Researcher in belgium, hoping to build a dirty bomb. At this hour, one of the three men, seen pushing the suitcases full of explosives at the airports before the attacks, remains unidentified. A massive manhunt under way for him. And weve got updated numbers on the human toll of this tragedy. The Belgium Crisis Center confirms 31 people are dead. We do not know if the suicide bombers are in included in that particular number. 316 people were injured in the attacks. 121 currently hospitalized. 63 of those are in intensive care. And their condition has been described as very grave. 12 of the injured are american citizens but the state department does not believe they were targeted. We dont, at this point, have any credible evidence suggests it was targeting americans. James comey said the fbi has so far found no connections between the brussels terrorists and anyone in the United States. And attorney general Loretta Lynch says the United States is ready to help, where needed. We are committed to providing any and all assistance as we move Forward Together with unity and with strength. Now i also want to make clear while we have received no specific, Credible Threats to the homeland, we will continue to remain vigilant in order to ensure that we can keep the American People safe from harm. We go to Ayman Mohyeldin in brussels who has been following all of the developments there. Reporter officials here are continuing to work through the scene of the investigations at the airport, as well as the subway bombing, to try and determine exactly what took place besides the bomb. But who was involved. That focus of the investigation now is trying to identify the man in white. That is what hes being referred to. Obviously officials have put out the picture of him, seen at the airport with two other individuals, Najim Laachraoui and ibrahim el bakraoui. The third suspect, being the suicide bomber, the second brother, is the one at the subway station. Why thats important, as you mentioned, these two individuals were on a u. S. Database for terrorists. They were known to u. S. Officials. Thats in stark contrast to what weve learned from belgian officials who said these individuals at best had a criminal background and were not being targeted or the subject of an intense terrorist investigation. There were connects to the two individuals in the paris attacks. Thats something nbc news learned. They provided a safe house for the attackers in paris. You talked about the targeting of the civilians. That today is a number that continues to rise as the hospital officials and medical workers continue to treat some of those individuals that have been injured as a result of that. In addition to that, nbc news has learned that the two brothers, two bakraoui brothers, were involved in an attempt to try and make perhaps or create a dirty bomb a dirty bomb is referred to as a crude radioactive device that could have been made. The reason they believed that was in the works was based off a former french intelligent official investigating this. He told nbc news the el bakraoui brothers were responsible for placing surveillance camera at the house of a senior or top researcher at a Belgian Nuclear fast facility with the hopes of kidnapping him or a Family Member and blackmailing him with material they could use for a radioactive device. Ayman mohyeldin, thank you very much. We will go back to brussels for any developments throughout this hour. We turn to the escalating political fallout in United States in reaction to the attacks. Donald trump wanted to legalize torture. Ted cruz wants Law Enforcement to, quote, patrol and secure muslim neighborhoods. Democrats disagree. One thing we know that does not work is offensive, inflammatory rhetoric that demonizes all muslims. There are millions of peace loving muslims living, working, raising families and paying taxes in this country. Their children are our childrens friends going to the same schools. They are our colleague in our workplaces. They are our men and women in uniform, fighting for our freedom. Exit polls all over the country, the Republican Voters, who voted so far this year, agree with Donald Trumps calls to ban muslims from entering the United States, a large majority of gop primary voters from South Carolina to illinois to texas to ohio, florida, virginia, all said they support that idea. Joining us now, paul singer, washington correspondent for usa today, and the director of research at the institute for social policy and understanding. Her group has just come out with an extensive report on muslims in america. Dalia, your reaction to what weve seen here in the domestic United States political reaction to whats happened in brussels. Well, its unfortunate but hardly surprising. Its what weve seen every time there is a horrific tragedy being politically capitalized upon. I think what we have to do as americans is take a step back and ask, what will make us safer and its not poring resources into failed policies of universal surveillance, and certainly not torture. I think both of these tactics ultimately are not only a waste of resources, but actually will backfire and make us much less safe. Listen to what donald trump said about the possibility of using Nuclear Weapons against isis. You would rule in the possibility of using Nuclear Weapons against isis. Im not going to rule anything out. Even if i felt it wasnt good i wont want to tell you that, at a minimum i want them to think maybe we would use it. We need unpredictability. When you ask a question like that, its a very its very sad thing to have to answer it because the enemy is watching. And i have a very good chance of winning and i dont want the enemy to know how im thinking. Paul singer, obviously what donald trump doesnt know about president ial position on use of Nuclear Weapons is that the reason president s dont wave Nuclear Weapons around the world with the possibility they might use them is that that increases ex ex exponentially countries that dont have Nuclear Weapons their incentive to obtain Nuclear Weapons. Here the United States has been working for decades to minimize the acquisition of Nuclear Weapons, they have a deal with iran to block the development of Nuclear Weapons. There are so many reasons not to say things like that. But no one on the Trump Campaign knows that. I think theres been some fundamental misunderstanding as well about the way u. S. Law enforcement already interacts with muslim communities in the United States. I mean, it is one thing to say were going to patrol and shut down muslim communities. Since 9 11 theres been active outreach by the fbi, by Law Enforcement, by local police, to muslim communities all over the country, specifically to build some cooperation, some coordination, theres a new program now being, Pilot Program launched in i think boston and minneapolis and los angeles to try and help address radicalization of young people in american muslim communities. This is already going on and the muslim communities in the cities have been very cooperative. So, its not all or nothing were going to survey these people and threaten nuclear war. Theres a much more sort of step by step process by which were actually trying to address the problem. Dalia, what is your impression how muslim communities around the country receive these messages. They hear what donald trump has to say, they hear what ted cruz has to say but hear something totally din from president obama, totally different from Hillary Clinton, totally different from Bernie Sanders and other democrats. How do they balance that and what do you think their sensation is about whats happening here. I think the, first of all, muslims around the United States are horrified at terrorist attacks and its important to point out that the same group targeted muslims just a few days ago in istanbul and before that also in turkey, and their primary victims are muslims. If anyone has the, even if its only a selfinterest incentive in making this stop, in conquering the horrific organization, it would be muslims because they are the primary target of these groups. So wanting safety and security that everyone shares. When we hear these things, those around the country feel that americans do, horrified and they feel that these statements that single out one group as a pool of suspects rather than a group of citizens is unamerican. It something that is against everything this country stands for and it makes us less safe. Listen to what Hillary Clinton said about this today. We cannot give in to panic and fear. Its not in keeping with our values. Its not effective in protecting us. And it plays into the hands of terrorists who want nothing more than to intimidate and terrorize people, turn against each other, which leads to radicalizing more people and creating even greater problems for us. Paul, there you have it. Its the cant give in to panic and fear versus the republican reaction which does seem to have elements of both panic and fear. Ted cruz coming up with a completely impossible idea of putting Police Officers in patrol cars and driving around muslim neighborhoods to look for what, you know. Go ahead. I understand the fear. The fact of the matter is, American People are concerned and rightfully concerned about are we the target of attacks. But on the other hand, this is a difficult issue for me. My brother is muslim, married to a muslim woman. I have a niece and nephew muslim children, i love them, they live in america, and i fear for them. But i also understand that they, as americans, also feel the outrage and the fear at these horrible people who are doing these horrible things. So the fact of the matter is, it is not surprising to me people feel we need to do something, even if its swinging out our fists and hit someone, i just beg that we dont just swing around and find the nearest muslim person to swing around and hit, thats not the answer. Dalia, last word on this. Go ahead. I think its important to keep in mind that american muslims are at least as likely as any other american to condemn violence to oppose violence. We have to take into account that isis wants us to use their rhetoric as representing them. Playing into their hands is the last thing we want. Thank you both for joining us. Appreciate it. Coming up, well have more from belgium, including a look at new security measures there. And later, Vice President biden offers a novel reading of the constitution, saying that the senate has a constitutional obligation to vote on any president S Supreme Court nominee. Be right back. Atand that in a new house,tee a fyou probably dont sharece, the same tastes as the previous owner. [ dolphin chatters ] so when you need a little house painting or a complete remodel, well help you get the job done right, guaranteed. Get started today at angies list, because your home is where our heart is. Right now Bernie Sanders at a Campaign Event in spokane, washington, rallying the crowd there. The second stop in spokane this week. On sunday the candidate drew 9,000 people to a speech at Convention Center there. Washington state democrats hold their caucuses this saturday. With my moderate to severe ulcerative colitis, the possibility of a flare was almost always on my mind. Thinking about what to avoid, where to go. And how to deal with my uc. To me, that was normal. Until i talked to my doctor. She told me that humira helps people like me get uc under control and keep it under control when certain medications havent worked well enough. Humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. Before treatment, get tested for tb. Tell your doctor if youve been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if youve had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flulike symptoms or sores. Dont start humira if you have an infection. Raise your expectations. Ask your gastroenterologist about humira. With humira, control is possible. We are following the investigation in brussels where 31 are dead, 316 are injured at this hour. The airport where two major blasts occur ud will remain closed until sunday. One man witnessed the attacks at both the airport and the metro station. He shared this account. People were running in panic, but i wanted to escape from the airport. So i went through and was lucky because it was just after the explosion and the situation was not yet, you get off the taxi in front of the entrance, exactly in the moment where i arrived and get off the taxi, the second bomb exploded. So i went down to the second floor, to the train, where i found a woman left on the floor and i trieded to help her but i was alone and couldnt transport her. Alex, a terrorism analyst, joins us now. Alex, your reaction to the developing investigative file at this point which is getting thicker by the hour . Yeah, its really difficult because were seeing its International Network of individuals who seem to have been in touch closely. So the whole problem is unraveling the network and there seems to be more individuals unfolding and the fact we have two suspects on the run and we know these are very determined group of individuals. They are willing to go until either killed or captured. Talk about this dirty bomb aspiration they had. What do you gauge to be the gap between their capacity and their hopes to be able to do that. Of course, ideally think want to incur as many casualties as possible, dirty bomb would be a great way for them. They were surveilling this researcher. The problem is theres a lot of chatter online, especially on the deep web forums where they help and give manuals thats a goto manual for anyone interested in this operation. And they are meticulous instructionsen individuals were very good at surveying targets. How difficult is the dirty bomb . How hard would it be . Given what we know about their expertise and the bomb making that they did get done, whats your gauge about how far away they would be from being able to do a dirty bomb. Its hard to ascertain what their skills were in addition for chemicals needs. They built the bombs which are more sensitive than the pipe bomb. There has to be a minimum level of some indication that they were able to obtain. What does that tell us about the capacity beyond, say, this brussels cell . If we see that this is what they were capable of there, does that give us any suggestion about what they might be capable of in some other european the city where they may have cells like this . Absolutely. We know that thousands of europeans, in particular, have gone over to syria, iraq, have trained and fought. From there 20 to 30 of individuals have gone back to european origins. Once you get the expertise and individuals coming back, the threat is terrible. Cal perry following the developments in brussels in the aftermath of the attacks and joins us now. Cal . Reporter lawrence, this is a neighborhood that was very little known about, even in europe. Now its known around the world. I had a chance to spend the day there. Its very interesting. Its being molded and changed by the people who live there. Take a look. Reporter welcome to the molenbeek neighborhood here in brussels. That building right there, that apartment, thats where abdeslam was taken five days ago, one of the paris attackers. This marketplace feels like a market that you would find in amman, jordan, or in damascus, syria before all of the violence in syria, maybe six years ago. This is what a marketplace would feel like. The main language spoken is era back. Most people are from moa rack c, syria, iraq. They tell us authorities come and raid constantly. Theyre worried if they talk to us, that will happen again. The other thing weve been hearing a lot about is our coverage and media. They say we only come here when theres a bombing that kills europeans, we need to focus on violence in syria and iraq. As you can see, spices and dates, all of the things that you find in the middle east, because this is the community that lives here. This is the community that the authorities are most concerned about. This is the area where most of the raids are taking place and have taken place after previous attacks. The concern here on everyones minds across the city increased security. Weve seen increased security at train stations, bus stops, all of the places that you would expect. No increased security in that neighborhood. But i have to tell you, this was a neighborhood, a few hours after we filmed that pea ed the of the blinds were drawn as if they were expecting a police raid. We will continue to follow the news from belgium and bring you any new details as we get them. Still ahead, joe biden would love to have a senate rule named after him but he doesnt. Even though republicans pretend that he does. Frankly ridiculous. There is no biden rule. I love to take pictures that engage people. And to connect us with the wonderment of nature. The detail on this surface book is amazing. With the tiger image, the saliva coming off and you got this turning. Thats why i need this kind of resolution and computing power. Being able to use a pen like this. On the screen directly with the image. It just gives me a different relationship to it. And i cant do that on my mac. This is brilliant for me. If you misplace your you can use freeze it to prevent new purchases on your account in seconds. And once you find it, you can switch it right on again. Youre back freeze it from discover. Get it at discover. Com. [engines revving] you cant have a hero, if you dont have a villain. The world needs villains [tires screeching] and villains need cars. 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Tell your doctor if you have Liver Disease or are taking other medications, because these may increase the amount of xifaxan in your body. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan on becoming pregnant, or are nursing. The most common side effects are nausea and an increase in liver enzymes. If you think you have ibs with diarrhea talk to your doctor about xifaxan. Vice president joe bide. Offered his interpretation of the constitution saying the senate has no choice but to vote on every president ial nominee for the Supreme Court. But first, Milissa Rehberger has the cnbc market wrap. Thank you. Stocks trade sideways on the final trading day of the week. Dow adds 13. S p falls a fraction. Nasdaq up four, unemployment lines were longer last week. Filings for the first time jobless benefit rose by 6,000. The increase was smaller nan expected. Orders for big ticket items dropped for the third time in four months. Durable goods, meant to last three years, were down 2. 8 in february. 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We know what it means to serve. Get an insurance quote and see why 92 of our members plan to stay for life. [engines revving] you cant have a hero, if you dont have a villain. The world needs villains [tires screeching] and villains need cars. Vice President Joe Biden is fighting back today against what republicans have falsely labeled the biden rule. Senator republicans are using a 1992 speech made by thensenator biden to justify their refusal to even meet with president obamaS Supreme Court nominee, merrick garland. It is my view that if a Supreme Court justice resigns tomorrow or within the next several weeks, or resigns at the end of the summer, president bush should consider following the practice of a majority of his predecessors and not, and not, name a nominee until after the november election is completed. The senate, too, mr. President , must consider how it would respond to a Supreme Court vacancy that would occur in the full throes of an election year. It is my view that if the president goes the way a president s ffrmtillmore and joh, the Senate Judiciary committee should seriously consider not scheduling confirmation hearings on the nomination until after the Political Campaign season is over. Thats the only part of the 1992 speech that republicans want people to hear. Later in that same speech, senator biden said this compromise is the responsible course, both for the white house and for the senate. Therefore, i stand by my position, mr. President , if the president consults and cooperates with the senate or moderates his selections absent consultation, then his nominees may enjoy my support as did justices kennedy and souter. If he did not, as is the president. Right, i will oppose his future nominees, as is my right. The Vice President accused republicans of misrepresenting the remarks, and he defended his record as chairman of the Senate Judiciary committee. So i hear talk about the biden rule. Frankly ridiculous. There is no biden rule. Doesnt exist. Theres only one rule i ever followed on the judiciary committee, that was the constitutions clear rule of advice and consent. I was responsible for eight justices and nine total nominees of Supreme Court. More than, i hate to say this, anyone alive. Every nominee was greeted which Committee Members every nominee got a committee hearing. Every nominee got out of the Committee Even if they didnt have sufficient votes. And every nominee, including Justice Kennedy in an election year, got an up and down vote. Joe bidens speech comes as a new quinnipiac poll shows 62 of americans say the senate should consider merrick garlands nomination to the Supreme Court. Break it down by parties. 62 of republicans say that the senate should not consider any president ial nominees until 2017. Joining us, ari melber, chris kang. I want to play Something Else that joe biden said that you ari, identified as maybe the most important sentence of the day. Lets listen to this. My consistent advice to president s of both parties, including this president , has been that we should engage fully in the constitutional process of advice and consent. My consistent understanding of the constitution has been the senate must do so as well, period. They have an obligation to do so. Must, the most important word in there. The constitution actually says shall, which he is interpreting as must. As you know, as a fellow student of statutory construction and texturalism what hes talking about what judges do, what do the words mean, what are the obligations. The point there, its done massively through the selections, hold and new, joe biden is talking about what are the obligations. Some are direct, shall, as we know from the founders language, means something you have to do. Advice and consent, exercise through voting. So his point here in the current climate is, you cannot meaningfully and responsively exercise consent part, a yes or no, without having yes or no vote. Ive got to say, i thought that was a really crucial thing to point out. All, everything we know about what the founders had to say about this, what they wrote about this at the time was the presumption that this confirmation process is just about making sure no bribes were involved and this person can do the job, intellectually up to doing the job. There was nothing else involved, they thought, in the confirmation process. Right. If you look at history of the fact is that every Supreme Court nominee since 1875 has either got. A hearing and a vote. Beyond the text of the c. Contusion, we have 140 years to consider nominees. Lets listen to Something Else joe biden said about this. But saying nothing, seeing nothing, reading nothing, hearing nothing, and deciding in advance simply to turn your back before the president even names a nominee is not an option the constitution leaves open its an abb abb abdication, frankly that never occurred before in our history. I would love to hear a Republican Point to the phrasing in the constitution that gives them the option to do nothing after that word shall that appeared in the constitution. I dont think theres a good constitutional argument. There is if you go back to federal law the idea nine justices and on the cord and thats under federal law. It is hard to say, as a matter of the way things work, now youre going to make it eight or seven or five, doing through blocking legislation what was once done through mandated legislation. Justice brier and others say its not a crisis if we a month of vacancy. I think its playing with fire. Im not sure i agree with the warning were in a constitutional crisis. I dont think were technically there in the sense of what that actually means. If politics go towards endless vacancy and think about bush v. Gore or National Security cases, it is not tenable nor wise for the country to leave the jump balls out there and potentially have ties when the Supreme Court is supposed to be the tiebreaker. What a call a constitutional crisis, not necessarily as dramatic in practice as people might think, and that is a constitutional mandate like the senate shall do whatever that says, and then the senate re fusing to abide by that constitutional mandate. Where the crisis comes in the constitution provides no remedy. There is no known remedy within the constitution of what do you you do when the senate refuses to do something that the Constitution Orders it to do. I think thats right. I think one of the reasons why there is no remedies because it was never contemplated. Exactly. That the senate would not do its job and even start the process. When you look at other things contemplated, the president ial veto. Heres how it works. But they also contemplate a next step after the veto, they say you can override the veto. Theyve laid out everything they can imagine we might need to have, and nowhere in there did they lay out an option other than the senate shall advise and consent. Thats the point i dont think is going to work long term in your position is were not going to do anything. It is true, theoretically, the congress can abolish lower courts. They created them, ke they can revoke them. If you say this is something that the third branch of the constitution but we are going to do through blocking or attrition what we cant do through the construck of government, thats a problem. You were extreme and radical you could say, well, were not going to confirm anyone unless there are people, and were willing to go down to five justices or zero justices. Obviously something wrong with the logical continuation of that approach. Ari, chris, thank you both for joining us. Just ahead, the panel is here to discuss paul ryans comments on the state of politics and much more. Youre an at t Small Business expert . Sure am. My staff could use your help staying in touch with customers. At t can help you stay connected. Am i seeing double . No maam. Our at t buy one get one free makes it easier for your staff to send appointment reminders to your customers. And share promotions on social media . You know it now im seeing dollar signs. You should probably get your eyes checked. Good one babe. Optometry humor. Right now get up to 650 in credits to help you switch to at t. Chuck, i know i have a 798 fico score, thanks to experian. Com. Kaboom. Get your credit swagger on. Go to experian. Com. Become a member of experian credit tracker and take charge of your score. A 401 k is the most sound way to go. Lets talk asset allocation. Sure. You seem knowledgeable, professional. Would you trust me as your Financial Advisor . 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There are at least 143 delegates who can vote for whoever they want to on that first ballot in cleveland, and there may be more. But some states are still negotiating with the party about all of this. Some of those unbound delegates have committed to a candidate but unlike the bound delegates they can change their minds at any time. Thats kind of the republican version of super delegates. That makes it all the more critical for donald trump to get to that magic number of 1,237 before the cleveland convention. Well be right back. music plays hi im kristie and im jess. And we are the bug chicks. We are a nanobusiness. Windows 10 really helps us get the word out abt how awesome bugs are. Kids learn to be brave and curious and all kids speak the language of bug. Hey cortana, find my katydid video oh this is so good. laughs if youre trying to teach a kid about a proboscis just sketch it on the screen. I dont have a touch screen on my mac, im jealous of that. laughs you put a big bug in a kids hands and change their world view. laughs people with different ideas, theyre not traitors, theyre not our enemies, theyre our neighbors, coworkers, fellow citizens. We all know someone and we love who disagrees with us politically or votes differently. In a confident america, we are not afraid to disagree with each other. That was speaker of the house and Gop Convention chairman, paul ryan, yesterday delivering an address on the state of american politics. Paul ryans speech is the latest in a string of public denunciations both implicit and explicit of Donald Trumps inflammatory language. As the front page of todays the Washington Post reports, Party Leaders scrambling for a way to insulate members of congress against the trump effect in november. As they report, the behemoth Koch Brothers operation is considering abandoning trump as nominee and focusing its resources on behalf of gop congressional candidates. Those worried about a collapse down ballot with trump at the top of the ticket were given more reason to worry today. A new poll from Monmouth University has donald trump as the least electable republican in a general election matchup against Hillary Clinton. Head to head matchup, long shot republican candidate john kasich leads Hillary Clinton by six points, 4539 against ted cruz, Hillary Clinton leads by five points. Thats just outside the plarjen of error, 4540. Against donald trump, Hillary Clintons lead goes up ten points 4838. Put a tenpoint lead in perspective, the same margin of victory that reagan had over carter in the wipeout in 1980. Democrats lost 12 seats in the senate and more than 30 seats in the house that year. Joined by our panel, beth fouhy, jamil smith, Senior National correspondent, susan dell persio. They didnt match up Bernie Sanders in the oneonones which some polls never do. He beats republicans by bigger margins, way bigger, than Hillary Clinton does. Cnn had Bernie Sanders beating donald trump by 20 points. But whats clear in all of these oneonone matchup is is donald trump is absolutely the worst republicans come make in the general election. Its crazy. I have to hand it to susan to talk about whats going on the reason bernie polls bet thatten Hillary Clinton, hes much less known than she is, he hasnt had 20 years of attacks against him like she has. Her popularity hold it, donald trump calls Bernie Sanders a communist. What more attack can you level against the guy . He hasnt gone through sustained attacks on a campaign trail. About what . Here what happens i dont get about this, about what . We know what the Hillary Clinton attacks are about, theyre about email, theyre about speeches, all different things. About what . What in Bernie Sanders history would the republicans turn into this stuff thats the magical stuff supposed to make him collapse . Issues. Trillions of dollars of tax money would have to be raised for what hes trying to do. He wants to raise everyones taxes, he wants free education, he says hes going to pay for it by raising taxes. There are a lot of things, number one he is a selfproclaimed socialist and that is going to be an attack that will be levied time and time again. His numbers will go down because Hillary Clinton is not leveling those attacks. Hes not going to be the nominee, so the poll numbers dont matter as much now. Thats what i was going to say. Lets stick with the trump versus anyone scenario. Right. Which is very bad for the republicans. And yet, the republicans seem handcuffed to this candidate. Yeah. I mean, this is who they have. This is who their voters have chosen. A, first come to grips with that but also understand that you know the islamic phobic policies in rhetoric that is coming not just from him but also ted cruz, is something thats utterly destructive to the long term future of the party. Theyre alienating young voter whose are right now in the business of living amongst and dealing with increasingly multicultural america. And they are, you know, basically writing a death sentence for their own party. But at the same time, he, trump, and cruz, as you said, tapped into the zeitgeist. Weve seen in exit polls coming out of republican primaries most Republican Voters support the muslim ban that trump has proposed hes attuned to where his voters are on the issue, and thats where they are now. It may be terrible for the long term but smart for the short term, regrettably. Indeed. Do you agree whats the consensus, ted cruz is the only way to stop donald trump. Yes, in fact the only way theyre going to not have donald trump as the partys nominee. Donald trump doesnt get 1,237, second ballot there will be a lot of arms twisted to make it ted cruz. Not that hes going to do such wonderful things for the Republican Party down ballot he is rather extreme in a extreme. A lot of people use the very people who are endorsing him today, theyll use their previous attacks against ted cruz. However, the message there is he is a republican. Donald trump is an opportunist. He found the party to run on. If it was easier as a democratic, would he have done it as a democratic. This is not about being a loyal party person. So thats what theyre really afraid of, and ted cruz will be equally complicated, but at least he is someone you can you know who youre fighting. According to the polls, which one of these guys do we want to lose within the general election . Yeah, and frankly, i think trump is the best option if you know youre going to lose the election. Okay, this is, you know, basically a chance for the republicans to say its not us. Its not us. This is just him. An opportunity, his decision. Running under our name, but we dont support him. You hear, if we had nominated a real conservative, you have that argument to make. Were going to take a quick break. When we come back, well talk about the feud, polite word to describe this, the feud between donald trump and ted cruz. E pose was almost always on my mind. Thinking about what to avoid, where to go. And how to deal with my uc. To me, that was normal. Until i talked to my doctor. She told me that humira lps people like me get uc under control and keep it under control when certain medications havent worked well enough. Humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. 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[engines revving] you cant have a hero, if you dont have a villain. The world needs villains [tires screeching] and villains need cars. If you misplace your you can use freeze it to prevent new purchases on your account in seconds. And once you find it, you can switch it right on again. Youre back freeze it from discover. Get it at discover. Com. Hey hows it going, hotcakes . Hotcakes. This place has hotcakes. So why arent they selling like hotcakes . With comcast Business Internet and wifi pro, they could be. Just add a customized message to your wifi pro splash page and youll reach your customers where their eyes are already on their devices. Order up. Its more than just wifi, it can help grow your business. You dont see that every day. Introducing wifi pro, wifi that helps grow your business. Comcast business. Built for business. Trump retweeted this imagine of ted cruzs wife heidi, next to Donald Trumps wife malania. Your wife is lovely, and heidi is the love of my life. This afternoon, ted cruz on the campaign trail, responded again. I dont get angry often. But you mess with my wife, you mess with my kids, that will do it every time. Donald, youre sniveling. He will not be the nominee. Susan, thats always the killer question. When anyone of these candidates or any republicans says this thing about donald trump, that is so vial, the next question is always, will you support him as the nominee . When you say republican politics now, i will beat him, youre not sure youre going to get into an actual brawl or youre going to win the race, which is a little exactly. It is, it is troubling to see this kind that was in response to an ad that did put Donald Trumps wife, you know, an old photo, it was inappropriate to put the ad donald trump loves this game. Instead of defending his position on why we shouldnt be in nato, he now gets to go into the gutter and play his favorite sport. Now how to tweak someone, and thats exactly where he wants to be, under ted cruzs skin. Will you support the republican nominee, if the republican voter is looking for strength and you know, this t r athoritian, what if ted cruz just said no, after what he just did, he crossed the line with my wife, thats it, no, i will not support him under any circumstances, why wouldnt that make ted cruz suddenly the strong man . Yeah, i think susan is exactly right. Youre in this incredible pressure. You cant come against the guy that is marching towards this nomination in march and say no, never, i wont support him. Theyre in a terrible crunch. What you say about would donald trump support someone else, its this awful irony the republican had this pledge last fall, pledging everybody in the race agreed to support the front runner, assuming it would be trump who would have to sign it in order he didnt break off as an independent. Its very hard to step away from the pledge. It undermines everything they say about trump, every attack, when they cant say, no, i wont support him if he is the nominee. Then everything they just said doesnt mean anything. Right. I mean, theyre not locked in there with him, you know. Its just locked in there with he is not locked in there with them. Youve got to look it from this standpoint. Donald trump is a bully. And he is somebody that, you know, will just continually work to get under someones skin, but the best way to come back at him is to not either to laugh at him or to really actually punch him back. Thats not punching. Thats just put up your dukes and were going to act like im tough. And yet, rubio tried to do that, and what ended up happening, he looked like he went down into the gutter with donald trump. It didnt do him any good whatsoever. He opens up another line of attack, real men dont attack women, when ted cruz opposes abortion, including rape and incest. We talk about actual attacks on women, you know, tweets about your wife are terrible, but i think that we should talk about some bigger issues. Listen to one more thing ted cruz said about this this afternoon. The reason why republicans are coming together and uniting is because donald trump is a train wreck. He hands the election to Hillary Clinton. Donald trump is a gift wrapped in a pink little bow for the democratic party. And beth, thats his final word on it so far. Well see how it goes. He is pretty much right. Train wreck, thats a good term actual actually. Thank you. We really appreciate. Before we go, we have some breaking news from paris. Frances interior minister says raids in northwest paris have just foiled a paris attack. France says no known links between the thwarted plot and brussels at this stage. Chuck todd will be back here tomorrow, at 5 00 p. M. Eastern, with mtp daily, tonight, ill be on with the last word, as usual. With all due respect starts right now. Im john helemann. Im mark halperin. With all due respect for ted cruz and donald trump, save it for the convention, fellas. This is going to be the Kathleen Turner episode. Trust me. Well get to the trump creuz stuff in a moment. Latest numbers from the poll. Our big findings, the two candidates who probably see the most good news in the survey are also the two candidates that are least likely at this point to become their partys nominees, thats Bernie Sanders and john kasich. On the democratic side, despite his delegate deficit, sanders has closed the gap with clinton, basica