he was born in canada. i guess his parents voted in canada. lot of things. i mean, a lot of things happened here. so if you're born in canada, it's immediately a little bit of a problem. i say to ted and as a republican i say it, because i think it's very important, you got to get it straightened out. >> donald trump goes all in, but not only on ted cruz, he's also upping the attacks on bill and hillary clinton. and mexico begins the process of extraditing druglord joaquin el chapo guzman to the united states. could actor sean penn face blowback for his secret meeting with the world's most wanted kingpin? 5:30 on the east coast, 2:30 out west, this is "way too early." ♪ >>> fitting music to start this monday morning. good morning, everyone. it is january 11th. i'm shiba russell. breaking news, musician actor and artist david bowie has died, an announcement on his official facebook page says he courageously fought an 18-month

he was born in canada. he was a citizen of canada until just recently. he was a citizen of canada. it was a joint citizen of the united states and canada. he was a citizen of canada. now, when you're a citizen of canada and you were born in canada, there's a real question. a lot of people say you have to be born of the land meaning on the land. and i've read numerous articles and not only professor of harvard, you can go to others. there was a big article the other day in the wnts from a different group of lawyers saying the same thing. and my problem is that he has to get this cleared up. he can go for a judgment to go to court. but how can you vote for somebody that where there's a question? i'm not saying right or wrong. i'm just saying there's a big question. you can't have your nominee with a question. it's impossible to do. he's going to be running and people will say he can't. >> i'm told you need to wrap up because you need to get going. but the last question has to do with the national polls especially a new one from the cbs and "the new york times." it says you hold a dou

he was a citizen of canada until just recently. he was a citizen of canada. it was a joint citizen of the united states and canada, but he was a citizen of canada. now, when you're a citizen of canada and you were born in canada, there's a real question. >> that was donald trump on this network this afternoon with thomas roberts, managing to squeeze in the word canada seven times in 20 seconds. try to do that yourself sometimes. and here's donald trump just an hour ago in pensacola, florida. >> you can't be born in canada. you can't be a canadian citizen. and i hope it works out for him. i really do. every time i have a meeting with the press, the first question they're asking me is this. he's got to be able to run. i'm not going to get into it tonight piem sure they'll get into it tomorrow night. but you have to be, like, some of the greatest lawyers from harvard, a very good lawyer said it's not a settled matter. supposing he's run and everybody is banking on him and then the courts rule that he can't run. that's not so good. what do you do? concede the ele

a huge shot of cold air is going to be coming down from canada. out ahead of it very mild temperatures. 10 to 15 degrees above average. then by sunday all of that warm air heads into new england. it's going to be 58 in new york city. when it's only 33 in tulsa and 1 in fargo and 4 in minneapolis. all eyes are still on the that ball game played outdoors in minneapolis with a windchill of about negative 20 for the vikings/seahawks game sunday afternoon. >> bring your long johns. >> portable heater. tape those little heating pads to yourself. >> whatever you got. joe, thank you. >>> in quebec, canada, dramatic fire was caught on video where a boy and his parents had to escape from their fourth floor apartment. 10-year-old jason was lowered by his stepdad and caught by someone on the ground. his parents jumped out afterward onto the snow. they both remain in the hospital for treatment. >>> alabama chief justice roy moore, the same judge behind the ten commandments tablets from a few years back, has ordered state judges to stop issuing marriage license

ted cruz was born in canada. and he returned at 4 years old. in the law there's only two ways to become a u.s. citizen. one is you are naturally born citizen and that is you are born to an american parent which ted cruz was or you were naturalized. ted cruz was not naturalized so he is a natural born citizen. that's the definition of a natural born citizen. that's off the table. laurence tribe also agrees that ted cruz is a natural born citizen even though he pretends to -- >> no, just to be clear, laurence tribe believes, just to give you credit, laurence tribe

was a citizen of canada, or get out of the race. he also talked about this weekend including a crack about cruz's support of the keystone pipeline. >> all conservatives want the keystone pipeline. you know who's going to appeal that fast? ted cruz. he's from canada. i never thought of that. this is a first. ted cruz will approve the keystone pipeline because it benefits canada. it's great. he could be the only guy who will run for president, then run for prime minister of canada. >> according to "the wall street journal," donald trump made his decision to start skewering senator ted cruz as his private jet was approaching new hampshire earlier this month. ted's hanging around the top too long in the republicans. according to his campaign manager, time to take him down. howie jackson in iowa following the cruz campaign. perry, political reporter for nbc news. david drucker. thank you all. let's start with halle. it seems to be a paper bag you have to bang your way out of if you're ted cruz on this constitutional eligibility issue. i'

in america but then headed up to live in canada. was he immigrating a second time? is that what they were doing in canada. he was never an american during this. the mother was but not the father. >> reporter: as you know rafael cruz came from cuba. they moved to work and do ventures in the oil and gas industry. they spent four to five years there and came back to texas and moved to houston which is where ted cruz grew up. i would note during that time period ted cruz's father left the family essentially as cruz writes abandoned ted cruz and his mom, alcohol was an issue. went to texas and found jesus and reconciled with his family. >> and didn't become an american until 2005. it is interesting about his nationality. trump continued hammering cruz over his canadian birth. >> how can you vote for somebody where there is a question. i'm not saying right or wrong but a question. you can't have your nominee with a question. it is impossible to do. he is running and people are suing to say he is not allowed to run. >> meanwhile another co

he's from canada. he's from canada. oh, i never thought of that. this is a first! ted cruz will atrough the keystone pipeline because it benefits canada. it's great. he could be the only guy, he'll run for president, then he'll run for prime minister of canada. >> well, rumors of one billionaire running for president did turn out to be true this year in the case of donald trump. but will michael bloomberg follow suit? new reporting from "the new york times" says he senses an opening even instructing advisers to draw up plans for and independent bid. in the "times" report he'd be willing to spend upwards of $1 billion of his own money. that's like a drop in the bank to him. that he's obtained a consultant and may put a poll in the field after the new hampshire primary to see whether there's a lane for him to run. there's a poll for everything. a poll shows in a hypothetical general election match-up bloomberg polling in the low teens against bernie sanders and ted cruz. the picture remains the same when shifted to bernie sanders and donald trump race. the two party

he's born in canada on canadian soil. and i mean, come on. >> it appears there's enough doubt in the republican electorate about ted cruz's eligibility to affect the polls. in a new fox news iowa poll trump is now at 34% up from 26% in december. cruz is now at 23% down from 28% in december. here is how cruz supporter iowa congressman steve king is handling the eligibility question on the campaign trail in iowa. >> i think there's zero legal question about this. and congress addressed this in 1790. and the people that did so were the ones that wrote the language into the constitution itself. and so they knew what natural-born citizen was. they defined it then. and ted's birth is very consistent with what was put in place then. so i think it's disingenuous of people to make that an issue. >> joining us now, mary bridget mchammond. he's a constitutional law professor at widener university's delaware law school. professor mcmannaman you've written about this for the washington post. what's your reaction to what steve king the

he's born in canada. he says it over and over, and people seem to laugh every time he says it. >> he's talking. he's talking look a conversation. he doesn't go up there with a teleprompter or script. rarely does he use notes. he's good at it because he is a performer. look, i think what also happened is those lines that you just played there, not going to the debate, trump deprived cruz of being able to come back with a witty response, right. he could go at cruz at these rallies by himself that he knows he's going to get coverage, but cruz is a smart guy. would he have had a line for trump responding to him in it like the did the prior debate, saying your mom was born overseas, you might be ineligible too. >> that's absurd. any way, he thought chris wa wallace was very good last night. i liked when he said it is a debate. >> wallace was able to check the issue here. he was able to take cruz on and argue with him. >> mono o mono like they like to say. >> i thought they evened out the use of the anchors the

like a week ago they didn't know he was born in canada. now they do. >> we all know from "south park" canada is not universally beloved, either. anything can happen. cruz is really in a difficult place and it just makes this campaign all more exciting and interesting and weird in my humble opinion. >> and fuel for "veep." >> and i don't know how we can top it. >> big question. and this was the big question at the hbo party last night. is trump good for "veep" or bad for "veep" because how do you outdo trump on "veep"? >> we can't do trump on "veep," we have to hope that the sure absurdity of our ridiculous characters we have over four years will triumph over trumpism and cruisism but remains to be scene. >> gains credibility. >> we're going to stop being comedy and be a drama now. >> drama category. >> like your previous channel, yes. >> frank rich, thank you very much for joining us tonight. appreciate it. >>> coming up, republicans have falsely accused president obama of many things, but job killer might just be the most frequent accusat

he's captured in canada in 2007 and is extradited back to the united states. >>> coming up -- >> get in the car! >> outgunned on the side of the road. police getting in trouble. >> sit down! i'm not a dude. >>> and an airport nightmare. when "caught on camera: the thin blue line" continues. when heartburn hits fight back fast tums smoothies starts dissolving the instant it touches your tongue and neutralizes stomach acid at the source tum, tum, tum, tum smoothies! only from tums at ally bank no branches equals great rates. it's a fact. kind of like playing the boss equals the boss wins. wow! [ sneezing ] a cold can make you miserable. luckily, alka seltzer plus cold and cough liquid gels. rush liquid fast relief to your tough cold symptoms. fast, powerful liquid gels from alka seltzer plus >>> hi, i'm richard lui with the hour's top stories. benjamin netanyahu is called for st stepped-up security after a man opened fire in a tel aviv cafe. killing two and wounding seven. and in illinois the national guard has been activated after days of devastating floods. after heavy rains caused t

trump says cruz has been issued a passport from his native canada. he is playing the birther card where it can do the most damage accusing the most right wing candidate of being a card carrying canadian. does it get any better than this? the "washington post" trump said this about cruz, republicans will have to ask themselves the question, do we want a candidate who can be tied up in court for two years. trump had this question again and again. >> how do you have a candidate where there is something over the head of the party and that individual? so ted will be able to answer the question hopefully satisfactory. >> it is certainly a concern i guess for the party. i hope that naut the case. i'm not involved in that. a lot of people are bringing it up. >> i would like to see ted do something where he goes into court and try to get some kind of order. i would not like to see that happen. >> do you believe senator ted cruz is a natural born citizen? >> i don't know. i would seek a declaratory judgment if i were ted. if ted should eke it out and she has t

canada is still part of france. >> who needs sarah palin? ted cruz has an endorsement of "duck dynasty's" phil robertson. here we go. >> my qualifications for president of the united states are rather narrow. is he or she godly. does he or she love us. can he or she do the job. and finally, would they kill a duck and put 'em in a pot and make 'em a good duck gumbo? i've looked at the candidates. ted cruz is my man. i'm voting for him. [ quacking ] [ gunshots ] >> you know, that's a duck call, but i tell you, i am so alien from that. these three are going to tell me something i don't know. when we come back. thanks for watching "hardball." some research. let me introduce you to our broker. how much does he charge? i don't know. okay. uh, do you get your fees back if you're not happy? (dad laughs) wow, you're laughing. that's not the way the world works. well, the world's changing. are you asking enough questions about the way your wealth is managed? wealth management, at charles schwab. you can't breathed. through your nose. suddenly, you're

in canada. he has to solve this problem because the democrats will sue him if he's the nominee. you can't have a person running for office even though ted is very glib saying i'm a natural born citizen. the point is you're not. you can't have a nominee subject who be thrown out as nominee. i'm sure ted is thrilled that i'm helping him out but i am. i mean i am. i mean, he's got to go and fix it. >> as i said, iowa's governor terry branstad said when you run for president of the united states, any subject is fair game. let the people decide. katy tur, you don't want to cause questions about whether the other side is going to have litigation against your candidate if you nominate him. that it's way he is going to play this. knowing the democrats are not going to get a prior review from the supreme court and certainly not going to try to get one because they probably enjoy this. if cruz is the nominee, they'll play the same game the same way republicans used willie horton after al gore brought it u

canada is still part of france. >> who needs sarah palin? ted cruz has an endorsement of "duck dynasty's" phil robertson. here we go. >> my qualifications for president of the united states are rather narrow. is he or she godly. does he or she love us. can he or she do the job. and finally, would they kill a duck and put 'em in a pot and make 'em a good duck gumbo? i've looked at the candidates. ted cruz is my man. i'm voting for him. [ quacking ] [ gunshots ] >> you know, that's a duck call, but i tell you, i am so alien from that. these three are going to tell me something i don't know. when we come back. thanks for watching "hardball." if you need a reason to start celebrating super bowl 50 early - i'll give you two. get a large,1-topping pizza for only 50 cents when you order any large pizza at regular menu price. better ingredients. better pizza. better football. papajohns.com ♪ light piano today i saw a giant. it had no arms, but it welcomed me. (crow cawing) it had no heart, but it was alive. (train wheels on tracks) it had no mouth

ted cruz was born in canada. and he returned at 4 years old. in the law there's only two ways to become a u.s. citizen. one is you are naturally born citizen and that is you are born to an american parent which ted cruz was or you were naturalized. ted cruz was not naturalized so he is a natural born citizen. that's the definition of a natural born citizen. that's off the table. laurence tribe also agrees that ted cruz is a natural born citizen even though he pretends to -- >> no, just to be clear, laurence tribe believes, just to give you credit, laurence tribe believes that the argument you're making right now is the better of the possible arguments. what he says is -- what he says is the supreme court has never decided it and he agrees that to have absolute clarity on it we would need a constitutional amendment. >> he has raised the doubt and he has said that but he has also said personally he believes that ted cruz is eligible. he's said that. he told "the new york times" reporter that. so, look, there really isn't any doubt. and i want to

but he was a citizen of canada. >> he was a citizen of canada. that's donald trump there managing to mention canada five different times in about 12 seconds this afternoon on msnbc. joining me now, senior writer at politico, michael grunwald having fun with that sound bite, michael. born in canada versus new york values, seems to be today's trump versus cruz line of attack. watching the debate tomorrow night, are you looking for trump v. cruz? >> right. well, i think it's, you know, the republican race has been pretty weird and kind of dividing into two lanes, right? you have the four sort of establishment types. some very conservative, rubio and bush, both really pretty far right but also christie and kasich all fighting for the same sort of voters and attitudinal difference with ted cruz and donald trump fighting for the disaffected republicans and, you know, trump who's sort of an all-time greatest troll coming up on the idea of sort of kind of sticking the knife in cruz with this, oh, i'm just asking questions. he was born in canada. you know

no he, is an anchor baby in canada. but canada doesn't accept anchor babies. >> mark, mark, my question for you is with cruz's alternative shin dig, in the rear view mirror, is he free and clear from paying any cost for skipping the debhat. >> i've not interviewed, but every instinct and i have and every instinct trump has is this didn't hurt him. it may have helped him. he entered the final weekend with a huge moment of strength which is what got him to where he is today, front-runner for the republican nomination. >> all of the republican candidates on stage were disoriented and sort of weirded out by the fam that he wasn't on stage with them. getting used to it, he was suddenly gone. like the sun was gone or some physical law was revoked. jeb bush, one exception. he per fompled very well. a few lame jokes. >> he has appeared in iowa plenty of times, chose to be in new hampshire, showing his strength, he wan do well in iowa. when he comes to a place, he draws such a big krauds. he doesn't need to go bus tour, town by

ted cruz is an anchor baby in canada. but canada doesn't accept anchor babies. nay ju they just waited a long time. >> a smaller field of republican rivals on that debate stage last night. some talking today about what it was like without the donald's dominating presence. >> i wish he was there. i think people in iowa wish he was there as well. i don't know how he thinks he was doing the right thing by not being there, but that's his decision. >> it was a bigger opportunity. because when he's there, he tends to be the focus. gets the plurality of questions. >> on full throttle as are we with the 2016 race from all corners. reporters on the trail and here at msnbc headquarters in new york but we start off with kerry sanders in nashua, new hampshire, where donald trump is campaigning today and trump confident in the rally. certainly said something that the campaign decided not to even be in iowa now. >> donald trump never lacks for confidence and that was the case here earlier today. about 1200 people packed into this conference room here at the radisson hotel in

if she was a registered voter in canada, it's safe to say she was a citizen of canada like his father was. and if both parents were canadian citizens, how can he claim american citizenship? >> okay. in any real sense, what standing would you have to sue? what would the suit look like? what injury have you sustained by him being the nominee to be president of the united states? >> you know, i've heard that argument. it's a fake issue. let's assume that the republican party nominated an elephant for president, and the democratic partner nominated a donkey. do you really think nobody could raise an issue about that? that we basically have to choose between the elephant and the donkey? >> someone is going to have to grant you standing. we went through this. we went through it with the president obama birther stuff. the idea there was he was obfuscating about where his place of birth was, that the on fusscation that he was actually born in kenya, which is not true, but because he had been born there, he was illegitimate, right? there were all sorts of wackos suing all over the place who co

if she was a registered voter in canada, safe to say she was a citizen of canada, like his father was. how can he claim american citizenship? >> what standing would you have to sue? what would the suit look like? what injury have you, allen grayson, sustained by him being nominee to be president of the united states? >> i heard the argument. it's a fake issue. say the republican party nominated an elephant for president and the democrats nominated a donkey, do you think we'd have to choose between the elephant and donkey? of course we wouldn't. >> someone is going to have to grant -- look, we went through this. we wenthrough with the president obama birther stuff, right, the idea there was that he was about where his place of birth was, that he was actually born in kenya, which is not true, but because he was born there, illegitimate, right? there were all sorts of wackos suing all over the place that couldn't get into a courtroom for standing. >> that case is not this case, okay, that case is about someone who was born in the united states. this is about someone who was born in canad

. >> he's a citizen of canada, and he was a senator from texas, and he's a citizen of canada. joint with the u.s. how the hell does that work? but he said he didn't know he was a citizen of canada. he didn't know about goldman sachs loaning him money. and he didn't know about citibank loaning him money. other than that, he's got a very good memory. okay. >> all right, dana, we played that, but we heard donald trump say that in every campaign stop. it speaks to the larger issue that some have regarding the attention he was able to soak up and continues to soak up this morning. that very sound bite we played, he has said that at every campaign rally, but it is as if when donald trump speaks, it is suddenly the breaking news of the day. and that's how he stays ahead. >> right, and what he does is constantly comes up with a new way to shock and outrage. so he really devastated jeb bush by saying low energy. let's be clear what he's saying. he's saying ted cruz is a liar in so many words and saying it over and over again. this is how he's mowed down one opponent at a time. ted cruz

he didn't want to to be talking about cuba and canada. he wanted to talk about north korea, tying it to the iranian nuclear deal, this is something he wants to be discussing and he's simply not. you played that bit of him talking about the fonzi tweet. he does want to laugh it off, hoping this will not become an issue, but he was forced to confront it more directly today because people kept asking him about it. >> look, as a legal matter, the question is quite straightforward in settled law, that the child of a u.s. citizen born abroad is a natural-born citizen. people will continue to make political noise about it, but as a legal matter, it's quite straightforward. >> reporter: and one of the things that we've been talking about, is what happens among conservative talk radio circles. we got a little bit of a response today from rush limbaugh who talked about this. he said, if you didn't like donald trump's attacks, what he called liberal attacks on ted cruz, but at this one, he said, have at it, boys. >> he did. and also took a shot at u

in 2014 ted cruz, since he was born in canada, he is a birth-right citizen of canada. he renounced his canadian citizenship back in 2014 as one of the steps to preparing for this campaign. obviously they can point out that most legal scholars agree this is a non-issue, as peter was saying, born to an american citizen who happened to be abroad at the time. there is the example of john mccain, the republican nominee in 2008, who was born in the panama canal zone back in 1936. i guess if you want to quibble on differences that was a military installation but he was not born in the united states proper. so they can point all of that out. but i think the key here is for ted cruz, you look at that response, the sort of inside joke reference, the fonzi, happy days reference. that's the extent to which he has engaged so far. i think there is a thought on cruz's part and his campaign's part that trump will not go further with this. the key right now is trump is not so much bringing it up as reporters, as journalists as people interviewing him are bringing it up and he is respon

. >> reporter: trump is calling cruz the man from canada. >> put that pipe line goes from canada, the birth place of ted cruz. he was born there, now he goes all the way to texas. maybe he has a conflict of interest. >> reporter: the gop front-runners says he'll take action as president and not back down to anyone. and political experts say that donald trump has enormous crowds at the events but in order to win he needs to turn that energy into people actually showing up to caucus for him. gigi? >> see if it works out. thanks. >>> at least 42 people are now confirmed dead from the weekend's historic blizzard including a pennsylvania teen who was eight months pregnant who guyed while shoveling snow. frustrations mounting over the clean-up or lack thereof in some areas. new york city residents are saying many roads are completely impassable. in queens people feel forgettable and public schools were open yesterday but it was nearly impossible for many students to get to class. look at this school bus, it was filled with students and it had a scary moment, skidding on the way to school. f

he could run right now for prime minister of canada. he'd have no problem. >> you know, one of the canad canadas -- candidates, mr. trump, has had a lot to say. each day i learn new and interesting things about myself. >> staying in new hampshire, third poll in as many days shows trump doubling the nearest opponent. he's up to 33%. 19 points ahead of ted cruz. governor john kasich jumping to third with 12%. jeb bush at 9%, and marco rubio, 8% and chris christie back to 7%. the primary is exactly two weeks away. ohio governor john kasich, "the boston globe" call a fiscally responsible republican. his politics have been largely positive and rebuked those candidates who have spend their campaign appealing to voters' fears and biases. he has a record of pragmatic midwestern conservatism and he's demonstrated an aptitude for the horse trading and coalition trading that's lacking in washington. meanwhile, christie has picked up another newspaper endorsement from new england. this time from the "boston herald" which joins the new hampshire uni

ted cruz, he's from canada. he's from canada. oh, i never thought of that. this is a first. ted cruz will approve the keystone pipeline because it benefits canada. that's great. he could be the only guy, he'll run for president, then he'll run for prime minister of canada. >> oh, my god. it's just -- welcome back to "morning joe," it's monday, january 25. with us, we have senior political editor and white house correspondent for the huffington post, sam stein. the editor-in-chief of buzzfeed, ben smith. in grand rapids, michigan, managing editor of bloomberg politics, mark halperin, in washington, the president and ceo of the aspen institute, walter isaacson. and in des moines, iowa, political reporter for the "washington post" and msnbc political analyst robert costa along with willie, joe, and me. so today, guys, we are one week away to the iowa caucuses and donald trump could firmly be in control of that state, it looks like, at this point. a new fox news poll in iowa shows trump at 34%, ted cruz at 23%, a 15-point swing in trump's favor from earlier in month when cruz wa

. >> he's from canada. he will run from president and prime minister. >> people see ted cruz and worry about authenticity. >> president obama weighs in on 2016. >> i think bernie same in with the luxury of being a complete long shot. >> and whether he would compare bernie's campaign to his own from 2008. does the one time gop front-runner still have a chance? we'll break down jeb's path to victory. >> i eat nails before i have breakfast. >> good evening. i'm chris hayes. any candidate who went on offense will pay the price against the polls. >> so far, maybe i have to knock on wood, but so far when people attack me, they get creamed. they go down. >> it happened to ben carson who interrupted trump's lead last fall. now a week to the iowa caucuses and ray of poll suggests it's exactly what's happening to ted cruz. cruz started gaining momentum in december. according to the wall street journal, that's around the time when donald trump started to get worried. his campaign manager told the journal earlier this

>> that was relating to canada. the question was that and relating to canada. the question is whether or not he can run. i tell you something, from the standpoint of voters in iowa and new hampshire and all these places that have to vote, how can you vote for a candidate -- how can you do it when you don't even know if that candidate is able to run. laurence tribe from harvard said it's totally unsettled law. a number of top constitutional lawyers have come out recently over the last few days and said he's not allowed to run, he was born in canada, he can't run. so there's a real question and i said he should get a declaratory judgment. he has to do something because how can you have a campaign when it's very possible you are not allowed to run. >> let me ask you about "national review," i've seen your tweets, i know how you feel about the magazine and how you feel about this issue. let me get you to respond to one quote from erick erickson. he writes this "like the angels in heaven who rejoice for every new believer, we should rejoice for donald trump's conver

on camera he went after ted cruz and the fact that he was born in canada. >> and it's a problem for him, and it's a problem, obviously, for the republicans, because if the democrats -- let's assume he got a nomination, and the democrats bring suit. the suit takes two to three years to solve. so how do you run? so it's certainly a concern, i guess, for the party. but i hope that's not the case. i'm not involved in that. but a lot of people are bringing it up, absolutely. >> cruz tweeted a link to the infamous jump the shark clip from "happy days" in response. and then there's the republican front-runner's more public feud with his democratic counterpart. but hillary clinton is now drawing back, refusing to address it. speaking to msnbc's chris matthews, clinton still didn't take trump's bait. >> why does he do whatever he does? i can only tell you what i hear from people. and what i hear from people is really about their lives and their future. i mean a lot of this back and forth that goes on -- >> i know, but -- >> in the political universe -- >> he's winning. >> well, we'll see. >> and

first cruz versus canada. in the past 24 hours a bipartisan pile on. said cruz's eligible was worth looking into and a legitimate question. today with an interview cruz shot back at senator mccain charging his comments were driven by a hidden political motivation skplmpt tw i think it is no surprise to anybody that john mccain is going to be supporting marco rubio in this election. >> he hasn't announced that. you are predicting? >> their foreign policies are almost identical. it is no surprise that he is trying to do what he can to help the candidate that thee is favoring. >> on the legal question is it possible that this should a judge might find that to be a difference? >> the legal question is straightforward and clear. >> for what it is worth the man who mccain is supposedly endorsing marco rubio refused to chime in and blame canada saying i don't think it's an issue. mark, you spent the day with cruz in iowa. is this birther helping him or hurting him? >> i'm here. we are going to see senator cruz speaking here in just a little bit. throughout th

trump continues to fuel doubts about cruz's electability, now suggesting that ted cruz who was born in canada go before a judge to determine whether he's actually qualifies as a natural-born citizen. >> if ted should eke it out, and i hope that doesn't happen, and he's got this cloud over his head, i don't think it's going to be possible for him to do very well. he should ask for a declaratory judgment because that would clear it all up. i'm doing this for the good of ted because i like him and he likes me. we have a good relationship. >> the supreme court has never really ruled on what is a natural born citizen. >> that's the problem. there's this doubt. people have doubt. >> senator cruz is pushing back saying the question is settled as a legal matter and he even cites previous examples like john mccain who was born in the canal zone, but senator mccain thousand is quickly dismissing any comparison saying there's a big difference between him and cruz. >> i know it came up in my race because i was born in panama, but i was born in the canal zone, which is a territory. barry goldwater was bor

but ted cruz was born in canada and his mother, while a u.s. citizen, was not working for the united states. so he just doesn't qualify under the meaning of naturally born citizen. >> now, you did examine the best argument for ted cruz in your piece, and it seems to lean on the very first naturalization law written by the first congress. many of the people involved in that were involved in the writing of the constitution. so tell us about what we see in that first law. >> sure. after the constitution -- you can't amend the constitution afterwards. that congress passed the statute that said if you're born abroad to a u.s. citizen, you shall be considered as a natural born citizen. being considered as something is not the same thing as being something. i mean, i may say i consider you as my brother. that doesn't mean i had a dna test and it turns out we share the same parents. it meanings i treat you like i treat my brother. >> wouldn't it mean to that congress you get all the privileges of the natural born citizen? >> well, as madison made clear

what you saw cruz do, chris -- >> a natural born citizen of canada. he was born in canada. he obviously has the claim to be a natural born citizen in canada. if he's a natural born citizen in canada, how can he be a natural born citizen of the united states. it's one or the other, right? he's natural born in canada. >> reporter: yeah. i think you look at the legal documentation around this, the campaign believes because ted cruz's mother was born in the united states. >> that's staurts information, not constitution article. those are statutes for the past that give automatic citizenship to people born to american parents. that's not natural born. that's a statutory act by congress and the congress has the right to say who a citizen is or not but don't have the right to say who is a natural born citizen. that's what professor tribe said to us on the air, they don't have authority to interpose someone as a citizen if they're not natural born and that's why the founders of the constitution wrote that particular phase. >> reporter: donald trump just invoked professor lawrence t

cruz was born in canada, his mother's american. trump yesterday said cruz's u.s. citizenship could be "a big problem" for him should he win the republican nomination. here's what senator ted cruz said just moments ago while in iowa. >> as a legal plaermatter the question is straightforward and settled law. the child of a u.s. citizen born abroad is a u.s. citizen. it has occurred many times in history. john mccain was born in panama but he was a natural born citizen because his parents were u.s. zins. george romney, mitt's dad was born in mexico but was natural born citizen because his parents were citizen. barry goldwater was born in arizona before arizona was a state and yet he was a natural born citizen because his parents were citizen. as a legal matter the question is quite straightforward and as last night's events demonstrated, i think there are serious issues facing the american people, serious issues to be decided in this election and that's where our focus is going to stay is on the real issues that matter to men and women of this country. >> joining me

he was born in canada. >> i tweeted out a reference to fonzi jumping the shark. and i think i'm going to let my response stick with that tweet. >> is this a sign that trump sees cruz as a real threat here? >> why does he do whatever he does? trump shows no signs of stopping his attacks on both hillary and bill clinton. >> it's going to be when they attack me, i'm going to attack them. >> he can say whatever he wants to say. >> i could be the worst person in the world, i'm not leaving. >> donald trump is the kim kardashian of politics. he's famous for being famous. >> i would be annoyed, too. >> i love my people. >> 61% of trump supporters believe the trump lie that president obama is not a natural born citizen of the united states of america, and therefore an illegitimate president. barack obama was, of course, born in the united states in honolulu. ted cruz was not born in the united states, and donald trump finally seems to have noticed that. now that ted cruz is ahead of trump in polls in iowa. ted cruz