Donald Trump and Ted Cruz Closer In Polls Than Ever Before; Trump Flanked By Cruz, Carson At Final GOP Debate; What Muslims Want To Hear From Candidates
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. And we are just two days away from the los GOP primary debate of the year in Las Vegas and now this breaking news. We now know the line-up for the CNN Republican presidential primary debate. Let's go to Las Vegas and CNN's John Berman. He will be with me over the next three hours from the Venetian. John, what is the news?</s>JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: Hey, Fred, right behind me is the lovely Venetian Las Vegas where two nights from now it all happens and now we know who will be on that stage. There will be nine candidates on the main debate stage, that in and of itself is news. Donald Trump once again front and center, but this time Texas senator Ted Cruz will be standing right next to him. That is a first for Ted Cruz. Neurosurgeon Ben Carson will be left of Trump, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, he will be back in the prime time debate. He was in the undercard last time around. Also on the main stage, John Kasich, Carly Fiorina, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush and Rand Paul. That also news as we sit here this morning. On the 6:00 stage, George Pataki, Mike Huckabee, former senator Rick Santorum and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Two debars, one night Tuesday here at the Venetian. Joining me now to talk all about it CNN political director David Chalian, CNN politics executive editor Mark Preston and CNN senior political analyst Ron Brownstein. David, I want to start with you. We now know the line-up. We know who will be on that main stage, a lot of story lines.</s>DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: A lot of storylines, but probably no story line more important than this is the first debate after Paris, after San Bernardino. And so the whole notion of what it is to be electing a president, or in this case the Republican nominee to become president, has shifted. The political landscape has completely shifted since all of these folks gathered on their last debate stage. So now, you know, this is an opportunity to present their plans, their vision as commander-in-chief, what it would be for them to be sitting in the big desk in the oval office and to give that sense to Republican primary voters.</s>BERMAN: The focus Tuesday night will be national security. It will be these issues that have been thrust into the spotlight. And Mark Preston, aside from the narrative in terms of the storyline, there is also the people who will be up there, Ted Cruz moving ever closer to the center of that stage.</s>MARK PRESTON, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, CNN POLITICS: Ever closer and something, if you were talking to his campaign over the past few months they said this was their strategy, that there were going to slowly build support specifically in the state of Iowa. And we saw a poll come out of Iowa last night that showed he is now eclipsing Donald Trump on that stage which frustrated Donald Trump as we all had known. But yes, there are certainly -- all Republicans on the stage but different visions how to deal with foreign policy issues, national security issues, specifically when it comes to the Middle East. So, I think what we'll see in a couple of days on the stage at the Venetian is we are going to see them lay out their plans. The question is, can they sell it enough to primary voters that will help propel them to victory in Iowa, New Hampshire and onward.</s>BERMAN: You said they have different ideas and different notions. No candidate has more different ideas when it comes to national security than Rand Paul who there was -- some thought he might not make the main stage. He did. He will be there Tuesday night. That's a big deal for him. It is also a big deal for the rest of the candidates who now I think have something to discuss in opposition to this.</s>RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Right, and Paul's moment I think really closed as the threat of ISIS grew. I mean, Paul was really a creature of a Republican period where they're kind of reassessing their traditional hawkish foreign policy approaches. And he reflected both on the domestic and international, a very different appeal that seemed to be striking a cord in the Republican base for a while. But as the terrorist issue has resurfaced over the last several years, I think it is really narrowed his options. This debate, you are going to see physically what the polls have been telling us. You now do have a top tier in this race. Every national poll I believe since November 1st the top four candidates have been Trump, Cruz, Carson and Rubio in some order. And with Carson clearly slipping in that, to the point where I think many people believe you now have a big three in the race, Trump, Cruz and Rubio, each appealing to different demographic pieces of the party, each with a different geographic path as a result toward the nomination. Rubio's position less secure than the other two I think, but you will see on the debate not only a new debate about foreign policy but a new alignment in the race.</s>BERMAN: It is so interesting. You said big three. Well, one month ago Ben Carson was actually leading in many national polls. He has slipped out. We talked about the first Republican debate back in August, who were the candidates stabbing next to Donald Trump? Jeb Bush and Scott Walker. Scott Walker, who is no longer here. David, I want to talk about the Donald Trump/Ted Cruz phenomena right now, how they are going to go after each other. We got a little bit of a preview this morning on "STATE OF THE UNION" where Donald Trump was talking about Ted Cruz. Let's listen.</s>JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Why should voters go for you over Ted Cruz?</s>DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Because I'm more capable, because I have a much better temperament, because I actually get along with people much better than he does. You know, people don't know that about me. I actually have a great relationship with people. In fact, I was criticized at the beginning because I get along with Democrats and liberals answer Republicans and conservatives, I get along with everybody. I like him. He has been so nice to me. I mean, I could say anything and he would say I agree, I agree, but I think the time will come to an end pretty soon it sounds like.</s>BERMAN: Really interesting, David, that Donald Trump there is saying the reason to vote for him and not Ted Cruz is temperament and I get along with people. I mean, Ted Cruz, to be fair, there are not a people in Washington who do get along with him</s>CHALIAN: In Washington. But if you look at the Des Moines register poll to Mark referenced, he has the best on favorable-unfavorable ratings of the field. And specifically ask about temperament, he rates best among having the right kind of temperament that Iowa Republican caucus goers want to see it. So it's not an argument. That argument Donald Trump is making is not one that the electorate in Iowa, which is critical to Ted Cruz's success here, that is not one they are buying right now. Let's see if Donald Trump spends the next 50 days somehow trying to alter that.</s>BROWNSTEIN: Can I add a point about Iowa? What we are seeing from Ted Cruz in Iowa is necessary but not sufficient to really make a push for the nomination. He has moved to the lead in these polls particularly the Des Moines Register poll in the traditional way that people have won Iowa, which is consolidating support among evangelical Christians. It is up to nearly I think 45 percent of the voters. The problem is that in the past, whether it was Mike Huckabee or Rick Santorum, they each won Iowa that way but they did not win non- evangelicals in Iowa and foreshadowed a problem all the way through. Either one of them was able to really appeal beyond that evangelical base and could not become a kind of full service threat to the nomination. The question is, can Cruz do more than that, more than Huckabee or Santorum? Because each of their case, Iowa was largely a road to nowhere.</s>BERMAN: As they say in the Wizard of Oz, Ted Cruz has one thing that those others two candidates didn't have, a whole lot of money right now and ability to raise a lot more. He also has tea party support which sometimes goes in line with evangelical.</s>BROWNSTEIN: Which is make it bigger and broader.</s>BERMAN: I want to talk - we have seen Ted Cruz, Mark, fend off - I'm sorry, we have seen Donald Trump fend off, you know, opponents at all these debates. Ted Cruz, I think for the first time, is going to take from incoming here. And it's not just Donald Trump, in fact, it may not be mostly Donald Trump. Marco Rubio, he is going base questions from Chris Christie, he could point base questions from. It will be interesting to see.</s>PRESTON: It will be interesting to see. What is interesting about Ted Cruz, though, is that he is very measured in his responses. He doesn't let his emotions overcome him whenever he is delivering a speech or whenever he was talking about politics or talking about policy. It will be interesting to see how he handles himself. In the past, he has fended it off and just talked about how the Republican Party needs to come together, much like Chris Christie has, which has helped Chris Christie in the past few weeks. However, at some point, you have to be critical of those who are coming up upon you such as Marco Rubio. And at some point he has to take on Donald Trump. And I think we will see Donald Trump take on Ted Cruz on Tuesday night.</s>CHALIAN: You mentioned Rubio and Christie may have questions for Ted Cruz. This is going to be Ted Cruz's challenge I think on Tuesday night. He has a needle to thread here because he is trying to get a slice of that Rand Paul libertarian more isolationist kind of wing of the party or slice of the party. He wants to own that, and court that, but he wants to do it in a way that he doesn't get labeled sort of the new Rand Paul in the race, and that is going to be a very tricky thing, tricky line for him to walk.</s>BROWNSTEIN: And that slice is probably shrinking as the debate goes on.</s>BERMAN: It is. So much to watch two nights from now at the Venetian. David Chalian, Mark Preston, Ron Brownstein, great to have you here with us. The debate airs on CNN Tuesday night, the undercard at 6:00 p.m., the big debate beginning at 8:30 p.m. eastern time. CNN is partnering with the Salem radio network. If you want to find out where the debate is on your radio, go to salemmedia.com. So much happening here, Fred. You can already begin to see the excitement, to feel it. There are big banners hanging everywhere, people gathering around our anchor location here, a whole lot of fun.</s>WHITFIELD: I can feel it and already the Venetian always a popular place, even that much more so now. All right. Thanks so much, John. All right, we have new details now from San Bernardino coming up, the female shooter reportedly posted on her social media account that she wanted to take part in jihad. Why didn't immigration investigators check her social media posts? That's next. Plus, our coverage of the CNN Republican primary debate continues from Las Vegas.