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Clinton-Sanders Debate in Michigan Reviewed; Ted Cruz in Second Place in Delegates Behind Donald Trump in Republican Presidential Race; Former First Lady Nancy Reagan Dies At 94; Trump And Cruz Angling For One-On-One Battle. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired March 07, 2016 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00] BERNIE SANDERS, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Some of your friends destroyed this economy.

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know --

SANDERS: Excuse me, I'm talking.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Someone keeps punching people in the face eventually someone is going to have to stand up and punch them back.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I call for him to drop out of the race.

SEN. TED CRUZ, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Our campaign has now beaten him not once, not twice, not three times.

TRUMP: I would love to take on Ted one-on-one.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The world mourning the loss of Nancy Reagan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was a good, good lady.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you balance it all out, I had a pretty fabulous life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome to your NEW DAY. It is March 7th, 8:00 in the east. A showdown in Flint, Michigan, that is what we had with Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. They were both turning up the volume in last night's Democratic debate. It certainly got heated. It was very direct. There was a lot of contrast going on, the economy, guns, Wall Street.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: And when they weren't attacking each other, Sanders and Clinton were targeting Donald Trump. Both candidates claiming they are best suited to beat him in November. But for now their main focus remains on tomorrow where some very big states are up for grabs. So we have all of the angles covered starting with senior political

correspondent Brianna Keilar. She's live in Detroit. Good morning, Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn. This debate being in Flint meant that a lot of the debate was about the failures of government and what these candidates were going to do about this. But Hillary Clinton landed some punches on Bernie Sanders when it came to his position on the auto bailout. He landed some punches when it came to her support for past trade agreements. This is a labor stronghold after all, and those issues resonate. But it was the tone that captured a lot of people's attention.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is raining lead in Flint, and the state is derelict in not coming forward with the money that is required.

(APPLAUSE)

KEILAR: With Michigan's primary looming contaminated water and lost jobs dominated.

BERNIE SANDERS, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Children in America should not be poisoned.

KEILAR: Senator Bernie Sanders and Secretary Hillary Clinton sparring more aggressively than ever before over Wall Street ties and the economy.

CLINTON: I voted to save the auto industry. He voted against the money that ended up saving the auto industry.

(APPLAUSE)

SANDERS: If you are talking about the Wall Street bailout where some of your friends destroyed this economy --

CLINTON: You know --

SANDERS: Excuse me, I'm talking.

CLINTON: If you are going to talk, tell the whole story.

SANDERS: Let me tell my story, you tell yours.

CLINTON: I will.

CLINTON: Sanders supported a standalone auto bailout bill that failed, but voted against a larger bill that included money to bail out Wall Street and money to bail out the auto companies. Sanders cutting Clinton off a second time to make his point.

SANDERS: I said let the billionaires themselves bailout Wall Street. It shouldn't be the middle class of this country. Hang on a minute. Can I finish? You will have your turn.

KEILAR: Clinton optimistic about growing the economy.

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We are going to stop this kind of job exporting and we are going to start importing and growing jobs again.

KEILAR: Only to be slammed by Sanders over trade agreement she supported two decades ago.

SANDERS: I am very glad, Anderson, that Secretary Clinton has discovered religion on this issue. But it is a little bit too late. Secretary Clinton supported virtually every of these disastrous trade agreements written by corporate America.

(APPLAUSE)

KEILAR: And butting heads again over gun control.

SANDERS: Essentially your position is there should not be guns in America, period.

CLINTON: That is --

SANDERS: Can I finish, please?

KEILAR: Post-debate, Clinton's campaign chair telling me Sanders' performance was a disappointment.

JOHN PODESTA, HILLARY CLINTON CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN: He has repeatedly said he wants to run a positive campaign. In recent days it seems a little more negative and desperate. And I thought his tone bordered on disrespectful.

KEILAR: The Sanders campaign dismissing the charge as a distraction.

JEFF WEAVER, BERNIE SANDERS CAMPAIGN MANAGER: They don't want to talk about her bad trade record. They don't want to talk about her record of taking Wall Street contributions. They don't want to talk about these things. It was really a bad night for the Clinton people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: So how is this key race in Michigan tomorrow night shaping up? The latest NBC News/"Wall Street Journal" poll has Hillary Clinton with a 17-point lead when you are looking at likely primary voters, Michaela. The Sanders' campaign tells me they have polls that show it is much closer. So we'll certainly see if that is the case. This is not a winner take all situation. So they both have a lot of delegates to win here.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN ANCHOR: They do, indeed. All right, Brianna, thank you so much for that.

Certainly it was a critical weekend for presidential hopefuls on both sides of the aisle. Senator Ted Cruz now hoping to make it a two-man battle with Donald Trump on the Republican side. In the meantime Bernie Sanders gaining ground on his rival Hillary Clinton. But this morning all eyes are on what happens tomorrow. Four more states in play. Here to break it all down for us, our man, John Berman.

[08:05:01] JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Michaela. It was like a kids' soccer league this weekend. Everyone won. Bernie Sanders, check it out, he picked up three states, Kansas, Nebraska, and then yesterday Maine. The one state Hillary Clinton won was Louisiana, but it was the state with the most delegates, and she won with a big margin. She now has 12 total states in the race so far. Bernie Sanders has eight states in the race so far.

What does that mean for delegates? Hillary Clinton is out in front 1,147, Bernie Sanders with 498. We do include the super delegates in this. But even without super delegates Hillary Clinton enjoys about a 200 delegate lead right now. She is about half way to clinching the nomination. As for tomorrow, 188 delegates at stake. The biggest prize for Democrats is Michigan where they debated last night.

Let's talk about the Republicans. Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, they both won two states this weekend -- Donald Trump, Kentucky and Louisiana, Ted Cruz, Kansas and Maine. I should Donald Trump's wins were very narrow. Ted Cruz won big. Marco Rubio, he picked up Puerto Rico, a territory that cannot vote in the general election but the delegates count here in primaries.

As for state totals right now, Donald Trump has 12 total state wins, Ted Cruz has six. Marco Rubio has Minnesota and Puerto Rico, two for 20.

Now, as for the delegate race, Ted Cruz won the most delegates this weekend. He is creeping up on Donald Trump, 302 pledged delegates, Donald Trump at 389. Marco Rubio pretty far back at 149. And you can see for yourself where John Kasich is, all his hopes ride in Ohio which is one week from tomorrow. Tomorrow, 150 delegates are up for grabs, Hawaii, Idaho, Michigan, and Mississippi, again, Michigan the biggest prize tomorrow. These are proportional contests. Next week, Florida, Ohio they are winner take all. Alisyn?

CAMEROTA: And that is when it gets real according to you, John. Thanks so much for showing us all of that math. Here this morning with the big takeaways from last night's Democratic debate CNN political commentator and Daily Beast commentator Sally Cohn, and former Hillary Clinton White House press secretary Lisa Caputo. Great to see both of you ladies here in studio. OK, so the debate last night, it was substantive. They talked about trade. They talked about guns. They talked about the auto bailout. What was your take away?

SALLY KOHN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Listen, it was I think one of the better political debates I have ever seen on national television. I have to be honest with you. It was thorough. It was substantive. There was at least 20 minutes spent talking about trade policy. Be still my heart. But that's the stuff that is important. We should be discussing it. We should be talking about why some people think it is a good or why some people think it is a bad trade deal. This stuff effects American people's lives more than a number of things we tend to spend a lot of time talking about. So it was great. And in contrast to the Republican debate on Thursday night, my Lord, it was like two different planets.

CAMEROTA: And of course in contrast to each other, the Hillary people say she won the debate. The Bernie people say he won the debate. But voters got to hear how they each felt. They had some defined positions they were contrasting to each other. What was your take away?

LISA CAPUTO, FORMER CLINTON WHITE HOUSE AIDE: I agree it was substantive. I was a little surprised there was no foreign policy discussion. Bu given it was Secretary Clinton who asked let's have a debate in Flint because of the water contamination crisis, I thought it was appropriate to focus on domestic issues.

Big discussion on Flint and lead in the water and what both candidates would do. Secretary Clinton obviously calling for the governor's resignation. Senator Sanders has done the same. I think you saw a big difference on the auto industry bailout. She said you are either for bailing out the auto industry or you're not for it. She is running ads now in Michigan, very compelling radio ads, on that very issue.

Again, I heard Tad Devine talking about he voted for it initially, Senator Sanders, and then when the second vote came around which is when the money goes, he voted against it. So I think it is really important that people listen to these issues. I think with Michigan being a swing state, right, it will test Hillary Clinton's support with the unions.

CAMEROTA: Basically what they said is she finessed her language in order to make it seem as though she was against the auto bailout.

KOHN: This is one of those things -- listen, it's all fair in politics, and this is one of the challenges of having a senator or Congressperson run for office. You have all these complicated votes. He supported the bailout in principle. He voted for a separate auto bailout bill. He didn't vote for it when it was bundled up with the bank bailout which is obviously is clearly on record. He didn't do himself any favors and explain it very well last night, but when the voters understand, if they can understand that between now and the primary he will do OK.

CAMEROTA: OK, so there is substance and then there's style. So about tone and tenor of last night, Bernie Sanders has gotten some criticism for basically he was telling Secretary Clinton to stop interrupting.

[08:10:01] But some in the room thought it may have played as a little condescending. So let's listen to a few moments of that and get your take.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He voted against the money that ended up saving the auto industry. I think that is a pretty big difference.

(APPLAUSE)

SANDERS: Well, if you are talking the Wall Street bailout, where some of your friends destroyed this economy --

CLINTON: You know --

SANDERS: Excuse me, I'm talking.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let him respond.

(APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: If you're going to talk, tell the whole story.

SANDERS: Let me tell my story and you tell yours.

CLINTON: I will.

SANDERS: Wait a minute. Can I finish? You will have your turn. Essentially your position is there should not be any guns in America, period.

CLINTON: That is the NRA position.

SANDERS: Can I finish, please?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: Lisa?

CAPUTO: I think he was a little agitated, right? I think he is coming off a couple of primary states where he is behind. She has wrapped up 12 states. We are going into tomorrow where we have a big vote in Michigan and also in Mississippi. And then into March 15 where it's Florida, Illinois, Ohio, North Carolina, some big states. So he was definitely agitated. It was a little more under the skin, I thought. She, I thought, had great command of the issues. She was substantive.

CAMEROTA: But wasn't she interrupting? He was trying to make points.

CAPUTO: That's a debate tactic. Anybody who has gone through debates --

CAMEROTA: That's what you do.

KOHN: I have to give points to Hillary on this one. And you know I lean towards Bernie. I like Bernie. I like them both, but I lean towards supporting him. But on this point, it is now about interrupting. It's about how you do it. It is the tone in which you do it. And in particular it was that first one.

When he said -- that is funny and playful. When he said, "Can I finish?" It was a tone that made the hair back of my neck stand up. And it evoked the sort of experiences that I think a lot of women have had, like, oh, here is the guy -- it was a little condescending. It was too much finger wagging. It was a little too irritated. Whatever he meant or however he was feeling in that moment, I think for a lot of women who are also sort of anticipating how a female president would be treated both in a debate and in actual office.

CAMEROTA: Yes, but do they get special treatment?

(CROSSTALK)

KOHN: She interrupted him in a different tone. I felt the other tonal points were fine. It really is a matter of demeanor.

CAPUTO: I would say don't let style trump substance. The reality is she was more substantive last night. She has more in depth policies than Senator Sanders. I didn't hear a lot of where is the beef from Bernie last night. I heard a lot of substance in terms of policy proposals from Secretary Clinton.

KOHN: I definitely disagree on that.

CAPUTO: Don't let style trump substance.

CAMEROTA: Got it. Sally, Lisa, thanks so much. Great to see both of you. Chris?

CUOMO: Somebody say Trump? Let's look at the GOP race then. They don't agree on much, but Donald Trump and Ted Cruz apparently see eye to eye on the Republican race now being a two man fight. Trump already calling on Marco Rubio to drop. He says he wants Cruz one-on- one. Rubio says he is not going anywhere. CNN's Jason Carroll is following the GOP race live in Tampa. Jason?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And, Chris, if he wants him one-on- one he is certainly going to have to wait. Florida is a must-win state for Marco Rubio. He is not going to drop out. He wants to make a go of it here in a state he believes he can win despite the polls showing Trump ahead in the state of Florida. It is going to be interesting to see, Chris, what happens later on today when Rubio has his rally here in Tampa to see if he goes after Trump again, especially on the controversial issues on stance on torture. As you know, Trump once said that he would abide by U.S. laws regarding torture, then seemed to flip-flop on his position saying he would try to expand those laws.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: You have to play the game the way they are playing the game. You are not going to win if we're soft and they have no rules. Now, I want to stay within the laws. I want to do all of that, but I think we have to increase the laws because the laws are not working.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: A number of Republican security experts call Trump's stance inexcusable. Trump basically saying he does not think that will hurt his position. Again, Chris, he believes this is a two-way race between himself and Ted Cruz. Trump will be campaigning in North Carolina and Mississippi today. Cruz, for his part, will be right here in Florida tomorrow. Chris?

CUOMO: All right, J.C., we will be joining you down there soon enough. Don't soak up all the rays. Leave some for us.

Tomorrow is Super Tuesday number two. Wednesday brings another Democratic debate in Miami, Thursday, a Republican debate in Miami.

[08:15:00] This race has become all about momentum, who makes the most and least of each at bat matters. CNN will be your place to be all over all of it -- Mich.

PEREIRA: All right, new tensions brewing on the Korean Peninsula with the North threatening a quote, "preemptive and offensive nuclear strike." This is in response to U.S. and South Korea beginning their annual joint military exercises. Those drills are the largest ever held with over 300,000 South Korean and American military personnel taking part.

CUOMO: Hundreds of people gathered to in Kuala Lumpur to remember the 239 people on board Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The plane disappeared two years ago tomorrow. Its fate has become one of the biggest mysteries in aviation history.

A support group for friends and family of the people on board is calling for the search to continue and most recently a piece of wreckage was found in Mozambique. It's being tested to see if it may have come from that plane.

CAMEROTA: Nancy Reagan will be buried alongside her husband at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The former first lady died Sunday of congestive heart failure at the age of 94.

She is being remembered for her crusade against drugs and for her fierce devotion to her husband during his presidency and later during his battle with Alzheimer's disease.

CNN's Stephanie Elam is live from the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California. Hi, Stephanie.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn. Many credit Nancy Reagan for changing the definition and the role of the first lady in the modern era. According to Nancy Reagan herself her most important role was being Ronald Reagan's wife.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM (voice-over): A country in mourning for one of the most influential first ladies of the 20th Century during a campaign that is so invoked Ronald Reagan's legacy, the Republican presidential candidates quick to express their condolences.

Donald Trump called Mrs. Reagan, quote, "an amazing woman." Ted Cruz said that she will be remembered for her deep passion for this nation and love for her husband.

A moment of silence for her at the Democratic debate Sunday. The president and First Lady Michelle Obama say they are grateful for her life and pray she and her beloved husband are together again.

Born in New York City and raised in Chicago, Nancy Reagan began her career as an actress in Hollywood where she met fellow actor, Ronald Reagan in 1949. The two married in 1952 beginning one of Hollywood's and Washington's most enduring partnerships.

FORMER FIRST LADY NANCY REAGAN: Everything just fell into place with Ronnie and me. We completed each other.

ELAM: Nancy played a pivotal role in the rise of her husband's political career from governorship to the presidency always by his side gazing adoringly.

REAGAN: I remember thinking anything except here he is and he is president.

ELAM: As California's first lady, she focused her efforts on helping Vietnam veterans. As America's first lady, she championed the fight against drug abuse bringing national attention to the issue with her "Just Say No" campaign.

She had her own special grit. President Reagan's fiercest protector never leaving his side after an assassination attempt.

Later in life, she nursed her husband during his battle with Alzheimer's and became a leading activist raising millions for research.

REAGAN: It's sad to see somebody you loved and been married for so long and you can't share memories.

ELAM: After his death in 2004, she remained committed to preserving her husband's legacy, a symbol of the Republican Party.

REAGAN: When you balance it all out I have had a pretty fabulous life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ELAM: And preparations are underway here at the Reagan Library for a large private memorial that will be held here on the grounds where she will also be laid to rest next to her husband.

As far as people from the public they want them to come and pay their respects as well. They are preparing for that. Some people are already bringing flowers as a matter of fact, but they are asking people instead of those flowers, you make donation to the Reagan Library. That was Nancy Reagan's -- one of her final wishes. Michaela, Chris and Alisyn, back to you.

PEREIRA: Nice to have a presidential library so you can do just that.

CAMEROTA: It is comforting to think that they are reunited. They do consider themselves soul mates.

CUOMO: And you know, one thing that she also deserves credit for as I was raised for some years by a first lady. I understand the job. They are often the only defender of their spouse when it comes to how much they are going to work, where they are sent, how much they are put into.

Because the instinct of those around more and more and more, and Nancy played that role in a very big way and often nobody else would have done it.

PEREIRA: All right, back to politics that are going on right now. Ted Cruz creeping up on Donald Trump in the delegate race. Is he or Marco Rubio the better alternative for Republicans looking to stop Trump? We'll discuss that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:23:43}

CUOMO: The Republican candidates are hitting the campaign trail hard ahead of another critical Super Tuesday. Donald Trump once again on the attack this time saying Marco Rubio has to drop out. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He comes in third, he comes fourth. Every time he comes in third or fourth he says you have to be able to win and he has not been able to win. I think it is time that he drops out. I would love to take on Ted one-on-one. That would be so much fun because Ted can't win New York. He can't win New Jersey. He can't Pennsylvania. He can't win California. I want Ted one-on- one, OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: Now Trump going after somebody let alone Marco Rubio not new. What is new is this turnabout and play. It used to be we have to winnow down the field on the GOP side so someone who go against Trump.

Now it's we need keep everybody in on the GOP side so we can keep Trump from getting 1,237 delegates which is what he needs. Now what does this going to mean for Cruz and Rubio coming off of Saturday?

Let's discuss with people from both sides. Ted Cruz communications director, Alice Stewart, and Republican strategist, Brian Morgenstern. He supports Marco Rubio. Good to have you both.

First, are either of you or both of you going to admit that the idea of a combined ticket is now up in the air? The Cruz/Rubio, Rubio/Cruz ticket, is it more of a possibility than ever, Morgenstern?

[08:25:06] BRIAN MORGENSTERN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: These guys are running their own race as they are competing for delegates hard.

CUOMO: Anything? Anybody moving in anybody's direction to talk about this at all?

ALICE STEWART, TED CRUZ COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Chris, I will agree with you, it is time to winnow the field. The fact is it needs to be Ted Cruz versus Donald Trump. Look, Ted has beaten Donald seven times.

We've won six contests and it is clear that he is the only one to take on Donald Trump here in the primary and has proven poll after poll the one that can beat Hillary Clinton.

And the photos are speaking time and time again. We won the most number of delegates on Saturday. We are showing true momentum and we are looking good moving into the 15th.

Another big sign of momentum, Chris, is money. After Super Saturday, after we won Kansas and Maine, we raised $1.5 million online, our largest fundraising day to date.

That goes to show that people are rallying behind Ted and realize he is the one to take on Donald Trump. While it is a tough decision for other candidates, there is no viable path to victory. It is time for them to rally behind Ted Cruz.

CUOMO: So Alice, I will take that as a no to my question about the joint ticket. Let's put up the delegate count because Alice is a making a compelling case on one level.

Who is this a great night for Saturday night? You go back and forth. Who was it a bad night for? Marco Rubio. How much pressure right now is being applied to whether or not he can sustain?

MORGENSTERN: He can sustain. That was four proportional primaries, but it was good for Senator Cruz. Good for him --

CUOMO: He didn't make the threshold, but in at least one.

MORGENSTERN: But this is a long slog. We have winner-take-all is coming up. Florida is a big one. Senator Rubio is competing hard. This is his home state. He is confident of a win. He had that huge win, a blowout in Puerto Rico just over the weekend. That will help him in Florida.

There are a million Puerto Ricans living in Florida. He is a popular senator. He is competing hard and he is going to win, 99 delegates in one state completely turns this race on its head.

It is a different race today than it was last week when the candidates started exposing Trump as a fraud. It will be a different campaign next week after this Super Tuesday.

CUOMO: Do you think that helps Marco Rubio? A lot of people are saying what got him some headlines will hurt in the polls. That he started trying to be like Trump and there is only one and you cheapen the race.

MORGENSTERN: No. It showed that Marco has a sense of humor and that it brought Trump down the earth. As Senator Rubio said, if a bully is punching you, you punch back. It got some attention. It wrestled media away from Trump, which is a Herculean thing to do and it brought him back down to earth and made this a more competitive race and showed a funny side of Marco.

CUOMO: The knock on Ted Cruz, Alice. For you to answer -- answer my question first, please. The knock on Ted Cruz is that you are not a unifier for the party. You are doing well and supposed certain areas, but that you are an outsider. That's what you're pushing so is Trump. If the party is going to galvanize it will have to do it around someone else.

STEWART: That is what people want. They want someone an outsider, someone to take on the Washington cartel and do away with business as usual. That is why we are seeing the numbers fall for Marco Rubio and people rally toward Ted.

Marco Rubio is one of the Washington establishment that is yet again someone that the voters are rejecting. What he did last week taking on Donald Trump did not work well for him. The jokes and talking about everything but the issues people did not respond well and the time they spent on the debate stage was not productive for them.

Ted Cruz was the only one on the debate stage last week talking about policies and issues in the economy while the two of them were slugging it out like kids on the playground. That's not what people want.

They want a serious candidate that talks about the issues that will go in and break up Washington and not go along and get along with Washington like Marco Rubio has and did with the Gang of Eight. And they also don't like Donald Trump and his ability to be flexible. People don't like that.

CUOMO: All right, there is no question. Cruz is part of the melee very often on the stage, Alice, as you are well aware. I mean, John Kasich was the one who tried to avoid it and some would say it winds up working to his advantage and maybe not.

Quick button from you, Brian, on make the case for why Rubio has the same credentials as Cruz when it comes to being an outsider.

MORGENSTERN: Rubio ran against the sitting governor of Florida and challenged the establishment. He's beaten the establishment. He was able to accomplish eliminating the Obamacare bailout, which is a huge accomplishment.

Look, we need to unite the party and grow the party to win this election. Marco Rubio can do that. The other candidates have been divisive and negative. Marco Rubio has an optimistic message that will both unite the Republican Party, which is fractured right now.

It needs to be united and it's going to grow the party and win in November. The polling bears that out. Rubio is the strongest against Hillary Clinton over any other candidate.

CUOMO: All right, Alice Stewart, thank you very much as always. Look forward to having you on the show. Brian Morgenstern, same, always welcome -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, Chris, Donald Trump backing down from his position on torture. At first he was all for it, now he's clarifying that stance, but the story does not end there.