gearing up for the big debate here on cnn wednesday evening. the smaller debate at 6:00 eastern and then the big one at 8:00. first, though, before we talk politics, we have breaking news out of mississippi. cleveland, mississippi, campus is on lockdown. the shooter is still on the loose. folks there are being told to stay indoors, stay away from windows. this is an active situation. we are gathering the latest developments on what's happening. so they are still looking for this shooter. >> reporter: they are still looking for the shooter and we now know the identitity of the professor who was shot and killed this morning on the campus of delta state university. his name is ethan and he was shot in the head at least once. this is an ongoing situation on the campus of delta state university, located in cleveland, mississippi, two hours north of jackson, mississippi. we first heard about an active shooter situation on the campus just before noon eastern in a tweet from the school's official twitter page saying that a shooter had been spotted near joe hall on campus. the campus was immediately placed on lockdown. the students and faculty have been asked to stay indoors and stay away from windows until they are given the all clear. now the deputy coroner told cnn that the professor who was killed was in his office at the time of the shooting. the coroner's office also says no gun was found at the scene, but authorities did find two empty shell casings. again, authorities believe the shooter responsible for this is still at large. we have learned that all the schools in the cleveland school can district are also on lockdown because of the shooting. several law enforcement agencies are now involved. they include campus police and even the atf. the search for this person continues. the person who killed this delta state university professor, there is no word of any other injuries, but we'll keep monitoring the situation out of cleveland, mississippi, for any updates. >> quickly can i just follow up on this professor. what more do we know? >> reporter: the information on him is very limited, but again, we know that his name is ethan schmitt and he was a history professor at delta state university. we'll be looking to see what more we can learn about him. >> alena, thank you so much. let's move along and talk politics back here live at the reagan presidential library in. beautiful simi valley, california. the main stage come wednesday night will be a crowded one. the top 11 candidates will battle it out in prime time at 8:00 eastern proceeded by the first round debate featuring four of the republican hopefuls at 6:00 eastern. rick perry dropped out. look at all these faces. they will be squeezing in and sharing space. i have walked behind the podiums, they are inches apart. the guy in the middle in the spotlight, donald trump. but a couple others we're going to talk about is carly fiorina. she was in the jv debate in cleveland. she's already trying to put trump on the defensive. we'll talk about her ad and how she's using trump's words against him. trump, new numbers climb to a new high in the latest poll. he now sits at 33% in the latest "washington post" abc poll. the number two here is dr. ben carson. another political outsider polling at 20%. as you can see, the rest of the field in single digits. let's begin with my colleague in california athena jones, who is inside the debate hall where they are still building, still working, still laying down carpet. we'll get to a behind-the-scenes look in a moment. trump is still leading, setting the tone for the race also makes him a target. this is the kind of man who is like, bring it. >> that's right, donald trump says my life has been preparation for a debate, so i'm going to guess he's ready. he knows he's going to be a main target. perhaps more than he was in the first debate because in the first debate e you hadn't seen all these polls that have come out whether they have been national polls or state by state polls showing him with a solid lead. he's also attacked a bunch of rivals. so he knows he's going to be under fire on wednesday night and i'm going to guess he's ready to attack back. >> we'll talk about how others choose to counter. punch in a moment. i want to show everyone where you are. for folks to fully appreciate, cnn has entirely built this it set, built this stage and these candidates will be flanked by president reagan's air force one. >> yes, take a look. this is the air force one that president reagan flew. it's going to be right behind serving as the backdrop. as you mentioned, cnn crews have spent weeks building this stage so they could put it next to that airplane. you can see behind me these clear podiums laid out. they are only going to be inches apart. donald trump in the middle there. but keep looking. i believe you can see some of the rest of the setup. it's relatively intimate compared to that first debate on fox that was held in a stadium where thousands of people were in the audience. here we're talking about 500 people. these are guests that are invisit tees of the reagan library here also from the national committee and a few of the folks in the audience will be people who were invite d by the campaigns. but a much more intimate. setting. you can see the work still going on. there are going to be 13 cameras here on wednesday night. but i got to tell you this intimate setting, the fact that the podiums are so close together might shape how they act towards one another. they are not going to be able to draw energy from a big crowd awing. it will be interesting whether they pull back in their attacks and how they interact. we're looking forward to it on wednesday night. >> how they use the audience to perhaps his or her advantage, that front row is feet from where the candidates are standing. thank you so much. now this debate wednesday night, the site is essential. it's part of the story. the 40th president definitely shines over this campaign virtually every candidate in this race wants to convince republican voters here that he or she deserves to inherit the mantle of ronald reagan. he's like the 12th man on stage come wednesday. among the subplots here, the narratives playing out is this recent back and forth between donald trump and carly fiorina. trump criticized carly fiorina in an interview saying, in part, quote, look at that face. would anyone vote for that? can you imagine that? the face of our next president? we should also point out he was on the phone next morning saying e he wasn't talking specifically about her face. she was referencing her persona and now his super pac is firing back. >> we are the majority of the nation. this is the face of the 61-year-old woman i'm proud of every year and every wrinkle. >> let's talk about that. with me at the reagan library is ben jones and anna navorro. awesome seeing both of you. let's begin with the carly fiorina ad. here she is, i think, pretty effectively using trump's words in. the "rolling stone" piece using these female faces knowing she's the only woman on stage. come wednesday, how does she continue with the momentum and attack back? >> i think she needs no advice on that. she has proven to be incredibly effective in land iing a punch. she does it with class. she does it with elegance and without losing her cool with poise and grace. but let me tell you, she cuts through like a knife. a lot of those attacks have gone to hillary clinton. but this time it's going to be interesting to see that interaction between her and trump. i think trump stepped into a hornet's nest on that one. >> by stepping in the hornet's nest, she keeps calling him the entertainer. how does he she being the only woman, how does he punch back? >> you always knew if trump was going to get in trouble, it was going to be with carly fiorina. because of his record and reputation of being such a chauvinist. there's no other way to describe it. >> theack and forth did not ding him at all. >> it didn't, but it's still out there for a problem for him. he got one pass. he didn't get two. carly fiorina is a different kind of opponent. when he made the mistake, she had holds back. . the first thing she does is shows poise. she can take a punch without being flustered. . she lets her super pac come out with the best ad of the cycle so far. now everybody's eyes are going to be on her. she's massively used his mistake and she's going to take him to the cleaners. >> we watch for carly fiorina. we're also watching and looking a the numbers and trump is rise, rise, rising as is ben carson. abc "washington post" poll, we'll throw them up on the screen. trump at the highest he's been at 33%. ben carson at 20%. also a new poll from new hampshire says carson is gaining on trump. we saw the whole thing last week with regard to faith and then trump questioning his medical record. ben carson doesn't want to get. involved in a gladiator fight, but these are two guys with zero political experience. both carson big with v evangelicals. >> he uses his experience. we saw him do it in the first debate. bring in his experience as a brain surgeon. he did it very, very well with memorable lines in debate one. i think he does it being ben carson. soft spoken. >> even though trump says he doesn't have the juice. >> even keeled, it doesn't matter. what is having the juice mean in donald trump language? it means being able to insult. you have a guy in jeb bush, who i remember as governor, used to work 12-15 hour days. ben carson has done surgeries that last 15, 20 hours separating conjoined twins. you want to ask ben carson about energy on this stage? and then you have donald trump who pulls into tv interviews in new york where he lives. >> final thought from you. >> i think that first of all, he can't outtrump trump and he should not. but don't underestimate the quiet guy on the stage. trump can make a mistake and try to run over him. and often it's that little quiet guy in the corner who can rise above it. also there's a a guy named david and goliath. . from carson, you'll have a moment. he's great with moments that separates him from trump. if i were trump, i would leave carson alone. that's the one guy he doesn't know how to fight. >> watch out for the quiet man on stage. van and ana, thank you so much. let me remind you, which i will be doing over the next course of the 48 hours. you have to tune into the republican presidential debate wednesday night. it starts at 6:00 eastern here on cnn. up next, how will this work? we mentioned the lay of the land. let's talk to a debate coach and see how the shear physicality of the podiums and audience could play and how having one woman on stage can effecting everything, everything matters come wednesday. plus safe to say, my next two guests disagree. one a trump supporter, the other a conservative who was with me the other day and called him an idiot. but are their u views really that much different? and also this story out of kentucky, mied goodness, the clerk who didn't want to saim sign the same s-sex marriage licenses. you see the media there. she's back at work. see what happened when a same-sex couple showed up to get their license and how this issue in rural kentucky could be center stage wednesday night here in california. i'm brook baldwin. this is cnn's special live coverage. we stop arthritis pain, so you don't have to stop. tylenol® 8hr arthritis pain has two layers of pain relief. the first is fast. the second lasts all day. we give you your day back. what you do with it is up to you. tylenol®. only glucerna has carbsteady, diabetes, steady is exciting. clinically proven to help minimize blood sugar spikes. so you stay steady ahead. having a perfectly nice day, when out of nowhere a pick-up truck slams into your brand new car. one second it wasn't there and the next second...boom, you had your first accident. now you have to make your first claim. so you talk to your insurance company and...boom, you're blindsided for a second time. they won't give you enough money to replace your brand new car. don't those people know you're already shaken up? 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you have seen her super pac ad. she did it once before, but donald trump was not on the stage then. so this is a game changer. just how does a candidate compete against a front runner who talks off the cuff, gives few specifics and can commit a string of stumbles without losing a simple percentage point in the polls. joining me is todd graham, the director of debate at southern university. his teams have done well winning a national championship. great to have you on. >> good to be back. >> so let's rip the trump band-aid off. you wrote this opinion piece basically saying he did not come to play the last massive arena debate in cleveland. how do you say he didn't do well when he's been surging ever since? how does he really knock it out of the park wednesday night? >> i'm not backing off the debate. i watch the debates in a vacuum. so if you don't know anything about donald trump before the debate, you watch that debate, he wouldn't have had 5%. he was that bad. >> tell me why, be specific. >> first off, he was sort of anti-woman in the debate. he also came off very petty and sort of mean. when he didn't like the questions, he attacks the questioner. donald trump is a billionaire. yet he couldn't give specifics on how he would help the economy when asked about bankruptcies he had nothing to say except those were mean people i took the money from. >> but how much is this this about specifics and policy versus personality and for some of these folks really introducing themselves to the millions who are watching? >> that's the difference between the debates and the post debates. post debate trump rules the airways. he's able to make up for anything people don't understand by doing things after the debate. the debates are supposed to be about policy and when we test people about their actual opinions as to how they will govern. that's what makes the difference and that's why he was so utter will i disappointing in the first debate. his supporters don't care about that. so a friend of mine from los angeles said he can't lose those supporters no matter what he does. in fact, donald trump could punch a baby in the face and his supporters would go, that kid had it coming. so there's no way he will lose supporters. >> let's hope not. the biggest difference is this stage here, there will be 11 candidates. that 11th is a woman. how will carly fiorina's presence change the calculous, if i may, for nip else on stage? >> 11 versus 10 doesn't make much difference. it's still too many people on stage. but the actual person will make a difference in both she's a a woman and surging in the polls. so this will make a difference. i have a lot of ideas about the ways she could change the debate. and perhaps in her favor. she can use humor and she's been proven to do that. i studied humor in debates and humor is very popular in debates. it can definitely help you in the polls if you use it wisely. >> here's what i'm fascinated with having walked around the podiums. you're inches from the next person you're standing with. this is a much more intimate setting. i'm wondering how you would if you were advising or coaching these candidates knowing that you're so close to one another, i'm thinking about attacks and jabs, but also the fact how do you advise them to use the audience that is sitting feet away? >> the first thing is you have to make sure and not get the audience to get in your head. in these debate, the audience is energetic and so you can't let them affect you one way or another. that's what i told my teams debating around and the audience is generally against us. don't let that bother you. you make the same arguments you were going to make regardless of the personal audience. but as far as them standing, it's harder to be aggressive towards someone when you're close to them. because it makes you look incredibly bad. >> remember when mitt romney put his arm on rick perry and the c camera cut and you thought he was going to clock him? that's how close they are. >> it's an awkward circumstance. it makes them not want to be aggressive. it's difficult to call somebody the same name except for trump, which he could probably do. it's difficult to do that when you're standing right next to them that you did in a campaign ad. i think that maybe the aggression might be a little less. but if it's not less, let me tell you that, that could make for good television. >> that will absolutely translate for all the people watching on tv back at home. todd graham, thank you so much. wednesday night here at 6:00 and 8:00 eastern. coming up next, though, the clerk against same-sex marriage, she's back at work today. and a gay couple showed up. they wanted a marriage license. we will show you what happened. you're watching cnn. you tuck here... you tuck there. if you're a toe tucker... because of toenail fungus, ask your doctor now about prescription kerydin. used daily, kerydin drops may kill the fungus at the site of infection and get to the root of your toe tucking. kerydin may cause irritation at the treated site. most common side effects include skin peeling... ...ingrown toenail, redness, itching, and swelling. tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or does not go away. stop toe tucking... and get the drop on toenail fungus. ask your doctor today about kerydin. iflike i love shrimp, red lobster's endless shrimp... ...is kind of a big deal. it's finally back, with as much shrimp as you want, any way you want 'em. one taste of these new pineapple habanero coconut shrimp bites, and i already want more. they even brought back wood-grilled teriyaki shrimp! yeah, you heard me: teriyaki. and really: what's not to love about... ...buttery garlic shrimp scampi? 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>> reporter: they weren't certain going in. a couple weeks ago they were here and went before kim davis. they wanted a marriage license then. she denied them. and in the interim, you had it becoming a national conversation, you had her going into jail, you had had huge protests that came out front. so today they weren't sure and here's what they said just before they went in. >> i feel it's unfortunate that she has taken things to this extreme. you know, i appreciate that she has her believes and she's making a stand, but to stand in the the way of the people she serves exercising their rights is just wrong. >> reporter: they had to sort of go through a gauntlet of those who are kim davis supporters who were shouting at the couple as they went in. but they were a able to get. their marriage license. it was not signed by kim davis. kim davis didn't even come out of her office and didn't even open the door. she clearly did not interfere in any way. the couple wanted to point out. this would have been a marvelous day for them, but it's overshadowed by a side show talking about a document. what they celebrate most is the fact that they after 20 years of being together have the right to be married. >> with all the cameras, they have this special moment documented. martin savage, thank you, sir. coming up next, baek to our breaking news. a college professor today shot and killed on campus. police are still looking for the shooter. we have new details on that. also a cnn producer hopped a train to the debate. chicago here to l.a., a 44-hour train ride and asked passengers what they think about the republican field. this is fascinating. stay here. did you know that good nutrition is critical for brain health? 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>> you know, i think she would be wise to come out swinging. i think donald trump definitely has not pulled any punches when it comes to carly fiorina. she's a force to reckon with. but i do think that she needs to be careful because donald trump is notoriously known for going after one's jugular. just as long as she's got her big girl panties on, i guess, she will be good to go. >> let's assume she will be wearing those. my question is about trump. how does he attack the only woman on stage? granted he did that the last with the moderator at the last debate and it really didn't ding him in polls, but how does he take her on? >> i think he's going to go after her role at hewlett-packard and how she was fired. i think he will go after some of her stances. i think he will also go after her record in the corporate world. that's where he's going to go. >> so then, kurt, we have heard him say it before. she was a failed ceo and here i am this billionaire, successful businessman, which is resinating with a lot of americans. but on the flip side, when you look at his policies, it's not a traditional conservative republican in the sense that he's talked about wanting to raise taxes on the wealthy. he was talking to cbs and his quote was hillary and jeb are controlled by the hedge fund guys and wall street guys. how is a billionaire winning the populous vote right now? >> to me it's mind boggling. i prefer my republicans to actually be republicans and to have never, ever voted for barack obama. something that donald trump did. the problem with donald trump is i don't know what he's going to do from day-to-day. one day he's talking about taxing carried interest deductions for hedge fund guys. that's not a big deal. but the next day he's saying i want to deport all the illegal aliens. then i want to keep some. then i want to fund planned parenthood. this guy doesn't have an ideology. e he has no foundation. and that's why i don't like him. he says some interest. ing things. he fights, i like that. i was in the infantry. i respect that. but he isn't ideologically grounded. i don't know what he's going to do next and i don't need a president where i'm guessing. >> despite all of that it, you were on this show last week and you said he's an idiot. then i said could you throw your support behind him ask you said yes. you said yes. a lot of people are in your camp. i want to see how the other candidates respond to that. they have signed the pledge but we just saw rick perry drop out and he's battled donald trump publicly. the other candidates who have taken him on have fallen in polls. ben carson, he's the only one who seems impervious to this back and forth. why is he the exception? >> i don't know. first of all, let me do a little tribute to rick perry while i'm here. because he was a great governor and i'm sorry that we're losing him from the race. >> there you go, nice glasses. >> ben carson is a great guy and a wonderful example for all americans. he has no business running for president. he's never run anything except a neurosurgery ward. that's nothing to scoff at but i despise u jeb to the core of my being and i will vote for donald trump before i vote for that guy. but we need a a conservative who knows how to operate in washington, who can pull the levers and pull down this horrible edifice that barack obama has built. we need somebody who can do the job. all donald trump can do is talk. >> i'm not going to touch the obama comment. but final words from tara as a trump supporter dorks you enjoy the fact he takes people on? help much of the audience understand what is so appealing. >> i think the fact that he's not washington, d.c., i think the fact he's not politically correct. i think the fact that the things that kurt may disagree with donald trump the most on is what has made him who he is. he's outspoken, he is politically incorrect and i really do like the fact that kurt said i don't like him, but if he's the normminee i will absolutely vote for. yeah, you will, it will be like voting for yourself. it's amazing. >> ter ra and kurt, thank you for coming on. i always want to hear all perspectives. i know you'll be watching wednesday night. the debate here on cnn starting at 6:00 eastern with all 11 on stage including mr. trump at 8:00 eastern here on cnn. coming up, the long way to the debate. we sent one of our producers on a train from iowa to southern california. 44 hours asking passenger after passenger what they make of this field of republican candidates. you have to hear their responses, next. i'm angela, and i quit smoking with chantix. for ten long years i was ready to quit. but i couldn't do it on my own. i needed help and chantix was there. and i did it. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. some had seizures while taking chantix. if you have any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse or of seizures. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if have these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have heart or blood vessel problems, or develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. decrease alcohol use while taking chantix. use caution when driving or operating machinery. most common side effect is nausea. i never thought i would be a non-smoker and i'm so proud. ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. only glucerna has carbsteady, diabetes, steady is exciting. clinically proven to help minimize blood sugar spikes. so you stay steady ahead. thankshow may i help you?s list. i heard i could call angie's list if i needed work done around my house at a fair price. you heard right, just tell us what you need done and we'll find a top rated provider to take care of it. so i could get a faulty light switch fixed? 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you're terminated? >> you can't say you're fired, that's trump's line. he's going to have to say something new. i like that idea better. he does have a year to figure it out. the show won't be on until the fall of next year at least. they have some time to figure it out. if you think about schwarzenegger, he was a foreshadow. he was a celebrity running for office about a decade ago there in california. maybe he laid the groundwork for trump. it will be interesting to see if they meet up on wednesday at the debate site. trump has already given his blessing to schwarzenegger so the handoff has happened and the arnold will be taking over "celebrity apprentice." they hope it's a chance to reinvigorate the franchise. we'll see how he does next year. >> brian, thank you. let me get to breaking news out of mississippi. still an active shooter situation happening. police are still looking for the shooter. a delta state professor was shot and killed on campus. . that campus is in cleveland, mississippi. that campus is still on lockdown. they are still looking for the gunman. people are told to stay inside, stay away from windows. i have detective matt hogan joining men of the line. i understand in addition to this professor shooting, there may be a separate homicide that's being investigated. what can you tell me about that? >> that's correct. we're situate d along the mississippi gulf coast. shortly after 10:00 a.m. central standard time we received information there had been a shooting in our town as well. police responded to the scene and located a female had been shot and killed in the course of our investigation we learned that an apparent suspect in our case may have ties to the delta state college and may have been leaving to go to that area. right now we're working with authorities up there under the assumption both crimes are related. >> so potentially connected, two homicides. we'll keep in close contact with you and see the issue at hand right now is to figure out where the shooter is and to make sure they apprehend him. >> reporter: the professor who was killed at delta state university this morning has been released. his name was ethan schmidt and he was a history professor. the coroner says he was shot in the head at least once. according to authorities this is still an active ongoing situation on the campus of delta state university, which again is located in cleveland, mississippi. we first heard about it on the campus just before noon eastern in the tweet of the school's official twitter page. the campus was immediately placed on lockdown. students and faculty have been asked to stay indoors. and to stay away from windows until they are given the all clear. the deputy corner said the professor killed was in his office at the time of the shooting. the coroner's office also says no gun was found at the scene, but authorities did found two empty shell casings. . they are still looking for the person who killed this professor this morning. >> awful, alena, thank you so much. you're watching cnn, i'm brooke baldwin. back to the tension and excitement growing. we are 48 hours away here in simi valley, california, at the reagan library from our cnn republican debate wednesday night. the main event happens at 8:00 eastern where the top 11 gop hopefuls take to the stage inside this just spectacular library to try their best to shine themselves, but also take down the man there at the center of the stage, donald trump. we have new numbers today. let me share these with you president the latest poll reenforces what we have been seeing. the trend trump firmly in the lead with 33%. this is the "washington post" abc poll. ben carson with the only other candidate in double digits. and the rest of the field far behind. to kick off our coverage, we have our senior digital correspondent for cnn politics chris moody, who is in simi valley, california, as well. and so trump it's already predicted he will take criticism from all sides. and doesn't care about apologizing. what are you hearing from other campaigns about the tone? this could be more nasty than the last one. >> when you're at the top of the polls in a large presidential field like this, you're target number one. trump will be center stage here at the ronald reagan library. also ben carson is nipping at his heels. the candidates have a lot of photoer to choose from in how to go after him. trump is one of the only candidates talking about raising taxes on a certain group of americans. he's also had strong immigration rhetoric, which we have covered for a long time now. you're going to see people trying to take him down. if it you talk to republican consultants and people in this game for a long time, they said the summer is over and now it's time to get real. you're going to see them going after trump. i think a lot of people thought it was fun, but it's going to get serious. >> let's get down to brass tax. i see the podiums over your shoulder. lay of the land, what strikes me and i say over and over they are mere inch was from one another at those podiums. >> let me give you a sneak peek of how things are going to work on wednesday. if you look over here, we're going to have 500 people attending the debate. i'm standing right now on three stories of scaffolding that's taken a week to build for the debate. the hosts will be here and the candidates will all stand inches away from each other right in front of one of the most stunning backdrops you can have for a a presidential debate. i think when you're watching on television, it's going to be a real sight to behold. where they are sitting down in more of a panel, this will be a full fledged debate standing next to each other. the sparks will fly and it will be quite a scene on wednesday. >> look at that air force one. i'm getting off the show and taking a tour inside that plane. thank you so much, chris moody. let's get an insight as to what is at stake. the first of all, are you geek out like i'm geeking out here? is this not amazing? >> it's a super bowl and you and i are in the arena where it's about to be played. i have been here before several times. i love this library. it's a museum, it's also his resting place. >> he's in dallas tonight. this is a free event. there are tickets i'm hearing being sold for several hundred dollars. that's what's at stake. there will be a counter rally. he says he will win the latino vote. >> he cherishes the latinos. no, he cherishes women. we all know mitt romney did not win in 2012. so as a republican, you need to exceed what romney was able to achieve. when you crunch the numbers, you can expand the percentage of the white vote you get. mitt romney got 59%. you need to get 64%. that hasn't been done since this man, ronald reagan's reelection battle. the alternative way is to expand the nonwhite vote. you'd need to get 30% of the non-white vote if you achieve what romney achieved and romney only got 19%. he's not growing the tent is my point. we want to win the white house, how can he get it done with these numbers? >> you invoked ronald reagan in that response. reagan will be like the 12th man on stage. his presence looms large here in simi valley. you talked to his son over the weekend. lets me play a clip and ask you about what he said. >> who is the least reagan? >> donald trump. >> i have been following you on twitter and sense where you're coming from. what makes him the least reagan-effect? >> he didn't attack the people around him. he didn't demean the people around him. he brought everybody together at the end. if republicans don't bring people together, we do not win elections. >> i don't know if trump has gotten that memo. >> all of them do. that was the way i led into the conversation. they all invoke your father's name. you're the real heir. who on that stage might be in his shoes? rick perry had some of those qualities and he has gotten out of the race. the big point he made was his father did believe in the 11th commandment of not speaking ill of a fellow republican. he said my dad was a tent builder. he was seeking to expand the party and he finds that to be lacking right now. >> what about this pledge? we know that different republicans have said that they have signed this it loyalty pledge that if they don't win the party's nomination they will not run as an din ept and whoever wins the nomination they will support that person. over the weekend some said i'm not supporting donald trump. i have to wonder in the next 48 hours before they get on that stage, other candidates can will be asked the question. how do they respond? >> there were a lot of fingers and toes crossed. you'd have a hard time convincing me that jeb bush if he should not be successful in capturing the nomination and has to go in there and vote for joe biden or donald trump is going to pull that lever. i'm not so sure about that. i don't think he's alone is what i'm trying to tell you. >> bobby jindal over the weekend, once we see others drop out, that will be the question to ask can where they throw their support. thank you so much. so awesome to be here. tune in to watch his show saturdays at 9:00 a.m. eastern here on cnn. he will be dissecting the debate which is wednesday night starting at 6:00 eastern right here only on cnn. when we come back, special live coverage from the reagan library before he takes the debate stage. tonight donald trump, as me we mentioned, takes on dallas, texas. the campaign expecting some 20,000 people in attendance. on ted cruz's home turf, tapping into his supporters. we'll take you to dallas, coming up next. you're watching cnn's special live coverage from california. i'm brooke baldwin, we'll be right back. i hate cleaning the gutters. have you touched the stuff? 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>> you look at this and you look at trump, ben carson, carly fiorina and basically this is the product of 20 years of increased polarization in our politics. everybody is going to his own corner. everyone is saying, whatever that guy on the other side says, i'm against it. it's produced or really dysfunctional government and frankly people are sick of it. on the right and left, you see bernie sanders. drawing big crowds. you see these nontraditional candidates who i ain't part of this washington elite, i ain't part of the political establishment who are really getting some appeal. the fact that trump and ben carson are so different in demeanor but this moment have appeal within the republican voting class tells you something about the attitude of voters right now. >> do not underestimate the quiet guy on stage on wednesday, that being ben carson. let's talk about texas, home turf. rick perry one of the most outspoken against donald trump. he's now bowed out of the race so we'll have four people on stage wednesday night instead of five for ha that initial debate. my question to you, who do you think governor perry will throw his support behind now? >> it's not going to be trump. >> we know that. who will it be? >> i could see it with someone like scott walker if he resurrects himself. i could frankly see something with a marco rubio and frankly perry might be angling for the idea if rubio were the nominee and rick perry were the vice presidential pick, that would be a strong ticket in terms of state electoral votes in the future. i'm not sure rick perry has thought in these terms. he did everything right this time, but did everything wrong three years ago and nobody has forgotten. >> so he's out. it's interesting you mentioned governor walker saying he realizes he has to be much more aggressive if he can even resurrect himself. my last question to you would be after all the dust settles and wednesday night in the debate, who might be the next to go? >> i think it might very well be walker, having just said that. possibly bobby jindal. as you know, it doesn't cost much for these candidates to just fly in and get free media at various events. in the case of perry, he ran out of gas. so these guys could stay on, but it's hard to see a jim gilmore, bobby jindal stay for too much longer. their donors are going to be saying what am i getting from my money? >> wayne slater, always a pleasure to have you on, thank you so much. >> sure. coming up next, it could be the next big faceoff at this debate. trump versus carly fiorina. carly fiorina supporters now firing back against trump's look at her face comment from last week. also we're waiting for the moments during the debate wednesday night. we'll take u a look back at some of the best debates over the years and those moments. >> i am paying for this microphone. the human foot has always been good at... it's unleashing great power. the is performance line just got a power boost. introducing the lexus is 200 turbo and is 300 awd v6. the is line has never been... more powerful. once driven, there's no going back. ♪ 800,000 hours of supercomputing time, 3 million lines of code, 40,000 sets of eyes, or a million sleepless nights. whether it's building the world's most advanced satellite, the space station, or the next leap in unmanned systems. at boeing, one thing never changes. our passion to make it real. ♪ it's got the spring and bounce of a traditional mattress. our passion to make it real. you sink into it, but you can still move around. now that i have a tempur-flex, i can finally get a good night's sleep. 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>> it may put everyone else in a tighter spot. he is saying had he will not support trump. i asked trump's campaign manager if all these other kapds don't come out and say they will vote for donald trump if he's the nominee, does that make this pledge invalid? >> this is the problem with politicians. they are all talk, no action. they will say something and change their mind. nothing gets done with these people. the bottom line is they are so upset that mr. trump is so clearly the front runner in this race that they are trying to do anything to gain attention for themselves. it's clearly not work iing. they are continuing to go down in the polls and mr. trump continues to go up in the polls. if they don't want to hold to their word, that's on them, not on us. >> on them, not on us. >> interesting to see, jeb bush has said he will support whoever the nominee is. but you can see that being an issue for bush down the line if he does end up as the republican nominee. the democrat can say, hey, you said you would support trump, what about that? >> i wanted to have a geek out moment with you that we are here at the reagan library. i need to go straight to mississippi as we know a a professor was shot and killed this morning. a news conference has just. begun. let's join that. >> they have come out from every aspect of this state, city or county and we appreciate everything they are doing to after hend. the person of interest and we're confident with the work they are doing and we thank them. >> again, i'm going to reiterate what happened this morning at approximately 10:18 a.m., the delta state university police department received a call of shots fired. they immediately contact the cleveland police department. upon officers' arrival, a gentleman was found deceased in his office, who was later identified as ethan schmidt. we have a professor of interest and we're pursuing every lead. we will be releasing a copy of his photograph to the press and we ask that anyone that knows this person or has contact with this person to please contact the delta state university police department. the cleveland police department at area code 662-843-3611. the person of interest that we're looking for is mr. shannon lamb. he is an employee of the university and at this time we're following up on leads. we have nothing else to release at this time. >> what is his connection to the professor? >> we're not releasing any information on that part. >> you believe he may have been involved in a homicide? >> at this time we did have information that he could be involved in a homicide? >> do you think he's still on campus? >> we don't think he's on campus, but we're not taking anything lightly. we're at the process now we went into lockdown. we made sure that the students, faculty, staff and administration were safe. at this time, we're methodically going building to building to get the students out and let them leave and go home safely. our local high schools were lock ed down and a at 3:00 we will have a significant police presence at these schools for the students from both schools to be able to go home to their parents also. >> is he connected to another homicide that happened at his home? >> we have no information of another homicide here in town this morning. >> did is he have a record in the past? >> which department did he work in? >> i'm not sure. i was just advised he was an employee of the university. >> current employee or former employee? >> current employee. no students were injured. >>. how many shots were fired? >> a at this time, we're not releasing that information. >> weapon used? >> we're not releasing that information. >> what is he traveled in? >> we will have another press conference in. approxima approximately an hour to an hour and a half and we will at that time hopefully have more information for you concerning this. that's all the questions now. >> if you'll hang out here, we'll have a copy of the picture. >> you're hearing from law enforcement in cleveland, mississippi, the home of delta state university where we learned this morning that a professor was shot and killed in his office. the news now is that police believe they know who did this. they have a person of interest and they are actively pursuing him. they don't think he's on campus. he could be linked to a separate homicide from earlier about six hours away in mississippi. a female has been killed. could be connected. you're watching cnn. we'll be right back. why pause a spontaneous moment to take a pill? 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[crowd booing] well, he can do that. we show our progressive direct rate and the rates of our competitors even if progressive isn't the lowest. it looks like progressive is not the lowest! ohhhh! when we return, we'll find out whether doug is the father. wait, what? i'm brooke baldwin, you're watching cnn. we're back here live in the middle of this ronald reagan library in simi valley, california. i'm flanked by the stunning mountain range. it's a beautiful place to call home r for the next couple days. we're 48 hours away from the big show, the cnn republican debate that could really change momentum and this 2016 race for the nomination. let me show you the candidates and remember 11 of them on that stage at 8:00 eastern come wednesday night desperate to steal the limelight from the man in the center, donald trump. a new abc news washington pulse poll puts trump on top of the republican field and he's now at 33%. the only other in double digits is ben carson. even seeing a 12-point jump in the key early state of new hampshire. that was also out today. let me bring in the republican strategy skpis here with me in simi valley. he has been through this a couple times. thank you for being with me. off the top here, i want you to name two candidates who will be let's say of the 11 wednesday night that this will be make or break. >> i think ben carson, for one, he's doing well in the polls coming in second. what's also interesting is that when you're asked for a second choice, ben carson leads the others by quite a lot. i think you're going to see ted cruz coming after carson because he wants that number two spot to donald trump. i don't think they are going after donald trump. another one is carly fiorina. she has good bragging rights now going in. . she just won the straw poll for the national federation of republican women. we had ted cruz come in second. ben carson third. donald trump, fourth. this is her chance. she's been trying to get to the grown ups table. she has an opportunity. i'm going to name one more. john kasich has been the sleeper in this. he's doing a lot of grass roots work. he's gaining key endorsements, but he's largely been laying low. he doesn't want to have to make his candidacy be about donald trump. so i think that he has a shot to really shoot forward. those are the ones i'm watching. >> she used the first debate to break into the top tier and get a look from a lot of voters. those voters will be tuning in to see if there's more they like. one thing she's struggled with is name i.d. this chance to get before tens of millions of new republican voters and build on that momentum is big. in the break column, i would say this is a big night for scott walker. he has really seen his numbers plum et since the donald trump complex has taken over. here's an opportunity to breakthrough and show the people registering support are that he's back in the fold. i think that will be interesting to see for him. >> we are 48 hours out. i was asking you if you're missing any of this or not. he laughs, but 48 hours out, what is happening right now with the candidates in their campa n campaig campaigns. they have been readying for this for quite awhile. >> i think this last 48 hours are doing a lot of polishing up on the policy. some of the points they want to make. i think the other part is when they do this walk through and how close they are going to be together, they are going to start thinking through the strategies of the physical element of this debate. and starting to think of ways they can break out in that sense. >> i was asking about this off camera, but they are basically from me to you. so we were talking about cringe worthy moments. all these candidates have cringe worthy moments for folks working with them off stage. when you saw mitt romney grab rick perry like this, awkward. >> the one thing you have to remember about these is more and more is that they become performances. the optics start to matter. and the optics can work in your favor. but when you do something like mitt romney and reach out, those can start to be a difficult moment for the candidates. these debates are largely defined by moments of strengths and moments of weakness. somebody like donald trump who for the last 35 years has been a celebrity and is much more comfortable in these environments, it could work to his favor. like jeb bush who is more of a policy wong and focused on substance, that physicality may work against them. >> how they use the audience because the front row is feet away. all of that will be at play. total totally off the lay of the land here. one of the big stories we have been following at cnn is the story out of kentucky with this county clerk kim davis who is out of jail and back at work today. they did allow a same sex cup to get a marriage license, but this whole story line about religious freedom, we saw huckabee and ted cruz there in kentucky last week. obviously, big issues for them, what about a chris christie or a jeb bush? how will those candidates take that question on wednesday? >> well, i'm assuming you have some inside information that that will be one of the questions. >> i have no inside information. i have not been inside the cone of silence. but i'm thinking about it. >> one thing that all of the candidates will struggle with and what they want to do well with is no matter what they are asked, they want to address the question. i know the format is such that they are going to be addressing each other. jake tapper has said that much. but what they want to do is talk about their priorities. they want to define themselves. so if that is an issue with which they want to be defined by, then they should go ahead and talk about it. if there's something else to address related to that that they care more about, they should address that. >> i think there's an undercard here for the evangelical vote. even. if it's not asked as a question, they are going to leave it in. that's what they want. they apt lot of these voters which are early on in the contests on the calendar, they want the voters to know that they are the candidate that's going to stand up for their values in this race. >> i would agree on that issue. >> to be continued. thank you so much for being with me. and let me remind you, folks, must-see tv wednesday night. the cnn presidential debate for the republicans wednesday at 6:00 eastern is when it begins here on cnn. coming up next, no surprise, we're all thrilled the energy, the anxiety is palpable here. we'll take a look back at the memorable and historic moments these huge events and debates have produced in the past. we're going into the vault. just might be the one. to clean the oceans, to start a movement, or lead a country. it may not be obvious yet, but one of these kids is going to change the world. we just need to make sure she has what she needs. welcome to windows 10. the future starts now for all of us. you totalled your 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night for the big republican presidential debate here at the reagan library. preparations well under way here in simi valley, california here. cnn has built this stage to -- flanked by president reagan's air force one here, talk about historic hallowed ground. and no doubt a number of candidates are ready to really put it out there, win this debate, and with a record number of candidates on stage, remember there's going to be 11, this one will only add to the history books. cnn's senior media correspondent brian stelter takes a look at some of the most memorable moments starting with ronald reagan. >> would the song man please turn mr. reagan's mic off? >> reporter: 1980 the republican primary debate, when ronald reagan essentially catapulted himself to the nomination. >> i paid for this microphone, mr. speaker. >> reporter: he was funding the debate with his campaign money to try to include all the candidates. of course he went onto win the new hampshire primary and the presidency. in 1992, jerry brown and bill clinton got into a spat on the stage. >> he is funneling money to his wife's law firm for state business. that's number one. >> i don't care what you say about me, but you ought to be ashamed of yourself for jumping on my wife. you're not worth being on the same platform as my wife. >> tell you something mr. clinton. >> reporter: george w. bush and john mccain argued about negative ads in a 2000 cnn debate. >> this is not an attack piece. >> that is not my campaign. >> it says paid for by john mccain. >> who can forget when hillary clinton was asked about her likability in 2008? >> what can you say to the voters of new hampshire on this stage tonight who see a resume and like it but are hesitating on the likability issue where they seem to like barack obama more? >> well, that hurts my feelings. >> i'm sorry, senator. i'm sorry. >> i don't think i'm that bad. >> you're likable enough, hillary. >> thank you. >> former texas governor rick perry would surely like to have this moment back from 2012. >> it's three agencies of government when i get there that are gone. commerce, education and the -- what's the third one there? let's see -- i can't. the third one i can't. sorry. oops. >> reporter: and then of course the fox news republican debate from just last month. new jersey governor chris christie argued with senator rand paul over the government's mass collection of personal communications. >> when you're sitting in a subcommittee just blowing hot air about this, you can say things like that. >> i don't trust president obama with our records. i know you gave him a big hug. and if you want to give him a big hug again, go right ahead. >> reporter: and this moment needs no introduction. >> you've called women you don't like fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals. your twitter account -- >> only rosie o'donnell. [ laughter ] >> no, it wasn't. >> what could happen wednesday night? brian stelter joins me now. donald trump, he's in dallas. he's going to be in mark cubin's dallas mavericks arena. mark cuban now taking -- >> dropping hints about his interest in politics. e-mails cnbc mark cuban saying if i got in the race i could crush donald trump. he gets people saying to him every day he should run for president and hinting maybe mulling the idea now. last year he said heck no when he was asked about a run for office. so maybe this is a change for mark cuban. it just goes to show, brooke, the celebrity moment that we're seeing in politics, donald trump the best example. someone who knows how to be the star of his own tv show. and that's exactly what he is now as a presidential candidate. well, mark cuban is the star of another show kind of like the apprentice, "shark tank," i'm sure people are going to be curious to see what cuban is saying. do i believe he's going to run for president? no, but it's a very interesting idea, isn't it? >> brian stelter, thank you, my friend. in new york. >> thanks. >> still ahead this wednesday here at the reagan library, it will be make or break for a number of these candidates when these republican contenders who are all vying for their party's nomination faceoff 48 hours from now right here in simi valley, california, your guide to what to watch for here. you have to stay with cnn. we'll be right back. iflike i love shrimp, red lobster's endless shrimp... ...is kind of a big deal. it's finally back, with as much shrimp as you want, any way you want 'em. one taste of these new pineapple habanero coconut shrimp bites, and i already want more. they even brought back wood-grilled teriyaki shrimp! yeah, you heard me: teriyaki. and really: what's not to love about... ...buttery garlic shrimp scampi? here, the sweet, spicy, crispy possibilities are as endless as the shrimp. and yeah, they're endless, but they won't last forever. ♪ 800,000 hours of supercomputing time, 3 million lines of code, 40,000 sets of eyes, or a million sleepless nights. whether it's building the world's most advanced satellite, the space station, or the next leap in unmanned systems. at boeing, one thing never changes. our passion to make it real. ♪ donald trump wants to ask his republican rivals a question, do you feel lucky, punks? well, do you? i'm john berman and this is "the lead." our politics lead, the stage quite literally set, the cnn republican debate is two days away. and these go to 11, 11 candidates. that is one louder than the last debate. who will dare attack the man in the middle, donald trump? also in politics, he is the only man within striking distance of trump right now, dr. ben carson, known for his skills with a sk l pal. i will ask dr. ben carson live. also here in california, flames tearing through entire towns, hundreds of homes and businesses destroyed, families forced out now living in tents. a wildfire emergency burning out of control in

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