Republican Candidates To Tout Their Christian Credential In Suburban Dallas; Jeb Bush Strikes Back At Donald Trump; One Dead, Six Injured After Shots Fired At Bus Station In Southern Israel
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, something tells me we are going to see a lot of Larry David on "SNL." That was pretty good. All right. We have much more straight ahead on the NEWSROOM and it all starts right now. All right. Hello again and thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Happening right now in Texas, at least six Republican candidates will be touting their Christian credentials today at a high-profile forum in suburban Dallas. This faith and freedom forum begins at any moment now at the Preston Wood Baptist church in Plaino (ph), Texas. CNN's Athena Jones is covering this event for us live. Athena, So Donald Trump is conspicuously absent. Does that create an opening for some of the other candidates to get a little more air time?</s>ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred. Well, certainly allows them to get more air time. They don't have to compete with Donald Trump at this event. And I got to tell you. We have been here for a while now and it's a hot ticket. They're expecting anywhere from 7,000 to 8,000 people at this event between the worship center and the overflow areas, all coming out to see these six candidates speak. You know, evangelical voters, Christian conservatives, are a very important part of the GOP primary electorate in the early states of Iowa, South Carolina, also right here in Texas which isn't a very early voting state but relatively early voting state, and all across the south. And so, this is an important chance for these candidates to come and try to make their case to Christian conservative voters. And unlike in some of the most recent elections, there's not just one candidate who is trying to appeal to these voters. Back in 2008, you had Governor Mike Huckabee, a former pastor who did very well with this group of voters, helping him to win the Iowa caucuses. In 2012 you had former senator Rick Santorum also doing well with this group. Well, now you have Rick Santorum, you have Mike Huckabee, some of the other candidates you are going to hear from today, Carly Fiorina, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, and Ted Cruz. All of them are trying to appeal to this section of voters. So it's an opportunity for each of them to win over some of them - Fred.</s>WHITFIELD: All right. So Athena, they're trying to make their cases but, you know, they are in church. Does that mean there's going to be less of the criticism of one another, perhaps a more amicable environment?</s>JONES: Well, I would think so. I mean, and any of this is not set up as a debate. It is -- they have a one-on-one chance. Each candidate has ten minutes to give remarks to this big audience. And then there's a ten-minute Q&A with the pastor, Dr. Jack Graham. And so, they get a chance to really just sell themselves. I would expect them to focus on what they think is important to talk about versus trying to contrast themselves with other candidates. We're likely to hear them talk about religious liberty, issues of same-sex marriage, contraceptive coverage, and also the issue of abortion, which of course has been highlighted a lot recently when it comes to Planned Parenthood and the fight to defund that organization - Fred.</s>WHITFIELD: All right. Athena Jones, thank you so much. Get some hot water and a little lemon and honey for that voice there. And some sleep that will do it too.</s>JONES: Thanks.</s>WHITFIELD: All right, Athena Jones. Thanks so much. All right, earlier today, Jeb Bush went after Donald Trump over his comments that George W. Bush was somehow responsible for the attacks on 9/11. Here's his exclusive interview with Jake Tapper.</s>JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: What are you objecting to about Mr. Trump's remarks about 9/11 and your brother?</s>BUSH: Look, my brother responded to a crisis and did it as you would hope a president would do, united the country, you organized our country and he kept us safe. And there's no denying that. The great majority of Americans believe that, and I don't know why he keeps bringing this up. It doesn't show he's a serious person as it relates to being commander in-chief and being the architect of a foreign policy. Across the spectrum of foreign policy, Mr. Trump talks about things that as though he is still on "the Apprentice." I mean, literally talking about Syria saying ISIS should take out Assad, then Russia should take out ISIS as though it was some kind of board game and not a serious approach. This is just another example of the lack of seriousness, and this is a serious time. We're under grave threats again and I think we need a president with a steady hand.</s>TAPPER: Now, you are making some very strong statements about Donald Trump in this interview this morning. You just put out a new web ad, in fact, attacking Trump, saying he's not serious. Let's play a clip from that.</s>TAPPER: Now, the ad a goes on to highlight or low light, depending on your point of view, Trump's moments in which I'm sure you would argue he is not being serious. In light of this new ad, let me re-ask you what I asked at the last debate. Do you feel comfortable with Donald Trump's handle on the nation's nuclear codes? Your ad seems to be stating clearly you do not. You invoke the number of nuclear weapons the United States has.</s>BUSH: I have great doubts, to be honest with you, and it's only because of the things he says. It looks as though he's not taking the responsibility, the possibility of being president of the United States really seriously. For him it looks as though he's an actor playing a role of a candidate for president, not boning up on the issues, not having a broad sense of the responsibilities of what it is to be a president. In his own words, it gives me great concern for sure. And a lot of other people will as well.</s>TAPPER: Why do you think he continues to do so well with Republican voters?</s>BUSH: Look, he's a phenomenal personality for sure. And he's capturing people's deep anger and angst about Washington, D.C., for sure. But he's not going to be able to solve these problems. He is just - he is mirroring people's anger and he does it very effectively. I don't think Trump's going to win the nomination. I think we're going to have a nominee that will unite the party and win the presidency. But when people begin to think about who's going to be president of the United States, who has the judgment and the seriousness and the ideas to be president to lead us in a different direction, I think that his support will wane.</s>TAPPER: What makes you think he's not going to get the nomination? He's been leading in the polls for months. Just as a political reporter, I don't see any evidence he's not going to get the nomination.</s>TAPPER: We'll see, Jake. I mean, this time four years ago, this time eight years ago the conditions were very different and the nominee emerged in the January and February time frame, and I expect that will be the case again this time.