south carolina polls unreliable. they are done with landlines and phones and half of the people in south carolina are wireless households. going forward, we have to see if cruz is who i actually am concerned with. if he doesn't do well in south carolina, not necessarily number one, but strong second, he will have trouble in the s.e.c. states. >> the southern states. let's talk about jeb bush for a second. we saw jeb bush trot out his brother in the low country. he had his mother comeampaigning yesterday. he pulled out all the stops in south carolina where his father and brother won. if he does not finish well, what happens? >> he will have to think about getting out. and he needs to persuade his donors he should have a shot in otherwise, it is hard to imagine governor bush can convince his donors. south carolina is a great state for the bush family. he brought in his mom and brother. he was hoping he would get the haley endorsement. that increases the pressure. >> he said he was disappointed by it. he spent almost $1

polls in south carolina are now en. donald trump is expected to win easily there, but for the rest, there's a heated battle to finish in the top three. for democrats, it is nevada. hillary clinton and bernie sanders are virtually in a dead heat there. that state caucuses later today. we have full coverage on both sides this morning, including an interview in the next hour with senator marco rubio. let's start this morning with nbc's hallie jackson covering the race in south carolina. hallie, good morning. >> reporter: hey, craig. we are heading into the final push for the first in the south primary where nearly every candidate has something to prove. this morning on this voting day, it is donald trump raising eyebrows with controversial comments. this morning as republicans blanket the state, the state of play looks like this. donald trump on top, but raising eyebrows at a south carolina rally last night. this time for telling a story about general john pershing to kill a century ago. >> i dipped 50 bullets in pig's blo

even in south carolina today. he is in new england looking ahead to the primaries there. ben carson hoping he can surprise folks in this state. it is still donald trump in the headlines and in the editorial pages this weekend. "the wall street journal" as trump to release the tax returns before super tuesday on march 1st. >> hallie jackson in south carolina. thank you. >>> and to the democrats in the virtual dead heat with hillary clinton and bernie sanders. today is caucus day in the state. what once looked to be an easy race for clinton is now a dog fight. we have nbc's kristen welker with more. >> reporter: sheinelle, good morning. to put this in gambling terms, hillary clinton once had a straight flush here. now the vermont senator will have a winning hand. these caucuses will have an effect for the rest of the country. hillary clinton and bernie sanders making closing arguments in nevada friday night. >> i have a feelings, folks, we're going to make history. tomorrow we're going to win here in nevada. >> we h

the next contest is not south carolina. it's nevada. this is a race that suddenly is very tight there. it's very possible sanders beats her in nevada, too. then that race takes the one in south carolina to a point it now, she has to deal with outside forces she can't control. rumors about michael bloomberg, the former new york city mayor getting in. rumors about joe biden. this is going to be a very difficult three weeks. if the campaign panics at any point, maybe overcorrects, it could be in even worse shape in a month from now. >> rest your voice for a second. we want you to comment on the republican side of things. donald trump topped the latest polls last night. 75 polls heading into the new hampshire primary. voters turned out for him in force on tuesday. nbc national correspondent peter alexander is already in the next battleground state, south carolina. >> good morning. south carolina, where the next primary is ten days away. donald trump likes to boast he's a winner and he proved it in a huge way last night. more than doubling h

south carolina. hallie, good morning. >> reporter: hey, craig. good morning. we are heading into the final push for the first in the south primary where nearly every candidate has something to prove. this morning on this voting day, it is donald trump raising eyebrows with controversial comments. this morning as republicans blanket the state, the state of play looks like this. donald trump on top, but raising eyebrows at a south carolina rally last night. about general john pershing to kill a century ago. >> i dipped 50 bullets in pig's blood and they shot 49 of those people. the 50th person, he said you go back to your people and you tell them what happened. >> reporter: according to the rumor tracking web site snopes.com, there is no evidence it ever happened. trump's comments coming the same day over the remarks on iraq. >> i was against it. >> reporter: after highlighting his position on the iraq war, new interviews suggest something different. war. >> are you for invading iraq? >> i guess so. >>

the polls just opened in south carolina. i'm at a polling place in columbia where folks started to file through. secretary clinton has a double digit lead here. her campaign insists they are not taking any votes for granted. senator sanders is not giving up. still sharply focused on super tuesday. hillary clinton and bernie sanders trying to catch fire at making a series of stops at voters head to the polls. >> let's have a great turnout in south carolina. >> the south carolina primary is personally important to me. >> reporter: and the democratic candidates are sharpening attacks. hillary clinton hitting sanders on guns. >> we need to strip the immunity that the congress voted for, including my opponent, giving gun makers and sellers immunity. >> reporter: and sanders trying to court critical african-american voters here criticized clinton's stance on the death penalty. >> my opponent believes in the death penalty. i do not. >> reporter: the toughest words from rapper killer mike who slapped the term super predators. some s

. 46 counties in south carolina. donald trump won all but three. is his nomination a foregone conclusion at this point, chuck? >> if this were any other republican, that's what we would be talking about this morning. no other republican has won back-to-back like this since 1980 and not become the republican nominee. that's how big and important this win is. look, cruz and rubio have resources. cruz and rubio have paths to the nomination, no doubt about it. but donald trump has the easiest path to the nomination now. the question is, does this stay a three-way race, narrowed down to two? the only question that republicans had about trump now is whether he can win in a one on one. but will we get there in time to test that premise or will he have already racked up enough delegates and enough wins by, say, the end of march that it won't matter anymore? and i think that's what is going to be the next ten days, this sort of fight between cruz and rubio to become the trump alternative, does it sort itself out in time to ac

noticeably emotional moment for finish in south carolina. earlier this week, south carolina governor nikki haley's endorsement of marco rubio signaled how the state's primary would play out. >> i'm disappointed she didn't endorse me. >> reporter: you could say the campaign was in trouble before it even started. his mother famously telling matt lauer in 2013 -- >> there are other people out there that are very qualified and we had enough bushes. >> reporter: bush decided it was his year. >> i'm a candidate for president of the united states of america! >> reporter: until he was upstaged the very next day when donald trump announced his candidacy. which bush didn't consider a serious threat until it was too late. >> one at a time. >> reporter: there were also awkward moments on the trail. >> to get back in the business of creating a more peaceful world. please clap. [ applause ] >> reporter: at first the bush name didn't even appear on his bring in his famous family. >> presidency is a serious job that requires sound judgment. >> i'm thrilled

ted cruz and marco rubio practically tied here in south carolina. john kasich and ben carson finished lowest. but again.. it was jeb bush who announced he's dropping out of the race. bernie sanders already has an event planned for greenville later today. he will hold the event at the bon secours wellness arena in downtown greenville this afternoon... doors will open for the event starting at 3:00 today... and the event is open to the public. if you happen to notice the presence of anderson county deputies and the army national guard...the sheriff's office wants to let you know what's going on.... they'll be out and about in the iva area.... they will be doing a ground search for a murder case....and the army national guard will be there too...to train.... they are not there to search for suspects...or people... there too...to train.... they are not there to search for suspects...or people... a programming note for you... tonight...we'll expand our sunday wyff news 4 at 11 newscast. the 11 o'clock news will be an hour long newscast. hi good sunday mo

in south carolina. >> let's put this thing away and let's make america great again. thank you very much. >> marco rubio edging out ted cruz for second. >> well, now the children of the reagan revolution are ready to assume the mantle of leadership. >> and an emotional jeb bush calls it quits. >> so tonight i am suspending my yeah, yeah. >> while on the democratic side, hillary clinton clinches a much needed win in nevada. >> some may have doubted us, but we never doubted each other. >> bernie sanders promising his supporters that this isn't over. we're live on the campaign trail. >>> breaking overnight, deadly shootings. a horrific scene in michigan as a gunman goes on a rampage. >> 5581 south 9th street, 5581 south 9th street at cracker barrel, shots fired. >> randomly shooting at people for almost five hours, the gunman going to three different locations, killing six people including a father and son. police finally grabbing the man believed to be the shooter. we're live on the scene. >>> what will sh

donald trump with a huge win in south carolina, his second primary win in a row. marco rubio coming in second. ted cruz in third. >> meanwhile, hillary clinton and bernie sanders went into nevada neck and neck but clinton wound up edging sanders by about 6%. >> full coverage just ahead. there is a story breaking now that we want to get to first a terrible scene in kalamazoo, michigan, where a gunman started shooting randomly at people from his car. six people killed so far, including a father and son, while a 14-year-old girl is fighting for her life this hour. nbc's blake mccoy is in kalamazoo with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, craig. this terrifying ordeal began around 6:00 p.m. last night, a shooter rampaging the city of kalamazoo here. three different shooting locations and as you mentioned, among the victims, a 14-year-old girl. a shooting spree that rocked kalamazoo, michigan, began here, just before 6:00 p.m. in the parking lot of this apartment complex. a mother with her three children gunned down. right now she is in serious

carolina this morning. he joins us live for an exclusive "today" show interview. good morning, sir. >> good morning. >> as we just heard, donald trump yesterday, last night down in south carolina making the controversial comments about the general rounding up muslims and what do we make the of sentiment? >> it is bizarre. i'm sure people were offended. i hope people were offended by that. that's not what the united states is about. it is doubtful that ever happened. i never heard that story before. so, look, we're in a very weird year here. people are saying whatever they want in politics today and there seems to be no accountability. we will focus on our message. we will have a debate over this the presidency is a serious job. especially now more than ever. i hope we can focus on the serious aspect of it and not the circus aspect. >> with that said, evangelicals are a large voting block in south carolina. yet, donald trump is leading in the polls. what is your thought on why trump is leading the evangelica

weekend again in south carolina. polls opened about an hour ago for south carolina's democratic primary. voters will choose between hillary clinton and bernie sanders. bill clinton was in south carolina yesterday... campaigning for his wife. voter turnout is not expected to be nearly as high as last weekend's primary on the gop side. we've learned sanders will not even be in the state to watch the results. the polls close its going to be a nice day to be outstide... meteorologist john wendel has the first warn forecast. we are starting the day off with cool temperatures with readings in the upper 20s and lows 30s. we can expect to see mostly sunny skies today, light winds and pleasantly cool temperatures. afternoon readings should be in the mid-50s today with even warmer temperaturesunday and highs e mid-60s. the next chance for iwill eay night dednesday. re confirmed ses of rovirus havepped up in mecklenburg county.. the county's health director says there are several cases at an assisted living facility called the

south carolina gop voters. do you support banning muslims from entering the united states. 74% of folks yesterday said they supported that. what does that tell you, chuck? >> look, i think that donald trump's more in tuney?ith the republican heck tort electorate than angrybody else. not jeb bush or marco rubio or ted cruz. i think that that has been what is probably the -- probably the best explanation for why other publicans have failed where donald trump has succeeded. he has -- dictated the terms of this race. 's been the guy to be the most declarative. toughest talk. dealing with isis or muslims. and that talk has what's animated the republican base.iagain,e think it shows you donald trump's more n tune with where the republican party is than everybody else running. >> that's banning muslims who are not u.s. citizens ep terg the country. >> we'll compaq to you in a moment. >> hillary clinton came out on top in the nevada caucuses on saturday. it's giving her a boost heading into south carolina. but bernie s

voters in nevada and south carolina have spoken. who came out on top and the disappointing finish that ended skies are cloudy this morning with some light snow in parts of northern iowa. temperatures are in the mid to low 30s as you get your

carolina said it well. the demographics and the african-american population, bernie sanders has issues. i know he has one surrogate about the remarks she made 20 years ago. the path seems to have narrowed in the last week or two. >> lots to watch. harold ford jr. and josh barro, thank you. >> nbc is the place to be for super tuesday coverage. join lester holt and savannah guthrie of super tuesday here at 10:00. >>> there are new developments in the horrific mass shooting in kansas. the shooter's ex-girlfriend is in custody this morning accused of giving him the gun. nbc's blake mccoy is in kansas this morning. blake, good morning. >> reporter: erica, good morning. let's start with the ex-girlfriend. along, the authorities wanted to know how cedric ford was able to this is a convicted felon whose rap sheet dates back decades. police know this morning who helped him. with the kansas workplace shooter dead, attention turns to this woman. sarah hopkins. an ex-girlfriend who is charged with knowingly giving weap

south carolina hoping it's the comeback state for sh. look for john kasich keeping up momentum after the second place finish in new hampshire. his tactic is different, guys. he is looking to stay positive and stay above the fray. >> we'll see if that works. hallie jackson, thank you. >> elise jordan is a political adviser. thank you for being here. >> thank you for having me. >> there are six candidates left. what advice would you give the candidates? >> given this is the ninth debate, we know the patterns with each and how they project themselves. people haven't done well trying to attack. you look at what chris christie did with marco rubio. it was a very effective attack and really harmed rubio, but he was a suicide bomber on stage and took rubio out. that is the fine balance these candidates have to navigate between being too nasty and showing a positive vision and keeping in the race. >> you mentioned marco rubio. there will be an extra focus on him tonight. >> yes. he really needs to have a really strong performance. he needs to sh

more than 50% of the electorate in south carolina. all of the areas where bernie sanders would try to come after hillary clinton, so many of them, the criticism he levelled against her could also be applied to president obama. she pointed that out time and again. basically put him on the defensive. he had to say, this is why i'm criticizing hillary clinton but it's not meant as a criticism of president obama. it's tough to accomplish. >> who do you think did better in terms of attracting minority voters? >> i think what was more interesting on that front didn't happen on the stage. john lewis is an american icon, and it was one of the harsher criticisms of bernie sanders absenteeism on the movement i've heard so far. >> his response to a question. he didn't just say that. >> correct. problem with women voters. we saw it in new hampshire. tough week with gloria steinem and madeleine albright saying things that didn't help. how did she go? >> someone just beat you for over 20 points. i've been there. she held her own last night and had

. >> the democratic primary in south carolina is on saturday. we're just eight days from super tuesday contest in 12 states. that could cement the race on both sides. we have complete coverage at this key moment in the campaign. beginning with nbc's hallie jackson in las vegas. good morning. >> good morning. this morning, the center of attention in this race has shifted here to nevada, where donald trump will hold a couple history on his side right now. no republican has won new hampshire and south carolina and lost the nomination. trump has the momentum. his closest competitors and the down. >> reporter: on his victory lap in atlanta -- >> oh, that's so much better. >> reporter: -- donald trump didn't mind the dark. >> get the lights off. turn off the lights! turn off the lights! >> reporter: demanding the lights stay off after the protester pulled the plug. trump fresh off his lights-out win in south carolina. >> such a beautiful victory. such a conclusive victory. >> reporter: trump looking ahead to another first place finish tomorrow in neva