Donald Trump Closes in on Republican Nomination; Conservatives Plot to Stop Donald Trump; Hackers Hack Donald Trump's Social Security Number;

WITH-MARIA-00

MARIA-00

to Stop Donald Trump; Hackers Hack Donald Trump's Social Security Number;

Trump and Cruz Troll Each Other with Jim Carrey's Film References; Tennis-

Size Hail Hits North Texas with High Winds; Apple Engineers Reportedly

Might Resist Helping Law Enforcement if the FBI Wins Court Fight; Bumble

Bee Foods and Tri-Union Issue a Recall of Cases of Canned Foods; Top Lawyer

for Turing Pharma Says that the Price Hike by Mastermind Martin Shkreli was

"not Justified"; Captured American Who Defected to ISIS Regrets Decision;

Dominos Testing Robot that Delivers Pizza; Chinese Facebook Users Criticize

Mark Zuckerberg for Running in Beijing without Face Mask - Part 3>

Paul Ryan; Lindsey Graham; Ted Cruz; Hackers; Texas Weather; Apple; Bumble

Bee Foods; Tri-Union; Turing Pharma>

BARTIROMO: Yes.

MURRAY: I don't see at this point yet, but, I mean, Ed Cox knows more than I do, is there much movement toward Trump on the senior levels of the Republican Party? This talk of sort of finding an alternative, even Lindsey Graham going to Ted Cruz, doesn't indicate that they're closing that gap.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

JACK OTTER, BARRONS.COM EDITOR: I think these splits within the Republican Party -

COX: Sure.

OTTER: And you probably know better than I, have been there for a long time, but now we've got three personalities pulling them in a different direction because I want to bring Kasich in because, frankly, I think Kasich's views represent more Republicans than either Donald Trump or Ted Cruz.

BARTIROMO: Yes, that's true.

OTTER: But Ted Cruz represent the most vocal represents. Donald Cruz represents - I mean Donald Trump represents the angry Republicans and Kasich, to me, represents the party platform, but he's the quiet one.

COX: Well, no, no, Trump sort of suits the times in away.

OTTER: Yes, he does.

COX: A well-known, public figure.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

COX: And - and he's appealing to that. He's a person who shows strength and the way he talks -

OTTER: (INAUDIBLE) -

COX: This is the - the vision of strength.

SMIKLE: Well, but - but if I - but if I can add, look, as a Democrat, I love the state of entropy that I see on the other side of this. But - but - but the reality is, in my opinion, there's a difference between being authoritative and authoritarian. And I think that's the kind of language that we're hearing from the other side there. And that's concerning to me. And I - and I don't see that there's any moderation of that. And going to your point, I absolutely believe that - that Donald Trump represents a part of the Republican Party that the establishment hasn't been able to address. You're getting out millions of new voters that have not been there previously. And just from my own perspective, I think that's good for - to your side on the down ballot.

COX: There are - I think - I would differ with you because they have been there previously. There for Mr. Nixon. They were there for Reagan. These are the Reagan Democrats and they were there for - for W. Bush. They could get them out and he is pulling the Reagan Democrats and the Buchanan Republicans back to the polls where they haven't been in a long while.

SMIKLE: But do you think they come out if there's a contested, not brokered, convention?

COX: Contested.

SMIKLE: I mean do you - do you - do you run the risk of upsetting them and then pushing them out?

COX: Oh, they are ready to come out. They - they voted for Barack Obama in - reluctantly in 2008, but they are the ones who did not show up. The 4 million voters who didn't show up in 2008.

MURRAY: But can I ask -

BARTIROMO: What - what about throwing the rule book away? I mean is this right, the RNC hinting at convention rule changes right now?

COX: Maria, they're not throwing it away. Every convention establishes new rules for that convention at the start of the convention. So those rules were adopted when - when it was clear that Mitt Romney was going to be the candidate and they purposely adopted that (ph). So they're - they're going to - this convention will have a committee that will adopt new rules for this committee. It's the way it works.

BARTIROMO: So who gets most impacted by these rule changes then? Ted Cruz? Donald Trump?

COX: I suspect it makes it a more open convention. That's the way the rules (INAUDIBLE) traditionally been when you've got a contested convention.

OTTER: But very importantly, Maria, your terminology, throwing the rule book out, that's how the public will see it.

BARTIROMO: Exactly. That's all - that's what I'm talking about, the -

OTTER: You may be exactly right, that they follow the rules, but the angry Republicans are going to say, you guys didn't want Trump and you threw the book at him.

(CROSS TALK)

SMIKLE: And that's why I would argue that why - why go to some kind of contested or brokered convention. You - this is the guy that you did not stop early on, so now you've got to live with that.

MURRAY: Can I ask each of you, does Donald Trump boost turnout on the - in the Republican Party in a way that helps the party more than he boosts turnout on the left who oppose him?

SMIKLE: We are - we - we would love to see a Donald Trump on the other side.

BARTIROMO: Hillary wants to run against Donald Trump.

SMIKLE: I - I think - I think we would love to see a Donald Trump. I mean the misogamy, the anti-immigrant rhetoric, I think that will more than anything that the Republicans do on their side, it will bring out all the voters.

COX: It will bring out huge turnouts on the Republican side. We're way up from four years ago. The Democrats are way down because of the failure of the Obama administration.

MURRAY: But - but - but there is - but there - but there is an argument that Hillary Clinton, not necessarily a beloved figure, high negatives, not super popular, that Donald Trump is what she needs to bring Democrats out and galvanize them behind her.

COX: What she's going to need to win is a very good economy to make it a contested election.

BARTIROMO: Let's talk about -

COX: And, actually, the economy is improving and President Obama's ratings have gone up to the mid-40's and to low-50's. So it's - I think it's going to -

SMIKLE: You think so (ph).

(CROSS TALK)

BARTIROMO: What about - what about New York?

COX: The economy is going to give you a boost and it's going to be a good fight.

BARTIROMO: What - what are we, we're about a month away from the New York primary, Ed.

COX: Yes.

BARTIROMO: So I want to get your take on - on who you think will take New York when you consider Hillary, senator from New York, but first remember this moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARTIROMO: Senator Cruz, you suggested Mr. Trump, quote, "embodies New York values." Could you explain what you mean by that?

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, I think most people know exactly what New York values are.

BARTIROMO: I am from New York. I don't.

CRUZ: Well, well, you're from New York, so you might not.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

CRUZ: But I promise you, in the state of South Carolina, they do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARTIROMO: Well, he didn't win any brownie points for that one in New York.

COX: No. Let me just say, I think Governor Kasich could, with a lot of work, can do very well in up-scale down-state New York.

BARTIROMO: Kasich?

COX: Kasich.

BARTIROMO: Ah, what about Trump?

COX: Now, Trump, obviously it will be Trump and Kasich down state here in - and almost 50 percent of the congressional districts touch New York City, and that's where one half of the delegates will be chosen. And there's not strong Republican - we're building them up, but there are not strong Republican Parties in this area. So it's up for grabs.

BARTIROMO: Well, what about -

SMIKLE: No, I - I think in a - I think in a Republican primary Trump will actually do pretty well. Look, I mean, go along the west side highway, his name's on half the buildings going on the west side, but also -

(CROSS TALK)

COX: Look, (INAUDIBLE).

SMIKLE: Yes. That's right.

COX: I mean he's known for really doing something for the people of New York state.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

SMIKLE: And if you go up state and you - if you go up state and I think some of the messaging that he's used in other states about the loss of certain type of manufacturing jobs, I think that that has some residence up state. Ultimately I think, because Hillary's sort of - you know, a senator from New York, she's established a tremendous number of relationship around the state and I think she wins the day in terms of - in terms of actually voter turnout.

BARTIROMO: In a general election you think she wins the day?

SMIKLE: I do. I do. Yes.

COX: If we're winning New York, we've got a landslide.

BARTIROMO: Yes, if the Republicans win in New York. That's - that would be a landslide.

SMIKLE: Right.

BARTIROMO: All right, I want to switch gears, I want to get your take, Basil, on the Democratic side, obviously. Bernie Sanders says he will not request a recount after losing Missouri. The Democratic primary of Missouri went to Hillary Clinton. Why isn't he making more of a fuss about this? I mean we remember what happened in, you know, in the first primary when we had that - in Iowa, when we had the - the coin toss.

SMIKLE: The (INAUDIBLE). Right. Right.

Well, you know, I think he - in his mind he says, I've got to move on. You know, we've - we're now moving from the southern states to the northern states and west. In many respects, I think there are voters - I think he and Donald Trump are saying very similar things in very different ways, obviously, and I think he's looking at the - some of the upcoming primaries and saying, let's just move on. Let me put all my resources there. He's not worried. He raised, what, $45 million in the month (INAUDIBLE) -

(CROSS TALK)

BARTIROMO: But if he - what's his - what his end game here? What is his end game?

SMIKLE: Well, I -

COX: His end game is to drag Mrs. Clinton to the left, and I love it.

BARTIROMO: And he's been doing it.

SMIKLE: Well - well, listen, I think the reality is that the number of debates that we've had, the fact that we've had more debates than were originally scheduled, I actually think has helped both candidates. I think it's sharpened Hillary's elbows a bit and I think for Bernie Sanders, the voters have seen him more because they weren't going to do that under sort of the old - old paradox.

MURRAY: Do you - do you think, in the end of the day, she's able to get his voters who were so passionate behind her or does she have a problem there?

SMIKLE: Well, there are two things. I do think she can ultimately - I am worried that the - those Bernie supporters may stay home, because you saw that a little bit with Howard Dean when he pulled out back in 2004.

MURRAY: Yes.

SMIKLE: But one thing that hasn't been discussed as much, I think, is the importance of Elizabeth Warren in this. I think she actually needs to come out as - you know, at some point when Bernie - if Bernie starts - starts to fall a little bit and Hillary looks like the presumptive nominee, I think she needs to come out and actually broker this a little bit.

BARTIROMO: And she's going to endorse Hillary, you think?

SMIKLE: I - ultimately I think she will. And she hasn't made an endorsement yet.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

MURRAY: In the end, both parties will pull together and we're going to have one heck of a general election.

BARTIROMO: I think that is true. Particularly, I mean, Trump versus Hillary, the mudslinging in the next couple of months will be severe.

COX: Yes.

BARTIROMO: I have to imagine.

Ed Cox, Basil Smikle, good to see you both.

SMIKLE: Thank you.

BARTIROMO: Thank you so much, gentlemen.

Fort Worth, Texas, hit with severe thunderstorms, meanwhile (ph) spilling large hail, damaging the roofs of several businesses and also a jail. The first day of spring might be this Sunday, but those on the northeast could be welcoming the season with some snow. Fox News meteorologist Maria Molina with the latest now.

Maria, good morning.

MARIA MOLINA, FOX NEWS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Maria.

That's right, we could have a nor'eastern to deal with coming up as we head into Sunday and Monday.

But I want to start out across the Gulf Coast because out here we've been seeing a lot of rainfall throughout the month of March. And unfortunately, over the past 12 hours, we had more showers and thunderstorms rolling through this area, producing more rainfall. And the forecast is for things to stay unsettled out here over the next couple of days. So some areas could be picking up as much as three to four inches of rain with locally even some heavier amounts, anywhere from Texas to the Florida panhandle.

Another concern today is the risk for severe storms. From Texas into Louisiana, you're looking at that greater risk for even some possible isolated tornadoes, some damaging winds, some large hail. But the threat does also extend farther east across western parts of the Florida panhandle. So, again, have a way to get those weather warnings out here along the Gulf Coast throughout the day today and keep an eye out for ongoing river flooding that continues out there across many areas.

Now, here's a look at the forecast model. You can see, we have a coastal area of low pressure that's going to be tracking northward and temperatures should be cold enough across the region for some snowfall. So we'll keep you updated. It looks like interior areas and parts of New England could pick up as much as six to 12 inches of snow.

Maria.

BARTIROMO: Wow, I really thought we were done with that, Maria. (INAUDIBLE). Thank you, Maria Molina. Have a good weekend.

Coming up, the national debt expected to top $20 trillion, yes, with a "t," by the time President Obama leaves office. Is there any candidate that can hand this heavy burden?

Plus, Tim Cook fights back. Why he is calling his fight with the FBI a bad dream. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BARTIROMO: Welcome back.

More provocative moves from North Korea. The country firing two ballistic missiles into the sea. Cheryl Casone with the morning's headlines.

Cheryl.

CHERYL CASONE, FOX BUSINESS: Well, and, Maria, a U.S. defense officials saying that the middle-range missiles flew about 500 miles before crashing off the northeast coast. This comes just after days after Kim Jong-un ordered weapon's tests for its pursuit of a long range nuclear missile and also as North Korea condemns ongoing annual U.S.-South Korean military drills. Now, today's launch violates multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Plus this, North Korea released surveillance video showing an American student allegedly removing a propaganda banner at a hotel in Pyongyang. The communist regime has sentenced University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier to 15 years of hard labor. We should say, U.S. officials are trying to secure his release still.

And finally this. Here is a new way to offer an apology.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): Hello, there. You're (INAUDIBLE), I want to say I'm sorry for the things I've done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASONE: OK, Bryan Taylor apparently taking a cue from Adele's song "Hello" at his sentencing last week in Michigan for unlawful imprisonment and carrying a concealed weapon. Before he broke into a song, he said he hopes to get a degree in business management when he's released. Kind of a bad dude. I just want to say, he's got some other things on his rap sheet, but A for effort, Maria.

BARTIROMO: A for effort, but did it help him? Do we know if it actually helped him in terms of sentencing?

CASONE: Well, he's got another hearing coming up. He's kind of done some bad things.

OTTER: Yes.

CASONE: So the judge was like, well, that was nice, thank you -

BARTIROMO: But.

CASONE: But, we'll talk again.

BARTIROMO: That was quite an apology, Jack.

OTTER: You know, I was saying that if I'm ever on the stand, I definitely am not going to sing because the judge would add about ten years to my sentence. This guy, at least he's showing creativity. I think she said, when you go back to jail, work on this, maybe you can get your life together.

CASONE: Yes.

OTTER: Maybe this is, you know, the first track on his album and he'll have a wonderful life ahead. But this alone, I don't think, gets him off.

CASONE: Well, he's going back to jail. He just doesn't want to go for jail as long as they think he - they - he's going to go to jail.

DAGEN MCDOWELL, FOX BUSINESS NETWORK: (INAUDIBLE) for Judge Judy would tell him to put a sock in it.

OTTER: Yes. True.

BARTIROMO: Yes, she would.

Cheryl, thank you.

CASONE: Right.

BARTIROMO: Some Apple employees could be counting their days. Could the technology company's rebellious and anti-authority culture provide an unexpected road block to the FBI?

And then the Adam LaRoche's abrupt retirement story leading to chaos in the White Sox clubhouse. We've got the fallout, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BARTIROMO: Welcome back.

Apple's encryption fight with the FBI heating up this morning just days before the company executives are to meet with the FBI in court over the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone. Jo Ling Kent with the details now.

Jo, good morning.

JO LING KENT, FOX BUSINESS: Good morning, Maria.

You know, the current and former Apple engineers say that if the courts could ultimately rule against Apple and force the company to give the FBI access to the San Bernardino terrorist's iPhone, they would leave the company. More than half a dozen employees tell "The New York Times" they would protest and potentially quit all together, adding further complications to this on-going battle.

And in this latest court filing, Apple stands behind these engineers saying, quote, "such conscription is fundamentally offensive to Apple's core principles and would pose a severe threat to the autonomy of Apple and its engineers."

Meanwhile, General David Petraeus largely agreeing with the engineers as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, FMR. CIA DIRECTOR: If you ask me, do I want our government to have the ability to decrypt what someone has on a phone, I'd say yes. Do I want Apple to make a back door to enable that, I would say no. So a bit like Mike Hayden, former NSA and CIA director, I don't think Apple should be compelled to make a back door because I think it would make the entire technology so much more unsafe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KENT: And Apple and the FBI meeting in federal court for a hearing on Tuesday in Riverside, California. That's just 15 miles away from San Bernardino, where 14 people were killed in December.

Maria.

BARTIROMO: This story not going away. General Petraeus siding with Apple and - and this is huge. Do you got - do you have a position on this? How do you see this, Matt?

MURRAY: I mean I agree with General Petraeus about the complicatedness of the divide.

BARTIROMO: It's complicated.

MURRAY: I will say I think that the - for Apple, though, I have to say, I don't want to sound cynical, it's been a PR bonanza -

BARTIROMO: Yes.

MURRAY: For Tim Cook and a company that's a big monster in Silicon Valley, not that beloved, they really have to be the champions of freedom all the way down the line, even if they lose, and the employees saying that just adds to that.

BARTIROMO: Otherwise their business will plummet.

MURRAY: Yes.

KENT: Yes, exactly, and they've got a big product launch coming up on Monday where they're unveiling an updated phone, an updated watch. And the watch has been struggling. And so anything that they can do to draw positive attention to themselves will work in this case.

Plus, Tim Cook also doubling down, saying the government actually didn't work with them as much as they would have liked, and he said he is pretty shocked and upset about this.

MCDOWELL: But they - they act - but they act like that they've always taken this position and they cooperated in dozens of instances -

KENT: That's right, they did. That's correct.

MCDOWELL: Dozens of instances with law enforcement, helping them basically to extract -

BARTIROMO: On a different phone, right?

MURRAY: Yes.

MCDOWELL: Yes, earlier phones, extract data. But they were cooperating with the Justice Department up until the end of last year on extracting data from these phones.

BARTIROMO: Yes.

MCDOWELL: And then all of a sudden that they've threw up a road block. So not - let's not act like - that Apple has followed this.

MURRAY: And - and -

MCDOWELL: And, by the way, they ultimately also have to speak to victims and the families of victims, not just in the San Bernardino terrorist attacks, but in future law enforcement cases where you've got a pedophile with a phone that law enforcement cannot get into and that man walks (INAUDIBLE) on the street. And that's help -

BARTIROMO: Well, we had Cyrus Vans on, right - Cyrus Vans (ph), Manhattan D.A., came on the show a couple of weeks ago.

MCDOWELL: Yes.

BARTIROMO: He said they've got 200 phones right now that they're trying to break into. That they're trying to open up because of drug-related cases.

KENT: Right. And that's what they're actually using some that -

OTTER: And imagine if someone found a line, it turns out that these San Bernardino guys were communicating with someone who launch another terrorist attack on this county. I don't want to be sensationalist about it -

BARTIROMO: Yes.

OTTER: And it may not happen, but Apple's going to be on the wrong side if that happens.

BARTIROMO: Well, no, that's the point, though, you're right.

MURRAY: That's the risk.

OTTER: Yes.

MURRAY: The other side of it is -

KENT: There's nothing (INAUDIBLE).

MURRAY: And I'm not defending them, but the other side of it is, for Apple is, if they are seen as cooperating with the government widely -

OTTER: Understood.

MURRAY: And by governments overseas where they - where they have a big business, that's a bigger business problem for them. Probably, although, as you say, if somebody's using an iPhone and commits an attack, they have (INAUDIBLE).

OTTER: And, I'm sorry, if you - you know, when you go to the - when the cops get a warrant and they go to the super and you ask for a key to open the apartment, you can do whatever you want. You go through the computer. You go through the underwear drawer. And Cook, for the first time literally in history is creating something that he says, no, no cops can ever go in this.

BARTIROMO: Yes, but the NSA can do it.

MCDOWELL: Ever.

BARTIROMO: The NSA has the info.

MCDOWELL: But - but like -

BARTIROMO: They can't.

MCDOWELL: But the Manhattan D.A. can't work with the NSA -

MURRAY: Right.

MCDOWELL: To break open all of these phones, right? And the NSA doesn't really want to tell the world what it can and can't do.

MURRAY: Yes.

BARTIROMO: I think I still stand on the side of privacy.

KENT: And, look, Apple, for the record, they say if law enforcement had gone to them earlier and talked with them earlier through the mechanics of opened the phone, they probably could have opened it. But they're -

MCDOWELL: But that's the one - there's lots of phones.

KENT: They made a -

MCDOWELL: They made a blunder by changing the password.

MURRAY: Yes.

MCDOWELL: Right. I'm talking about the future -

KENT: Exactly, the iPod (ph) password.

MCDOWELL: The future of this is an impenetrable device and it - they're now they're trying to encrypt the data on the cloud. They're trying to figure out how to make that inaccessible as well to law enforcement.

KENT: Right.

MCDOWELL: So I think that - that that - this is a big problem going forward.

KENT: No doubt. (INAUDIBLE).

MCDOWELL: In terms of law enforcement.

KENT: We're going to be in Cupertino. So we'll bring you all of that from the product launch and from the latest on the San Bernardino case.

BARTIROMO: Excellent. That's next week you're going to be live.

KENT: Yes, Monday morning.

BARTIROMO: OK. Cool. Thank you so much. We'll see you Monday for that.

And don't forget that David Petraeus interview was on "Wall Street Week" tonight. Join us for "Wall Street Week" airing tonight, 8:00 p.m. Eastern, then again tomorrow and Sunday morning, hosted by our very own Anthony Scaramucci, Gary Kaminsky. I join them this weekend. Catch it right here on the Fox Business Network.

We'll be right back. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BARTIROMO: Welcome back. Happy Friday, everybody. I'm Maria Bartiromo. It is Friday, March 13th. Your top stories right now at 7:30 a.m. on the East Coast.

The Trump family is under attack. Eric Trump receiving a threatening letter last night which contained white powder in it. The hacker group Anonymous revealing Donald Trump's social security and phone numbers.

Throwing the rulebook out the window, Republicans are considering using an alternative set of rules at the convention. How it could affect Trump becoming the nominee.

Marco Rubio, meanwhile, making his return to Capitol Hill after dropping out of the presidential race. He reiterated his push to block Trump's nomination.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: There's time to still, you know, prevent a Trump nomination, which I think would fracture the party and be damaging to the conservative movement.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARTIROMO: The FBI confirming what many believe. The college student who stabbed four classmates last fall was self radicalized by ISIS.

A scary moment, meanwhile, in a pep rally in Florida. A performer catching on fire. Look at this video. We'll bring you the latest coming up.

Brackets busted. The NCAA tournament, meanwhile, well underway, but the coaches are stealing the spotlight. We've got the story.

And onto market this morning, we're expecting a higher opening this Friday morning for the broader averages. We've got the Michigan confidence number out at 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

The market adding to yesterday's gains. The Dow Jones Industrial average is now positive for 2016.

The action overseas this morning, mostly high. European markets holding on to modest gains, as you can see. The FT 100 up almost about one-half of one percent.

And in Asia overnight, you had gains there as well for the most part, but a stronger Japanese yen weighed on things. That weighed on the Nikkei in Japan. The Nikkei was down better than one percent on the session.

The nation's deb a major topic of debate ahead of this year's presidential election. With the U.S. national debt now well over $19 trillion, our next President will step into the Oval Office facing a historically heavy burden.

Joining me now is David Walker. He was the U.S. comptroller general under President Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

David, good to see you. Thanks so much for joining us.

DAVID WALKER, FORMER U.S. COMPTROLLER: Good to be back with you, Maria.

BARTIROMO: You know, we wish that we had this subject come up more often with the candidates, frankly. We're not talking enough about debt and deficits. Which candidate do you see as best in terms of fixing our nation's debt problem?

WALKER: Well, I don't want to endorse a candidate on the program. Let me, if I can, kind of frame it in ways that I think people will get.

If you look at the three Republican candidates, they want to reduce taxes through tax reform. They want to try to constrain spending, but none of them have come up with a comprehensive and integrative plan to be able to get debt as a percentage of our economy down.

If you look at the two Democratic candidates, they want to add on new taxes on top of what we already have, whether it be surcharges, higher tax rates. And they want to expand government and spend more for various purposes, and they haven't come up with a plan either to be able to get debt as a percentage of the economy down.

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