st. petersburg, florida, on the campus of the university of south florida, st. petersburg. voters here in the sunshine state have already cast more than a million ballots by mail or early voting. the big night will be tuesday, when florida and four other states vote. it's been a campaign of firsts. we've had record setting participation, unheard of rhetoric, and an unprecedented level of contempt between candidates. and through all the muck, donald trump has emerged as the people's candidate, both an advocate for and representation of angry voters. but according to a new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll, the populist isn't so popular. just 25% of all voters have a positive opinion of donald trump versus 64% who have a negative opinion. as usual in this race, that's also a first, the most polarized opinions for a major presidential candidate we've ever seen in polling. at the other end of the spectrum, john kasich, far more people have positive opinions of him than negative. and yet in kasich's home state,

two of the three most recent polls in ohio show trump in the lead there. and here in florida, it's not even close. trump holds massive leads over mu marco rubio ahead of tonight's debate. and the president is weighing in again, at a joint press conference a short time ago with canadian prime minister justin trude trudeau. president obama was asked about the current political climate. he lashed back at the suggestion that he himself contributed to the overall negative political tone across the country and the rise of donald trump. but he did say that negative environment is a place where donald trump can thrive. he called out several candidates by name and then this. >> the tone of that politics, which i certainly have not contributed to, i have not -- you know, i don't think that i was the one to prompt questions about my birth certificate, for

example. what you're seeing within the republican party is to some degree all those efforts over a course of time, creating an environment where somebody like a donald trump can thrive. there are thoughtful conservatives who are troubled by this, who are troubled by the direction of their party. i think it is very important for them to reflect on what it is about the politics they've engaged in that allows the circus we've been seeing to transpire. >> let's talk about four hours south of me, coral gables, in earshot of the bahamas. the candidates will square off tonight in miami. all eyes still on donald trump. he's still in the bullseye for comments he made last night about islam.

>> i think islam hates us. there's something, there's something there that there is a tremendous hatred there. we have to get to the bottom of it. there is an unbelievable hatred of us. >> in islam itself? >> you're going to have to figure that out. >> nbc's kerry sanders is in coral gables, as we mentioned, so near the bahamas. last night trump went a step further in this comments about islam than he has in the past. >> reporter: it really stirred up a lot of anger about muslims in the state of florida. there's about 500,000 muslims in this state, which of course is the critical state here with 99 delegates up for grab, winner take all. according to the council on american-islamic relations, they

believe those statements will actually energize those muslims who are actually registered in the state to go out and participate in the election, that they will be driven now to vote against donald trump. of course in the state of florida, which is a closed primary system, they have to be registered as republicans to be able to to do that. and we don't have numbers on how many of those folks are actually registered. to give you an idea of the regions that we're talking about, here in south florida, there are about 40 mosques and muslim schools. and so there is a sizable population, even here in south florida, of about 130,000 muslims, who collectively generally believe that this was a very offensive statement because they believe they're following a peaceful religion. now, on the other side, it's interesting, because i've spoken to voters at many, many trump rallies, and they all seem to say that while he is perhaps not politically correct and says things that sometimes even offends them, they still embrace what donald trump says, and they

say that they are drawn to him because he is so unlike other politici politicians. we stopped in a barbershop to ask people about their thoughts, and this is what they had to say. >> i'm looking at him from a business standpoint. a perception of a businessman. and that is something that i think is gravitating to the american people. what i'm looking for, whether it be mr. trump, whether mr. cruz, whoever, i want them to consider listening to the american people. >> reporter: and you don't think politicians have been doing that? >> i don't think they've been doing it. >> reporter: and so there is just one point of view. but the thing that is uncalculable, but we'll find out, is whether these statements, if they drive muslims to the polls in florida, whether it also droves those who are not muslims and may have a shared belief in what donald trump had to say, sending them to support him as well.

kate? >> kerry sanders with the trump campaign. shifting now to ted cruz, we're just getting word that the texas senator is picking up his first senate endorsement. let's go right out to nbc's hallie jackson, in coral gables, florida with the campaign. hallie? >> reporter: kate, let's talk about two things here when it comes to this endorsement from senator mike lee for ted cruz. the significance and the timing. first, the significance of this. lee is one of cruz's closest allies in the senate. as you know, cruz has been sort of famously divisive. he is considered not well-liked by his colleagues in congress. but lee has been an exception. in fact cruz recently on the campaign trail said lee is somebody who has been like a brother to him. lee has campaigned for both ted cruz and marco rubio over the last month. he has come out and talked about him being against donald trump, believing that in lee's words, ted cruz and marco rubio had the true conservatives in this race. but that leads us to the second

part part about the timing here. this is five days before the crucial florida primary in which marco rubio needs a victory. he needs to pick up those 99 delegates. the fact that mike lee is turning to ted cruz this week cannot be understated. it is mid-march, and it's taken lee this long to come out with an endorsement that we expect to happen later this afternoon in miami, according to multiple sources familiar with the plans for today. it's interesting because we talk about the establishment mobilizing behind ted cruz, one of the attack lines has been that he has had no endorsements from his colleagues. this changes that dynamic. that's something we expect to hear more about in the next couple of hours, kate. >> hallie, there's been that charge, that nobody likes him in the senate. so at least here's proof that at least one senator does like him and wants to endorse him. hallie jackson, thanks so much. just a few hours from now, marco rubio will take the stage in the final republican debate as well, before next tuesday's primaries,

make or break day for the florida senator, who is trailing in polls, as we've said, in his home state here in florida. last night he sat down with msnbc what's chuck todd for a town hall meeting. he said he remained confident about a victory in florida. he said something else, at the very end of the town hall, that caught our attention. listen here for his verb tense. >> i want this to continue to be a country where parents can do for their children what my parents did for me. i believe if we have another four years like the last eight, we're going to lose it. that's why i ran for president. >> that's why i ran, past tense, for president. should we be reading the tea leaves or not? nbc's gabe gutierrez is following the rubio campaign for us. gabe? >> reporter: hey there, kate. that might be reading the tea leaves just a little bit too much, the rubio campaign saying he's still in the race. he just announced a campaign event tomorrow, a news conference with jewish leaders, national security leaders,

trying to shift the focus of this campaign to what he considers one of his biggest strengths, northern policy. but kate, of course, this is a steep hill to climb in florida. the latest fox news poll has him down 23 points to donald trump. think about that. 23 points in his home state. now, the rubio campaign says it doesn't focus on polls, of course. they point to another poll, monmouth university, which has him down just 8 points. but that came out several days ago. and they also point to the absentee vote, the early vote here in florida. according to that monmouth poll, the 48% of that primary vote already went to marco rubio. but there's a lot of talk today about whether the rubio campaign has unraveled, what might have led to that. there's talk in that msnbc town hall, he admitted that his kids were embarrassed by some of the insults that he had lobbed at donald trump, and if he had to do it again, he would not do it. kate, a few weeks ago there were

a lot of people criticizing rubio for not going after donald trump enough. the question is did he go too far. yesterday he seemed to suggest he did. now he plans to make it about policy, hit trump about trump university, attacks that have not seemed to stick. there are millions of anti-trump dollars pouring into florida. the question is can many of this make any sort of difference with just a few days left before this florida primary. so rubio is continuing his campaign. he plans to be in west palm beach tomorrow, in pensacola over the weekend. but a lot of critics are saying he missed a huge opportunity here in florida. they say that he should have had a better ground game here in florida earlier on, and that he may have waited too late. he's also had, his critics say, an issue drawing lots of big crowds here in florida. at his event yesterday in hialeah, a place with a lot of cuban-american voters, his event

drew several hundred people. yet the event venue held several thousand. so there's a lot of people questioning whether there's enough enthusiasm here in florida. and as hallie mentioned, that endorsement from senator mike lee, who had campaigned for both senator rubio and senator cruz, that endorsement going to ted cruz. the question now, what will happen with jeb bush's endorsement. yesterday he met with marco rubio. of course we don't know whether jeb bush will endorse rubio or anyone else. kate? >> gabe gutierrez, thanks so much. a lot of questions to answer. our microsoft poll is up. today we're asking is the gop heading toward a contested convention. head to pulse.msnbc.com. we'll bring you the results later this hour. right now, republican strategist adam goodman is with us here in st. petersburg. he's worked on both the jeb bush and rudy guiliani campaign

effort in florida. you know this state. i was watching you nod along with what gabe gutierrez was saying when he talked about the ground game with marco rubio, and not physically being here in the state. let me play a clip of what marco rubio said last night. gabe referred to it, when he was asked about the attack he went on against donald trump. >> in terms of things that have to do with personal stuff, yeah, you know, at the end of the day it's not something i'm entirely proud of. my kids were embarrassed by it. if i had to do it again, i wouldn't. >> how much did that backfire on marco rubio here in this state? >> i think for all of us who know marco and know that the power of his candidacy was based maybe primarily on performance charisma, that was a different kind of marco than we've seen in the last couple of weeks. you've heard that he regrets it. i think that's true. we'll see tonight, an indicator of tactical change in marco's campaign, whether or not he goes back to the old marco, who was

well-schooled, did his homework, had a bright look in his eye, looking to the future, or if we still have the new marco who thinks he has to take on donald trump. >> do those endorsements matter that we were just talk, senator lee? >> kate, in normal times endorsements would mean a lot. you can argue nickki haley in south carolina meant something to marco in terms of late surge to second place. but here in florida we have something else going on that makes it more interesting, the nonendorsements. think of the people who aren't endorsing the hometown kid. the governor, rick scott. the popular attorney general, pam bondi. you mentioned jeb bush. >> not picking anybody yet. >> i don't think he's going to go there. the nonendorsements, when marco really needs, kate, some momentum. >> five days from the vote here. >> five days from the vote. he doesn't have that.

>> you mentioned the governor. let me play a sound bite from governor rick scott, kind of a testy exchange on "morning joe" when he was asked about donald trump's comments on islam, "i think islam hates us." here is the florida governor this morning. >> will you tell your friend donald trump that he should walk back his statement, that islam hates america, that "islam hates us"? do you think muslims in the state of florida hate america? >> as you know, in florida we're the best melting pot in the world. we love everything coming to our state. >> i'm just asking generally, do you think muslims hate americans, that islam hates america, as donald trump said last night? >> i can tell you what's going on in florida. we have -- >> no. that's not the question. >> no, no. i don't want to know what's going on in florida. no, no. i want to know what's going on in your head, governor. we're friends. i want you to answer the

question. do you personally think that islam is a religion that hates america? >> so joe, what i can tell you in our state is we have a lot of muslims that live in our state. >> wrap it. >> we've got a lot of latin americans that live in our state. we all get along. we love people moving to our state and coming here as tourists. we're a great melting pot. >> okay. >> adam, it's uncomfortable listening to that. but your governor has stayed officially on the sidelines, right? he's not endorsing donald trump even though people compare him and what he did here winning the governor ship to donald trump. >> the governor came into the process from the outside, started as a tea party challenger to the system. what we're seeing is a referendum. it's donald trump on the right, bernie sanders on the left. we're not immune in florida to the anxiety and anger and

impatience. i think the governor may not want to rebook on "morning joe" anytime soon. i think what he was trying to say, we truly are the melting pot in america, not just in terms of demographics but in terms of politics as well. >> i understand that. clearly what they were trying to get at is do you agree with donald trump's position when he states -- when he makes a blanket statement about an entire religion of the world. and i sense that the governor just didn't want to go there. is he going to endorse donald trump, do you think? are they buddies? do they know each other? will that happen? >> great question. he's already said on the record he will not endorse before the march 15th primary, so that's a given. will he endorse downstream? i think ultimately if donald trump is the nominee, he will be the nominee because whether we like it or not, he's created a movement in america. a lot of republicans who are now raising questions will be falling in line. >> if marco rubio loses tuesday night, people are asking whether that's the end of his political career here in florida and

potentially nationally. what do you think? >> i wish i were as young as marco. he has many years in front of him. to say it's the end of his career, no. but certainly he'll step back and reflect on what happened and maybe how to, you know, take that as a lesson in life and in politics moving forward. >> and you don't see him getting out before tuesday? >> i don't see that. we have too much going on. the eyes right now are on florida. we like that. it is windy, you're right, but generally sunny too. >> beautiful. >> so welcome to the sunshine state. >> nice to have you with us, adam, thanks so much. coming up, jeb bush continuing to meet with his former gop rivals ahead of the primary. his former senior adviser joins us next. plus much more coming up from the university of florida, st. petersburg. when you think a, what does it look like? is it becoming a better professor by being a more adventurous student? is it one day giving your daughter the opportunity she deserves?

is it finally witnessing all the artistic wonders of the natural world? whatever your definition of success is, helping you pursue it, is ours. t-i-a-a. at safelite,oh nonow how busy your life can be. this mom didn't have time to worry about a cracked windshield. so she scheduled at safelite.com and with safelite's exclusive "on my way text" she knew exactly when i'd be there. so she didn't miss a single shot. (cheering crowd) i replaced her windshield... giving her more time for what matters most... how'd ya do? we won! nice! that's another safelite advantage. thank you so much! (team sing) ♪safelite repair, safelite replace.♪ i've been blind since birth. i go through periods where it's hard to sleep at night, and stay awake during the day. learn about non-24 by calling 844-844-2424. or visit my24info.com.

we've been together since 2012. dinner is absolutely our favorite time together. i do notice that sometimes i eat better than her. i get my healthy bowl of beneful, and she eats a cheese stick and a cracker. that's what she ate last night. cheese stick and a cracker. can you believe what some people put in their bodies? (vo) beneful originals is a healthy blend... ...your dog will love. with whole grains, real beef and accents of vegetables. beneful. healthy with a side of happy. as we age, certain nutrients longer than ever. become especially important. from the makers of one a day fifty-plus. one a day proactive sixty-five plus. with high potency vitamin b12

here at the university of south florida, st. petersburg, the lunchtime crowd is behind me. jeb bush is meeting with every remaining republican candidate this week, with the exception of donald trump. he's sitting down with ted cruz and john kasich in miami today. joining me now is former senior adviser to jeb bush's presidential campaign, michael steele. nice to see you again. >> good to be with you again. >> let's talk about jeb bush. what is his calculus as he goes into these meetings? do you see him making an endorsement any time before the primary? >> well, i think he made it very clear throughout the campaign where he stands on donald trump. donald trump is not a conservative. his policies would be an economic disaster, a national security disaster for the united

states. as far as an endorsement, he's meeting all the candidates. i think he'll let them run their campaigns. >> well, okay. so that's diplomatic. he doesn't like donald trump. what about the other three? i've heard from other strategists in florida that there are hard feelings between jeb bush and marco rubio, which would be understandable, since rubio was on the receiving end of about $20 million of the roughly $22 million that bush's right to rise super-pac spend on negative ads. he also has criticized ted cruz, hasn't said as much about john kasich. would he maybe, if he were going to endorse, do you think your former boss would go for john kasich? >> well, i think he's going to let these candidates run their campaigns. i think that john kasich is a former governor with a real record of accomplishment. there are certain policy areas where governor bush really disagrees with him, including the medicaid expansion in ohio. also senator rubio has been a good friend for a long time. they've got a great relationship. and ted cruz is also not donald trump, who is clearly the

biggest danger in terms of this presidential campaign to the republican party and the conservative movement and our country. >> so if it's a not donald trump, anyone but donald trump campaign, do we see him make a move like mitt romney did, do we hear from jeb bush anytime soon, does he give a speech? >> i think he's been very clear where he stands on donald trump, the danger he poses to the party, the conservative movement, and the fact that he's hurt the people he claims to want to help, his bankruptcies, putting his name on shoddy products. when he goes bankrupt, he makes out like a bandit, but the people working in his casinos and hotels are the ones that got hurt, they lost their livelihoods. he's a con artist, hurting the people he claims to help. >> the so-called unity ticket idea, that maybe ted cruz and marco rubio join forces and they become running mates, he was

asked, rubio was asked about it in our town hall last night and said, it looks good on tv, it doesn't ever work out that way. do you see any scenario where that could work? >> i think we'll have to see what happens in florida and ohio on tuesday before we know whether we're going to be in a scenario where donald trump comes into the convention with the delegates to win. feds, it if he does not, it's tough to imagine that scenario. if he doesn't, it opens up a host of possibilities. >> michael steel, thank you so much for your time, once again. appreciate it. >> thank you. coming up, the democrats push for florida. why bernie sanders is predicting an upset here. we're live from the university of south florida, st. petersburg, on the beautiful bay borough harbor. stay with us. trolling for a gig with braindrone? can't blame you. it's a drone you control with your brain, which controls your thumbs, which control this joystick. no, i'm actually over at the ge booth. we're creating the operating system for industry.

it's called predix. it's gonna change the way the world works. ok, i'm telling my brain to tell the drone to get you a copy of my resume. umm, maybe keep your hands on the controller. look out!! ohhhhhhhhhh... you know what, i'm just gonna email it to you. yeah that's probably safer. ok, cool. you have to feel healthy... on the outside ...at your core. trubiotics a probiotic from one a day naturally helps support both your digestive and immune health by combining... ... two types of good bacteria. trubiotics. be true to your health. how long have you had your car insurance? i ask because i had mine for over 20 years, before i switched and saved hundreds with the aarp auto insurance program from the hartford. i had done a lot of comparison shopping. the rate was like half of what i was paying. [ female announcer ] $420 is the average amount drivers save when they switch to the aarp auto insurance program from the hartford.

you know, it makes me wonder why everyone 50 and over hasn't switched. [ female announcer ] how much could you save? if you're age 50 or over, call now to request your free quote. customers also appreciate lifetime renewability. it's the hartford's promise not to drop you, even if you're in an accident. [ female announcer ] save $420 on average and get lifetime renewability. you've got to consider it. you've got to consider it. [ female announcer ] for your free quote, call the hartford at... or go to quotehartfordauto.com today. frodoers don't stop. wake up, every day is a chance to do something great. and for the ones they love, they'd do anything. sears optical has glasses made for doing. right now, buy one pair and get another free. quality eyewear for doers. sears optical. and i quit smoking with i'm chantix. i decided to take chantix to shut everybody else up about me quitting smoking. i was going to give it a try, but i didn't really think it was going to really happen. after one week of chantix,

i knew i could quit. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. chantix definitely helped reduce my 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 you 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-affect is nausea. being a non-smoker feels great. ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. i've won some, i've lost

some. >> one of the differences between the secretary and i is, i'm not quite so aggressive with regard to regime change. >> i am not a natural politician, in case you haven't noticed, like my husband or president obama. >> i think i said it many months before she said it. but thanks for copying a very good idea. >> if you get indicted, will you pull out? >> goodness, that's not going to happen. i'm not even answering that question. >> we're back live here in st. petersburg, florida. an intense debate last night down in miami with both candidates on the democratic side trying to score points ahead of the next primaries. hillary clinton and bernie sanders are both all over the state of florida today. clinton started the day here and then she heads to north carolina and illinois. senator sanders is holding three events here in florida. he just wrapped up a rally in gainesville, a short time ago. >> as of today, we have already won nine states.

and we just pulled off a major upset in michigan the other day. and on tuesday, we've got five states coming up, including florida. if you guys come out to vote, we're going to pull off an upset here as well. >> and hillary clinton just finished a get out the vote event just across the bridge from here in tampa, florida, where she focused on jobs and infrastructure. >> right here in tampa, in front of the mayor, i want to tell you, if i'm your president, we're going to make investments in this port. we're going to go back and look at high speed rail. [ cheering ] >> we're going to do everything we can to create more good jobs. >> polling out of florida on the democratic side, anything but close at this point. a new cnn opinion research poll shows clinton leading sanders by

27 points here. let's turn to msnbc's kasie hunt. she's traveling with the sanders campaign from gainesville, florida over to kissimmee on the florida turnpike. how are you doing? >> reporter: hey, kate, we are, as you say, en route from one rally to the next, in what's set to be a packed day for bernie sanders in florida, a little bit of a change in how his strategy operated to this point. this is a state that they don't expect to win. they had briefly been making sure he was exchange in places where they at least thought he had a chance to pull out a victory. being here, they say, is more about delegates, trying to make sure that the margin between him and hillary clinton is not terribly wide, so that she doesn't rack up a large additional delegate margin here. but heading into tuesday, they feel pretty good about states like ohio, illinois, missouri. it is going to be a real test for the clinton campaign as to whether or not what happened in

michigan repeats itself in some of those midwestern states. but it still could be a pretty tough night for bernie sanders. and they're really relying on states that don't come until later in the calendar. for now, he raised $5 million in just over 24 hours after winning michigan. so they have plenty of cash to keep going, kate. >> kasie hunt, on the bus, going on to the next stop. thanks for checking in. we're five days away from the primary in florida. coming up, which candidate do nascar fans think will be waving the checkered flag? that and more coming up from st. petersburg, florida. it takes a lot of work... to run this business.

i'm on the move all day long... and sometimes, i just don't eat the way i should. so i drink boost to get the nutrition that i'm missing. boost complete nutritional drink has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to support strong bones and 10 grams of protein to help maintain muscle. all with a great taste. i don't plan on slowing down any time soon. stay strong. stay active with boost. now try new boost® compact and 100 calories. that's why i run on quickbooks. details. i use the payments app to accept credit cards... ...and everything autosyncs. those sales prove my sustainable designs are better for the environment and my bottom line. that's how i own it.

this is lloyd. to prove to you that the better choice for him is aleve. he's agreed to give it up. ok, but i have 30 acres to cover by sundown. we'll be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. yeah, i was ok, but after lunch my knee started hurting again so... more pills. yep... another pill stop. can i get my aleve back yet? for my pain... i want my aleve. get all day minor arthritis pain relief with an easy open cap.

donald trump has my vote. let's bring greatly needed jobs back to this country. and build that wall. >> if you're a fan, you know that that was retired nascar driver mark martin at a trump rally earlier this week. brian france, the ceo of nascar, personally endorsed donald trump as well. he's caught a lot of flack for that. trump is going after so-called nascar dads. joining me now is tony dekopel, at the racing hall of fame. >> reporter: hey, kate. racing is a near-religion in the

south. this is a north carolina racing hall of fame. for decades candidates have made a pitch to voters. this was on the road and george h.w. bush was looking for office. his son, george w., dominated the nascar vote in 2000 and 2004. who is going to take the checkered flag among this group of candidates? donald has the endorsement, but it's not yet clear whether everyday racing fans support him. take a listen. which candidates stand out to you in 2016? >> actually none of them, really. >> reporter: how come? >> trump's a bully. hillary's got questionable stuff going on in her background. if it comes down to trump versus hillary, i have to vote for hillary. >> reporter: really?

>> yes, i was a republican but not anymore. >> my vote would be for donald trump. >> reporter: can you imagine donald trump coming down here and taking out a go cart? >> sure. why not? he built a golf course here, they have a fireworks show there every year. >> reporter: who do you like in this campaign? >> trump. i keep telling myself that i'm kind of scared of him. but then again, i kind of think that's what we need. >> reporter: hey, kate. brian france, the ceo of nascar, clarifying in a statement to the ap yesterday that it's a personal endorsement of donald trump, it does not represent nascar's position, kate. >> all right, tony, thanks so much. ahead of tuesday's republican primary in missouri, donald trump will be holding a rally in downtown st. louis on friday, which is of course not far from the city of ferguson, where some residents are blasting trump's campaign as divisive and racially biased.

msnbc msnbc's jermain lee has more. >> reporter: folks here are nontoo pleased with donald trump's rallies, they've heard of people being attacked and assaulted at his rallies. let's take a listen to what they had to say. >> this is a diner so you get to hear both sides. one thing you hear in common, people want change. >> reporter: what's making this election a little different? >> you know what's making it a little different. trump has made it a little different. he's given people something to talk about. >> i got a public service announcement for most of you guys in here. trump is coming to town, y'all. who going to go see him with me? i have my tickets already. >> reporter: this community has been torn apart by this racial unrest. are you concerned about donald trump coming here to this

community? >> i think it's going to be interesting to see how, you know, the reception is in st. louis. we've got -- you know, i'll be getting popcorn. i won't be attending, that's for sure. >> reporter: why won't you be attending? >> i probably won't be welcome. i'm looking around, i don't see anybody that, you know, that looks like me, that's there, that's not getting harassed or something like that. >> i respect donald trump. he's businessman. there's a lot that could be brought to the table by a businessman. and i respect that. but i think ted cruz would do a better job. >> i just think he's a rowdy rouster. he's a squeaky wheel, speaking the unconscious mind of others. he has enough money and enough big mouth to draw people. and sometimes, you know, i don't know if it's reality tv or reality politics, people like that. >> there's been a lot of anger over the last 18 months, an

anger that has cull minute a mi both sides. there's a lot of frustration, a lot of -- it's very tense for a lot of people to talk about. but we have to have somebody who's going to be able to bring us together. >> reporter: we've seen in other communities that protests have broken out at these trump rallies. i think we should expect the same here. i've talked to a number of activists who say they plan to attend that rally outside and perhaps inside, to make some noise, make their voices heard. we've also seen other rallies where donald trump kind of sics the audience on protestors. it's yet to be seen what will happen here. we'll be waiting and watching, kate. >> all right, jermain lee, that told you thanks so much. ohio governor john kasich is holding rallies across ohio this

weekend, hoping to breathe new life into his campaign. one of his key messages is about jobs. jacob soboroff is in euclid, ohio. >> reporter: hey, kate. just like you said, john kasich is stressing job creation during his tenure as governor as a reason to vote for him for president. but 165,000 jobs have been lost during the great recession there. i talked to one gentleman who will be losing his job next month. take a look at this. >> this big empty lot used to be a business called lake shore chevrolet. >> reporter: we're talking a long time ago? >> just recently, they closed down probably within the last three or four years. >> reporter: is seeing something like this happen unusual for this area? >> no. >> reporter: and this is your neighborhood. >> this is my neighborhood. >> reporter: at one point the houses in this neighborhood went for how much? >> about 145. >> reporter: $145,000? >> $145,000.

>> reporter: and what do you say they are worth now? >> my house recently appraised, and several others in this neighborhood, for 50 to $52,000. >> reporter: here is your house. >> yes. >> reporter: do you mean if we take a look at where you work? >> no, let's take a ride. as you can tell, a lot of the storefronts are empty. and it's because of the local economy in this area. ice cream shops that are closed. >> reporter: closed. >> closed. closed. >> reporter: wow. and so what's going on over at cleveland range? >> we're closing. >> reporter: and now they're closing it and moving to canada? >> moving to canada. american workforce going to canada. >> reporter: how many people work here? >> we had over 20020 at one tim >> reporter: and how many people are losing their jobs? >> about 170. >> reporter: so out of the 200, almost everybody.

>> almost everyone will be gone. >> reporter: how do you stop this from happening? >> that's the million dollar question. we as americans need to get out and cast a vote to bring the jobs back to america. that's going to start at our local voting booths. >> reporter: can i tell you something? that kind of sounds like donald trump. >> donald trump is a billionaire businessman. >> reporter: a year from now, what's this place going to look like? >> closed. desolate. boarded up. >> reporter: kate, when you look at the guy like andrew, he says he's supporting hillary clinton, he used the term "union buster" for john kasich. kasich hopes voters will support him here on tuesday. back to you. >> jacob soboroff in ohio, thanks so much. coming up, would you

consider any of the 2016 candidates a political genius? what a presidential historian says they could learn from fdr. and they might want to listen. he's correctly predicted who the president would be in every cycle since 1984, part of the 92nd street y's seven days of genius. we'll explain, straight ahead. at angie's list, we guarantee a fair price, quality service, and that what goes down doesn't always come back up. ♪ [ toilet flushes ] ♪ so when you need a plumber, we can help you get the job done right, guaranteed. get started today at angie's list, because your home is where our heart is.

with extraordinary offersmance on the stylish, all-new rx... and the dynamic nx. ♪ this is the pursuit of perfection.

i am totally blind. i lost my sight in afghanistan. you may also be struggling with non-24., calling 844-844-2424. or visit my24info.com. whewhat does it look like?ss,

is it becoming a better professor by being a more adventurous student? is it one day giving your daughter the opportunity she deserves? is it finally witnessing all the artistic wonders of the natural world? whatever your definition of success is, helping you pursue it, is ours. t-i-a-a. for the second year in a row, msnbc is teaming up with the 92nd street y to celebrate our series, "seven days of genius." it's a series of inspiring conversations with leaders in the fields of politics, innovation and science, conversations focusing on the transformative power of genius to change the world for a better. today we're looking at political

geniuses during a presidential campaign cycle that's seen establishment candidates shocked by outsiders. you have to wonder what makes a genius political candidate. our genius analysis comes today from alan lickman, he's laughing all right, distinguished professor of american history. nice to see you, thanks for being with us. >> my pleasure. >> i have to ask about this field and this election. you've got donald trump, who very few expected would be where he is right now. bernie sanders is shaking things up on the other side, keeping hillary clinton on her heels. are any of them or the other four candidates considered a genius in your view? >> i would certainly consider bernie sanders a surprise political genius. this guy wasn't even a democrat until he started running for president. he was an independent. he's a self-avowed socialist. he was at 3% in the polls. and now he's giving hillary clinton a real contest for the

nomination. why? what did he perceive? he perceived two things. the yearning in part of the democratic base for real authenticity, not for the carefully shaped political image. and secondly, he perceived the yearning for what he calls the political revolution. real fundamental, not incremental change. and that catapulted him from 3% to contender. >> here is the irony, kate. the ultimate beneficiary of his genius may well be the republican party, because the party holding the white house usually loses when they have a major contest for their nomination. the last time the party holding the white house survived a big blowup for the nomination was 1880 and james garfield. >> i was going to ask you about history. who would you pick as biggest political genius among their

predecessor t predecessors? >> i would have to pick franklin roosevelt. his political genius consisted of his perception of the weakness of the status status q. his perception of what needed to be done to change it and his courage it act upon these con vicks. franklin roosevelt understood that old democratic party, party of limited government and states rights was dead, destroyed, along with republican by the great depression. and he remained the democratic party fundamentally as the party of governmental activism. he completely reshaped the relationship between the government and individual. the government and business. the government and the economy. he created an entirely new and powerful political coalition of african-americans who had previously been -- labor became the base of the democratic party and ironically white southerners

and he held together that strange amalgum for a very long time. and let's not forget he also pioneered with his fire side chats. something another political genius, ronald reagan, did so effectively direct communication with the people of america. >> fascinating to talk with you. that's alan liktman. thank you very much. more on the seven-days in genius and your ability to participate in the ultimate genius showdown, we do have breaking news to report. we just learned that a man at a donald trump rally has been charged for punching a protester in the face. the incident was caught on multiple cell phones and cameras. at the rally in fayetteville, north carolina. joining me now by phone.

nbc news campaign alley vatalli, can you walk us through what we know happened? >> reporter: hey, kate, yeah, this is in north carolina, in fayetteville like you said, and we have been seeing more and more protesters. the rallies have been tense but in the last few weeks we have seen more and more frequency too. big groups and more frequency and groups of protesters standing up whether it be for black lives matter or generally what they consider peaceful rhetoric. this has been on the trail the past few weeks. but trump's rhetoric is something that's always been questionable. in las vegas he said himself he wanted to punch a protester who interrupted. in vermont he said to put the protesters outside with their coats on. that's in the dead of winter. and in iowa an incident where someone through tomatoes at him and in subsequent events he said that protesters that the crowd

sees should knock the protesters out. and he would pay their legal fees. now that someone could be incurring legal fees, the question is, is that something he plans to follow through on. i reached out to the campaign, to the campaign on this and not yet heard back. but of course this is something that has been bubbling at the edges of these rallies. and kind of coming to fruition of this harsh rhetoric, ha harkening back to the old days when trump could be rougher, if you were law enforcement or someone else in the crowd. did is extremely unfortunate but not surprising to see these things happen at these rallies. >> i want to talk here because we're looking at video, i don't know if you can see it, but i want to tell viewers that the man you saw on the ground a few frames ago is the one who was punched by another supporter. presumely a supporter of donald trump. so in other word a protester, a

protester was thering with and someone in the crowd supportive of donald trump punched the man. charged with assault and battery and disorderly conduct after all of this happened. this is last night at donald trump rally at the crown coliseum in fayetteville. alley, to be clear, you didn't see this happen, i presume, but heard about it after? >> reporter: right. this happened way toward the back of the arena. if you look at the way things are set up. this is behind the press riser and further back. closer to the exit and closer to -- it is a stadium set-up, so once you walk up the stairs, this is where it happened on one of the landings and pretty far from where we were sitting. just to give you a sense of what happened, people will pop up, they begin protesting, hold up a sign, start cheering or shouting something and the protocol at these rallierallies, and there announcement at the top of each

rally, and they say this is peaceful and people yell trump, trump, trump. and sometimes there are protesters. and this man, protester being escorted without law enforcement which is typical for the rallies when there is a protest and the man, mcgraw, punched the protester in the face. so the jessiesescalation of vio, this is shoving and definitely an escalation. >> all right, our campaign person who follows the trump campaign from stop to stop. we will try to get more information about their reaction it this video. again we are seeing it for the first time here. again this is from last night in north carolina where apparently there was an altercation between two people in the crowd, one a supporter of donald trump, who apparently allegedly punched someone who was a protester in

the crowd. that is going to do it no are us this hour. but we are back here with more at 3:00 eastern. i'll be here in st. petersburg. come down and join us. chris jansing picks up next from ohio. americans. we're living longer than ever. as we age, certain nutrients become especially important. from the makers of one a day fifty-plus.

one a day proactive sixty-five plus. with high potency vitamin b12 and more vitamin d.

hello, everyone. i'm chris jansing coming to you live from grand view heights in suburban columbus, ohio. we're here at our unofficial campaign headquarters. stauc's coffee headquarters. democrats now look poised for a long slog after bernie sanders huge upset victory in michigan brought limb momentum and money which raised the stakes for last night's final debate before super tuesday too. sanders and hillary clinton swinging hard on stage and today on the trail. >> i am opposed to every one of

these disastrous trade agreements which cost us billions of descent paying jobs. secretary clinton has supported almost all of them. >> people ask me all the time, well who do i want to run against. that's not for me to decide. but given what they all said, i will take any one of them. >> meantime on the republican side, donald trump could shut down both rubio and kasich on tuesday. republicans critical final debate before tuesday's voting is tonight. will it be a slug fest or is this the point in the campaign where looking and sounding presidential matters? here in ohio, the big story is kasich. ahead here, in a new fox poll, 34 to 29% over donald trump. that's a switch from two other polls we talked about just yesterday. tonight kasich meets with jeb bush who still has a lot of friends. by friend, that includes donors, in high places. then there's this. our new nbc wall street journal

poll. tracking voters' feelings about the candidates. most of the results not so good. although kasich has the highest net positives of candidates on either side. trump on the other hand has the lowest in the history of these polls. at the same time, trump finds himself in hot water again for remarks about islam. >> i think islam hates us. there's something -- something there that is a tremendous hatred there. a tremendous hatred. >> so that's another opening for the opposition. including president obama today at the white house. >> what you're seeing within the republican party is creating an environment where somebody like a donald trump can thrive. >> from florida to michigan, our nbc is covering it all today. let's start with the backlash against the donald trump comments about islam rejust played for you. in a couple of hours, council on

american-islamic relation says going to hold a news conference demanding an apology. nbc keri sanders is in coral gables and in advance of tonight's debate. trump says he thinks tonight is a softer debate. but if what he said about islam is any indication, i don't think that's going to happen. what can you tell us in light of those comments? >> yeah, i just don't think it's going to happen. because there's going to be everybody from the moderates to other candidates who will somehow bring this up and focus on it. care is going to hold that news conference. i have already spoken to a representative earlier today. specifically let's talk about the state of florida. there are about 500,000 muslims in the state here. down here in south florida which is down in coral gables, the miami area, where the debate will take place. there are about 40 mosques and schools in the area. there is a sizeable population

a and care believes there will be people at the polls voting against him. but at the same time, there are many supporters, whom i've met along the way, who say yes at times donald trump says things that are politically incorrect and at times they feel he steps over the line, but they also say that they have -- he has their rock solid support and they are staying with him. so he is going back in many ways to what he said. he could shoot someone on fifth avenue in new york and he would still have the support. he has this base of support that continues to grow and we will see in florida whether polls hold out that he has that sort of support that can take him over the line here. 99 delegates up. at the same time, this 99 delegate winner takes all, we also have a case of the republican governor here in this state. that's republican governor rick scott. he has been rumored possibly down the line to become a vice presidential candidate. so he was on msnbc this morning on morning joe and was asked specifically about these questions about what donald trump had it say and he sort of

dodged the question repeatedly. let's listen to a portion of that now. >> i'm just asking generally, do you think that muslims hate americans? that islam hates america? as donald trump said last night. >> well i can tell you what is going on in florida, we have all -- >> no, no, no -- >> i know what's going on in florida -- no, no. i want to know what is going on in your head, governor. we're friends. i want you to answer the question. do you personally think that islam is a religion that hates america? >> so joe, what i can tell you in our state, is we have a lot of muslims that live in our state -- >> wrap it. >> so chris, that was sort of a nonanswer. >> nbc's kerry sanders, thank you very much. that is getting alot of attention today. i will bring in nbc's al

ali vatalli to talk about more, about a protester being arrested, being escorted out of a trump rally. this supporters punched by someone at the rally. what happened there? >> reporter: we see an uptick in the number of protests and frequency during the rallies with which they happen. this is a little bit more of an intense environment. recently, there has been an uptick in their number. another thing that to be considered here is that trump's rhetoric on this has been questionable in the past. in las vegas, for example, a protester interrupted and he said he wanted to punch that protester in the face. at another juncture he told people he would pay their legal

fees, that was in iowa in january. he often during protest references the old days when police and other people could have been rougher with protesters when escorting them out. that's the standard practice here. whoever protests or interrupts during the rallies, they stand up, show a sign, and then law enforcement will come over to them and escort them out. there is a certain degree of jeering and of banter back and forth with the other attendees, trump supporters in the crowd. obviously cheering on their candidate. but we have seen increased violence in that too. we see tra trump supporters will take signs and rip them and the crowd will go wild when seeing that happen. more showing allegiance for the people they think should be president of the united states. his rhetoric is matching this. it is not that he says he condones this behavior but he isn't saying he wants it to happen either. last night seems to be a coming to fruition of this intensity we see building on the trail

obviously escalating to annual physical altercation, ending in some allegations and some assault and battery charges as well. >> nbc's ali vitali, thank you for that. meantime, cruz picking up his first endorsement. a crucial assist on the 21-hour filibuster. he went after the affordable care act on the eve after government shut down. well, now there are several reports that the gop establishment who have bristled at cruz and his record in the senate now they are looking at coming to terms with rallying behind the candidate. and a last-ditch effort to defeat donald trump. part of that effort may include this meeting that will go on between the debate between former governor and presidential candidate jeb bush. arguably no one has more at stake tonight that marco rubio.

he previously said that winner of tuesday's florida primary will be the party's nominee. but a new fox news poll has him in what seems to be an unsurmountable hold with five days to go. donald trump leads not just by double digits but you see it here, double rubio support. you ne that saying a picture paints a how is words? check this out. hialeah last night. few hundred people showed up for rubio. in a stadium that holds thousands. that was a scene described in local press as depressing and devastating. so now he is acknowledging also that going into attack mode against donald trump, including the crude remark about trump's hands was a mistake. >> in terms of things that have to do with personal stuff. yeah. at the end of the day, that's not something i'm entirely proud of. my kids were embarrassed by it. if i today do had to do it agai wouldn't. but not on the other charges,

not on the other things. >> florida, following rubio campaign, this begs the question, if we're going to see a more subdued rubio tonight, what's the strategy? >> hi, chris. good afternoon. as you mentioned, marco rubio needs a huge night. his campaign is staked on florida. i think we will see a slightly more subdued marco rubio in the sense that there will be no personal attacks against donald trump. but expect him to still continue to go after donald trump on policy. if you recall, several weeks ago, criticism against rubio is he wasn't going after donald trump at all. then he had what many people considered to be a good debate in houston. over the next few days, however, when his comments got to the school yard level. to the low blows. as you heard there, chris, he says he regrets it at this time because it embarrassed his kids. >> and rubio was the first of three remaining candidates. cruz and kasich being the others to meet with his old friend, jeb bush. do we know anything about that

meeting? >> chris, rubio did meet with jeb bush yesterday and he said that he spoke with him as someone that has spoken with an old friend. they have known each other for 20 years. but they didn't get into details of any private conversations. the gop operatives i spoke with in tallahassee say they think at this point it is very unlikely that jeb bush would endorse marco rubio or anyone else for that matter. it is a real question to see whether the former governor of this state, who still carries a lot of weight within the state, but at the same time, there is an argument to be made of how much does the endorsement make as donald trump as you mentioned, 23 points ahead in the latest fox news poll. it is hard to see whether jeb bush's endorsement will make any difference. chris? >> nbc's gabe gutierrez ahead of that debate if florida. thank you so much. when we come back, bernie sanders and hillary clinton take their late night campaign fire on the trail in florida where both are taking aim at donald trump. we will take you there live,

next. but first, a look at today's microsoft pulse question of the day. is the gop heading toward a contested convention? take a look at results so far and keep voting at pulse.msnbc.com. and we'll be right back. ♪ she wants to change the world with you. ♪ ♪ she can program jet engines to talk and such. ♪ ♪ her biggest weakness is she cares too much. ♪ thank you. my friend really wants a job at ge. mine too. ♪ i'm a wise elf from a far off shire. ♪ and sanjay patel is who you should hire. ♪ thank you. seriously though, stacy went to a great school and she's really loyal. you should give her a shot. sanjay's a team player and uh... this just got interesting. why pause to take a pill? or stop to find a bathroom? cialis for daily use is approved to treat both erectile dysfunction and the urinary symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently, day or night. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain,

or adempas for pulmonary hypertension, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any symptoms of an allergic reaction, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis and a $200 savings card stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. (dog) mmm, beneful healthy weand low-calorie... keeps me looking good. hey, i get some looks, i hear the whistles. (vo) beneful healthy weight, a delicious, low-calorie meal your dog will love. with wholesome rice, real chicken, and accents of vegetables and apples. this is lloyd. to prove to you that the better choice for him is aleve. he's agreed to give it up. ok, but i have 30 acres to cover by sundown. we'll be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. yeah, i was ok, but after lunch my knee started hurting again so... more pills. yep...

another pill stop. can i get my aleve back yet? for my pain... i want my aleve. get all day minor arthritis pain relief with an easy open cap.

clinton and bernie sanders probably isn't going to end any time soon. a long democratic contest looking more and more likely after sanders upset victory in michigan bringing him both money and momentum. this is from the wall street journal. quote, a long contest costs a lot of money and she, clinton, will have to guard against mr. sanders' attempts to press her to embrace his more liberal positions.

which the clinton campaign worries will hurt her in the general election. so she's out campaigning hard today making stops in three different states. florida, north carolina and illinois. ahead of those primaries on tuesday. moments ago, she turned her attention to the general election. >> i want to be a really strong candidate to take my vision and our views into a general election against whoever the republicans nominate. people ask me all the time, who do i want to run against? that's not for me to decide. but given what they've all said, i will take any one of them. >> and just this morning we got truly astonishing numbers from bernie sanders. following his upset victory over hillary clinton in michigan, check this out, the campaign raised more than $5 million. that's just from the time the polls closed through midnight. more evidence sanders will have the money it keep the race going

as long as he wants. today he is focussing on florida making three stops in that state today. at his rally this morning at university of florida, he used his big money haul as a selling point. >> to paraphrase, abe lincoln at gettysburg, this is a campaign of the people by the people, and for the people. nbc's casey hunt is on route it florida. ahead of his route there next hour. this michigan win, obviously huge. how much, casey, has this boldened his campaign to make him think he has a real shot in ohio as well as illinois. >> hey, chris. this came as a surprise even to sanders' advisors. they knew it was closer than it turned out to be. but surprised at how strong he pushed over the finish line.

it has given them a sense that they can push through what they see as a difficult period here next week on march 15th. but like you say, with some openings, particularly in illinois and ohio. ohio has a closed prior mayry. which is different than michigan. could be harder for them seeing as they win independence by such a wide margin. after tuesday they feel like there are are a lot of states that are friendlier territory for him. i have to tell you, chris, what secretary clinton had to say about that rally talking about the general election, pushing forward, is not necessary lit best way it get the sanders campaign to kind of back off. sanders himself gets very frustrated with this idea he should drop out. believes strongly that barack obama was a better candidate because hillary clinton ran against him until june. and doesn't want to be dismissed and so supporters giving him small donations adding up into the millions, only keeps that going. chris? >> yeah. i mean, not only did he raise

big bucks after michigan, his per person donation average leaves room for those folks to come back and give more time and again. >> his average donation has become a call and response line on the stump. he will say i have my average donation of $27. the upshot of that of course is they are nowhere near the legal limb to the campaign. secretary clinton has far more donors who can't give her any more money. but he can continue going back and tapping that donor base. so far we haven't seen the ceiling. they are also willing to defend him, i would say, times seeing him struggle, still giving money, saying we want to help push you forward. regard lusless of the fact you haven't done well, these victories have an even greater

affect, chris. >> kasie hunt, thank you so much. is economic realities are the reason he thinks he will resonate in ohio. we will look at thie economic shift that can pave the way, not just for bernie sanders, but also for donald trump. did you know ohio was the first place for the all-american favorite foot, the hot dog. stevens, first selling his invention here in the early 1900s. we'll be right back.

hey sweetie, it's time. ♪ eye of the tiger tv anncr: good afternoon everyone. morning rituals are special. when you share what you love... ...with who you love. kellogg's frosted flakes. they're grrreat! defiance is in our bones. citracal pearls. delicious berries and cream. soft, chewable, calcium plus vitamin d.

only from citracal. jack knocked over a candlestick, onto the shag carpeting... ...and his pants ignited into flames, causing him to stop, drop and roll. luckily jack recently had geico help him with renters insurance. because all his belongings went up in flames. jack got full replacement and now has new pants he ordered from banana republic. visit geico.com and see how affordable renters insurance can be. we are back in columbus, as a state struggling to get back from the recession, fewer jobs than in 2000 and households earn less pay than the national average as well.

but governor kasich have ads playing throughout the state. >> together in the face of the national recession, we turned ohio around. we challenged the old way of doing business. we balanced budget. delivered the largest tax cut and created over 400,000 new jobs. >> objectively what is the state of ohio's economy? nbc nbc's jacob has talked to a lot of folks. my dad worked in a factory. tell me what you hear as you hit the road in cleveland. or near cleveland, i should say. >> it is so interesting to hear about your dad and you don't really have to hear it. all you have to do is see it and look out the window of the car i'm driving right now. the tax base decimated door after door, shop after shop. closed in this town. that's because of manufacturing

industry in this town and that sector has been hit very hard. one gentleman who lives in town not far from where i'm driving right now, andrew jackson, about to lose his job this coming month. >> used to be lakeshore chevrolet. closed down within the last three or four years. >> is something like this unusual for this area? >> no. >> this is your neighborhood? >> this is my neighborhood. >> at one point houses went for about how much? >> about 145. >> $145,000? >> $145,000. >> what would you say they are worth now? >> my house recently appraised and several others in this neighborhood for 50 to $52,000. >> here's your house? >> yes. >> you mind if we take a look at where you work? >> no. let's take a ride. >> as can you tell, a lot of the storefront are empty. and it is because of the local

economy in this area. ice cream shops that are closed. closed. closed. >> wow. >> and so, what's going on over at cleveland range? >> well, we're closing. >> now they are just closing and moving to canada? >> moving to canada. american work force going to canada. >> how many people work here? >> we had over 200 at one time. >> how many are losing their jobs? >> about 170 people are losing their jobs. >> whoa. so out of the 2 00, almost everybody. >> almost everyone will be gone. >> how do you stop this from happening? >> that's the million dollar question. we as americans need to cast the vote to bring jobs back to america but that will start at our local voting booth. >> can i tell you something? >> yes. >> it kind of sound like donald

trump. >> donald trump is a billionaire businessman. >> a year from now -- >> yes. >> what what is it going to look like? >> closed. december late. boarded up. >> since the great recession, chris, 165,000 jobs were lost in the manufacturing sector in ohio. jorge posada kasich touts job improvement in our sector. 50,000 jobs added back but people are still unhappy with the government here. particularly from united auto workers, they are supporting hillary clinton. some hinted, though won't say outright, they will support donald trump when everyone votes tuesday. chris? >> msnbc's jacob is on the road for us. thank you, jacob. coming up, kasich takes on trump before voters go to the poll tuesday. will he take the gloves off?

we have our hometown expert assembled next. you're watching msnbc live from the great state of ohio. you're watching the place for politics. tomorrow srts today. all across the state, the economy is growing, with creative new business incentives, and the lowest taxes in decades, attracting the talent and companies of tomorrow. like in buffalo, where the largest solar gigafactory in the western hemisphere will soon energize the world. and in syracuse, where imagination is in production. let us help grow your company's tomorrow - today - at business.ny.gov at ally bank, no branches equals great rates. it's a fact. kind of like social media equals anti-social. hey guys, i want you to meet my fiancée, denise. hey. good to meet you dennis. as we age, certainutrients longer than ever. become especially important.

from the makers of one a day fifty-plus. one a day proactive sixty-five plus. with high potency vitamin b12

and more vitamin d. whewhat does it look like?ss, is it becoming a better professor by being a more adventurous student? is it one day giving your daughter the opportunity she deserves? is it finally witnessing all the artistic wonders of the natural world?

whatever your definition of success is, helping you pursue it, is ours. t-i-a-a. donald trump is under fire again. this time for inflammatory new comments on islam. he has gotten criticism for his proposal to ban all muslims from entering the united states. now he's arguing, it's difficult to figure out the difference between islam the religion and islamic radical terrorists. >> do you think islam is at war with the west? >> i think islam hates us. there is something -- there is something there that is a tremendous hatred there. a tremendous hatred. we have to get to the bottom of it. we have to be very vigilant. we have to be very careful. we can't allow people coming into this country who have this hatred of the united states. and of people that are not

muslim. >> is there a war twoon the west and radical islam and the west and islam -- >> it is hard to separate because you don't know who's who. >> ken blackwell is ohio's former secretary of state and state treasurer and senior spokesperson for the anti-trump group. good to see you, thanks for joining us. >> good to be with you. >> this kind of rhetoric with trump, poll show americans agree with trump on banning muslims. will something like this matter? >> real conservatives will defend one's constitutional right to be theologically wrong. but it is very clear that we are at war with radical islamic jihadists and these are folks

who want to do us, you know, badly. so look, you can speak the truth about really going after jihadists and not apologizing for the fact that they have twisted and turned islam. they have moderate muslims to take a stand and to create a clear separation of the religion of islam from the radical islamist jihadist. now that being said, i think that donald trump is going to have another problem. as we dig deeper and deeper into this election, what people are concerned about is that he's going to be a third term of barack obama on third term constitutional governance. i wrote a book in 2010 that dealt with the imperial

presidency that barack obama was shaping. every indication is that donald trump would in fact be an imperial president. he would trample on the constitution. from property rights to -- you name it. as a consequence, donald trump would in fact be a threat to -- an skesten shl threat to conservatism and -- >> you can make that argument, you can make that argument, you he is winning. he had a spectacular night on soup auper tuesday by all measu. you have five days to try it stop it. >> look, chris. donald trump and remaining candidates are in a contest. every indication would suggest that governor kasich is going to take ohio. the question is, who will get -- or will anyone get to 1237 in

terms of the number of delegates needed to win the nomination outright. i'm telling you right now that i don't think that that is the case. and i think we are headed towards a contestant process in cleefland, ohio and it's going to be transparent. it's going to be fair. but a contest. no one will see this nomination to anyone. let alone donald trump. that's where we are. a clean political process. tough but things will come out in the wash in the remaining weeks that will give voters a clear indication of who is the best choice to put the harness back on big government and give free markets free men and free women and opportunity to put us back on the bath of growth and prosperity and at the same time defend our borders and national security.

>> former ohio secretary of state ken blackwell, thanks so much for coming on the program. now i want to bring in two ohio party chairmen, heading the republican party here in ohio. david is the democratic chair. matt, let me start with you. you heard what ken blackwell just said. there a new poll out that denies what other polls have been saying p. now john kasich is ahead. >> yeah. >> do you think he could pull out a win here? >> yeah. i think john kasich will pull out a win here. i think we are the only ones running a a campaign on the republican side. ted cruz and marco rubio have been completely absent. all of the things we've been doing to help john kasich, we have been voting here in ohio for over three weeks. he has been banking a lot of votes during the -- >> you're not worried if he is on this trajectory, it that he says he is, that will votes will go the other way as two or three weeks ago.

>> you will see kasich peaks in the end. he did in new hampshire. did again in michigan. his trend is only going up. i think that will help a lot. after we banked a lot of votes in the voting period. >> very different side, where you see hillary clinton with a huge win over bernie sanders. but he thinks with what happened in michigan, that he has a chance in ohio, illinois. in fact the wall street journal calls what happened in michigan one of the more remarkable political upsets since the dawn of polling. could bernie sanders pull off another shocker here? >> i think we have known for a while that ohio would be tight. they will be tight. both candidates are spending time here. they will be here multiple times through tuesday. i think we will see a lot of the same issues around economics and trade and i think it'll be a close race. but that's not a surprise for ohio. that's generally what we see. >> is ohio about the economy or is it, as we've seen in much of the rest of the country about this anti-washington throw out the bums kind of sentiment? >> i think both. in the end of the day, i think

ohio is thinking about their pocket books. who will lift wages. who will bring back manufacturing jobs. who is for trade that actually doesn't undermine community as we've seen over decades. as we see, democrats at least voting with their pocket books. >> not one of the things out there that people say, this is why it's been such an unpredictable year. with cross-over votes. talk about that. >>. >> we are seeing a lot of democrats voting in the republican primary. you see that with our absentee request. let's not forget, john kasich is someone who won some of the really most democratic parts of the state. >> democrats who want to vote against trump. we should be clear, right? do you think? >> there may be democrats that want to vote against donald trump as well. having to impact the dynamic across the spectrum but one that could help john kasich win here. >> matt, david, good to have you both here. good luck tuesday. thank you so much. with nothing less than the nomination hanging in the

balance, here is the take on john kasich's chances by "the columbus dispatch." you hear people hanging off balance cannies. hear crowds well over 500 and the thought naturally arises, john kasich might have a chance. then the fact hits home he is 0 for 24 in caucuses and delegate total is fraction of the other three gop candidates. here in michigan and in michigan the state where he just mounted an extensive effort he wound up third. so the thought becomes, this guy has no chance. which is it? one sure sign of kasich's growing strength, donald trump launching a new line of attacks again the popular ohio governor, just last night. >> we have ohio where you have an absentee governor. absentee. and we will have -- i think we are going to do great in ohio. >> joining me now onset, darryl

rolland who just wrote that article that i quited. which is it? does kasich have a chance to win the nomination or no? >> chance to win before nomination is an incredibly steep hill. >> virtually no. >> virtually impossible. if he goes to cleveland, that's when he thinks he can make his move. yesterday in illinois, the crowds were almost to the state of fawning about him. hundreds at both events. this is not his home state. if that was in ohio, i might see that. very, very enthusiastic people. >> there is a sense that at some point people will say, we need someone who looks and sounds presidential. he has tried very hard not to waiver. one is i won't get involved in the lower attacks. >> chris, you cover his events. that's exactly what he emphasizes. >> that's what people told you yesterday? >> absolutely.

and he said it himself, during events, i won't get in the gutter. i don't believe in name-calling and mud-slinging and he gets e ovations for doing that. if he wins ohio, what's the road beyond that? >> that really is the question. we saw what happened in michigan. could polling here be so far off? >> i think with governor kasich, we have controversial polling. one has him behind by roughly five and one has him ahead by roughly five. but with the board behind republicans parties, governor kasich, very powerful party. kasich is on the slate cards. going to all of the republicans in ohio. there are built-in advantagees. but donald trump is coming back saturday with a couple of appearances in state too. i'm sure he will draw some good crowds. >> never a dull moment. thank you so much pch great to have you on the program. up next, we check in with

two other states voting on thursday. missouri and north carolina. and a look at microsoft question of the day. is the gop heading towards a contested convention? we will take a look at the results so far and keep voting at pulse.msnbc.com. we'll be right back. ess. windows 10 really helps us get the word out about 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. if you're trying to teach a kid about a proboscis. just sketch it on the screen. i don't have a touch screen on my mac, i'm jealous of that. you put a big bug in a kids hands and change their world view. you have to feel healthy... on the outside ...at your core. trubiotics a probiotic from one a day naturally helps support both your digestive and immune health by combining... ... two types of good bacteria. trubiotics. be true to your health.

hey kevin. hey, fancy seeing you here. uh, i live right over there actually. you've been to my place. no, i wasn't...oh look, you dropped something. it's your resume with a 20 dollar bill taped to it. that's weird. you want to work for ge too. hahaha, what? well we're always looking for developers who are up for big world changing challenges like making planes, trains and hospitals run better. why don't you check your new watch and tell me what time i should be there. oh, i don't hire people. i'm a developer. i'm gonna need monday off. again, not my call.

a north carolina plan is charged with assault and battery and disorderly conduct following a donald trump rally yesterday. check out this video. keep an eye on the protester in the white t-shirt. police say 78-year-old john mcgraw of lin don, north carolina, a trump supporter, punched that protester at the the rally. there will be a rally in st. louis. city of ferguson is nearby. you will remember that is the site of the fiery protests after the death of michael brown.

joining me now, tre main lee. tremane, how worried are folks in missouri? >> if you would imagine a year and a half ago, it was consumed in anger and tear gas and concern from police. and donald trump bringing what many describe as his circus. could that exacerbate, you know, frustration that continues to linger? we've seen time and again kind of a ramping up of violence at the donald trump rallies. couple weeks ago, that young lady shoved through the crowd. then you have a "time" magazine photographer choked out by secret service agents. now you have this gentleman basically sucker punched in the face and then set one tackled by police. the concern is that in this environment where there is still so many unhealed wounds, could this possibly rip the scab off the wound? we dent want to overstate that there will be any violence or

that there will be some sort of response by the police or protesters, but very real concern when people here on the ground, fight willing for justice and an end to state sanctioned violence, that there may be some of that from within the crowd at the trump rally. that's a real concern. based on what folks have seen so far. >> trymaine lee from ferguson. thanks, trymaine. according to wral yorj cano carolina, donald trump is out front by a really wide margin. hillary clinton continues to lead bernie sanders by more than 20 points. msnbc's tony decopel is at auto racing hall of fame in north carolina. we used to talk about soccer

moms. now we talk about nascar dads. i wonder what you are hearing from voters heading into north carolina's primary. >> that's right, chris. this is the heart of racing culture in the south. back when this hornet was on the road, north carolina was a reliably democratic state. it since flipped hard into the republican. there were drivers on the nascar circuit but it is not clear if he has the support of everyday race fans. it find out more we head to the good promotor plat. we want to hear from voters about their opinions of the mogul who is currently out in front. take a look. >> hillary's got some questionable stuff going on in her background. but if this comes out between trump and hillary, i got to vote for hillary. >> really? >> yeah. even though i'm a republican, but not any more. i may be independent now.

>> whole thing eight years ago needed a change. i think it is time to get a change and get away from politicians. my vote is for donald trump. >> chris, polsters tell us those voters are culturally conservative but absolutely crucial, crucial to my campaign that want to finish first on tuesday. george bush and mitt romney dominated in the elections. five days to see who crosses first in 2016. >> i have talked it a lot of voters over the last, i don't know, 11 months. i don't know how many i've heard say i'm a republican voting for hillary. having said that, what the reaction of nascar fans to their leader, i guess, if you want to call him, ceo, making the decision to back trump? >> ceo has had criticism and told associated press, he wasn't familiar with all of the

decisions and new that he has taken a closer look, he said, i don't support his immigration views. so clearly back tracking there. unclear whether he will make a difference with voters. some told us if nascar drivers support donald trump, he is our guy too. >> yes. and the other part is if you love nascar his comment will make you stop loving it. i dent think it'll hurt the franchise. tony from moorsville, good to see you, tony, thank you. >> a lot of our political reporting comes from our nbc campaign. up next, their insights from the trail where they live and eat and breath everyday. you're watching msnbc, the place for politics. it's how i try to live... how i stay active. so i need nutrition... that won't weigh me down. for the nutrition you want without the calories you don't... try boost® 100 calories. each delicious snack size drink gives you... 25 vitamins and minerals and 10 grams of protein.

so it's big in nutrition and small in calories. i'm not about to swim in the slow lane. stay strong. stay active with boost®. i've been blind since birth. i go through periods where it's hard to sleep at night, and stay awake during the day. learn about non-24 by calling 844-844-2424. or visit my24info.com. ♪jake reese, "day to feel alive"♪ ♪jake reese, "day to feel alive"♪

♪jake reese, "day to feel alive"♪

in precedented 2016 presidential election our campaign inbeds have been invaluable. spending months on the road capturing sights and sounds from democratic and republican candidates. among them, danny freeman, on the trail with bernie sanders. let's talk a little bit about this. to be honest, when you started this, people didn't think you would be around this long. give us a little sense of what it's like to be inside that campaign. say tuesday night when he won that upset victory in michigan. >> not only did i think we wouldn't be this competitive this long on the sanders campaign trail but a lot of people on the team didn't think, coming out of michigan, would be able to say they add major upset in that race against hillary clinton. we are in florida, okay, first

rally earlier this morning in gainesville. here is our rally right now they are weighing out. people are still coming out in droves. they are so excited it see bernie sanders and you can bet that that win this michigan certainly helped increase the enthusiasm amongst supporters. i want to talk about that night in particular. when we got to hotel in miami where bernie sanders was going to stay, it was very quiet. he had a rally in miami beforehand. no mention of michigan in that entire speech. all of a sudden we were sitting down, dwindling press, sitting down in the hotel lobby, and a podium flew through the room. carried by one of the campaign staffers. all of a sudden we realized that they were realizing that this might be a victory speech that they would have to set up for. it was very exciting moments to watch and to witness right there in person. as the campaign was realizing themselves what a big victory this may be. but i think that momentum and confidence, you will see throughout now heading into the next couple of contests.

>> all right, thank you so much. alex and jackie are both in florida in advance of the big debate tonight. give us your sort of top memories over the last several days about what it's like to be embedded with these campaigns. >> one of the most fascinating things is to watch marco rubio around some of his endorsers. he's gotten a lot of big names. whenever they come out on the trail with him it sort of lights him up. senator tim scott in south carolina campaigning with him there. that is fun because tim scott is a funny guy. he would crack us and senator rubio up. and also nikki haley, governor there, always lights him up and gives him energy on the trail. she came out with him when he lost his voice because he was getting sick before his final push on super tuesday an sort of took over for him. it is interesting to watch these folks that i think have become his friends after endorsing him.

>> what's it been for you? >> i think chris what's interesting is it hear dani talk about what it is like following the sanders campaign and alex following rubio's campaign, i'm following ted cruz. we don't have a press charter or press bus. i'm doing the best can i to make it stop to stop. sometimes that is seven-hour drives. or four-hour drives. you stop in these towns where candidate don't stop and where i would stop. i stopped down in southern mississippi, a town of 1600, where the eye of hurricane katrina hit. just talking to locals there, sharing the fact that no presidential candidate doesn't come to their town. they don't have a mayor. they have a nonprofit group that tries to provide school supplies for kids. they say that levy system in new orleans pushed a lot of water into their communities and has flooded them when a storm comes through. there are a lot of towns to come and see. it may not be a part of the stump speech per se, but a vice that we hear.

>> i want to say to yvonne, alex, jackie, premarkable work. i wish i could tell you it'll be over soon. but i think you will be on the red a little while longer. that wraps up this hour from grand view height, ohio. i'm chris jansing. i'll be back here at 4:00 eastern. my colleague kate snow picks up next from st. petersburg, florida. you're watching msnbc, the place for politics. d dramatically. it wasn't too long ago it would take two weeks to sequence and analyze a genome. now, we can do a hundred per day. with the microsoft cloud we don't have to build server rooms. we have instant scale. the microsoft cloud is helping us to re-build and re-interpret our business. this cloud helps transform business. this is e microsoft cloud. trust safelite. with safelite's exclusive "on my way text" you'll know exactly when we'll be there.

giving you more time for what matters most. (team sing) ♪safelite repair, safelite replace.♪ in new york state, we believe tomorrow starts today. all across the state, the economy is growing, with creative new business incentives, and the lowest taxes in decades, attracting the talent and companies of tomorrow. like in buffalo, where the largest solar gigafactory in the western hemisphere will soon energize the world. and in syracuse, where imagination is in production. let us help grow your company's tomorrow - today - at business.ny.gov whose long dayis sheldon setting up the news starts with minor arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news. [bassist] two late nights in blew an amp.but good nights. sure,music's why we do this,but it's still our business.

we spend days booking gigs, then we've gotta put in the miles to get there. but it's not without its perks. like seeing our album sales go through the roof enough to finally start paying meg's little brother- i mean,our new tour manager-with real,actual money. we run on quickbooks.that's how we own it. and i quit smoking with chantix. i have smoked for 30 years and by taking chantix, i was able to quit in 3 months and that was amazing. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it absolutely reduced my 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 you 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, orevelop 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-affect is nausea. i can't believe i did it. i quit smoking. ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. i'm kate snow live in st. petersburg, florida, live on campus. you might heard noise before us, they are practicing for the indy grand prix. this summer when republicans and democrats decide on their nominees, we might be looking back at this state of florida as the one that really decided it all. both partiol