Catch up quickly here:
- Hillary Clinton swept Tuesday's primary contests, winning all five states after Bernie Sanders conceded Missouri on Thursday.
- Trump had a very slight lead in Missouri, with the state's Republican party announced a tentative tally awarding him 37 delegates. The tally gives Cruz 15 delegates.
- In all, five big states — Florida, Ohio, Illinois, North Carolina, and Missouri — voted.
- For the Republicans: Donald Trump declared winner in Florida, North Carolina and Illinois. An elated John Kasich took his home state of Ohio for his first primary win, denying Trump a major win that would have cleared him out of the race.
- Trump appeared on stage Tuesday — and praised — his embattled campaign manager, who is accused of manhandling a Breitbart reporter.
- Sanders' loss in Illinois comes after perhaps the best week of his campaign — and he still fell flat.
- Here's BuzzFeed News's full recap of the evening — it's what you need to know all in one place.
Here's the current delegate situation:
Updates
Sanders concedes Missouri to Clinton, giving her a five-state sweep
Bernie Sanders on Thursday conceded the Missouri primary to rival Hillary Clinton, saying he would not invoke his right to a recount of the extremely close results.
Clinton ended the five-state Tuesday primary ahead of Sanders by 1,531 votes in Missouri.
Under state law, Sanders could have sought a recount because the margin was less than 0.5%. However, in an interview with the Associated Press, Sanders said he would "prefer to save the taxpayers of Missouri some money."
"Whether we win by 200 votes or lose by 500, it's not going to impact the delegate selection," the senator told the AP.
Both Democratic candidates had been slated to get 32 delegates each. However, the AP reported that Clinton will get an extra two delegates for winning the statewide vote.
Trump Wins 37 Delegates in Missouri Primary, Cruz Takes 15
The Missouri Republican Party has announced a tentative delegate tally from Tuesday's primary, awarding GOP frontrunner Donald Trump 37 delegates.
Ted Cruz won 15 delegates, according to the tentative tally.
Trump and Cruz were neck and neck Tuesday night when Missouri's primary ended. The race still had not officially been called Wednesday, and results showed Trump with less than a .2% lead over Cruz.
Trump's Campaign Manager Will Also Be One Of His Delegates At The Convention
According to a list the presidential hopeful gave to New Hampshire's secretary of state, Corey Lewandowski, Trump's campaign manager, will also serve as one of his delegates at the Republican National Convention.
The New York Times reported that Lewandowski's name was one of 11 delegates and alternatives submitted on Feb. 26.
Fox News Channel Cancels March 21 Debate In Utah
After two candidates on Wednesday announced they would not be participating in the March 21 debate hosted by Fox News in Salt Lake City, the network decided to cancel the event altogether.
Local NBC affiliate KSL 5 reported that Fox News notified the Utah venue Wednesday morning local time.
The Republican National Committee later confirmed the decision to NBC.
RNC confirms Salt Lake City debate is cancelled.
According to Utah's GOP chairman James Evans, more than 50,000 people had already signed up for debate tickets.
The Republican National Committee added this debate to the last in February. When Trump announced earlier today that he would not participate, he noted that the somewhat last-minute scheduling had caught him off guard.
Shortly after the republican frontrunner announced he would drop out, Ohio Gov. John Kasich's office said he would not participate either.
BuzzFeed News has reached out to the Salt Palace Convention Center.
Kasich Aide Says He Will Not Go To Fox News Debate If Trump Doesn’t
John Weaver, a top strategist for presidential candidate John Kasich, said Wednesday that the Ohio governor would not participate in Fox News' debate on March 21 in Utah due to Trump's having backed out.
Weaver tweeted that it was "no surprise" that Trump would want to avoid "contrast," and added that if the real estate developer followed through on his announcement, that Kasich would visit Utah on Friday.
No debate in SLC Monday due to Trump backing out. No surprise Trump avoiding contrast. Utah: @JohnKasich headed your way Fri.
If Trump changed his mind, however, Weaver said Kasich would attend the debate.
If Trump changes his mind -- as Carson said there are 2 Trumps -- we will be there. Positive contrasts nicely with division. #Sybil
—Tamerra Griffin
Florida Gov. Rick Scott Endorses Donald Trump For President
Just In: Florida Gov. Rick Scott endorses Donald Trump for president
Trump Delegates With Foreign-Sounding Names Receive Fewer Votes From Trump Supporters
Voting patterns from yesterday's primary in Illinois suggest that Trump delegates with foreign-sounding names earned less ballots from Trump supporters than their counterparts.
In Illinois, voters are instructed to elect three delegates to the Republican National Convention, and each delegate is tied to a particular candidate.
One editor noticed early Wednesday morning a possible relationship between the Trump delegates' last names and voter support.
This is big: Trump voters' aversion to candidates w/ foreign-sounding names cost him at least 2 delegates. Example: https://t.co/o7X6c6DrBR
As the Washington Post reported, Trump's three delegates in the sixth district are Paul Minch, Barbara Kois, and Nabi Fakroddin. Minch earned the most votes at 35,435, and Kois trailed closely behind with 35,120, a drop-off of about 315 votes.
Fakroddin, however, placed sixth, winning 30,639 votes. Because of Fakroddin's low numbers, Trump only walked away with two of his three delegates' votes in that district. Kasich picked up the third.
A similar thing happened in the 13th district.
Raja Sadiq, a potential Trump delegate, again placed sixth behind two others — Doug Hartmann, who won, and Toni Gauen, who placed fifth. Compared to Hartmann, Sadiq earled about 8,000 fewer votes.
"It's not clear if Sadiq and Fakroddin would have suffered the same fate had they been delegates for candidates who hadn't espoused a harshly anti-Muslim position," the Post reported, acknowledging the difficulty in comparing this trend with other candidates because none of them appeared to have foreign-sounding last names.
—Tamerra Griffin
Trump Will Not Attend Fox News Debate On March 21 In Utah
Trump announced during a phone interview on Fox News on Wednesday morning that he would not participate in the network's debate on March 21 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
"I thought the last debate on CNN was the last debate, was going to be it," the Republican frontrunner said. "I think we've had enough debates."
He appeared to suggest that he was not prepared for another debate to be scheduled at all, according to The Hill.
"How many times can the same people ask you the same question?" Trump asked.
This is not the first time Trump has turned down an invitation to a debate hosted by Fox News. In January, months after a controversial comment he made about Fox News' Megyn Kelly, Trump refused to attend a debate because of Kelly's involvement.
In recent months, the two appeared to have eased the tensions between them. But on Tuesday, Trump called Kelly "Crazy Megyn" on Twitter.
The real estate developer also predicted that riots could ensure if he lost the nomination at the Republican National Convention in July.
Trump said during a CNN interview on Wednesday that if he wound up being 10 or 20 votes short of the nomination, "and somebody else is at 500 or 400 cause we're way ahead of everybody, I don't think you can say that we don't get it automatically."
"I think you'd have riots," he added, according to Bloomberg.
—Tamerra Griffin
Missouri Race Is Too Close To Call
The Republican and Democratic races in Missouri were neck and neck as of early Wednesday morning. With 100% of the precincts reporting the margins were less than 1% for both parties -- which means that the losing candidate can ask for a recount, according to the AP.
As of 1:30 a.m. in the Democratic race, Clinton was at 49.6% or 310,363 votes and Sanders had 49.4% or 308,808 votes, according to the state's official count.
For the Republicans it was a virtual dead heat between Trump and Cruz. Trump pulled in 381,720 votes (40.8%), while Cruz had 380,084 votes (40.7%).
–Jessica Simeone
Sanders' Momentum Runs Out
After an upset win in Michigan, everything seemed to be coming up Bernie but as the results came in Tuesday, it was apparent that the momentum fell short.
In the weeks following Michigan, the campaign was looking forward to races in states where Sanders felt more confident, he was competing for the black vote and capitalizing on some Clinton stumbles. But in the end, Clinton bested him in Florida, Ohio, Illinois and North Caroline, with results in Missouri too close to call as of early Wednesday.
Read more from BuzzFeed News' Evan McMorris-Santoro about the Sanders campaign's loss of momentum on Tuesday here.
Kasich Celebrates With Confetti Storm
Kasich was practically buried in a blizzard of confetti after his big win Tuesday night because he allegedly complained about the lack of confetti when he pulled in second in New Hampshire last month, a campaign staffer told BuzzFeed News.
Check out more about Kasich and his confetti storm here.
Cruz Remains Hopeful Despite Losses To Trump
Cruz painted the Republican contest as a two man race between him and Trump in a speech to supporters, despite the fact he had yet to win any of the five states holding primaries on Tuesday night.
"Tonight was a good night," he optimistically told his backers in Houston. "Tonight we continued to gain delegates and continue our march to 1,237."
The Texas senator said he was eager and willing to welcome supporters of Rubio after the Florida senator ended his presidential bid Tuesday night, saying now was the time for the party to unite behind him.
"Starting tomorrow morning, there is a clear choice, a clear and direct choice," he said, "And for everyone who wants to see a bright tomorrow we welcome you to our teams, we welcome you with open and welcoming arms."
Cruz said he was ready to take up the anti-Trump mantle because he is the only candidate who has beaten the real estate mogul "over and over again."
He attempted to woo voters to his camp by painting Trump as a wolf in Republican's clothing, and himself as the true conservative fighting for the party's core values.
"Going forward, do you want a candidate who supports your values, or do you want a candidate who has opposed your values for decades?" he asked.
He also blamed the media for giving Trump what he called an unfair amount of attention, accusing them of a conspiracy to boost Trump to ensure a Clinton victory in the general election.
"Trump is the one person Hillary Clinton can beat," he said.
As of this writing, Trump and Cruz are in close battle for the Missouri primary, the only of Tuesday's primaries that is outstanding for the Republicans.
Sanders: "You do not have to accept the status quo. We can do better."
On Tuesday night, Bernie Sanders rallied his supporters in Phoenix after sustaining primary losses to Hillary Clinton.
"You do not have to accept the status quo. We can do better," Sanders said. "Don't let people tell you that you can't think big."
The senator from Vermont went down a list of issues, including financial inequality, immigration reform, and the criminal justice system, that he pledged to change if he's elected president. Sanders reaffirmed his commitment to increasing social security and ending huge tax breaks for the wealthy. Senior citizens and disabled vets should not have to make ends meet with $11,000 or $12,000 a year, he said.
"We will be judged as a nation not by how many millionaires and billionaires we have but by how we treat the weakest and most vulnerable amongst us," Sanders said. He singled out the Walton family, who own a majority of the Walmart company.
Sanders also said he would use the president's executive power to move comprehensive immigration reform forward if it stalls in Congress. "They are tired of living in the shadows, they are tired of living in fear and being exploited," Sanders said.
Sanders also took on Clinton by highlighting her vote in favor of the Iraq War and money she received from Super PACs and Wall Street firms.
He ended his speech by calling people of all races and backgrounds to unite. "If we stand together there is nothing we cannot accomplish," Sanders said. —Adolfo Flores
“Good Job, Corey,” Trump Tells Embattled Campaign Manager After Tuesday Victories
Speaking from his Palm Beach, Florida club, Mar-a-Lago, Trump crowed about his victory in the state — with his embattled campaign manager Corey Lewandowski at his right and his son Eric Trump at his left. Trump and Lewandowski have pulled off a near sweep of today's primaries and caucuses — winning Florida, Illinois, North Carolina, and the Northern Mariana Islands, while Ohio's governor John Kasich won his home state. "Good job Corey," Trump said, "and Hope (spokesperson Hope Hicks) and our whole squad." Otherwise Trump gave a version of his standard stump speech, lambasting trade deals, crowing over his poll numbers, and promising to win for America. "More importantly than anything else we're going to start winning again, this country doesn't win anymore, we don't win with our military, we don't win with trade."
—Matthew Zeitlin
Kasich's Big Win Over Trump Increases Chances Of Contested Convention
Kasich secured a win in the Ohio primary Tuesday night and took 66 delegates with him. The Ohio governor defeated Trump for his first primary win. The win will make it harder for Trump to secure the Republican nomination and increases the chances of a chaotic contested convention in July, BuzzFeed News' Tarini Parti reported.
"With a narrowing field, Gov. Kasich is the candidate best positioned to go toe-to-toe in the remaining states," Kasich's chief campaign strategist John Weaver said.
Read the full report here.
Kasich's Ohio victory speech: "I will not take the low road to the highest office in the land."
Ohio governor John Kasich took an emotional and confetti-filled victory lap on Tuesday night in a speech filled with declarations of love for his home state and talk of near-tears of joy.
The theme of the evening was overcoming the odds — from his upbringing in a small blue-collar town, to the state of Ohio's financial lows in the wake of the recession, to the time when his campaign "labored in obscurity" for a while.
With the Cleveland skyline and the words "As Ohio Goes, So Goes The Nation" as his backdrop, Kasich promised his supporters that Ohio would be the sight of redemptions to come. He'd be coming back to Cleveland to "secure the Republican nomination" in July, he said, and come November, he would defeat Hillary Clinton in Ohio, too.
Kasich continued to hit home that he would unite Republicans and unite America as a whole. He thanked local Democrats who voted cross-party for him, invoking his father who was a Democrat but didn't like the "left wing agenda."
Pro-Trump protesters attempted to interrupt him early on. Kasich pointed in the direction of the ruckus and yelled, "Hey!" But as they were taken away, Kasich then joked that as someone who went to college in the 1970s, "you appreciate a good peaceful protest every once in a while."
Kasich never mentioned Donald Trump by name, but did get in an implicit dig: "I will not take the low road to the highest office in the land."
He also talked up his campaign's newfound energy going forward, saying he would rent a covered station wagon and take it out west toward the Rocky Mountains, where several states have yet to vote.
Kasich also took time to just drink in his victory. "We're all part of a giant mosaic," he said. "A snapshot in time, all of us here." Later, he pulled open his blazer to reveal the interior breast pockets and proclaimed, "Look. This is all I got, okay." –Alex Campbell
Clinton Celebrates Primary Wins
Clinton in her speech on Tuesday evening celebrated her string of primary victories, which she said had "earned more votes than any other candidate, Democrat or Republican."
Speaking to cheering supporters, Clinton said she would seek to "bring our country together," casting herself as the antidote to the Republican frontrunner, Donald Trump, whom she called out by name. Plans to do things like bar Muslims from entering the country and build a wall on the Mexican border, Clinton said, don't "make him strong. It makes him wrong."
"This isn't just about Donald Trump. All of us have to do our part," Clinton continued. "We have to take on all forms of inequality and discrimination."
Clinton threw jabs at Wall Street and "overpaid corporate executives," while calling for relief for students struggling with debt -- issues that have figured prominently in the campaign of her Democratic rival Bernie Sanders. She said young people with student debt "deserve a president who will help relieve them of that burden and help future generations go to college without borrowing a dime for tuition."
But Clinton also sought to emphasize that she offered more than just nice-sounding ideas and had the ability to turn her proposals into policies.
"Running for president is hard," she said. "But being president is harder."
–William Alden
Clinton Solidifies Her Grip On The Latino Vote Nationally With Big Florida Win
MIAMI — As Clinton supporters at her event Tuesday waited for the big win in Florida, a new song played on the speaker system. "La Gozadera," a raucous Latino anthem by Gente de Zona and Marc Anthony blared, interrupting TV reporters with it's first line: "Miami me lo confirmo." And just like the song, Miami and the rest of Florida's large Hispanic community confirmed something for Clinton: Her strength with the critical voting bloc — one that looks different in key states — has now helped deliver big wins in Texas and Florida where 27.5% of all Latinos in the country live. The results looked similar to Texas and other counties around the country where Hispanics are densely populated. Clinton won 69% of Latino support in Florida, compared to just 31% for Sanders. She performed well across all groups, with 74% support from Latinas and 72% from the sizable non-Cuban Hispanic population in Florida where Puerto Ricans, Colombians, Venezuelans, and others contribute to a Latino voter profile that is different than in other states. Clinton devoted a fair amount of her speech to Donald Trump on Tuesday, saying that deporting 12 million people and banning Muslims from entering the country as he has proposed is not "strong" but "wrong." Some on her campaign have been working behind the scenes on a major Latino unity show of force concert anticipating Trump.
—Adrian Carrasquillo
Kasich Fired-Up After Winning His Home State Of Ohio
Kasich still has a speech to give, but he was so "fired up" after he was declared winner of the Ohio primary that he called into CNN to talk up his campaign's chances.
"This is the little engine that can," Kasich told Wolf Blitzer. He also threw in a March Madness metaphor, declaring his campaign was for everyone who liked rooting for underdogs.
Kasich belittled reports that he might struggle raising money going forward: "I'll have all the money we need." And he said that his campaign still had a chance to go into the Republican convention with more delegates than anybody else.
At Kasich's rally in Berea, Ohio, supporters awaiting his speech were treated to at least three renditions of the song "Respect" from the in-house band.
–Alex Campbell
Marco Rubio Drops Out Of Presidential Race
Marco Rubio has dropped out of the presidential race, he announced during a speech after he lost his home state of Florida to Donald Trump on Tuesday night. "It is not God's plan that I'll be president in 2016 or maybe ever and today my campaign is suspended," Rubio told his supporters in Miami in a speech given shortly after polls closed in Florida. Rubio congratulated Trump, despite some boos from the audience and pro-Trump hecklers who shouted "Trump for president!" Rubio responded "you won't get beat up at our event." Rubio entered the 2016 presidential race last year as an underdog — a young freshman senator running running against a crowded field of opponents, including a beloved former governor of his home state, Jeb Bush. But despite a flood of endorsements and new donors, he struggled to find a broad natural base of support in most states, winning only a handful of primary contests.
—Matthew Zeitlin and McKay Coppins
Donald Trump Just Called Fox’s Megyn Kelly “Crazy Megyn”
Can't watch Crazy Megyn anymore. Talks about me at 43% but never mentions that there are four people in race. With two people, big & over!
Donald Trump has had issues with Fox News' Megyn Kelly ever since he says she treated him unfairly in a debate in August. Trump later refused to attend a Fox News debate in January over Kelly's involvement. The two played nice at the most recent Fox News debate, in an apparent cooling of the tensions between them. But, it appears Trump still doesn't like Kelly, since he just called her "Crazy Megyn" on Twitter. Trump also retweeted a bunch of other anti-Kelly and anti-Fox News tweets as the primary results from Tuesday rolled in. People on Twitter were pretty disgusted by his name calling.
—Stephanie McNeal
Trump Tweets He Won Florida Primary, Polls Close Soon
Word is that, despite a record amount spent on negative and phony ads, I had a massive victory in Florida. Numbers out soon!
Donald Trump declared victory before polls closed in Florida and Hillary Clinton supporters in Miami were starting to party to Pitbull tunes, CNN reported.
Trump has 46% of the vote, CNN said, while Rubio is well behind with 27% of the votes. About 54% of the Republican votes are in. With 58% in, Clinton is leading Sanders 66% to 31%, the outlet said.
—Matthew Zeitlin
Exit Polls Reflect Voters' Concerns About The Economy And The Establishment
Early exit polls are starting to percolate as voters await the real results. These come with the perennial caveat that they are not always reliable, but here's what they suggest:
CNN's early exits are finding that while both Democrats and Republicans are worried about the state of the economy, Republicans are more frightened. The polls found that about 70 percent of Republicans in North Carolina and Illinois are "very worried" about the economy.
Meanwhile, the polls suggest that a majority of North Carolina Republicans want someone who has experience outside of government, according to the CNN poll. A higher percentage of Ohio Republicans want somebody who has government experience (like their governor, John Kasich) — but even more wanted someone from outside of government.
The Democratic primaries are far more diverse than the Republican ones today, the CNN exit polls showed. Florida was the only state where a quarter of Republican voters were non-white, while a majority of the Democratic voters there were non-white. The whitest Democratic electorate was in Ohio, where a quarter of voters were non-white. Meanwhile, an ABC News exit poll showed that two-thirds of Republican voters supported temporarily banning Muslims who are not U.S. citizens from entering the country.
Over in Illinois, a local CBS exit poll found that 46 percent of Democrats think the economy is the country's biggest issue, compared to 38 percent of Republicans. Republicans were twice as likely to say that terrorism was number one, at 18 percent compared to 9 percent of Democrats.
—Alex Campbell and Matthew Zeitlin
Trump Wins Northern Mariana Islands Caucus
Breaking News: @realDonaldTrump has just been declared the winner of the CNMI Rep Caucus with 72.8% of the vote. Winner take all to Trump
Trump picked up his first win of the day in the Northern Mariana Islands, where he got 73% of the votes cast in the Republican caucus, according to a local party official. The U.S. territory in the Pacific carries nine whole delegates, all of which now go to Trump. Cruz came in second with 24% of the vote, according to the AP.
N.C. Lawmaker On Not Having Correct Voter ID: “I Was Inconvenienced” But Nothing More
WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said he was inconvenienced by his state's new voter ID law that imposed strict requirements on forms of photo identification necessary to vote.—Darren SandsRepublican North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr made news when he had to cast a provisional ballot, used when a voter's eligibility is in question. Burr presented his Senate-issue ID but it wasn't valid under the state's new law, which Burr supported though it has drawn the ire of critics on the left who say it's a voter suppression tactic.
"I said that night when I gave a speech that I went through exactly what anybody would go through if they were challenged on their ID," Burr told BuzzFeed News shortly after receiving an award at the National Kidney Foundation's annual congressional dinner. "They let me cast a provisional ballot and they gave me the sheet of everything that was acceptable. I went out and found something that was acceptable and got back to the elections office that afternoon."
Donald Trump’s Favorite Luxury Brands Are Mostly Foreign
Donald Trump has campaigned on making America great again, but a reading of his book, Think Like a Billionaire, reveals that when it comes to luxury goods, Trump believes most of the finer things in life are foreign-made.—Andrew KaczynskiBillionaires, Trump says, "are not defined simply by the size of their holdings but also by the quality of their stuff."
"To have the best, you have to know the best," Trump writes. "Thinking like a billionaire means recognizing the best and enjoying the best. Of course, it takes practice. Can you confidently name the top five jewelers in the world? The best champagne? The best, most exclusive real estate? The most highly rated restaurants? The top art dealers? If not, you've got a long way to go to be a billionaire. But don't feel bad, because I don't know all the answers—other than the real estate ones—either!"
Ohio Poll Worker Arrested After Threatening Fellow Poll Workers With Gun
A poll worker was arrested in the Cuyahoga County area of Cleveland, Ohio Tuesday morning after threatening fellow poll workers with a gun.
Alan Bethea, 45, was working at a voting station in Louisa May Alcott Elementary school, when he became involved in a verbal dispute with fellow poll workers, Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia of the Cleveland police department told BuzzFeed News.
Bethea then produced a .380 pistol from a backpack and presented it to those around him.
"He did not point the weapon directly at anyone but verbally threatened them," a statement from the Cleveland police read. Shortly afterward he fled, and was arrested a few blocks from the school.
The gun and "a small amount of marijuana" were found in his backpack, police said. He was charged with the carrying of a concealed weapon, "drug abuse of marijuana," and "having weapons under disability" pertaining to prior felonies.
Those around the dispute continued to vote as normal, Cuyahoga County Board of Elections representative Mike West told BuzzFeed News.
West said that there were metal detectors in the school, and they were still investigating how Bethea was able to bring his weapon into the polling station.
– Ema O'Connor
No, Harrison Ford Did Not Endorse Trump
A picture of Harrison Ford holding a Donald Trump sign was circulating on online Tuesday, just as Republicans in Ohio, Florida, and other states prepared to host winner-takes-all primaries.
The only problem is that the photo is fake. Duh.
—Nico Mora
Clinton On Trump's Appeal: "He's Gotten A Minority, Perhaps A Plurality, But A Minority" Of GOP Voters
RALEIGH, N.C. — On Wednesday morning, Donald Trump may essentially just have one woman left standing between him and the White House. Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, will all but certainly still have Bernie Sanders to deal with, regardless of what happens at the polls.
But during a last-minute stop to a polling place here in North Carolina, Clinton declined to say a longer primary would ultimately hurt the Democratic Party. She argued that she has gotten about 600,000 more votes overall than Trump this year and that Sanders has every right to stay in the race. "That's not my choice," Clinton told reporters when asked if it would help her campaign to begin focusing on the general election starting Wednesday.
"Where we stand right now is as of now before obviously we get the results tonight I've gotten more votes than Donald Trump, about 600,000 more and I think I'm ready to take him on if he is in that position," Clinton said. "Obviously I will continue to build the number of delegates who support me and I absolutely respect Sen. Sanders. He has a right to run his campaign in any way he chooses."
Asked about whether she worried about a repeat of Michigan — where Clinton lost despite polls predicting a huge win — she said she was working Tuesday to not "let anybody get complacent," citing the effect of the "public reporting of polls." (On the issue of whether she was also worried that Democrats in Ohio would vote for John Kasich to stop Donald Trump, something that was anecdotally reported to have happened in Michigan, Clinton said, "I haven't heard that so I don't know whether that's really happening or not.")
And although she refrained from much general election talk, she did frame Trump repeatedly as a minority figure with narrow appeal, even within the Republican Party, arguing that "the kind of bluster and bigotry and bullying that he's exemplifying on the campaign trail is disturbing to I think the majority of Americans."
"He's gotten a minority, perhaps a plurality, but a minority of those who chose to vote in the Republican primaries and caucuses," Clinton said.
"I don't think he represents the vast majority of Americans, who are more interested in solving our problems than venting our disappointment or our anger. Is it going to be challenging? Of course it will be."
–Ruby Cramer in North Carolina
Rubio Says He Won't Drop Out If He Loses Florida
Marco Rubio says he plans continue campaigning in Utah even if he loses the Florida primary to Donald Trump on Tuesday.
"Tomorrow our plan is to be in Utah campaigning irrespective of tonight," Rubio told WDBO on Tuesday. "It would be a lot better to go to Utah being the winner of the Florida primary. It would give us a tremendous amount of momentum. It would give us 99 delegates, and that's the way we want to do it tonight."
The Florida senator — who said polls were "out of control" and "way out of whack" — said he was not going to lose by 20 points to Trump, as many polls show.
Still, said Rubio, "I can't guarantee a win, we expect to win tonight."
Rubio also reiterated his position that it is becoming increasingly difficult to imagine support Trump if he were to become the Republican nominee.
"My intention remains to support the Republican nominee, but I want to be frank — everyday that goes by it gets harder and harder to imagine supporting Donald Trump if he's our nominee, simply because I think that many of things he's doing and has done are damaging to the conservative movement," he said.
Rubio continued, saying, "I find them to be unacceptable. I think it's unacceptable to have a nominee that encourages people to attack other people physically at rallies, who uses profanity, who has been disrespectful to women, to minorities, to the disabled. I look at it and say, he doesn't in anyway exemplify to me what a leader should be about and certainly doesn't exemplify any sort of servant leadership and it gets harder everyday to be honest with you."
—Andrew Kaczynski
Here's Your First Look At Hillary Clinton On Broad City
Sherrod Brown: I Heard Hillary Clinton Opposed NAFTA Internally
Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown said on Monday that, according to members of President Bill Clinton's administration, Hillary Clinton as first lady internally opposed the North American Free Trade agreement signed by President Bill Clinton in 1993.
"People blame her for NAFTA," Brown, a Clinton supporter, said on The Ron Ponder Show on Ohio radio. "Well, it was her husband. I know people in her administration that said in the course of NAFTA she opposed it internally. But she was the first lady, he's the president. I don't agree with my wife on everything."
Former Bill Clinton adviser and current Hillary Clinton supporter Paul Begala similarly said Monday afternoon that he was in the room to witness Hillary's private opposition to NAFTA. Clinton's public statements as first lady were supportive of the pact, which she said in 1996 was "proving its worth."
Clinton opposes the Obama administration's current trade deal with Asian countries —which she advocated for as secretary of state — citing concerns over currency manipulation and benefits to pharmaceutical companies.
In the radio interview, Brown said that although he, like Bernie Sanders, had opposed NAFTA, as well as other free trade agreements, he had helped Clinton write some of her trade policy and trusted her to stand with American workers.
"She will stand, as I did with the workers in Louisville who were locked out. She wasn't out there, I'm not saying that," he said. "But she I know will stand with workers in those kinds of situations. I trust her to do it. I've known her a long time. I don't always agree with some things she did in the past. I don't agree with anybody all the time."
— Christopher Massie
The Republican Candidates Are Too Much For Jerry Springer
He's seen his fair share of batshit insanity, but talk show host Jerry Springer says the Republican field of candidates is too much, even for him.
"When I first started watching the Republican debates I said that, you know, if they're going to do my show, they should start paying me," Springer told MSNBC on Tuesday.
"It's one thing to have a television show like that, but that's not how you run a country," he said.
Springer, a former Democratic mayor of Cincinnati, has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.
— David Mack
Watch the interview here:
Pete Rose's Attorney Says The Slugger Didn't Send Trump A Signed Ball
Just received from @PeteRose_14. Thank you Pete! #VoteTrump on Tuesday Ohio! #Trump2016 #MakeAmericaGreatAgain
On Sunday night, Donald Trump tweeted a photo of a signed baseball he said he received from former baseball great Pete Rose.
Rose, who was banned from baseball for life for betting on games while a manager, played most of his career for the Cincinnati Reds. Trump is looking to upset John Kasich in Ohio, who holds a lead over the businessman in polls there. Coming out on top would give Trump a huge chance to capture the number of delegates needed to secure the nomination.
On Monday night, Ray Genco, an attorney for baseball's controversial all-time hit leader told the Washington Post his client had not sent a ball to the Republican frontrunner.
"We do not know how Mr. Trump got the ball. I can't authenticate the ball from some Twitter picture. I can't speak to how Trump got the ball. Pete didn't send it. I made that clear."
"Pete has made a point not to 'endorse' any particular presidential candidate. Though he respects everyone who works hard for our country — any outlet that misinterpreted a signed baseball for an endorsement was wrong. Pete did not send any candidate a baseball or a note of endorsement. That said, through my discussions with Pete about this cycle, I've learned that he believes that who to vote for is a decision each voter should decide for him or herself. Pete knows and has impressed upon me that, above politics, it's leadership and teamwork [that] make all the difference. Both the left and right are Baseball fans — and it is those institutions and their people that make America exceptional."
Hope Hicks, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, was vague when asked by the Post about Trump's portrayal of the signed ball:
"Did Mr. Trump claim this was an endorsement? He was just thanking Mr. Rose for the thoughtful gesture."
Hicks did not respond to the Post when asked if "the 'gesture' really come from Rose at all."
— Lindsey Adler
Kasich: Ad About Trump Comments On Women Was “First Time That My Eyes Were Really Opened”
WESTERVILLE, Ohio — John Kasich hasn't mentioned Donald Trump on the campaign trail much, but on election day in Ohio, he told reporters he had only recently seen all the comments Trump had made and hinted he would be bringing those up more."Running a positive campaign has been really, really good," Kasich said after voting for himself here in his hometown. "I think my neighbors are proud of me. I know my daughters are and my wife. I will be however forced going forward to talk about the way this campaign has been run by some others — by one other in particular. But today is not the day to do that."
"I've been very concerned," he continued. "I just saw a commercial I guess it was last night of these comments that were made about women. I have two daughters. They see this stuff. What do you think they think? I'll have more to say about that. But that's going to be not designed to be negative as much as it is to point out things that I've seen that are deeply disturbing in this process. And I think I have the right to do that as a candidate, but in terms of rolling around in the mud that's not where I intend to ever really go even in the fall election."
When pushed on how Kasich was only recently becoming aware of Trump's controversial comments, he said he asked his press secretary to compile a list of Trump's quotes after the violence at the Trump rally in Chicago on Friday.
Far Right In Europe Hope Donald Trump Will Set Them Free
LONDON — Donald Trump has not only excited white supremacist and anti-Muslim organizations across the U.S., he is also finding fans among European far-right groups and populist leaders. The Republican presidential candidate's fiery rhetoric — from his calls to shut down Muslim immigration to his assertion that "Islam hates us" — echoes the language of populists across Europe, who now hope that their own parties will be less inclined to hold back on promoting their own anti-Muslim beliefs and speech. Tommy Robinson, who launched the UK branch of anti-Muslim group Pegida said a Trump presidency would allow him and others to discuss their feelings about Islam more freely. "It would make it an acceptable debate to have," he told BuzzFeed News.
— Siraj Datoo
Ben Carson Says Trump May Be President Only For Four Years
Dr. Ben Carson, who recently endorsed Donald Trump after dropping out of the race, told "The Steve Malzberg Show" Tuesday, that the U.S. may only looking at four years of a Trump presidency.
"Even if Donald Trump turns out not to be such a great president, which I don't think is the case, I think he's going to surround himself with really good people, but even if he didn't, we're only looking at four years as opposed to multiple generations and perhaps the loss of the American dream forever," Carson said.
Carson also said that endorsing Trump was a practical decision, even though he liked Marco Rubio and John Kasich.
"I have to look at what is practical and what is going to save this country and the American dream for the next generation," Carson said.
"Is there another scenario I would have preferred? Yes. But that scenario isn't available."
When asked if he meant a scenario with one of the other candidates, Carson responded, "Yes."
Later in the interview Carson added that he and Trump told Malzberg that he and Trump discussed his involvement in Trump's administration, and that Trump guaranteed Carson a position "certainly in an advisory capacity," Carson said, declining to give further details.
Following this revelation, many people on social media read this exchange as signifying that Trump offered Carson a position in exchange for his endorsement. Should this be the case, the people of the internet pointed out, it could be qualified by U.S. Code 18 as election fraud and punished with fines or up to two years in prison.
— Tasneem Nashrulla
Clinton Camp Looks Ahead To Trump Matchup With A Huge Concert With Latino Artists
Sources say the Clinton campaign is considering a major Florida concert packed with Latino artists — a show of force and unity against Trump.
— Adrian Carrasquillo
Todd Palin In Intensive Care After Snow Machine Crash
Todd Palin, husband of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, has been undergoing surgery in intensive care after being involved in a snow machine crash.
In a Facebook post, Gov. Palin said her husband was being treated in an Alaskan hospital for injuries including "multiple broken and fractured ribs, broken shoulder blade, broken clavicle, knee/leg injuries; and a collapsed lung."
"He is presently back in surgery to repair multiple fractures," she wrote.
"Thank you for your prayers for a speedy recovery. We, as his wife and children, appreciate your respect for our privacy during this time.
"Knowing Todd, once he's cognizant, he'll probably ask docs to duct tape him up and he'll call it good. He's tough."
Gov. Palin was scheduled to address a Florida rally on Monday in support of Donald Trump, but the real estate developer's campaign announced she would not be appearing due to the accident.
However, she later did show up to the Tampa event, where Trump appeared to make an awkward joke about Todd Palin's accident.
Speaking about the San Bernardino terrorist attacks, Trump said the massacre would have been averted if others in the room were armed.
"If Todd Palin were in that room, frankly, if Sarah Palin were in the room — forget about Todd, especially now," Trump said, according to the New York Times.
— David Mack
Trump Campaign Conducting Background Checks On Volunteers
Donald Trump's campaign informed aspiring volunteers Sunday night that they would have to pass background checks and sign non-disclosure agreements if they wanted serve in the Trump Tower Call Center in Manhattan. "We need to make sure our call center is a safe environment for all of our volunteers and staff," campaign organizers wrote in an email to volunteers, which was passed along to BuzzFeed News. Political phone-banking, in which volunteers are organized to gather in a designated location and make calls to prospective voters, is common practice in presidential campaigns. Less common is the "on-boarding and briefing" apparently required by Team Trump.
—McKay Coppins
Amid “Crisis In Chicago,” Clinton Visits Memorial For Fallen Children
Across the street from boarded windows and darkened storefronts, standing in a small lean-to on this empty lot in Chicago's Roseland neighborhood, Hillary Clinton surveyed the display of headstone-shaped bricks.
"It should not be here," Clinton said, holding a bouquet of white roses, purchased for the site by a campaign aide. Each stone showed the name and age of a Chicago child or teenager slain by gun violence. There were 501, and 531 more to make room for. The youngest victim was just 1 year old. "There is no place for what look like small headstones for so many children. We have to do many things, but the first and most important of any nation is to protect and keep safe our children."
Clinton visited this gang-violence-torn area on Monday afternoon, just one day before polls open here and across four other states, alongside Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. and Diane Latiker, the community activist and Roseland resident who started the children's memorial in 2007 with 30 bricks she purchased from Home Depot.
The campaign stop comes as the city's mayor, Rahm Emanuel, faces record-low approval ratings and a federal investigation into the city's alleged cover-up of a video showing the shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.
- Ruby Cramer
Rubio: There's Going To Be A "Reckoning" For Conservatives Who Support Trump
Marco Rubio says there will be a "reckoning" for those within the conservative movement who support Donald Trump.
"There is going to be a reckoning here," Rubio said on the Mike Gallagher Show Monday . "I don't know if it's gonna happen before this election or after this election but there's gonna come a moment where people in the conservative movement who are supporting Donald Trump are gonna stop and say, 'my god, what have we done? What have we done?'"
Rubio also weighed in on Trump's campaign manager's alleged altercation with Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields.
Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski allegedly grabbed reporter Michelle Fields and pulled her away from Trump as she was attempting to ask him a question following a press conference last week. The Trump campaign has denied the incident occurred despite evidence pointing otherwise.
"I know police in Florida are investigating it and if it happened it's one example of what's happening here at these events and the Trump rallies," said Rubio. "It's unacceptable to have — if my campaign manager had done that my campaign would be over, he would have had to resign and my campaign may be over. I would have to quit that very day. So, somehow there's a double standard here in all this."
Romney Campaigns For Kasich In Ohio: Unlike Others, "He Has A Real Track Record"
WATCH: @MittRomney campaigns with @JohnKasich: "This is the guy Ohio needs to vote for." https://t.co/W8z4nToRX8 https://t.co/cml89I2GeP
Mitt Romney hasn't endorsed in the GOP presidential primary yet, but at a campaign stop with John Kasich, he came pretty close.
"You look at this guy — and unlike the other people running — he has a real track record," Romney told the crowd at an air museum in North Canton, Ohiom on Monday afternoon. "He has the kind of record you want to see in Washington."
The former GOP presidential nominee stressed Kasich's efforts in turning around Ohio's economy — a centerpiece of Kasich's presidential bid.
Although in recent days, Romney has been speaking out strongly against Donald Trump, he didn't bash the billionaire Monday, keeping in line with Kasich's positive campaign. In a speech earlier this month, Romney went after Trump's business record and comments on foreign policy, encouraging those against Trump to vote strategically in a way that could lead to a contested convention.
Kasich insisted earlier on Monday that winning Ohio on Tuesday wasn't about blocking Trump and told reporters Romney joining him wasn't going to change the tone of his campaign.
"He's going to come in and be positive," Kasich said. "He's going to talk about me. I don't expect he's going to come in here and be trashing anybody. Although I will say this toxic environment is really terrible…So, no I think it's good to have Mitt in. He was the standard bearer of our party four years ago. He'll campaign in an upbeat, positive way."
—Tarini Parti
Trump Walks Back McCain Comments After Question From Father Of A POW
At an eventful town hall held by Donald Trump in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Sunday, one attendee asked the GOP frontrunner about comments he made stating that Senator John McCain was "not a war hero … because he was captured."
"I came here because you made a comment to John McCain that you don't think captured soldiers are heroes," the man, who was introduced as the father of a soldier who was captured and killed in Iraq, said into a microphone.
At first, Trump attempted to interrupt his question, denying he had ever made the comments. "Oh, no, no, no, I never did that," he said.
"What I want you to do is just clarify that for me," the man continued as Trump acquiesced, "because I think it's important for all … the veterans in Ohio [to hear your answer], because I know what you were doing–"
Trump, who had walked over to the man while he was asking the question, interrupted him again.
"You knew what I was doing, you knew exactly what I was doing," Trump said, shaking the man's hand. "They are heroes just so you understand, real heroes, OK? You know that." — Ema O'Connor
Clinton Lays Out Record, Priorities For HIV/AIDS Policy After Comments On Reagans
On Friday, Hillary Clinton praised Nancy Reagan and her husband, former President Reagan, for starting a conversation about HIV/AIDS in the 1980s. However, it is widely accepted that the Reagans were very late in acknowledging HIV/AIDS.—Chris GeidnerIn the interview with MSNBC, Clinton began by talking about "how difficult it was for people to talk about HIV/AIDS back in the 1980s."
She then said, though, "Because of both President and Mrs. Reagan — in particularly Mrs. Reagan — we started a national conversation, when, before nobody would talk about it, nobody wanted to do anything about it.'
Clinton continued: "That is, too, something I really appreciate with her very effective, low-key advocacy, but it penetrated the national consciousness, and people began to say, 'Hey, we have to do something about this, too.'"
President Reagan did not give a major public speech about HIV/AIDS until May 1987, nearly six years after the Centers for Disease Control first began noting the emergence of the disease.
Hillary Clinton apologized for her remarks about the Reagans having "started a national conversation" about HIV/AIDS, tweeting, "I misspoke about their record on HIV and AIDS. For that, I'm sorry."
More coverage of the Clinton campaign:
Trump Has Come Under Fire For Violence At His Protests — His Rally Chicago This Weekend Was Cancelled
Donald Trump called off a rally in Chicago Friday evening as massive protests led to flaring tensions and fights in the crowds.—Jim Dalrymple II and Salvador HernandezThe rally was scheduled to take place at the University of Illinois at Chicago Pavilion. However, in the hours leading up to Trump's arrival, massive crowds gathered both inside and outside the arena. Journalists estimated that thousands of people were at the scene, and several fights could be seen unfolding on live television footage.
As tensions escalated, Trump announced in a statement that after meeting with law enforcement, he had decided to postpone the event "for the safety of all of the tens of thousands of people that have gathered in and around the arena."
Chicago police said in a statement to BuzzFeed News that Trump notified them shortly before 6:30 p.m. that he was canceling the event. Chicago Police Interim Superintendent John Escalante said during a news conference that five people were arrested at the event and demonstrations.
And here are more issues with Trump rallies and protesters:
A Breitbart Reporter Says She Was Roughed Up And Bruised By Trump's Campaign Manager — Causing A Rift At The Publication
Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields alleges that Trump's campaign manager Corey Lewandowski grabbed her, leaving bruises on her arm. The campaign has denied the charges, and accused Fields of making the story up. The Jupiter, Florida police are investigating.—Kyle Blaine