--- title: Morning Must Reads: February 23 description: Morning Must Reads: February 23 canonical: https://time.com/4233561/what-to-watch-at-the-nevada-caucuses/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-23T13:51:49.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:41:16.301Z article:section: Politics og:title: Morning Must Reads: February 23 og:description: Morning Must Reads: February 23 og:url: https://time.com/4233561/what-to-watch-at-the-nevada-caucuses/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Morning Must Reads og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Morning Must Reads: February 23 twitter:description: Morning Must Reads: February 23 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # What to Watch at the Nevada Caucuses > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=8dd6be07-1d8c-4166-93e1-fff1eee9c845&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Candidates On Supreme Court Appointment [Watch (HLS stream): Candidates On Supreme Court Appointment](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/01dmO2CJ.m3u8) (1:49)  _Published 2016-02-18. The 2016 presidential candidates debated whether President Obama should nominate a replacement for Justice Scalia's seat or whether the Republican-controlled Senate should block a nomination_ by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Feb 23, 2016 1:51 PM UTC by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Feb 23, 2016 1:51 PM UTC The Nevada caucuses are historically low-turnout and drama-filled, and Tuesday’s contest is set to be no exception. Just 10-15% of the state’s 400,000 registered Republicans are set to participate and public and private polling is notoriously unreliable in the state. **Donald Trump** is widely seen as the front-runner, with the state presenting a key test for **Marco Rubio** and **Ted Cruz**, who are engaged in a bitter battle for second place, both in Nevada and the coming Super Tuesday primaries next week. Each Trump rival faces the challenge of proving a path to viability against the bombastic front-runner before it’s too late. Rubio has much of the **Jeb Bush** network of donors and elected officials running to his side, but Cruz has maintained a strong grip on evangelical voters. Rather than focus on Trump, the pair have kept their aim on each other, facing the challenging game theory of believing that they would each win the nomination if they were the sole major candidate left facing Trump. Cruz was forced to ask his top spokesman to resign Monday amid attacks on his and his campaign’s credibility in recent weeks. Since his campaign was caught spreading misinformation about **Ben Carson** on the night of the Iowa caucuses, Cruz has been plagued by accusations of dirty tricks. A staffer’s tweet spreading a false story about Rubio proved to be a bridge too far, and Cruz was forced to take action. But Rubio blamed Cruz himself for what he termed a pattern of actions unbecoming of a major candidate. Their feud threatens to spread deep into March depriving both—who each are searching for states where they can defeat Trump—of needed victories. **Hillary Clinton**‘s position as Democratic front-runner appears more secure than at any time in recent months as she held off **Bernie Sanders**‘ challenge in Nevada and maintains her lead in South Carolina. Sanders, meanwhile, is adjusting his focus to Super Tuesday, though Clinton still maintains an advantage on organization and polling. Why campaign reporters will miss Bush. **Chris Christie** helps an unlikely former rival. And Vice President **Joe Biden** is under fire for past comments on Supreme Court appointments. Here are your must-reads: **Must Reads** [What Google and Twitter Can Tell Us About 2016 ](http://time.com/4229252/google-twitter-presidential-elections-predictions-analysis/)TIME’s Daniel White on what we can learn from social media [Cruz Fires Top Spokesman for Spreading False Story About Rubio ](http://time.com/4233029/cruz-rubio-rick-tyler-fired/)His credibility under attack, Cruz shakes up his campaign \[TIME\] [Marco Rubio Bets on Nevada, a State That Shaped His Childhood ](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/us/politics/marco-rubio-las-vegas.html?ref=politics)A long shot bet for a strong finish \[New York Times\] [Sanders Sharpening Message, Attacks on Clinton After Nevada Loss ](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/sanders-sharpening-message-attacks-on-clinton-after-nevada-loss/2016/02/22/bad8d00a-d9bc-11e5-891a-4ed04f4213e8%5Fstory.html)Facing a critical juncture, the insurgent candidate embraces the contrast attacks \[Washington Post\] [Donald Trump on Protester: ‘I’d Like to Punch Him in the Face’](http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/23/politics/donald-trump-nevada-rally-punch/) [On Nevada Caucus-Eve, Trump Brings Out His Greatest Hits](http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/23/politics/donald-trump-nevada-rally-punch/) \[CNN\] **Sound Off** “I’d like to punch him in the face.” — Donald Trump on a heckler at his Las Vegas event Monday “Obama is going to Cuba … It’d be nice if he just decided to stay.” — Ted Cruz at a rally in Las Vegas **Bits and Bites** [Jon Huntsman: I Could Get Behind Donald Trump](http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/22/politics/jon-huntsman-donald-trump-david-axelrod/index.html) \[CNN\] [Donald Trump’s Favorite Excuse? It Was Just a ‘Retweet’](http://bigstory.ap.org/urn:publicid:ap.org:22ee825323ef41efa17bd547d431c6ad) \[Associated Press\] [16 Years After Bush v. Gore, Still Wrestling With Ballot-Box Rules](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/22/us/politics/16-years-after-bush-v-gore-still-wrestling-with-ballot-box-rules.html) \[New York Times\] [Sen. Claire McCaskill Says She Has Breast Cancer](http://time.com/4233085/senator-mccaskill-breast-cancer-announcement/) \[TIME\] [Voters Might Not Miss Jeb Bush, but Campaign Reporters Will](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/us/politics/voters-might-not-miss-jeb-bush-but-campaign-reporters-will.html?smid=tw-share) \[New York Times\] [Joe Biden Says He Never Opposed Confirming Supreme Court Nominees Pre-Election](http://time.com/4233365/joe-biden-supreme-court-election/) \[Associated Press\] [Watch The Simpsons Imagine a World Where the 2016 Candidates Get Along](http://time.com/4231871/the-simpsons-2016-candidates/) \[TIME\] [Kasich Says Women ‘Left Their Kitchens’ to Campaign for Him](http://time.com/4232706/john-kasich-women-left-kitchens/) \[TIME\] [Watch a 106-Year-Old Woman Dance as She Meets the Obamas](http://time.com/4232192/obama-white-house-virginia-mclaurin/) \[TIME\] [Christie Sells Campaign Email List—to Marco Rubio](http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/02/guess%5Fwho%5Fchristie%5Fjust%5Fsold%5Fhis%5Femail%5Fcontact%5Flis.html) \[NJ.com\] ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] President Obama is eager to appoint Justice Scalia's replacement this year. I don't think President Obama should do that. And our friends in the media are really eager For President Obama to do that. The President has every right to submit a name and the Senate has every right either to have an upper down vote or to defer. I don't think there's any problem with doing that. The only reason to block this is pure partisanship. I tend to make 2016 a referendum On the U. S. Supreme Court. We're not moving forward on a nominee until after the election. The next president should nominate it. I believe I'll be the next president and I'm gonna look for someone who's as much as like Scalia as possible. When you wanna nominate somebody, just as Scalia was a fantastic man, you really want that person to be as close to him as possible. You know the Supreme Court, a very important part, Of our governing system, it was not supposed to be a partisan group. The idea that Republicans want to deny the President of the United States his basic constitutional right is beyond my comprehension. My sense is you're gonna have a presidential election here, people will in a very unusual way [ MUSIC ] Indirectly sort of pick the next judge of the Justices of Supreme Court, it's pretty interesting. So I will do everything that i can to make sure that when the president makes his nomination the Senate goes through as speedy a process as possible. There's a lot at stake here and I think that All the candidates, left and right ought to use this as the basis to outline what their judicial philosophy is so there are no surprises. 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