The Latest: FL Trump-Palin event canceled, no explanation

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on campaign 2016 (all times Eastern Standard Time):

12:56 p.m.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump's presidential campaign says that Todd Palin, husband of Sarah Palin, has been "in a bad snow machine accident" Sunday night and is hospitalized.

The campaign said in a statement that the former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential candidate is returning home to be with her husband. She had been scheduled to appear on Trump's behalf at an event in Florida ahead of the state's primary on Tuesday. The statement says Sarah Palin "looks forward to being back on the campaign trail soon."

The statement said Trump, the GOP front runner, sends his thoughts and prayers to Palin and her family.

___

12:27 p.m.

A Donald Trump campaign event in Florida featuring Sarah Palin has been canceled without explanation.

Palin had been scheduled to appear on the Republican candidate's behalf at The Villages in Florida at noon.

The former Alaska governor and vice presidential nominee is one Trump's highest-profile endorsements.

She appeared on Trump's behalf at the Arcadia All-Florida Championship Rodeo and Florida Strawberry Festival on Sunday.

A Trump campaign spokeswoman did not immediately respond to questions about the reason for the cancelation.

The campaign says in a statement that "Governor Palin wishes her best to Mr. Trump in the upcoming primaries."

___

12:25 p.m.

A small group of protesters is interrupting Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump at his rally in Hickory, North Carolina.

Just as Trump began discussing his plans to build a wall at the Mexican border, the group stood up and turned to face the television cameras at the back of the auditorium on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne University. After a few moments, Trump supporters stood up and outshouted the protesters with chants of "Trump!" and "USA!" Law enforcement escorted the protesters from the auditorium and the rally continued. Several other protesters who began shouting at Trump were taken from the auditorium minutes later.

Outside the auditorium, a group of people pressed up against a temporary railing to try to get a glimpse of Trump, who was introduced by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Just behind that group was a smaller group of protesters, one of them holding a sign that said "Love Not Hate."

The rally started nearly two hours late because Trump's plane was diverted to Charlotte from Hickory due to fog.

___

11:40 a.m.

Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio says he's going to "shock the country" by winning Florida's winner-take-all primary on Tuesday.

Rubio said he'll not only win the Florida contest, but show the nation that the GOP is "not the home of politicians who try to take advantage of what's wrong in people's lives to win."

Rubio made his prediction Monday in Jacksonville at a local coffee shop.

It is the first of several stops Rubio is making as he travels from north to south Florida, along I-95, on the eve of a do-or-die primary for his campaign.

The Florida senator is trailing front-runner Donald Trump by double-digits in the latest poll of likely GOP voters in his home state.

Rubio did not mention Trump's name, but told supporters they need to beat him and preserve the conservative movement.

___

11:35 a.m.

Clinton is opening her final full day of campaigning before Tuesday's primaries with a stop at a meeting of Latino activists.

The Democratic primary candidate swung through Pilsen, Illinois — a major Mexican-American immigrant community in Chicago — before heading to a rally at a union hall. She urged the mostly female audience to head to the polls Tuesday.

"We especially need you now," she says. "We have to have a big vote tomorrow that can send a strong message that loves trumps hate."

Latino voters are a key demographic for Clinton, not only in her primary against rival Bernie Sanders but in the general election. Her aides hope GOP front runner Donald Trump's rhetoric on immigration will drive larger numbers to the polls in support of Clinton next fall.

___

10:30 a.m.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is criticizing Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump for donations he made to Chicago Democrats while campaigning in Illinois.

Cruz is making five stops across Illinois on Monday, the day before the state's primary. Cruz told journalists in Rockford that Trump can't be trusted because he donated to Democrats, such as former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the Democratic Party of Cook County, where Chicago is located, and current Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Cruz said that if voters are interested in "abuse of power from Chicago Democrats, then Donald Trump is a great candidate."

Cruz has been casting Trump as a hypocrite for weeks, noting his past donations to Democrats including Hillary Clinton. But Cruz also says he will support Trump if he becomes the GOP nominee.

___

10:15 a.m.

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz says that if Donald Trump were to "go out on Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody," he would not support him as the party's nominee.

But speaking at a press conference in Rockford, Illinois Monday, Cruz refused to acknowledge the possibility that Trump would win the nomination, with just one day to go until a crucial cluster of winner-take-all primaries.

Instead, Cruz offered his own worst-case scenarios for what a Trump nomination would do to the party and the country.

"We elect Hillary Clinton and we destroy the country if Trump is the nominee," he said. He repeatedly noting that he has won more primaries than anyone other than Trump and so he is best positioned to beat him to the nomination.

___

7:15 a.m.

Former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson avoided questions over whether Donald Trump is fit to lead the country after making comments viewed as encouraging violence at his rallies.

Speaking on NBC's "Today" Monday, Carson, who endorsed Trump last week, acknowledged that he might not use the same rhetoric that Trump uses at his rallies, but emphasized that Trump is a different person off-stage and should not be discounted.

Trump tried Sunday to shift attention away from the intense criticism that followed harrowing scenes Friday of a melee in Chicago, where he canceled a scheduled rally amid a near-riot among his supporters, protesters and authorities.

Also, on Saturday, a dissenter stormed the stage as Trump spoke, only to be subdued by Secret Service agents.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.