Good morning everyone! Happy Monday to you!

Joining today's show are Mike Barnicle, Nicolle Wallace, Kasie Hunt, Nicholas Confessore, John McCormack, Steve Schmidt, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Steve Kornacki, Hallie Jackson, Rick Tyler, Fmr. Gov. Mike Huckabee, Roger Bennett, John Della Volpe, Amy Odell, Sara Eisen and for the second week where no dolphins were killed or taken for a life of captivity.

Another weekend goes by with more odd behavior by the candidates in the GOP. Donald trump refused to denounce the fact that David Duke and the KKK was backing him and even further to that one, he (Trump) stated he knew nothing about David Duke. Trump actually tweeted about David Duke a bunch of years ago so he is lying again.

What (Mike) Barnicle says is absolutely correct and it happens with everyone in that GOP. The reason why Trump was so wishy washy about the KKK comments is because he does not want to alienate any potential group of voter. Like I said, no matter the subject, everyone in that GOP does it. 

e (Donald) started throwing water around the stage when trying to describe Marco Rubio which I did not get and then Marco Rubio said that Donald Trump has small hands (also saying that you know what they say about men with small hands referring to his penis I guess). 

Marco also tried reading a Tweet that Donald Trump said about referring to himself as a choker. However, Rubio was poking fun at trump because he thought that Donald spelled it wrong and so he was pronouncing it as being a "chocker" however it was spelled perfectly by trump. That made Rubio look like an idiot again, but no one on the show addressed it. I saw it in a Mother Jones article over the weekend.

Donald Trump also said that Marco Rubio has large ears while Ted Cruz says that trump has mob ties. 

Oh and also, Trump quoted Mussolini and then when confronted on it, he basically doubled down saying a quote is a quote no matter whom it came from which of course makes no sense since a quote from a fascist leader does make it a huge issue.

I don't really understand what is happening here in this primary but man has it sunk to all time low. Which says a lot because we have hit new lows daily.

On the Dem side of the aisle, Hillary (Clinton) won huge in South Carolina on Saturday.

Welcome to Super Tuesday tomorrow folks. Let's Discuss it all today.

Donald Trump shares headlines with Hitler, Mussolini and KKK wizard David Duke
Republican presidential candidate and businessman Donald Trump had an eventful weekend. So eventful, he occupied headline space alongside World War Two dictators Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, as well a former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. 

But did the GOP's most questionably haired billionaire finally lose the plot? Not really.

On Saturday, ex-Mexican President Felipe Calderon told CNN that the businessman's anti-immigration rhetoric was similar to Adolf Hitler's in 1930s Germany. That comparison was also shared by Vincente Fox, another former president of the U.S's southern neighbor. He also told CNN Friday that Trump reminds him of the German dictator. 

Come Sunday, Trump refused to disavow ex-Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke during an interview on CNN. Trump said he didn't know anything about David Duke, or white supremacists. 
Regardless of my opinions about how idiotic the GOP is today, Donald Trump stumbles on David Duke, KKK. Donald Trump stumbled into a racially charged controversy Sunday, saying in an interview on CNN that he didn't know enough to disavow former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke.

Trump tried to clean up his comments on Twitter in the hours that follow and on TV Monday amid an outpouring of criticism from his Republican presidential rivals. Sen. Marco Rubio slammed the remarks, saying they make Trump "unelectable." The Sunday uproar started when Trump was pressed by CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" about whether he would disavow Duke and other white supremacist groups that are supporting his campaign.

Read more: Rubio on Trump: 'He's not gonna make America great, he's gonna make America orange'

"Just so you understand, I don't know anything about David Duke, OK?" Trump said.

Trump was pressed three times on whether he'd distance himself from the Ku Klux Klan -- but never mentioned the group in his answers.

"I don't know anything about what you're even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists," he said. "So I don't know. I don't know -- did he endorse me, or what's going on? Because I know nothing about David Duke; I know nothing about white supremacists."

Duke had detailed his support for Trump in a Facebook post on Thursday.

"I think he deserves a close look by those who believe the era of political correctness needs to come to an end," Duke wrote.

He touted Trump's strength on immigration, breaking up "Jewish dominated lobbies and super PACS that are corrupting and controlling American politics," preventing war with Russia, exposing media "lies" and ensuring "that White-Americans are allowed to preserve and promote their heritage and interests just as all other groups are allowed to do."

The Anti-Defamation League had called on Trump to repudiate the support of Duke, the former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, and other white supremacist groups.

Despite what he said Sunday, Trump apparently did know Duke in 2000 -- citing him, as well as Pat Buchanan and Lenora Fulani -- in a statement that year explaining why he had decided to end his brief flirtation with a Reform Party presidential campaign.

"The Reform Party now includes a Klansman, Mr. Duke, a neo-Nazi, Mr. Buchanan, and a communist, Ms. Fulani. This is not company I wish to keep," Trump said in a statement reported then by The New York Times.

He had also indicated he knew of Duke during a Friday press conference, when he was asked similar questions and said: "David Duke endorsed me? OK, all right. I disavow, OK?"

After his appearance on "State of the Union," Trump highlighted that Friday comment in a tweet, saying he does disavow Duke.
As I stated at the press conference on Friday regarding David Duke- I disavow.
During the interview, though, asked if he'd broadly distance himself from Duke and white supremacists, Trump demurred, saying he knew nothing about their support for his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

"I have to look at the group. I mean, I don't know what group you're talking about," Trump said. "You wouldn't want me to condemn a group that I know nothing about. I'd have to look. If you would send me a list of the groups, I will do research on them and certainly I would disavow if I thought there was something wrong. You may have groups in there that are totally fine -- it would be very unfair. So give me a list of the groups and I'll let you know."

Tapper responded: "OK. I'm just talking about David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan here, but --"

And Trump said: "Honestly, I don't know David Duke. I don't believe I've ever met him. I'm pretty sure I didn't meet him. And I just don't know anything about him."

On Monday, Trump said he'd had trouble hearing the questions due to a bad ear piece, and said that he had disavowed Duke repeatedly in the past.

"I disavowed Duke the day before at a major conference," Trump told NBC's "Today" show.

Trump's comments came two days before 12 states -- largely Southern -- vote on Super Tuesday. If he defeats Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Rubio in most or all of those states, Trump could become a near lock for the Republican nomination.

Rubio slammed Trump during a rally in Virginia, highlighting Trump's 2000 comment about Duke as he pointed out that Trump did know of the white supremacist leader.

"We cannot be the party that nominates someone who refuses to condemn white supremacists and the Ku Klux Klan," Rubio said.

"By the way, not only is that wrong, it makes him unelectable. How are we going to grow our party with a nominee that refuses to condemn the Ku Klux Klan?" he said. "Don't tell me he doesn't know what the Ku Klux Klan is. This is serious."

And on Sunday night Sen. Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican who is backing Rubio -- and one of two African-American senators -- in a statement blasted Trump's response.

"Any candidate who cannot immediately condemn a hate group like the KKK does not represent the Republican Party, and will not unite it. If Donald Trump can't take a stand against the KKK, we cannot trust him to stand up for America against Putin, Iran or ISIS."

Cruz hit Trump on Twitter, saying, "Really sad. @realDonaldTrump you're better than this. We should all agree, racism is wrong, KKK is abhorrent."
Really sad. you're better than this. We should all agree, racism is wrong, KKK is abhorrent.

And another Republican presidential contender, John Kasich, tweeted a link to a news report about Trump's comments, saying: "Hate groups have no place in America. We are stronger together. End of story."
Hate groups have no place in America. We are stronger together. End of story. -John
During a campaign stop in Springfield, Massachusetts, Kasich called Trump's comments "just horrific."

"We don't have any place for white supremacists in the United States of America and he really needs to make his position clear and he ought to do it quickly," Kasich said of Trump.

RNC communications director Sean Spicer responded to criticism on Twitter leveled at the RNC over Trump's comments, saying, "Are you kidding. Of course the @gop has and does denounce these hate groups/people."
Are you kidding. Of course the has and does denounce these hate groups/people

Democratic presidential contenders were also lashing out at Trump. Bernie Sanders tweeted: "America's first black president cannot and will not be succeeded by a hatemonger who refuses to condemn the KKK."
America's first black president cannot and will not be succeeded by a hatemonger who refuses to condemn the KKK.
In January, a white nationalist super PAC paid for a pro-Trump robocall to Iowa voters that said, "We don't need Muslims. We need smart, well-educated white people who will assimilate to our culture. Vote Trump."

It was a reference to Trump's proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States.

In an interview with CNN's Erin Burnett at the time, Trump disavowed those robocalls.

"I would disavow that, but I will tell you people are extremely angry," he had said.

In Sunday's interview on CNN, Trump also detailed what he'd look for in a vice presidential nominee, saying he'd want someone with "a little bit of an inside track" to getting legislation approved by Congress -- an indication Trump could pick a current politician.

"Conceptually, I like the idea of a political person to go along with my abilities," he said.

Trump also said he has no plans to release his tax returns, despite pressure from Cruz and Rubio, because IRS audits are ongoing.

He said he has been audited "almost every year for 10 or 12 years."

"Maybe it's because I'm very conservative, maybe it's because I'm tea party. ... I don't know what it is, but I have been singled out," Trump said. "Until the audit is completed, obviously I'm not giving my papers."

He did say, though, that his campaign is likely to release a list of his charitable contributions "sometime in the next week." CNN's Julia Manchester and David Wright contributed to this report.

Trump declines to condemn Ku Klux Klan. Later, however, he said he had previously rejected support from David Duke.

Donald Trump on Sunday morning refused to condemn actions taken and comments made by the Ku Klux Klan and one of its former leaders, claiming he needed to do "more research" before taking a position.

Speaking on CNN's State of the Union, Trump was asked by Jake Tapper to respond to recent comments made by white supremacist David Duke, the former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Duke and other white supremacist groups have supported Trump's bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

"Just so you understand, I don't know anything about David Duke, OK?" he said. "I don't know anything about what you're even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists." Trump, however, was asked about Duke during a press conference late last week, and said then that he disavowed him. He responded to the criticism following Sunday's show by sharing a clip of his answer on Twitter.

Trump's Sunday remarks drew strong criticism from other presidential candidates.

Hillary Clinton, in response to a question in Nashville about Trump's remarks, said, "It's pathetic."
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who has increased his attacks on the GOP front-runner following last week's CNN debate, said on his social media accounts: "We cannot be a party that nominates someone who refuses to condemn white supremacists and the Ku Klux Klan."

Ohio Gov. John Kasich tweeted: "Hate groups have no place in America. We are stronger together. End of story."

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz also rejected the comments. He tweeted: "Really sad. @realDonaldTrump you're better than this. We should all agree, racism is wrong, KKK is abhorrent."

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted: "America's first black president cannot and will not be succeeded by a hatemonger who refuses to condemn the KKK."

Trump has spoken about Duke in the past. The New York Times quoted Trump in February 2000 as saying, "So the Reform Party now includes a Klansman, Mr. Duke, a neo-Nazi, Mr. Buchanan, and a communist, Ms. Fulani. This is not company I wish to keep.'' Trump was a member of the Reform Party in 1999; he was referring to Pat Buchanan and Lenora Fulani in addition to Duke.

Duke, a frequent political candidate who once won more than 650,000 votes for governor of Louisiana, told an audience last week that while hasn't formally endorsed Trump he does support his candidacy, and voting for anyone other than Trump "is really treason to your heritage."

“Voting for these people, voting against Donald Trump at this point, is really treason to your heritage,” Duke said on the David Duke Radio Program.

On Sunday morning, Tapper continued to press Trump on the question, but the GOP front-runner refused to disavow Duke on the program.

"I have to look at the group. I mean, I don't know what group you're talking about. You wouldn't want me to condemn a group that I know nothing about. I'd have to look."

Trump said if Tapper send him a "list of the group" he would "do research on them and certainly" disavow any bad comments.

"You may have groups in there that are totally fine — it would be very unfair," Trump said.
Tapper again clarified that he was referring to the Ku Klux Klan.

Trump's comments come just two days before Super Tuesday, when a large number of Southern states hold primaries.

Trump's Promises Don't Pass Muster. A powerful force driving Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders in the presidential race is the frustration of grass-roots voters that politicians in Washington haven't kept their promises.

Democrats, though still high on President Barack Obama, are upset about an economic recovery that benefited Wall Street more than Main Street, top executives more than workers.

The anger is more palpable among Republican voters, who ushered in big congressional majorities for the party, expecting to end Obamacare, reduce the size of government, cut taxes and bolster national security. None of it happened.

With that track record of broken promises and with Trump emerging as the likely Republican presidential nominee, it's good to look at his prominent promises and the critiques:
  • National Security: Trump has pledged to be tough, to defeat the Islamic State by bombing oil fields, which he would then turn over to U.S. oil companies. He would force Arabs to do the fighting against the Islamic State. He says he would "get along very well" with the Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, whom he has praised as a strong leader. He gets his foreign policy advice from watching television news programs, he says. This doesn't impress many foreign policy experts. "He has said very little of substance," says former Senator Richard Lugar, an Indiana Republican who was chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. "It appears he doesn't have a real grasp of the range of complex issues or hasn't done his homework." Adds Leon Panetta, who served as defense secretary and Central Intelligence Agency director in the Obama administration: "It's the sort of stuff you expect to hear at the bar at the country club."
  • Mass Deportations: Trump proposes removing 11 million undocumented immigrants within two years. He poses the challenge in simple terms: "They say you have to go through a huge legal process. You don't. They are illegal." The American Action Forum, a right-of-center research organization run by Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a prominent Republican economist, will soon release a study on the economic impact of Trump's plan: The number of personnel devoted to apprehensions would soar to 90,582 from 4,844; the number of attorneys and courts would increase twentyfold; the number of detention beds would have to increase tenfold and almost 100,000 chartered buses and flights would be required. American Action estimates that the cost to the economy would be $1 trillion. The nonpartisan Pew Research Center calculates that the deportations would cause big job losses in sectors of the economy: 26 percent of farming, fishing and forestry workers; 17 percent of building maintenance and cleaning personnel, 14 percent of construction workers. The liberal Center for American Progress says studies show that many of these jobs would go unfilled, devastating the economy.
  • The Border Wall: Trump vows to build a wall along the Mexican border that would cost about $8 billion and that would be paid for by Mexico. Experts ridicule that possibility. "The Mexicans treat this with total disdain," says Alex Nowrasteh of the libertarian Cato Institute. "I don't know any policy people that take this seriously."
  • Trade: Trump would impose tariffs on some goods from Mexico and huge penalties on imports from China, from 25 percent to 45 percent. These countries are cheating America on trade, he charges.But trade specialists note that he couldn't do this unilaterally. "No president in our lifetime has ever contemplated anything like this, but I believe Congress would have to act," says Susan Schwab, who was U.S. trade representative under President George W. Bush. Moreover, she says this would be in violation of international trade rules and Mexico and China would respond by going to the World Trade Organization, where they would win a judgment. Or they could retaliate against U.S. goods, such as agricultural products, which would "inflict great damage."
  • Taxes: Trump proposes a huge across-the-board tax cut that he says would make the U.S. more competitive, take 75 million people off the tax rolls and create more equity. It would pay for itself by eliminating some deductions and credits.Expert analysis shows that it would indeed take tens of millions off the tax rolls. But little else holds up. Both the left-of-center Tax Policy Center and the right-of-center Tax Foundation agree that the Trump plan doesn't come close to paying for itself, and would cost more than $9 trillion in revenue over the first decade. Both concur that it's heavily skewed in favor of the wealthiest taxpayers.
Even Trump's promise to crack down on hedge-fund and private-equity executives who benefit from a lower tax rate on capital gains, instead of the top ordinary income rate on carried interest, doesn’t hold up. Many of these arrangements are partnerships and Trump's plan also calls for the top corporate rate to drop to 15 percent, a little lower than the top capital gains rate.

To date, Trump has been immune from substantive criticism, and he may have answers to these complaints, though he has been questioned passively. His Republican rivals began to grill him on issues such as health care; that should be just the start.


Cruz: Trump Tax Returns May Include 'Bombshell,' Mafia Ties. Just two days before what Ted Cruz said "could well be the most important day of the entire primary process," the Texas senator ratcheted up his attacks on GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Sunday by raising questions about the businessman's refusal to release his tax returns.



"Maybe it is the case that Donald -- there have been multiple media reports about Donald's business dealings with the mob, with the mafia," Cruz said on Meet the Press. "Maybe his taxes show those business dealings."

"The fact that Donald seems terrified to release his taxes suggests that there's a bombshell there," Cruz asserted.

Pressed on his claim about possible mafia ties, Cruz pointed to "multiple" news stories about Trump's "dealings with, for example, S&A Construction, which was owned by 'Fat Tony' Salerno, who is a mobster who is in jail. It is owned by two of the major New York crime families. And that has been reported in multiple media outlets."

"Republican primary voters deserve to know before the nomination, not after," he said. "Because you better believe Hillary Clinton and the media are going to go to town on it. And the primary voters should be able to vet all of us."

New NBC/WSJ polling released on Sunday gives Cruz a 13-point edge over Donald Trump in his home state of Texas, a race seen as crucial to Cruz's path to a comeback for the nomination.

"We're going to do very well in Texas," Cruz said. "And we are fighting hard to beat [Trump] across the country."

But in Georgia and Tennessee, the polls show Cruz lagging behind Trump - and notably neck-and-neck with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

Cruz has long viewed Super Tuesday as critical to winning the nomination. But on Sunday when pressed by Chuck Todd, Cruz refused to say whether he would reassess the future of his campaign if Super Tuesday ends with Marco Rubio holding more delegates.

"I don't intend to be third in delegates," Cruz responded. "I don't believe I am."

Arguing the contrary, Cruz suggested "there's going to be a big, big drop off" in delegates between he and Rubio.

"Super Tuesday will continue to narrow the field," Cruz said.

Rubio's aggressive attacks on Trump starting with last Thursday night's debate and the front-runner's response has dominated headlines in recent days.

But after a month of questioning Trump on policy distinctions, Cruz has ratcheted up his pointed criticisms on his personal finances. On Saturday in Georgia, Cruz suggested Trump may be committing tax fraud.

Cruz himself has released only two-page summaries of his own tax returns, not the full accounting records available that allow for a better understanding of his family's sources of income.

"We just matched what the opponents did for the last four years," Cruz said Sunday noting, "Donald Trump has not released so much as a paper clip."


South Carolina Gives Hillary Clinton Her Most Important Win Yet. Hillary Clinton dealt Bernie Sanders a bruising defeat in South Carolina's Democratic primary Saturday, with early returns showing her crushing the insurgent senator by a 3-to-1 margin.


While the win was no surprise, it was still one of the best nights of Clinton's second attempt at the presidency thus far because it proved the basic electoral theory of her campaign: That a strong advantage among minority voters would carry her to her party's nomination — and potentially all the way to the White House.

The resounding victory makes it clear that Sanders, despite his best efforts, has been unable to address his fundamental weakness with black voters.

African Americans represented 61 percent of the turnout in the sate's Democratic presidential primary — up from 57 percent in 2008 — and Sanders lost the group 84 percent to 16 percent, according to NBC News exit polls.

If Sanders couldn't close the gap among African Americans in South Carolina, where he had the most time, money, and resources devoted to introducing himself to the community, then it will be all the more difficult in upcoming states.

Sanders made a real effort to compete here, hiring more than 200 paid canvassers and visiting the state on numerous occasions.

But for African Americans, who have known and liked the Clinton family for more than 25 years, Sanders' effort was too little, too late — or perhaps doomed from the start.

Rep. Jim Clyburn, the state's top Democrat whose late endorsement for Clinton gave her an extra boost, said his state's voters had months to compare and contrast the candidates.

"Tonight, the Democratic voters of South Carolina have rendered a significant verdict," Clyburn said at Clinton's victory rally in Columbia.

Clinton has now demonstrated massive victories among African Americans in two very different states on opposite sides of the country — Nevada and South Carolina — suggesting that their loyalty to her, and the so-called firewall built on that loyalty, will hold.

The margins raise the real possibility Clinton could take a major pledged delegate lead in next week's Super Tuesday contests, when six southern states with large African-American populations will hold nominating contests at once.

Even under the rosiest scenarios for Sanders, it will be hard for him to catch Clinton on Super Tuesday.

Sanders was not in South Carolina Saturday night, instead campaigning in Minnesota ahead of that state's Tuesday primary. But in a statement released shortly after polls closed, the Vermont senator vowed to continue his fight.

"Let me be clear on one thing tonight. This campaign is just beginning. We won a decisive victory in New Hampshire. She won a decisive victory in South Carolina," Sanders said. "Our grassroots political revolution is growing state by state, and we won't stop now."

Sanders' supporters were braced for the loss, but the drubbing will be a test of his small-dollar fundraising apparatus, which is the lifeblood of his campaign.

Clinton supporters, meanwhile, are likely to begin urging Sanders to drop out of the race so she can begin to focus on the general election.

"I don't see a path forward for Bernie Sanders. The sooner he gets out the better," said Boyd Brown, a Democratic National Committee member from South Carolina who supports Clinton.

At a high-energy victory party in massive gymnasium here, Clinton beamed as she took the stage to chants of "madam president!"

The former secretary of state suggested she was looking to the next phase of the campaign, the general election campaign after that, and even her potential presidency. "Tomorrow, this campaign goes national," she declared.

With exit polls showing that Clinton won black voters by an even larger margin than Barack Obama beat her with in 2008, the win bolsters her plan to reassemble the divers coalition that twice put President Obama in the White House for a third Democratic win.

"Despite what you hear, we don't need to make America great again — America has never stopped being great," Clinton said, making it clear she was already setting at least one eye on Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner. This article first appeared on MSNBC 

Bernie Sanders is hitting 11 states in seven days just ahead of Super Tuesday. MSNBC's Kasie Hunt follows Sanders ahead of the big day. How Bernie Sanders Could Win Super Tuesday... Or Lose Really Badly. Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders cheer and hold up signs, including one of Sanders, during a campaign rally at Colorado State University Sunday.
Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders cheer and hold up signs, including one of Sanders, during a campaign rally at Colorado State University Sunday.

Hillary Clinton goes into Super Tuesday with a 26-pledged delegate lead (91-65) over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. She also has a 433-superdelegate lead (453-20).

In crunching some numbers, an NPR analysis finds one very rosy scenario for Sanders in which he comes out with the majority of pledged delegates on Super Tuesday. This is considered unlikely, but it's his best possible day.

The analysis also shows close to Clinton's best day, including winning Colorado, Massachusetts and Oklahoma — all places Sanders is targeting. It gives Sanders big wins in Vermont and Minnesota.

That second scenario would give Clinton a 151-delegate win. So our range for Tuesday in pledged delegates appears to be something like Sanders plus-1 to Clinton plus-151.

Here are scenarios:

1. The Sanders win – 433-432
Wins in Colorado with 60 percent; Massachusetts (55 percent); Minnesota (70 percent); Oklahoma (60 percent); and Vermont (90 percent). Clinton would be held to 55 percent in delegate-rich Texas and Virginia; 57 percent in Arkansas, where her husband was governor and she was first lady; 60 percent in Alabama and Georgia, two states where half the Democratic electorate is black; 55 percent in Tennessee; and 58 percent in American Samoa. (Of course, with super delegates factored in, Sanders is still swamped, but don't consider that for the sake of this analysis.)

2. The Clinton blowout – 508-357
Clinton wins big in Texas (60 percent); huge wins in Alabama and Georgia (70 percent each like in South Carolina); Arkansas and Tennessee (65 percent each); Virginia (60 percent); and takes Colorado and Massachusetts (with 55 percent each), where Sanders is hoping to do well; as well as Oklahoma (53 percent); and even gets the extra delegate out of American Samoa with 60 percent); Sanders would be held to 60 percent in Minnesota and 75 percent in his home state of Vermont.

The truth, as usual, is probably somewhere in between.

Either way, neither will have enough delegates out of Super Tuesday to mathematically be the nominee (2,383) — though two very different story lines would emerge.


Trump, Clinton dominant as Super Tuesday looms. Poll: Donald Trump likely to be GOP nominee. (CNN)Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are poised to lead the nation's two major parties in this fall's presidential election, with a new nationwide CNN/ORC poll finding each well ahead of their closest competitors just as the race expands to a national stage.



Trump has expanded his lead over the diminished field to capture the support of nearly half of Republican voters, while Clinton tops Sanders by nearly 20 points.

On the Republican side, the new survey finds Trump's lead is dominant, and his support tops that of his four remaining opponents combined. The businessman tops his nearest competitor by more than 30 points: 49% back Trump, 16% Marco Rubio, 15% Ted Cruz, 10% Ben Carson and 6% John Kasich.


Trump's supporters are incredibly enthusiastic about the coming election, and largely committed in their support for him. Nearly 8 in 10 say that they are more enthusiastic about voting this year than in previous elections, among Republicans who are not supporting Trump, just 39% say they are more enthusiastic than in years past. Likewise, 78% of Trump's backers say they will definitely support him vs. 22% who say they could still change their minds. Among those backing other candidates, 57% say they are committed to their chosen candidate.

The survey asked those Republicans not currently backing Trump whether they would support him if he became the party's nominee, and just a quarter of Republicans overall say they probably or definitely wouldn't support him in November. That's about the same as the share saying they wouldn't back Rubio or Cruz.

Trump is widely viewed as the candidate in the field who would be most effective at solving the country's problems, 51% vs. 17% for Cruz, 13% for Rubio and 10% for Carson, and as being best able to handle the responsibilities of being commander-in-chief, 48% say so, compared with 17% for Cruz and 15% for Rubio. The billionaire is also seen as the one who best understands the problems facing people like you, 46% Trump vs. 18% Cruz and 15% Rubio.

As accusations of dishonesty have flown between Trump, Cruz and Rubio, voters say they are more apt to see Trump as honest and trustworthy. Asked who of the five candidates is most honest and trustworthy, 35% name Trump, 22% Carson -- who has largely stayed out of the mudslinging - 14% Cruz and 13% Rubio.

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton tops Bernie Sanders 55% to 38% in the new poll, a slightly wider margin than she held in late January before any primaries or caucuses were held.

There are sharper demographic splits among the Democratic electorate than on the Republican side. Men, younger voters, independents and liberals are all about evenly split between Clinton and Sanders, while Clinton's lead rests on large advantages among women, older voters, Democrats and moderates.

Democrats are more apt than Republicans to say they would support either of the remaining top candidates should they become the nominee. Just 15% each say they wouldn't back Clinton or Sanders.

Clinton tops Sanders handily as the candidate who would be more effective at solving the country's problems and can better handle the responsibilities of being commander-in-chief, but Sanders fares better than Clinton on honesty, 59% say he is more honest and trustworthy vs. 36% who say Clinton is. Overall, voters are split on whether Clinton or Sanders better understands the problems facing people like you, 49% say Clinton, 48% Sanders.

The CNN/ORC Poll was conducted by telephone February 24-27 among a random national sample of 1,001 adults. Results for the 418 registered voters who are Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 5 percentage points. It is the same for results among the 427 Republican and Republican-leaning voters.

George Stephanopoulos Grills Chris Christie For Ten Minutes Over Donald Trump Endorsement. In his first major national interview since endorsing Donald Trump on Friday, Chris Christie faces a long series of tough questions from ABC's George Stephanopoulos.

CHRIS CHRISTIE: You're the only person you agree with 100 percent of the time, whether it's you or me.

So you can -- we can sit here this morning and play the game of everything that -- I ran against the guy, so of course there's things that I disagree with him on. But this is now a choice. And of the candidates remaining on that stage, he is the best person to beat Hillary Clinton, which is job one for Republicans. We do not want Hillary Clinton in the White House. He is the best person to beat her and he is the best person to help keep America safe.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: But to do what?

I've just pointed out three of the biggest issues in this campaign, the ones he talks about all the time. You disagree with him on all those issues.

So when you say he's going to do what needs to be done, what exactly are you talking about?

CHRISTIE: Well, listen, I'm talking about a whole bunch of things.

First of all, George, we haven't even touched on the economy. And I think he's got a really solid record and job -- to help create jobs in this country and to make the tax code fairer, to make opportunity better, to lower regulation. He has laid out those plans.

The fact is, he's going to do some things for this economy that need to be done to make America safer, not only from a national security perspective, but for people to invest in America again...

STEPHANOPOULOS: Besides his tax plan...

CHRISTIE: -- and create jobs.

STEPHANOPOULOS: -- what are you referring to?

CHRISTIE: Well, this -- he's -- he's laid out a plan on regularity reform, to lower regulations in this country. He's talked about the idea of making sure that small business folks are empowered in this country once again, to be able to create jobs for people.

There -- there has been a lot of things that have been laid out tin this campaign, um, that -- that merit real consideration and real support.

And -- and we're not going to agree on every issue. But I wouldn't agree if I were here this morning supporting any of the other candidates that remain on the stage. We would have some major disagreements with each other, because we ran against each other.

But let me tell you, they're minor disagreements compared to what is going to happen if we have Hillary Clinton as president of the United States, who is moving so far to the left to beat Bernie Sanders that I don't know which one is the socialist, Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders.

Jan Brewer and Jeff Sessions else along with Christie endorsed trump this weekend.
Congresswoman quits Democratic National Committee, endorses Bernie SandersDemocratic National Committee Vice Chair Tulsi Gabbard resigned from her post on Sunday to endorse Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, following months of rising tensions within the group.

"I think it’s most important for us, as we look at our choices as to who our next commander in chief will be, is to recognize the necessity to have a commander in chief who has foresight, who exercises good judgment," Gabbard, a U.S. representative for Hawaii, said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Gabbard, one of five vice chairs, and her committee colleagues have butted heads over a thin debate schedule in the months leading to Democratic voting contests for the party's nomination, with Gabbard calling for the group to add more debates to the calendar.

Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, is competing with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination to run for president on Nov. 8. Critics have said the scheduling of the debates has favored Clinton, who is better known than Sanders and is favored to win the nominating contest.

Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz issued a statement accepting Gabbard's resignation, calling her a friend and praising the active-duty veteran for her service in the armed forces.

"Congresswoman Gabbard is a role model who embodies the American ideal that anyone can dream big and make a difference," Wasserman said in the statement.

"She is also a colleague in Congress and a friend, and I look forward to continuing to work alongside her when our Party unites behind whoever emerges as our nominee." Reporting by Alana Wise; Editing by David Goodman and Jonathan Oatis.

Oscars 2016 live updates: 'Spotlight' wins best picture, DiCaprio gets his statue, 'Mad Max' cleans up. At the 88th Academy Awards, "Spotlight," the film about the Boston Globe's investigation into priest abuse, won for best picture. Leonardo DiCaprio, heavily favored to win for lead actor, was not disappointed in his fifth chance to take home an Oscar for acting. His director, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, had just gotten his second directing win in a row for "The Revenant." The film came into the night with the most nominations at 12 and won three.

Overall, "Mad Max: Fury Road" has the most bragging rights, with six statuettes from 10 nods in total.

The major upset of the evening was Sylvester Stallone's loss to Mark Rylance of "Bridge of Spies" for supporting actor.


Host Chris Rock kicked off the 2016 Oscars with a highly anticipated monologue amid the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, taking multiple jabs at Hollywood's culture.

The complete list of winners and nominees:
Oscars 2016 | Top Academy Award nominees
The 2016 Oscars have come to an end, with "Spotlight" earning the top prize.
 "The Revenant’s" Alejandro G. Iñárritu won in the directing category for the second year in a row, after taking home the prize last year for "Birdman."
Leonardo DiCaprio picked up his first Academy Award in the lead acting category for "The Revenant," while the lead actress trophy went to Brie Larson for her work in "Room."
"Mad Max: Fury Road," also a best picture nominee, picked up six awards.  



The other films nominated for best picture were "The Big Short," "Bridge of Spies," "Brooklyn," "The Martian," "Room" and "Spotlight."  
The complete list of winners and nominees is below.
Picture
"The Big Short" | Review
"Bridge of Spies" | Review | Interview
"Brooklyn" | Review | Video Q&A with the cast and crew
"Mad Max: Fury Road" | Review
"The Martian" | Review
"The Revenant" | Review | Video Q&A with the cast and crew
"Room" | Review
WINNER: "Spotlight" | Review
Actress
Cate Blanchett, "Carol" | Interview | Review
WINNER: Brie Larson, "Room" | Interview | Review | Video Q&A
Jennifer Lawrence, "Joy" | Review
Charlotte Rampling, "45 Years" | Interview | Review
Saoirse Ronan, "Brooklyn" | Review | Video Q&A
Actor
Bryan Cranston, "Trumbo" | Interview | Review | Video Q&A
Matt Damon, "The Martian" | Interview | Review
WINNER: Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Revenant" | Review | Video Q&A
Michael Fassbender, "Steve Jobs" | Interview | Review
Eddie Redmayne, "The Danish Girl" | Interview | Review 
Supporting actress
Jennifer Jason Leigh, "The Hateful Eight" | Interview
Rooney Mara, "Carol" | Interview | Review
Rachel McAdams, "Spotlight" | Interview | Review
WINNER: Alicia Vikander, "The Danish Girl" | Video Q&A | Interview
Kate Winslet, "Steve Jobs" | Interview | Review
Supporting actor
Christian Bale, "The Big Short" | Review
Tom Hardy, "The Revenant" | Interview | Review | Video Q&A with the cast and crew
Mark Ruffalo, "Spotlight" | Interview | Review
WINNER: Mark Rylance, "Bridge of Spies" | Review | Q&A
Sylvester Stallone, "Creed" | Interview | Review
Director
Adam McKay, "The Big Short" | Interview | Review
George Miller, "Mad Max: Fury Road" | Interview | Review
WINNER: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, "The Revenant" | Review | Video Q&A with the cast and crew
Lenny Abrahamson, "Room" | Interview | Review
Tom McCarthy, "Spotlight" | Interview | Review
Animated feature film
"Anomalisa" | Interview | Review
"The Boy and the World" | Review
WINNER: "Inside Out" | Review | Behind the scenes
"Shaun the Sheep Movie" | Interview | Review
"When Marnie Was There" | Review
Original screenplay
"Bridge of Spies," by Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen | Review
"Ex Machina," by Alex Garland | Review | Video Q&A
"Inside Out," screenplay by Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley; original story by Pete Docter, Ronnie del Carmen | Review
WINNER: "Spotlight," by Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy | Review
"Straight Outta Compton," screenplay by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff; story by S. Leigh Savidge & Alan Wenkus and Andrea Berloff | Review
Adapted screenplay
WINNER: "The Big Short," by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay | Interview | Review
"Brooklyn," by Nick Hornby | Interview | Review
"Carol," by Phyllis Nagy | Interview | Review
"The Martian," by Drew Goddard | Interview | Review
"Room,"  by Emma Donoghue



Foreign language film
"Embrace of the Serpent" (Colombia) | Interview | Review
"A War" (Denmark) | Interview | Review
"Mustang" (France) | Interview | Review
WINNER: "Son Of Saul" (Hungary) | Interview | Review
"Theeb" (Jordan) | Interview | Review
Animated short film
WINNER: "Bear Story"
"Prologue"
"Sanjay’s Super Team" | Interview
"We Can’t Live without Cosmos"
"World of Tomorrow"
Live action short
"Ave Maria"
"Day One"
"Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut)"
"Shok"
WINNER: "Stutterer"
Documentary feature
WINNER: "Amy" | Review
"Cartel Land" | Interview | Review
"The Look of Silence" | Interview | Review
"What Happened, Miss Simone?" | Review
"Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom" | Interview | Review
Documentary short
WINNER: "A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness"
"Body Team 12"
"Chau, Beyond the Lines"
"Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah"
"Last Day of Freedom"
Cinematography
"Carol," Ed Lachman
"The Hateful Eight," Robert Richardson | Interview
"Mad Max: Fury Road," John Seale
WINNER: "The Revenant," Emmanuel Lubezki | Photos
"Sicario," Roger Deakins | Interview
Visual effects
WINNER: "Ex Machina," Andrew Whitehurst, Paul Norris, Mark Ardington and Sara Bennett
"Mad Max: Fury Road," Andrew Jackson, Tom Wood, Dan Oliver and Andy Williams
"The Martian," Richard Stammers, Anders Langlands, Chris Lawrence and Steven Warner
"The Revenant," Rich McBride, Matthew Shumway, Jason Smith and Cameron Waldbauer
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens," Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Neal Scanlan and Chris Corbould
Makeup and hair styling
WINNER: "Mad Max: Fury Road," Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega and Damian Martin
"The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared," Love Larson and Eva von Bahr | Interview
"The Revenant," Siân Grigg, Duncan Jarman and Robert Pandini
Film editing
"The Big Short," Hank Corwin
WINNER: "Mad Max: Fury Road," Margaret Sixel | Interview
"The Revenant," Stephen Mirrione | Interview
"Spotlight," Tom McArdle
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens," Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey
Costume design
"Carol," Sandy Powell | Interview
"Cinderella," Sandy Powell | Interview
"The Danish Girl," Paco Delgado | Interview
WINNER: "Mad Max: Fury Road," Jenny Beavan
"The Revenant," Jacqueline West | Interview
Original song
"Earned It" from "50 Shades of Grey," music and lyric by Abel Tesfaye, Ahmad Balshe, Jason Daheala Quenneville and Stephan Moccio
"Manta Ray" from "Racing Extinction," music by J. Ralph; lyric by Antony Hegarty
"Simple Song #3" from "Youth," music and lyric by David Lang | Interview
"Til It Happens To You" from "The Hunting Ground," music and lyric by Diane Warren and Lady Gaga | Interview
WINNER: "Writing's On The Wall" from "Spectre," music and lyric by Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith | Interview
Sound editing
WINNER: "Mad Max: Fury Road," Mark Mangini and David White
"The Martian," Oliver Tarney | Interview
"The Revenant," Martin Hernandez and Lon Bender
"Sicario," Alan Robert Murray
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens," Matthew Wood and David Acord | Interview
Sound mixing
"Bridge of Spies," Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Drew Kunin
WINNER: "Mad Max: Fury Road," Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff and Ben Osmo
"The Martian," Paul Massey, Mark Taylor and Mac Ruth
"The Revenant," Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, Randy Thom and Chris Duesterdiek
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens," Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio and Stuart Wilson
Production design
"Bridge of Spies," Adam Stockhausen (production design); Rena DeAngelo and Bernhard Henrich (set decoration)
"The Danish Girl," Eve Stewart (production design); Michael Standish (set decoration)
WINNER: "Mad Max: Fury Road," Colin Gibson (production design); Lisa Thompson (set decoration)
"The Martian," Arthur Max (production design); Celia Bobak (set decoration) | Interview
"The Revenant," Jack Fisk (production design); Hamish Purdy (set decoration)
Original score
Thomas Newman, "Bridge of Spies"
Carter Burwell, "Carol" | Interview
WINNER: Ennio Morricone, "The Hateful Eight" | Interview
Jóhann Jóhannsson, "Sicario" | Interview
John Williams, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" | Interview
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