landscape.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[08:05:01] JONES: Now, several candidates are hoping to have breakout performances here to give their campaigns a boost. And for anyone wondering whether Donald Trump is ready to attack his new top rival Ted Cruz on this stage tomorrow night, he all but assured us the hits would be coming, telling Jake Tapper on "STATE OF THE UNION," I expect to get it on. Chris? CUOMO: Like flash dance. Athena, thank you very much. Let bring in Republican pollster Kellyanne Conway. She runs a super PAC that supports Ted Cruz. It is good to see you, Kellyanne.

KELLYANNE CONWAY, REPUBLICAN POLLSTER: Thank you.

CUOMO: Let's talk about the national poll. Yes, the freshman senator from Texas is up in Iowa, but the margin in the national poll, if we can put it up, Trump is up but the margin is down. And the biggest jump obviously coming two different ways, Cruz popping 10 percent to 22 percent, Carson, 29 percent to 11 percent. Your read?

CONWAY: My read is that this confirms several of the other statewide and national polls that Trump is holding his ground, but Cruz has the momentum. And momentum tends to help you raise money and tends to help more people pay attention to your message. It helps you get you more manpower on the ground. And those really have been the three goals of both Senator Cruz's campaign as we see from distance in the super PAC, which is you have to have a great, quality candidate with a terrific message that is sticky and attracts people to feel like you have got some market distinction in what is a very crowded marketplace this year.

And then you have the manpower on the ground. People really want to go out and knock on doors for you and show up at rallies for you. And then, of course, the money. The hard money in the campaign, and the soft money in the super PAC.

But I think, also, if you look at the cross tabs, what's really striking to me is the durability. You see it in the "Des Moines Register" poll, the Iowa poll. Who has the best temperament? Cruz beats Trump three to one, 34 percent to 11 percent. Who can work with Congress? Cruz wins that one. Who would make a good commander in chief? So you see some durability there that has escaped some previous frontrunners at this before the Iowa caucus where they peaked a little bit too early and there just wasn't that undergirding.

CUOMO: There is some of that yip yap about is he peaking too early, but everyone had said if he's going to have a strong show, Cruz, it has got to start in Iowa. Is he benefiting too much from comparison to Donald Trump in terms of his ability to work with others and temperament? Because those are not attributes given universally to Ted Cruz between the shutdown and the rhetoric of how he doesn't like anyone in Washington. He hasn't been known as a conciliator to this point.

CONWAY: That's an excellent question that I have not been asked previously. What we started seeing the data five or six months ago is that Cruz is seen as a, quote, "reasonable alternative." I know you may not have ever expected to hear those words, Ted Cruz, the reasonable alternative. But in this crazy 2015 election cycle that we've all witnessed, you have people going slow and steady and now popping up and winning the race. People are saying, what else is out there? I've heard all this. You have very solidified Trump supporters. I don't pretend they're going anywhere any time quickly. And then you have Carson supporters, particularly in light of national security and terrorism concerns, you have them. That attrition is really benefiting Senator Cruz who has come out with specific plans on what to do about ISIS.

CUOMO: It has to be true, right, Ben Carson going from 29 percent to 11 percent.

CONWAY: Then win over Jeb Bush and John Kasich. And to me that's the story of 2015. I know for most people the story is Donald Trump. Of course he deserves credit. But the real story is how the establishment candidates just haven't been able to pop up. The conservatives, the counterweights to the establishment candidates, are the ones who now look electable. They're the ones that people are coalescing around early on now in the game and saying -- even Marco Rubio hasn't been able to catch fire. He's a quality candidate, he's got a lot of money, gets great buzz but he's at 10 percent at the Iowa polling. He's doing well in the CNN poll nationally. But we're still stuck wondering which of the first states he can win.

CUOMO: So Trump has decided now Cruz is gaining some momentum. We know how he deals with that. He's going to bring the game. He says he's going to get it on. Senator Cruz did something he's not known for again, which is nothing. He played it nice with his video of "Flash Dance." What is the thinking there, and how much convincing did it take the senator to go this way?

CONWAY: Probably very little convincing, Chris. He also responded to a tweet by Cher on Saturday night. Cher was comparing Senator Cruz to Judas Iscariot. I didn't know she was such a fan of the New Testament, but we'll take it. And Senator Cruz hit back with "Cher, thank you for your kind sentiments. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy new year." It has to drives your critics and your naysayers crazy to not take the bait and to not look like it bothers you. And I think it's going to very fascinating in tomorrow night's CNN debate in Las Vegas to watch Donald Trump and Ted Cruz inches apart.

CUOMO: What will he do if the guy starts throwing haymakers at him?

CONWAY: I think he'll communicate directly to the camera. He'll took to the people, he'll talk to all of us in the audience and he'll say I refuse to attack Trump particularly personally. I will talk about the contrast that we have on issues. But I'm very curious to see that some of Mr. Trump's criticisms of late against Cruz are really coming from the left, not the right. He has to be careful with that essentially if he lobs the same criticisms at Cruz that Democrats did, the conservatives will say, who are you?

[08:10:09] CUOMO: That's interesting. He's now going at him as a fellow conservative, the little bit of a maniac, you say, plays to the fact that Trump is not a true conservative.

CONWAY: He has to be careful if the voters make the judgment. And by the way, maniac, if you remember the 1980s and the leg warmers, any red blooded male who watched that video is not thinking of Trump's words after that. I think that was a very smart, clever demographic play, Chris. But if you listen to the words in the song, I think that's why they responded as such. It's that steely, gritty, very focused person who may get their chance, and everybody says you can't. Don't even bother. You can't win. That's just been crazy this year, that whole, you can't win, don't bother, criticism, electability that has always dogged conservative candidates is now dogging the establishment candidates. If you look at the polling data, people don't think Jeb Bush or John Kasich can win.

CUOMO: Is Senator Cruz ready to be the focus tomorrow? It's a very different position he's been in before.

CONWAY: Let's hope so. He's been in that position very recently. He took on and beat David Dewhurst, the sitting lieutenant governor of Texas, three short years ago, beat him twice because there was a runoff. He beat the mayor of Dallas, he beat the lieutenant governor. And when you're the lieutenant governor of Texas and you have Rick Perry as your governor, you have all the kings horses and all the kings men and $42 million of your own money in the case of Mr. Dewhurst like an anvil on Ted Cruz's neck, he survived it.

So he's taken on the establishment before. I predict he'll continue to be very magnanimous. He's not going to sit there and take it and cower. But I believe the contrast will always be on policy. It will be, I don't want to do a cage match. I think the American people who are watching tonight deserve better because these debates are a form of direct democracy. Most Americans can't afford to pay thousands of dollars to talk to a candidate one on one. This is their opportunity to turn on the computer screen, turn on the TV tomorrow to CNN tomorrow night and get those answers. So if you're not getting answers on policy, people are very afraid in this country. If they're not getting answers on policy and they're just seeing who has dinged whom, it really doesn't benefit the voters. And I suspect Senator Cruz will make sure of that.

CUOMO: It's a big night. It's the last debate of the year. The fates have just changed in the recent poll. We'll see how the senator steps up.

CONWAY: See you there.

CUOMO: Thank you very much.

So let's take a look a little of this. We like how we did the setup in Vegas. We've turned this from -- who knows who was going to be up there doing their act. Now we're getting it ready for the debate. Look at all those people and all that activity. Tomorrow is the big night. We'll focus on national security and terrorism. You have the CNN team captain Wolf Blitzer moderating. The coverage starts at 6:00 p.m. eastern, that's the undercard, and then you have the main debate at 8:30 p.m. eastern. NEW DAY is going to be live tomorrow morning to give you the latest news all around the world and the lead up, and then we're going to be live the next morning. That's going to be tough for me to pull Alisyn out of those craps tables once again. Hopefully you keep your house this time.

CAMEROTA: Wayne Newton called and wants his stage back. We'll see when we get there. Thanks so much, Chris.

(LAUGHTER)

CAMEROTA: President Obama meeting with his national security advisers today to review ISIS strategy at the Pentagon. It's his first visit to the Pentagon since the terror attacks in San Bernardino and Paris. CNN's Chris Frates is following the latest live for us from D.C. What do we know, Chris.

CHRIS FRATES: Hey, good morning, Alisyn. So the White House is only saying that Obama is getting an update on the strategy to defeat ISIS during his meeting with the national security team at the Pentagon later today. But later in the week, the president is headed to the National Counterterrorism Center where he'll review efforts to prevent attacks on America. But these public appearances are designed to show a very nervous American public, a majority of which is, frankly, disapproving how he's handling terrorism, that the president and his team are hard at work destroying ISIS. Here's how the president talked about his administration's efforts in his weekly media address.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Our air strikes are hitting ISIL harder than ever in Iraq and Syria. We're taking out more of their fighters and leaders, their weapons, their oil tankers. Our special operations forces are on the ground because we're going to hunt down these terrorists wherever they try to hide.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRATES: So Obama went on to say that in recent weeks, U.S. strikes killed two ISIS leaders. And when Obama speaks at the Pentagon later this morning, there's no indication there will be a major shift of his ISIS strategy. But the president ordered his team to constantly assess the performance of that strategy and turn up the heat if there is an opportunity to. In the past, for instance, that has meant increasing assistance to Syrian opposition fighters or putting special forces on the ground in Iraq and Syria. So we might hear news about similar moves to intensify the fight against is, but the White House says there's no major changes expected to be announced. Back to you, Michaela.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Chris, thank you for that.

Meanwhile, the San Bernardino FBI dive team searched for three days but no terror-related clues were found in the depths of a murky lake outside of San Bernardino.

[08:15:00] Reports now are emerging that Tashfeen Malik was allowed into the United States after investigators failed to notice disturbing activity on social media.

Paul Vercammen has the latest for us live from San Bernardino.

Paul? PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Michaela, as you pointed out, Malik passed three background checks, and scouring social media was not part of the background check. Protocol at that time. Had they been able to go ahead and determine what she had been posting, perhaps, that could have stopped all this.

The "New York Times" reporting that Malik not only said that she supported violent jihad in her post, but that she wanted to join them. And they characterized what she posted a solitary.

So the focus of the investigation turned up to an area where they were trying to find out if she and her husband had any other posts, any other links to ISIS. They looked for a hard drive in that lake that you alluded to and they did not turn up anything, just other possible items that, yes, you could find in a public lake.

Back here live behind me is the memorial. It has been somewhat doused by the rain. At least the candles have that fell overnight. And this weekend, they remembered more victims of the attack, including Shannon Johnson who took a bullet to save the life of a co-worker but lost his own life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shannon was a hero. It was ample that you could leave a quiet life but when the time comes, you do what's in your heart. And in Shannon's heart, it was to take care of the person next to him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERCAMMEN: And later on today, they will remember the public health worker who basically left Iran to flee Islamic extremism and lost her life in the attacks leaving behind her husband and three children.

Back to you now, Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, appreciate the perspective on this.

We also have some breaking information this morning about the so- called planner of the Paris terror attacks. A witness now says he was there that night. He was just blocks from the Bataclan Theater during the actual attack. That he spend an hour in a doorway, shouting into a cell phone. He actually had a headset on.

It suggests he was giving the terrorists orders during the attack. It's something we don't see in terror. We see it on the battlefield. The details are in a cover story by friend of Joe, Jean-Charles Brisard, in a special issue of "CTC Sentinel," that's out today.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: All right, back here at home.

Closing arguments about to begin in the trial of William Porter. He is the first of six Baltimore police officers facing charges in the death of Freddie Gray. Prosecutors accused Porter of ignoring Gray's cries for help when he was dying in the back of the police transport van. The defense claims two other officers were failing to act when Porter allegedly told them that Gray needed medical attention.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: Funny man Will Ferrell making a surprise return to "Saturday Night Live," bringing back his iconic portrayal of President George W. Bush. No one in the 2016 Republican field is safe, not even W's brother, Jeb. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILL FERRELL, GEORGE W. BUSH IMPERSONATOR: The field of Republicans out there is so messed up, I figured it makes you miss me, doesn't it?

(LAUGHTER)

Rubio and Cruz. Sounds like a Miami law firm. If you've been injured on the job, call Rubio and Cruz.

Next -- Jeb, oh, boy. Poor Jeb. You've got to admit, it's a pretty good plot twist that I turn out to be the smart one. I wish you would have asked me about the exclamation point on the end of his name. Look, I don't like the taste of broccoli. But it doesn't get any tastier if you call it broccoli!

(LAUGHTER)

He doesn't stand a chance in this field. He's an insider who knows how to govern. The Republican voters don't want that. They want somebody who is cuckoo for cocoa puffs.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PEREIRA: So good.

CAMEROTA: We've missed him. We've missed him.

PEREIRA: We have.

CAMEROTA: Will Ferrell is just so great. I like that he's aging along with George W. Bush.

PEREIRA: It's a little reminiscent to the Cuomo brother rivalry. We'll start seeing Chris with an exclamation mark.

CUOMO: No, that is called a parody. My brother is called a laughing stock. There is a difference between that.

CAMEROTA: Oh, now that he's not on satellite, we can say this.

(CROSSTALK)

PEREIRA: We can talk.

CAMEROTA: We can talk.

CUOMO: Well, if he's here he is the big brother. There's a little bit of fear factor.

CAMEROTA: I've got it. I get it. Like it.

All right, meanwhile, Republican presidential hopefuls, the real ones, not Will Ferrell, will be getting ready to duke it out in Las Vegas. Ted Cruz leading now in Iowa polls. Can he sustain that lead until the caucus? We have a top political reporter here next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:23:30] CUOMO: The word is big. You've got big shifts in the polls. You've got big implications. You've got big timing. This is the last G.O.P. debate of the year.

January, everybody knows it's a re-launch month so this is a big deal, what's going to be happening tomorrow night. You've got Donald Trump and Ted Cruz trading places in Iowa. That's big.

CAMEROTA: That is big.

CUOMO: Ted Cruz making up big room in the poll nationally. Of course, Trump still in first. Let's talk about what we have as the stage is being set.

We have CNN national political reporter, Maeve Reston and Kathie Obradovich, political columnist for the "Des Moines Register," who wrote an op-ed this weekend, asking whether Ted Cruz is speaking too soon. Answer your own question.

KATHIE OBRADOVICH, POLITICAL COLUMNIST, DES MOINES REGISTER: Yes, well, I think the big answer is maybe. You know, four years ago, Rick Santorum won the Iowa caucuses and he made his big move in December through the holidays. And, you know -- so there's still a lot of time left in this race.

However, eight years ago, Mike Huckabee, who was winning, he started making his move in November, a couple months before the caucuses. So it could go either way here. This race has been really volatile, however. And there haven't been quite as many debates. So each debate is a lot more important.

I think that you're absolutely right. Going into the holidays, this is going to be the last big chance for Ted Cruz and Donald Trump to try to mix it up a little bit before the holidays.

[08:25:00] CAMEROTA: Absolutely. So, Maeve, let's build on Kathie's premise that it may be too soon in Iowa right now for Cruz because we are looking at seven more weeks.

But, I mean, is it momentum, momentum? Is any momentum good?

MAEVE RESTON, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER: I don't know. I mean, this new cycle, you know, the way that this presidential race has moved, it's almost like you have your moment and then everything moves on so quickly. So it may be a little bit too early for Ted Cruz. But I think what's so interesting is that we always did expect him to really rise in Iowa.

He's got a deep ground game there. He's been putting in the work. So this could end up being a really fascinating two-man race, all the way to the end. And if he does, you know, just jump way ahead of Donald Trump in Iowa, then where does Trump really play? Because you've got -- you know, he's still up in the polls in New Hampshire. We've got Chris Christie kind of moving up there. So it will be a really fascinating dynamic and, of course, the evangelical vote will be so important to Ted Cruz in Iowa.

CUOMO: You know, we had Congressman Steve King on this morning and he is no stranger when it comes to Iowa and he understands the process as well as any. He said the timing is exactly right for Ted Cruz. That he endorsed him at the right time. He's starting to get the momentum. This is going to be his state.

What do you think this portends, in terms of a really fractured first five primaries, Kathie? In terms of, let's say, Cruz takes Iowa. Trump takes New Hampshire. Rubio takes South Carolina.

What could you have, five into it, and what does that mean for the dynamic?

OBRADOVICH: Yes, it's really an interesting prospect because, you know, normally, we talk about having three tickets out of Iowa. You know, first class, business class and standby, you know.

And, now, there may actually be more than three tickets out of Iowa. You look at, for example, Marco Rubio. He is in double digits. He's a top tier candidate. And he is sort of the first one in what I would consider to be a mainstream lane. So does he become the fourth ticket out of Iowa? What happens to Ben Carson who actually -- he is actually the loser of this Iowa poll, not Donald Trump.

Donald Trump increased his numbers in this Iowa poll. It was Ben Carson who sunk. So, you know, is there a slot for Ben Carson or does he slide out of the top tier? So that will be a really interesting dynamic going into New Hampshire and then down the trail.

CAMEROTA: Maeve, there just couldn't be a more interesting timing for the debate tomorrow night because everything that's going on nationally in the landscape, in terms of national security, that will obviously be the big topic tomorrow night and then all of these different fluctuations in the polls. What will you be looking at tomorrow night?

RESTON: Well, again, this is another chance for Marco Rubio to really shine in the debate. Obviously, he's really tried to make national security the key piece of his campaign. And he's shown strong performances all the way through.

But I really think that it's interesting watching Trump fall in the polls over the last couple weeks a little bit. He really is going to have to have a big performance tomorrow night and really show that he has command of these issues, that he can make people feel comfortable with him in the role as commander-in-chief.

You have to wonder if that's why he's fallen a little bit after the Paris attacks and the San Bernardino attack. And that dynamic between Cruz and Trump, obviously, Trump is trying to have an argument with Cruz over temperament. So we'll see the fireworks on that. And they really have to make a big bang to get people's attentions as they are heading into the holidays, starting to think seriously about these decisions heading into the caucus season.

CUOMO: Kathie, Maeve and I had a thing where each debate I say someone is going to pop and she kind of shakes her head and says, no, and she's right every damn time.

CAMEROTA: That's right.

(CROSSTALK)

CUOMO: Here, I'm going to play it safe. I'm going to play it safe. Doesn't it have to be the moment for Senator Ted Cruz tomorrow night? You got to take the momentum when you find it. He's got it right now and this is Kellyanne Conway, one of the main tacticians of the Super PAC for Ted Cruz. She says he is seen as the acceptable alternative to Trump. So he's got to make his case, Kathie. And how does he have to come out of tomorrow night in Republican's minds?