we reached out to the detroit police but wayne county prosecutor's office. it's labor day, it's hard to get comment. the detroit police's voice mailbox is full and wayne county prosecutors say they won't issue any further statements beyond what their briefs in court have shown so we'll follow this story but the hearing to see whether white boy rick gets a new sentence which could be time served is next week. we'll keep you posted. thanks for watching, everybody. "wolf" starts right now. hello, i'm wolf blitzer reporting from washington. this just coming into cnn. we're learning new details now about an american held captive by houthi rebels in yemen. let's get straight to our pentagon correspondent barbara starr. tell us about what you're learning. >> wolf, a source close to this family of this man identifies the american as scott darden, 45

years old, a native of atlanta, georgia, working for a company called transoceanic development in yemen in march. he was taken captive. we now darden is identified as perhaps as many as three americans being held by the houthi rebels. no ransom demand for darden at this point. there has been a good deal of behind-the-scenes maneuvering and discussion between the obama administration and the houthi rebels about this small group, perhaps as many as three american, continuing to be held by the hoouthi rebels. discussions to get them out of there, one of them, a fourth man, was released earlier this summer but they've been making an effort behind the scenes to get them out of there.

as the houthis were taking over yemen earlier this year, the u.s. embassy shut down all americ americans and were repeatedly and urgently asked to evacuate the country. some americans got caught in the middle, clearly it's believed that darden was one of them. but the state department very aware of the circumstances and we are told that his company, transoceanic develop, out of new orleans, which deals in freight and port services in very difficult parts of the world, obviously also aware of his circumstances. a lot of effort being made to try to get this man and the other americans home. wolf? >> as you know, barbara, the "washington post" which first reported this information about darden says the other two americans include a 54-year-old man from michigan and a 35-year-old man who is teaching english in yemen. what else, if anything, do we know about these two other americans apparently who were

being held by these houthi rebels? >> well, i don't know that there's any reason to suggest that that account is not accurate. it may very well be but look, wolf, when it comes to americans being held overseas in these kinds of circumstances, whether they are hostages, captives, americans being held against their will. one of the things that the news media does is obviously be very careful about identifying them. families are sensitive about this, governments are very sensitive. and in this case we do know that the state department has been talking to the houthis, had at least one very intense discussion with him to try to get rid of all of the americans that are there to get them out of there. so this is a sensitive matter about any further identification of these people unless, of course, their families want them to be identified publicly.

>> and in the case of scott darden his family and friends want to go public. they have a facebook page out there as well. they made the decision against the advice, i take it, of the state department or the u.s. government which urged them remain silent, to go ahead out of their frustration and go public. is that right? >> well, there is, in fact, a facebook posting now believed to be from the friends of mr. darden. the state department, the u.s. government as we have seen in so many hostage situations takes the route of trying to encourage families not to essentially go public. many families feel that they want to and it is very much their decision about what they want to do. hostage rescue, captive rescue, getting people out of detention of any type, whether it's political type, hostage taking, very difficult, very sensitive circumstances. the state department, the administration over the years, over the decades, has tended to

err on the side of trying to keep things quiet and work behind the scenes to get people out. wolf? >> barbara star with that information for us. we'll stay on top of the story. thank you. let's move on to politics right now. labor day marks the next phase in the presidential campaign as the race for the white house revs up for the fall. many of the establishment candidates are facing tough challenges right now from political outsiders, a new nbc news/marist poll shows hillary clinton trailing bernie sanders in new hampshire 41% to 32%. vice president joe biden is at 16%. clinton's lead over sanders in iowa has dwindled to 11 points and the vice president is still weighing as you know whether to get into the race at a labor day rally earlier today he said something is wrong when middle-class workers are struggling so much.

>> how many people in your own neighborhoods? how many people in your own neighborhoods are in trouble? can look their kids in the eye and say with heart "honey, it's gonna be okay. it's gonna be okay." not enough. because the level playing field doesn't exist. is. on the republican side, donald trump remains on top in iowa and new hampshire but ohio governor john kasich is glaniga ground. trump is leading in 28% in new hampshire, kasich is in second place in 12%, followed by ben carson at 12%. candidates from both parties are out in full force this labor day. hillary clinton has three events after a labor day picnic in iowa she heads to hampton, illinois. jeff zeleny is on the scene for us. jeff, bernie sanders says the clinton campaign should be worried about his surge in the

polls, listen the this. >> some of the polls -- and i'm not all that much into polls -- has us leading in new hampshire, closing the gap in iowa and all over america so obviously i think the secretary's people are getting nervous about the kind of energy and enthusiasm our campaign is bringing forth. >> what about that, jeff? is the clinton team getting nervous? should they be worried about bernie sanders and his surge? >> wolf, there's no question they're taking it very seriously. what began as a summertime fling -- we called it the summer of sanders -- has turned into a full blown campaign. he's attracting so much attention across these battleground states and guaning the hearts and minds of liberal progressive voters. so what the clinton team is trying to go is get more enthusiasm. we're here at a labor day picnic where she'll speak behind me in a couple hours and wolf i can tell you when you talk to the

democrats, when you talk to voters, they like her. but they are not ready to sign on the dotted line with her. they want to hear what bernie sanders has to say and they want to see if joe biden is going to jump into the race. so we here in a holding pattern in this democratic campaign, at least for now, wolf. >> stand by, we'll get back to you. new poll numbers give vice president biden something else to consider as he decides whether to run for president. the new nbc/marist poll shows biden faring better than hillary clinton against donald trump. trump beats clinton 48% to 43% in ay aichiowa. brianna keeler is in pittsburgh where the vice president spoke at a labor day parade kickoff a while rag. brianna, what about the tone of the vice president's speech today? >> wolf, he was so fiery and passionate it was remarkable when you compare it to last week when you saw him address a crowd

in florida and he was very somber. as he talked honestly about still dealing with the death of his son beau biden a few months ago, but today he was really lively talking to this group of union members. he said he was mad, he said he was ingangry about the plight o the middle-class and laid out a populist message as he talked about is wanting there to be free community college and railing against trust fund babies and saying that there should be [ muted ]. >> unfortunately we lost our connection with brianna. we'll get back to her. donald trump meanwhile holds on to his front-runner status in iowa and new hampshire but another republican candidate is now in second place in the latest new hampshire poll. trump is at 28% followed by ohio governor john kasich. he's already 1259%. dr. ben carson is close behind at 11% with the rest of the republican field in single digits, let's go to sunlen

serfaty joining us from milford, new hampshire, right now. kasich is getting ready to take part in a labor day parade there. sunlen, what's behind kasich's rise? it's dramatic in new hampshire. >> it is dramatic and part has much to do about jeb bush because as jeb bush has seen his support in new hampshire drop you're seeing kasich get that support in his numbers just going up so clearly it seems he is picking up some support, tapping into voters that want to see a more establishment candidate do well in this race. at the same time, kasich has done a lot of work, a lot of ground work in new hampshire to lay a solid foundation for his campaign. he has invested a lot of money. he's up with tv ads. he's invested a lot of time. for instance last week here he held three town halls in one day. that the point in the race, that's outpacing the candidates and his campaign noting that in

reaction to these polls. they say he has put in the work. of course he has more work to do because he is 16 points behind donald trump in new hampshire. wolf? >> it looks obvious that jeb bush, the former florida governor, is in deep trouble in new hampshire and iowa right now. his numbers going down despite that super pac that sports him with about $100 million. we'll see what happens if jeb bush can regain that momentum. sunlen, thanks. we'll dig deeper into bernie sanders's dramatic rise in the poll, jeb bush's fall in the polls and how much iowa and new hampshire really matter. also ahead, cnn rides along with the turkish coast guard rescuing refugees who are stranded in a rubber boat. the unbelievable video and more coming up. tuck here... you tuck there. if you're a toe tucker... because of toenail fungus, ask your doctor now about prescription kerydin. used daily, kerydin drops may kill the fungus at the site of infection

and get to the root of your toe tucking. kerydin may cause irritation at the treated site. most common side effects include skin peeling... ...ingrown toenail, redness, itching, and swelling. tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or does not go away. stop toe tucking... and get the drop on toenail fungus. ask your doctor today about kerydin. i brought in some protein to help rearrange the fridge and get us energized! i'm new ensure active high protein. i help you recharge with nutritious energy and strength to keep you active. come on pear, it's only a half gallon. i'll take that. yeeeeeah! new ensure active high protein. 16 grams of protein and 23 vitamins and minerals. all in 160 calories. ensure. take life in. pwhat've we got? 5. bp 64/40 sterilize sites. multiple foreign objects in the body. tweezers. (buzz!)

(buzz!) if you're the guy from the operation game, you get operated on. it's what you do. (buzz!) if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. what do a nasca comedian... and a professional golfer have in common? we talked to our doctors about treatment with xarelto®. xarelto® is proven to treat and help reduce the risk of dvt and pe blood clots. xarelto® has also been proven to reduce the risk of stroke in people with afib, not caused by a heart valve problem. for people with afib currently well managed on warfarin, there is limited information on how xarelto® and warfarin compare in reducing the risk of stroke. i tried warfarin before, but the blood testing routine and dietary restrictions had me off my game. not this time. not with xarelto®. i'll have another arnold palmer. make mine a kevin nealon. really, brian? hey, safety first. like all blood thinners, don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor, as this may increase your risk of a blood clot or stroke.

while taking, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. xarelto® may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto® can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. if you have had spinal anesthesia while on xarelto®, watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures. before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. xarelto® has been prescribed more than 11 million times in the u.s. and that number's growing. like your guys' scores. with xarelto® there is no regular blood monitoring, and no known dietary restrictions. treatment with xarelto® was the right move for us. ask your doctor about xarelto®.

bernie sanders surging, donald trump dominating in the latest polls but some of the

other presidential candidates are struggling as we head into the fall. let's bring in our panel to talk about this and more. joining us, cnn political commentator and democratic strategist donna brazile. also cnn's senior political analyst ron brownstein, the editorial director of the "national journal" and jeffrey lord, cnn political commentator, former reagan white house political director. guys, thanks to all of you for joining us. ron, jeb bush has seen his support in iowa and new hampshire drop by half since july alone, only a few weeks, lately he's becoming more aggressive in taking on donald trump, is the that the right strategy for him to revive his campaign? >> well, i think he has to show passion and he has to show he is engaged and he has to show strength. jeb bush is struggling, i think largely for his own reasons to connect with voters. they still have a lot of time and money and it's an overwhelming likelihood that the early states of iowa and new hampshire will produce one

candidate from a center-right bracket that could be bush or kasich or christie or rubio, most likely the first two, and one candidate from a conservative bracket so he has an opportunity but he's struggled to connect and i think he's been forced into taking a more aggressive posture toward donald trump than he intended because not long ago the bush campaign was probably hoping trump was the winner out of the conservative bracket, most likely anointed by iowa, because they thought he would be easier to beat there the long run than other alternatives. >> donna, on the democratic side, beers is surrnie sanders past hillary clinton. is this a sign of growing enthusiasm or a fallout from the e-mail controversying her? >> i think it's both, wolf. there's no question senator sanders has been able to capture what i believe those democrats who want to hear a robust message about the economy, growing income inequality,

climate change. it's not that voters disagree with secretary clinton but bernie sanders is a new face in the democratic primary so i think they're not just flirting with bernie sanders, i think some of them are coming to like him. there's no question he has enormous energy and is expanding the electorate but secretary clinton has strong favorabilities with the democratic primary. i think she has done a fantastic job of trying to pivot over the last couple weeks from the negative media attention she seems to get just because her last name is clinton. i think she has an opportunity to build i think upon all of the great strengths and asset she is brought to the campaign in 2008 but this is a different season and there's no question bernie sanders is capturing not just democrats who want to see a different person run but capturing people on the issues as well. >> i think it's fair to say bernie sanders and donald trump have been huge surprises in their strength so far. jeffrey, carly fiorina a is also doing well in the republican polls. she says she feels like she's the only candidate attacking

hillary clinton right now. she says -- she questions why donald trump in her words she's not -- they're not going after her more aggressively. is you're a trump supporter, what's your response to credible evidence? >> well, i think he's focused on the establishment candidates within the gop first and that has been jeb bush. i suspect john kasich if he replaces jeb bush you'll see john kasich surge up there in terms of attack mode. but the hillary thing, he has said she's the worst secretary of state ever so it's not like he's paying no attention to her but i do think first things first is to focus on his competitors in the republican field and he certainly has been doing that. >> he's certainly been going after her, as you point out. he says she's the worst secretary of state ever. >> this is a candidate who can't even answer some simple questions about who is the leader of hezbollah, who's the leader of hamas.

i'll tell you one thing about secretary clinton, not only does she know their names, she knows their game and how to defeat them. so they can do all this shadow boxing against secretary clinton but i guarantee you she can prove her punches. >> donna, i recall when she was running for president the last time she didn't know who the prime minister of russia was. my point is if you know all those people but you're still taking the country in the wrong direction what does good that do you? just listening to the news a few minutes ago, wolf, we're talking about a american hostage situation in yemen. this is the kind of thing that upended jimmy carter and the democrats in 1980 and we have no idea where that stands but it's the kind of thing exactly like that that secretary clinton and president obama and vice president biden have all had their hands on the tiller and that will be a problem. >> well we definitely won't take the country in a direction that the republicans took us in fighting the iraq war. we won't take the country the direction the republicans have tried to take us on the economy. so i think this is a debate we'll have next fall.

but for right now, take a look at dr. ben carson who i think is going to get donald trump a run for his money in iowa and new hampshire. he's the candidate that's catching a little seem as well. >> one quick point which is that you kind of look at these nbc/marist polls and you see weakness for both parties. it ears early but this is a fire alarm poll for hillary clinton with 60% unfavorable ratings in both iowa and new hampshire, states that have voted democratic in five of the six past elections. on the other hand, if you're a republican thinking beyond the republican primary, donald trump is looking at unfavorability ratings approaching 60% in both states and only a third viewing him favorably. in the quinnipiac poll, only a third of americans said he had the temptment to handle international crisis. and jeb bush is looking at high unfavorable ratings as well. so what else do you have back on the shell there have at a point where americas are deeply unhappy with the direction of

the country, the trajectory of the economy, what they're seeing out of washington, you're looking at weakness in both -- even at the top of both fields that the point, a lot of candidates have a lot of work to do to repair their images before people start voting. >> but you have to admit, donna, it's stunning in this new nbc news/marist poll that bernie sanders may be from a neighboring state of new hampshire but he's now beating her by nine points, that's stunning, isn't it? >> wolf, it's still early and i'm not surprised that bernie sanders, as i mentioned earlier, he has momentum, i've listened to his speech when he was at the dean see last week. there's no question there's a lot of enthusiasm not just for his message but the way in which he's handling himself. he's not out there doing counterpunches against the democratic candidates. he's talking directly to the american people and people enjoy politicians who understand how to talk to them about issues they care about and the

political system itself. so advantage bernie sanders. >> well, we'll see what joe biden has to say. >> can i make one point there? >> one quick point, go ahead. >> real quick. new hampshire is the best terrain for a candidate like bernie sanders as it was for bill bradley, gary hart, gene mccarthy. it's virtually all white, it has upper middle-class white liberals who respond to a candidate like sanders. in that poll yesterday, clinton was even with sanders among new hampshire democrats without a college education. those with a college education preferred him by 19 points. same kind of constituency that bradley had in 2000 against al gore. once you get past new hampshire it gets more challenging as minority voters are preferring clinton by 4-1 and factor in in big numbers in the democratic primary. >> ron, we beat bill bradley. al gore beat bill bradley. >> 51%/47%. >> a win is a win. >> stand by for the latest in politics, and all the

presidential contenders, head over to cnnpolitics.com. up next we turn to the refugee crisis as thousands and thousands of desperate people flood out of the middle east. the pressure on europe to find some solution. let's take a closer look at who's stepping up to help. stay with us.

you premium like clockwork. month after month. year after year. then one night, you hydroplane into a ditch. yeah... surprise... your insurance company tells you to pay up again. why pay for insurance if you have to pay even more for using it? if you have liberty mutual deductible fund™, you could pay no deductible at all. sign up to immediately lower your deductible by $100. and keep lowering it $100 annually, until it's gone. then continue to earn that $100 every year. there's no limit to how much you can earn and this savings applies to every vehicle on your policy. call to learn more. switch to liberty mutual and you could save up to $509. call liberty mutual for a free quote today at see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance.

i'm a senior field technician for pg&e here in san jose. pg&e is using new technology to improve our system, replacing pipelines throughout the city of san jose, to provide safe and reliable services. raising a family here in the city of san jose has been a wonderful experience. my oldest son now works for pg&e. when i do get a chance, an opportunity to work with him, it's always a pleasure. i love my job and i care about the work i do. i know how hard our crews work for our customers. i want them to know that they do have a safe and reliable system. together, we're building a better california.

now to the worseing refugee crisis in europe and the flood of desperate people fleeing from the volatile middle east. vulnerable families searching for sanctuary, some with just the clothes on their back and facing an uncertain welcome in so many countries. 17,000 people exhausted and terrified have poured into germany over the last two days. another 10,000 expected to arrive in the next 24 hours. men, women, children, refugees desperate to get away from terrorism, civil wars, and

persecution in their home countries. their journey, a treacherous one, fleeing syria by boat, bus, train, and by foot, through at least five countries on their way to austria, germany, and now france and the uk. the first and so far only european countries to openly welcome some of the 350,000 to who tried to cross into europe just this year. these are the people who have made it to relative safety but the u.n. estimates that almost 3,000 people died, prompting calls for the european union to do more. >> the european union was built in decades after the second world war on the experience of that war, now we should remember our story and act. we have the duty to save and protect people fleeing from war. >> one of the most dangerous routes is by sea where many make the journey in overcrowded

rubber boats attempting to get from turkey to greece. the power of the waves and the current can be overwhelming, leaving many stranded at sea. our senior international correspondent ivan watson shows us how one group was picked up in a dramatic rescue. >> reporter: under the spotlight of a turkish coast guard cutter -- >> you see the refugees? >> reporter: -- the silhouettes of more than 20 people stranded in a rubber boat. they are desperate, frightened, but tonight likely saved by volunteers from the sea rescue association who work alongside the turkish coast coast guard. >> all together. wait, wait. >> reporter: among the passengers rescued, five little children. just four days after the world was shocked by photograph of a syrian refugee toddler who drowned at sea, these people have embarked on the exact same perilous journey.

they set off from the turkish resort peninsula in hope of reaching a greek island. instead of drifting at sea with a failed engine, these people will be brought back safely to turkey. the beaches below broed ram's villas and posh resorts an unlikely launching point for tens of thousands of refugees and migrants willing to risk everything to reach europe. under the light of the crescent moon we witness another attempt at a crossing. it's after 2:00 a.m. and we've encountered another little rubber dingy loaded with people that are actually paddling in the direction of greece. it's incredibly overloaded, this little boat. it's an accident waiting to happen. to make matters worse, somewhere

-- some wear heavy backpacks over their life jackets. before possible disaster strikes, the coast guard comes to the rescue. tonight they failed to reach greece but they will live another day. >> ivan is joining us now from bode ram in turkey. ivan, what kind of strains are these boat rescues places on curd teams from turkey? the overall situation is so, so awful. >> it's substantial. the turkish government says the number of rescues that they've performed in the first nine months of this year is more than triple the number of migrants and refugees that they performed last year, so that gives you a sense of the surge of the number of people. they say it's more than 48,000 people they've rescued along the coast trying to get to greece in the last nine months so that's a burden, it costs more, it costs for fuel, patrols that are out

at night and this is on top of the existing burden turkey faces of some nearly two million refugees from both syria and iraq that it's been hosting for months and years wolf? >> it's a terrible, terrible situation. good reporting from ivan as usual. thank you. european leaders are doing more to help the influx of refugees but warrant they can't keep taking in people at the current pace. here are the numbers so far. british prime minister david cameron announced his country will take 20,000 syrian refugees over the next five years. france says it will take in 24,000 more. germany has promised more than $3 billion to help deal with the migrant crisis. but even as european union leaders offered aid, the good will has not extended to hungary. police herded hundreds of refugees into a field to wait to be transported to a reception camp as it's called. hungary's spm criticizing the

e.u. leaders saying he wouldn't allow a flock to pass through his country. as the pressure grows on the u.s. to take in more refugees, so does the fear that terrorists could be in with some of those refugees, congressman peter king has been an outspoken critic on this issue. he's a member of the house homeland security committee. the intelligence committee as well. he's standing by live. we'll discuss when we come back. inside that really matter s for heart health. new bayer pro ultra omega-3 has two times the concentration of epa and dha as the leading omega-3 supplement. new bayer pro ultra omega-3.

as europe deals with this huge migrant crisis, you may wonder how the united states fits into the equation. according to the state department, the spokesman john kerby says the u.s. has taken in 1500 refugees so far. he expects that number to double by the end of the year.

the u.s. has allocated $25 million to deal with this issue in europe and has provided by $4.1 billion in humanitarian assistance since the start of the crisis some four years ago. while the department of homeland security in washington is trying to screen refugees, there's skill a concern on capitol hill about members of terrorist groups entering the u.s. using the refugee admission program. let's discuss what's going on with new york republican congressman peter king. he's a member of the house homeland security committee. you think, congressman king, that allowing these refugees into the u.s. could potentially allow truces to gain entry into the united states as well? have you seen evidence that isis has been trying to do that? >> we had a hearing on this just several months ago in my subcommittee, the clear consensus is that there is a real concern. we have to assume that isis or al qaeda would try to take advantage of this situation. but let me say up front this is

a terrible humanitarian crisis and every effort must be made but my main obligation and the main obligation of the united states government is to make sure americans are protected so we have to have a very thorough vetting process and when people talk about large numbers coming there i don't see how we could do that because we have no intelligence on the ground. there's no way of knowing without extensive vetting and investigation who these people are, what their background is. i think one way we could do it is take refugees already in jordan because jordan does have very good intelligence and also worked with them and the relief organizations over there. maybe take some of them to alleviate the pressure on jordan. is it will be difficult, wolf, all i'm saying is keep our eyes open. i don't want to be on our show a year or two from now explaining why someone who came in under the guise of being a refugee was responsible for something like the boston marathon bombing or subway attack in new york. >> having said that, would you

be open to more funding to ease the crisis, the refugee crisis that's clearly exploding right now? >> yeah. i certainly would. we have to know what it's going for but the concept of more funding, yes. the world has an obligation, and the u.s. -- we can go back to the hungarian freedom fighters, vietnamese boat people where the u.s. did the right thing. we can go back to the jews in the 1930s where we didn't do the right thing. so we realize there's an obligation when there is a refugee crisis to step up. in the past we did not have to worry about those refugees being infiltrated by people who carry out attacks in the u.s. i use the example of the tsarnaev brothers who carried out president boston marathon bombing. they were vetted, they had been given in political asylum as refugees and we saw what they did. so i'm willing to say that the overwhelming, maybe 90%, 59%, who knows what the number, a very high percentage of refugees

are people who dedeserve and should receive humanitarian aid but i'm concerned if you get five, ten, 15, 20, whatever the number of terrorists coming in, the damage they could cause, the devastation and this week of 9/11 i'm particularly reminded of that. >> let's talk about the iran deal. you called it fatally flawed but you did see colin powell, the former secretary of state, former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff say this. i want you to listen to what he said yesterday on "meet the press". >> i think they will find over time if it unfolds the way it is designed to unfold they will seal that they have been made more secure by derailing this iranian nuclear program. >> he came out in favor of the president and secretary of state's deal with the iranians, what do you say to colin powell? >> well, i have a great regard for my fellow new yorker, secretary of state colin powell but i disagree with him on this. even if the agreement is fully lived up to, it locks in place

an iranian nuclear infrastructure and even by the president's own acknowledgment within a year or two after the 10 years are up iran will sbe able to affect a nuclear embargo, the arms embargo will be off, they will have $150 billion which will go into their economy which they can use to build up their own strength within the country but also the world's leading funder of hezbollah. so i feel strongly it's a bad deal and i have a disagreement with secretary powell for whom i have the greatest regard otherwise. >> one final political question before i let you, go congressman. donald trump, how surprised are you by the incredible leads, at least according to the polls, he's generating right now in iowa, new hampshire, south carolina, florida, all these states that have these polls he's doing amazingly well. how prized are you?

>> i would have been surprised several months ago. now when i see the poll numbers i'm not surprised. when i walk down the street and go to a bagel shop, diner, ball game, the first question people have ask me is what do you think of donald trump? he's the only guy that's saying what we believe. so he's definitely tapped into a nerve throughout so i'm not surprised to see the numbers now. did i predict this? not at all. >> could you see him getting the republican presidential nomination? >> yes, i could. the way he's going now and no one seems to be building up a strong opposition to him. obviously he's going to have to tone down but who am i to give advice. i considered running and didn't run. he came in the last minute in june and is on top of the polls so maybe he'll prove us wrong again. the potential is there and if he could fill in the gaps and tone down a bit he could be very strong. >> peter king, the congressman from new york, thanks very much, congressman, for joining us.

>> thank you, wolf. is russia increasing its military presence in syria right now? that concern real enough to make secretary of state john kerry call his russian counterpart over the weekend. we'll talk about what's at stake for both sides when we come back. it's hard to believe you can book over 11,000 local activities right from our app. it's even harder to believe it took you this long to come here. expedia. technology that connects you to the people and places that matter. irresistible moments deserve irresistibles treats. new from meow mix with real salmon chicken or tuna. the only treat cats ask for by name. big day? ah, the usual. moved some new cars. hauled a bunch of steel. kept the supermarket shelves stocked. made sure everyone got their latest gadgets. what's up for the next shift?

ah, nothing much. just keeping the lights on. (laugh) nice. doing the big things that move an economy. see you tomorrow, mac. see you tomorrow, sam. just another day at norfolk southern. you can't breathed. through your nose. suddenly, you're a mouthbreather. a mouthbreather! how can anyone sleep like that? well, just put on a breathe right strip and pow! it instantly opens your nose up to 38% more than cold medicine alone. so you can breathe and sleep. shut your mouth and say goodnight mouthbreathers. breathe right

having a perfectly nice day, when out of nowhere a pick-up truck slams into your brand new car. one second it wasn't there and the next second...boom, you had your first accident. now you have to make your first claim. so you talk to your insurance company and...boom, you're blindsided for a second time. they won't give you enough money to replace your brand new car. don't those people know you're already shaken up? liberty mutual's new car replacement will pay for the entire value of your car, plus depreciation. call and for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident. switch to liberty mutual insurance and you could save up to $509. call liberty mutual for a free quote today at

see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance.

is russia secretly planning some secret military intervention in syria? the u.s. gathered evidence of russia possibly planning to build up its military presence in the civil war, according to a report in the los angeles times. over the weekend, john kerry called his russian counterpart

sergei lavrov to express concern about the statement. he issued a strong statement saying it could lead to greater loss of innocent life, increase refugee flows, risk confrontation with anti-isis coalition operating in syria. barbara starr joins us with more. barbara, as you know, this phone conversation between lavrov and the secretary of state, significant development. what exactly are you hearing? what are the russians suspected of specifically doing in syria? >> well, what we know, wolf, is that the obama administration through the state department expressing that concern and specifically talking about, i just want to quote this from the state department statement, a possible imminent enhanced russian military buildup. imminent and enhanced. what they're talking about is they're looking for signs that russia could be moving in

troops, aircraft, logistics, supplies. they're going to be looking for any cargo flights coming in to go to air fields in syria and of course if the russians want to come in by air through large cargoairplanes, they're going to have to get over flight rights from neighboring countries, looking for any signs that russian cargo ships, military or civilian russian cargo ships may be moving through the mediterranean into syrian ports, unloading again gear, troops, weapons. these are all of the steps that would be the final steps that the u.s. is going to be looking for through satellites, through surveillance to try and figure out what the russians are exactly up to. right now officials are saying, u.s. officials are saying they're seeing what they're calling preparatory steps, but they still don't know with certainty what the russians' ultimate goal is. one of the big concerns mentioned in that statement, if the russians were to start flying strike missions, bombing

on behalf of assad, trying to keep him in power, this will complicate the situation greatly. the u.s., the turks, other coalition aircraft already in the skies over syria, not something the u.s. wants to see. the u.s. trying to nip this idea in the bud, but i have to tell you right now, wolf, it is not exactly clear what the russians may really be up to here. >> assad presumably would want more russian support. they have support from iran, they have support from hezbollah in lebanon. they could use russian support if assad stays in power. we will watch this closely, barbara, thanks very much. meanwhile, the u.s. navy confirmed to cnn that a russian intelligence ship has been spotted in international waters off the coast of alaska, was seen by a research ship being used by shell for oil exploration north of the bering strait. they said they were aware of the

ship's presence and say we recognize the rights of sovereign nations to freely navigate in international waters. are you ready to drive through high speed traffic without using your hands or feet? just ahead, we're going to take you on a test drive and show you how it's being done. staying in rhythm... it's how i try to live... how i stay active. so i need nutrition... that won't weigh me down. for the nutrition you want without the calories you don't...

introducing boost 100 calories. each delicious snack size drink gives you... 25 vitamins and minerals and 10 grams of protein. so it's big in nutrition and small in calories. i'm not about to swim in the slow lane. stay strong. stay active with boost®.

the race is onto develop the first driverless car. one company in israel now says its technology is leading the pack. cnn samuel burke went for a high speed test drive without using his hands or his feet. >> reporter: cnn put me in the passenger seat of a driverless car. once they even let me go behind the wheel, but only in a parking lot. now for the first time, i'm actually allowed on the open road in the driver's seat.

or is that the driverless seat. >> oh boy, that's a steep hill. >> reporter: consider manufacturers are racing to the finish line, hoping to be first with the first fully autonomous car on the road. even though they're in close competition, tesla, volvo, gm, audi, bmw and 8 other car companies are all using the technology designed by israeli company mobileye. it roast to prominence with a dashboard camera for everyday cars to alert drivers to potential collisions. now they're rebooting systems to allow the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel. >> tell me what's in this car right now that allows me to do this interview with you? i'm behind the wheel, i have my hands up as you can see. what's actually here that allows this? >> it is powered by a front facing camera in the development

system, in production there will be multiple cameras to get 360 degrees. what we see here on the monitor is what the processing chip picks up from the visual field. it knows about other cars, knows about people. mobileye says there are two ingredients to the secret sauce of their company's success. first, their algorithms. dozens of teams in the jerusalem headquarters obsess over the algorithms so the computer can recognize the difference between a green and red light or a bicycle darting in front of the car. >> all the value of the company is in the chip. it has ten times the power of any chip you can buy on the market. >> reporter: when we are on the freeway, who is safer, me or your system? >> the robotic system would be better than a human driver. the reason for this kind of technology at the end of the day is not to make driving more fun, it is to make driving more safe. >> reporter: i am keeping my hands near the steering wheel, just in case.

samuel burke, cnn, israel. >> that's pretty amazing stuff. thanks very much for watching. i am wolf blitzer. i will be back 5:00 p.m. eastern in "the situation room." newsroom with ana cabrera starts now. hello on this labor day. thanks for joining me, i am in for brook baldwin. the refugee crisis in europe reached a critical point. tens of thousands of fleeing their home land, spilling into european union. huge numbers now headed for germany. in this makeshift shelter, it was set up to accommodate 17,000 refugees and others who flooded into that city alone. germany says it can't do it alone. needs over nations to step up and help out. even the pope is implore europe catholics to take in