Donald Trump said what?: GOP debate turns to issues after testy start

The Republican presidential debate started off with insults and personal attacks in Detroit, but turned to more substance during its second half.

From Donald Trump calling Florida Sen. Marco Rubio “Little Marco,” to Rubio calling him “Big Donald” and even a sexual reference from Trump after Rubio criticized the size of his hands, the debate got off to an odd start.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich made reference to the tone of the debate.

Kasich said he is the “adult on the stage.”

He also said as the election moves north to states like Michigan next week, he will start winning races.

At one point Cruz asked the viewers “Is this the debate you want?”

Here’s the latest from the GOP debate in Detroit from the Associated Press:

Trump makes sexual reference after Rubio comments on his hand size

Marco Rubio said he sharply critical personal and political assault on Donald Trump over the past week is well-deserved.

Rubio says if there's anyone who has deserved to be treated with that level of criticism, "it's Donald Trump."

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Here’s the awkward video and some of Trump’s other greatest hits

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But Rubio is pledging to abandon the attacks in favor of a thorough policy exchange beginning immediately.

Meanwhile, Trump is defending the size of his hand, which Rubio had mocked as small in what was viewed as an insult about Trump's sexual prowess.

Trump referred to Rubio's tease with a crude sexual reference of his own.

Holding his hands up for the audience to see, Trump said: "I guarantee you, there's no problem."

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Kasich says ground troops needed in Libya

John Kasich said U.S. ground troops must be sent to Libya because it is a “fertile ground” for the Islamic State group.

The Ohio governor appeared to go a step further than Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in Thursday’s Republican presidential debate. Rubio committed to air strikes and sending a “significant number” of special forces to the country, which is an “operating space” for the terrorists.

Rubio says ISIS must be “targeted wherever they are.” Kasich says the U.S. can’t just send special forces but “must be there on the ground in significant numbers.”

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Trump says he’s ‘changing’ his positions’

Donald Trump said he's "changing" and "softening" his position on a visa program for highly skilled foreign workers.

Trump's website outlines a policy for encouraging American companies to hire native workers rather than giving out more H-1B visas for people from overseas. But Trump is now telling the audience at the latest Fox News debate that he'd be more open to bringing in highly skilled workers, especially for jobs in Silicon Valley.

Trump's admission of "softening" his position is fresh fodder for his opponents who are calling him to release the transcripts of an off-the-record conversation with the New York Times about immigration.

Ted Cruz is hitting back against Donald Trump's proposed immigration program, saying that millions of Americans are out of work because of existing immigration policies.

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GOP infighting: Romney calls Trump a con man, phony

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Cruz slams Trump saying he’s not specific on plans

Ted Cruz is slamming Donald Trump for lacking policy specifics and warning a Trump presidency would result in more Washington corruption.

Cruz largely faded from the spotlight for an extended exchange between Trump and Marco Rubio. He's piling on the businessman with his latest slot of time, saying Trump has donated to Democrats and used government for private gain.

Trump, in response, isn't shying away from his past support for Democrats, saying that he's given to all kinds of politicians. He says it's acceptable because he was doing it in a business capacity and not as a politician.

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Trump challenged on math

The presidential debate moderators are challenging Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on his math.

Fox anchor Chris Wallace asked Trump on Thursday how his promise to cut waste, fraud and abuse would be enough to pay for his proposed tax cut that comes with a $10 trillion tax cut.

Trump says he would come up with the money by getting rid of common core academic standards and reducing the size of the Department of Education, the Environmental Protection Agency, the IRS and cutting costs in Medicare.

But Wallace is pushing back, saying that wouldn’t come close to paying for his tax plan.

Trump now says he will save money "through negotiation throughout the economy" by spending less on what the government buys.

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On job creation

Donald Trump and Marco Rubio are sparring over job creation, with Rubio hitting Trump for manufacturing his clothing line overseas and Trump saying Rubio hasn't created a job in his life.

Rubio accused Trump of spending his career duping Americans and called on the billionaire to produce his clothing line in the U.S.

Trump says he's been doing that more and more.

Trump is also hitting back, calling Rubio a "little guy" who "has lied so much about my record."

The two are sparring viciously, with Trump calling Rubio "little Marco" and Rubio hitting back, calling Trump "Big Donald.

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Kasich says he can get ‘crossover votes’

Kasich said in Thursday's debate in Michigan that he "can get the crossover votes" and he won't get into nasty exchanges like those between Donald Trump and Marco Rubio.

Pressed by a moderator about staying in the race to force a contested convention this summer, Kasich promises he will win Ohio on March 15 and will continue his message of “bringing people together.”

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Rubio says he does better against Clinton

Marco Rubio and Donald Trump are starting off with a tussle over who is more electable in both the GOP primary and a general election.

Rubio is pointing out that the majority of primary voters hasn't picked Trump and alleges that Trump doesn't represent the conservative movement, noting the businessman defended Planned Parenthood in the last debate.

Trump is shooting back, saying he's the best prepared to beat Hillary Clinton and noting he's won far more primary contests than Rubio or Ted Cruz.

The exchange became so heated that moderator Megyn Kelly had to jump in, saying “no one can understand you when you’re talking over each other.”

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Cruz says candidates acting like ‘bickering school children’

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz says the American people are not interested in listening to “bickering school children.”

Cruz is making the case in Thursday’s Republican presidential debate that voters want to hear the candidates talk about substantive issues, not insult one another.

Cruz made a pitch to the “truck drivers, steel workers and mechanics” who he says have been suffering under President Barack Obama the past seven years.

In a slam against Donald Trump, Cruz says that it's easy to print campaign slogans on baseball caps, but the question is whether he understands what made America great in the first place.

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Who would Trump have advise him on national security?

Billionaire businessman Donald Trump is naming three people he would consider putting in his administration to lead on national security.

They are diplomat Richard Haass, Gen. Jack Keane and Col. Jack Jacobs.

Trump was asked during Thursday's presidential debate who he considers to be the best people to oversee U.S. national security.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich is trying to turn the question to his advantage, saying he has the experience to deal with national security.

Kasich says, “I was there when Ronald Reagan rebuilt the military. I worked with him.”

Kasich even repurposed a famous quote from a 1988 vice presidential debate saying, “I knew Ronald Reagan and I’ll leave it right there.”

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Trump defends Trump University

Donald Trump is on the hot seat over the ongoing class-action suit against his now-defunct "Trump University."

The GOP front-runner is again facing questions at Thursday’s GOP debate about the business seminars, which former students claim were marketed with false claims over instructors’ credentials, among other issues.

Rival Marco Rubio said Trump is "trying to do to the American voter what he did to the people that signed up for this course."

He added that Trump "is making promises he has no intention of keeping."

But Trump is downplaying the suit, calling it a minor case and turned the accusations around against Rubio, calling him a "con artist" for skipping Senate votes.

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