Cruz And Kasich Team up To Stop Trump
ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Can a Ted Cruz-John Kasich partnership keep Donald Trump from cinching the nomination? The Cruz and Kasich campaigns last night in a surprise announcement saying they will attempt to divide delegates to conquer Trump. Joining us now is CNN politics reporter, MJ Lee, who just spent a week in three rust belt cities talking to voters about the entire election. MJ, great to have you here in studio with us. Let's start with this surprise announcement last night. What do we know about this Cruz-Kasich alliance?</s>MJ LEE, CNN POLITICS REPORTER: Well, what they are basically doing now joining forces to try to deny Trump the nomination before the convention. Look, I think this is probably an effort that is too late, as with all of the other stop Trump efforts that we've seen over the last couple months. We know for a fact that Cruz and Kasich, neither of them can get to that magic number of 1,237 on their own. We know that Trump is the only person who realistically can get to that number, and when you look at the states that we're talking about, Indiana, Oregon, New Mexico, these are not winner take all states.</s>CAMEROTA: Cruz will take Indiana and Kasich is going to take Oregon and New Mexico to try to keep Trump from getting to 1,237.</s>LEE: That's right. But all three of those states are not winner take all. So we are really talking peeling away a number of delegates in order to try to stop Trump from getting to that number. However, it's too late probably because of where we are in the race and how far along Trump is, and I think this plan is really flawed, because other than those three states, you notice that the campaign statements did not actually mention all of the other states that will have contests heading into June. So you can -- imagine the scenario where the Kasich campaign and the Cruz campaign get to a state where they both think that they probably have a good chance of getting some delegates. How can you say at this point that, you know, they don't reach a moment of friction where they say, look, I think I have every right to compete in this state?</s>CAMEROTA: If there is one thing we can count on, it's moments of friction, I believe in this election. You've just spent a good chunk of time into really interesting places. You've been to Buffalo, New York, Erie, Pennsylvania, and Youngstown, Ohio. And you've spent a lot of time talking to voters there in what's called the rust belt. So let's just play for viewers a snippet of some of the things they told you.</s>TIM WILES, BUFFALO, NEW YORK VOTER: When it comes to politics, the discussion ultimately gets about around Donald Trump and across the board people are saying, he's got it right. I'm voting for him and that's what scares them because he's not a political guy.</s>SEAN CANDELA, ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA VOTER: I just hope that whoever gets in is pro-growth and creates jobs. People are concerned about jobs. You know, GE has announced a big layoff. You heard, 1,500 people. That's very, very big. It's not the unemployment as much as it's the under employment.</s>LEE: You don't think anyone can help you? Any president can help you?</s>DARLENE HOOD, YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO VOTER: I got to help myself. They ain't going to get me no job, feed me, and clothe me. They ain't going to do anything for me.</s>CAMEROTA: OK, so you hear a common theme running through all of those, jobs, jobs, jobs.</s>LEE: That's right. I mean, the three cities that we went to, you are talking about cities that once used to be a huge manufacturing hubs and since the '70s and '80s when a lot of people left because jobs started leaving south or overseas, these people have tried to make sense of this all. And figure out, well, how can we make our towns and cities the sorts of places that they used to be? And a lot of the people that we spoke to, they said when they think about the presidential election, they want a candidate who will come to their towns and their cities and really talk to them and say, here's a proposal I have to make sure that you can put food on your table. Here's a proposal I have to make sure that your kids can get good college educations. Here's a proposal I have to fill in the potholes that are all over your city and close down the homes that are all boarded up, and closed, and just sitting there vacant. So I think for a lot of these people, they're sort of juggling with, you know, knowing what their cities used to be and the potential that they used to have and wanting 2016 to be an election that gives them hope, and a hope that's sort of realistic, grounded on realistic proposals.</s>CAMEROTA: You talked to 30 voters. It's fascinating what they told you. You can check out more of MJ's stuff on CNN.com to see the full extent of all the rust belt interviews that she did. MJ, thanks so much for being here. Great to talk to you. Let's go over to Michaela.</s>PEREIRA: All right, Alisyn. Reports that a grand jury will hand down an indictment against embattled former Cleveland Brown's quarterback, Johnny Manziel. We have details ahead in your "Bleacher Report" coming up.