Trump responds to Rubio's crude remark with one of his own

Divisions within the Republican party exploded into playground insults during Thursday night's debate, with Donald Trump repeatedly calling Marco Rubio "Little Marco". "One of these men should be our nominee". Apart from the billionaire Trump, who writes his own checks to pay for his campaign, Cruz is the best-funded of the remaining GOP candidates. "His imagination must not be married to real power".

Mitt Romney said on Friday morning that he would do "everything within the normal political bounds" to keep Donald Trump from becoming the Republican nominee. "I guarantee you, there's not problem with that", Trump said.

Trump said he was starting to do that, but defended that and other business decisions he'd made. They also note this also isn't uncommon for senators running for president.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, the losing Republican nominee in 2008, issued a statement endorsing Romney's remarks. Trump had dismissed McCain's war-hero status for his long imprisonment during the Vietnam war. That would create an "open" convention in Cleveland this summer, freeing delegates to support whomever they want - and making it possible, in principle, for the party to nominate somebody else.

Kasich, the OH governor, also tried to avoid the mudslinging, and made reference to a poll that shows him beating Democrat Hillary Clinton by 11 points, the largest margin of any Republican candidate.

Funeral held for man shot by Raleigh police
The victim was identified as 24-year-old Akiel Denkins by his mother, who said witnesses told her that her son was unarmed. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People held a news conference Tuesday at the site of the shooting.

Trump won big on Super Tuesday earlier this week, a key contest involving votes in a dozen states.

"People don't want a short-term job", Mr Trump said.

"I'm with Harry Potter - I'm not going to the dark side", he told reporters after a rally in Traverse City, Michigan, ahead of the state's Tuesday primary.

Distaste for Trump is so strong among Republicans looking for an alternative, Cruz does not see the need to change his anti-Washington campaign rhetoric even as he tries to extend an olive branch for unity.

And finally, Florida Sen. Rubio, 106. It takes 1,237 delegates to win the party nomination. Florida holds its primaries on March 15. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson admitted this week he had no path to victory and wouldn't participate in the debate, though he hasn't explicitly ended his campaign just yet. Bernie Sanders continued to shrink. Clinton was polling at about 53 percent to Sanders' 38 percent. It takes 2,383 delegates to win the Democratic nomination.