is not phasing the front runner donald trump. he says he is not doing much to prepare for tonight's debate. instead, he will layout his plans. he wound up not saying much about how he would make us more secure, choosing, instead, to play to the anger >> trump is in the cross hairs of his gop rival, some of them promising to start a rumble. vice president joe biden taking aim at trump for his rhetoric about latinos. let's begin our coverage with athena jones, live inside the debate hall. athena, it's getting excited in there. >> it is. good morning, alisyn. this is where it's going to go down in a few hours. this is a huge opportunity for these kanes to make an impression. donald trump has torn up the rule book, not when it just comes to cam paning but also when it comes to preparing for a big night like this. in a few hours we'll have a chance to see if his unconventional approach works

well for him. >> debate day is here. in just hours, gop presidential hopefuls will be facing off inside the reagan presidential library. >> i don't know how you can prepare for something. i hear everybody's coming after me. >> while some lower tier candidates are gearing up -- >> i'm going to mix it up because i like to rumble. >> i read up on current issues. >> reporter: the front-runner was busy soaking up the spotlight. donald trump, as always, doing things his own way. >> mr. donald j. trump! >> reporter: he was on the campaign trail on the eve of the debate. making an appeal to veterans aboard the "uss iowa." a historic world war ii battleship. >> i am with the veterans 100%. we have illegal immigrants that are treated better by far than our veterans. >> reporter: tuesday vice president biden taking his gloves off, sharply denouncing trump's rhetoric towards latinos on illegal immigration.

>> there's one guy absolutely denigrating an entire group of people, apeaing to the basic side of human nature, working on this notion of zenaphobia in a way that hasn't happened in a long time. >> there's tremendous crime, tremendous drugs pouring across the border. >> reporter: trump's remarks igniting a firestorm. in typical trump fashion his 15-minute speech was short on policy details. instead, he bashed his rivals. >> i'm fighting some very nice people but they're never going to do anything with these countries. they're never going to be able to do it. it's an instincts, something that's special. they don't have it. >> reporter: as the candidates get ready for round two, the donald seemed unfazed by those taking aim at him both on and off the stage. >> i feel good about it.

>> special preparation? >> i've been doing this for 30 years, a lot of preparation. i feel good about the debate. >> so there you heard from trump. he said his whole life has been preparation for a debate. he also said he's a strong counterpuncher when attacked. one of the big questions for tonight is will any of the other candidates manage to land a punch on him and what will he say to hit them back in alisyn, chris? >> good questions. let's get answers. let's bring in cnn national political reporter maeve reston. "l.a. times" assistant managing editor for politics, christina bellantoni and ron brownstein as well. maeve, you are close toast me. i begin with you. he had a pocket of decenters against him. tonight he has to feel as though he's more on defense than offense. what do you think the dynamic is, how does it set up. >> he's been trooing to set up

that dynamic that everyone is going to come after him. >> he's the victim. >> he's the visiting. right. that always works. he said he will nicer to the other candidates. certainly he's been aggressive out on the trail. and it will be interesting to see how someone like ben carson comes back at him and tries to differentiate himself, especially after that little thing we saw last week where ben carson initially went after trump on faith and then kind of backed off. it wilin trefting to watch the dynamics tonight. >> there's an interesting tight rope. on the one hand, clearly you have to take some of the sunshine off donald trump sooner or later if you're the other candidates. on the other hand, probably his biggest vulnerability in the polls, even a substantial number of republicans think he has the temperament and -- >> he has less than half of party on his side. >> to succeed as president. while you want to go after him and not ascending into theed

ahmo anyo-- ad hominem, you thit applies to the oval office. even republicans have that question. >> you're hearing people say they're tired of political correctness. people showed up at his rally saying this is why we're here. we're sick of hearing from politicians who want to toe the line and say nice things. we want to hear somebody who will challenge our enemies that message if you can goat him into going on the attack and maybe not seeming presidential, that might help in the long run but for the voters that are paying attention for the first time -- >> alisyn says the mistakes people make when they criticize trump, you're forgetting they like how trump is. >> he's inspiring. to go after that is a problem. >> ultimately there's a limit. people recognize what a president needs to do to succeed. i think the other campaigns believe that in the end -- as i

say, there's not one thing. that will take him down at this point. but certainly if you look at the polling, questions about his temperament, not only with it but in the broader electorate, a third of americans say he has the tell pefrment to succeed as a president. that is a significant lane someone has to find a way to exploit. >> the format of tonight's debate is different and inter t interesting. jake will encourage them to speak to each other. >> mix it up. >> there's more of the debate. you've been talking to debate prep strategists. >> yes. >> what are they saying? >> they're saying basically all of the old rules don't at ply. throw out the rule book if you are dealing with donald trump. it used to be you try to be as statesman-like as poll. in this situation, in the first debate it seemed that all of them looked scared to go after donald trump. that's not a good position for them to be in either. certainly you have to look for opportunity. that's always the gift behind all of these zingers.

to seize the moment and go after your opponents and just you're waiting for that one comment to come up as we've seen him past and then avoid the fatal mistake, the factual error. that ill, the biggest risk for trump, how it gets framed after the debate. he talks about how he doesn't want to do prep. he's been prepping for 30 years we'll see how that goes. >> maeve, makes a lot of good points. one of them is when she says opponents, plural. this is a survival battle. you don't expect to come out tonight having beaten trump anden his place. it's not going to happen. you have the perry effect, who's next? who won't be able to raise the money? who's seen as irrelevant? you have seven people that cowl fall into the category. >> there are days left until the next fund-raising deadline. some of the candidates if they done the have the enough air time or have a breakout moment, this could be the end for them. >> who's on the bubble. >> i'm curious what's going on with scott walker. he canceled his appearance at

the california republican convention following the debate. >> bobby jindal. >> yes. >> lindsey graham, after making an initial splash. a number of candidates here. you're thinking about the top tier candidates. you have two races i think going on. you have trump, cruz, walker, maybe huckabee. in that battle for conservatives focused on iowa. you have bush, kasich, probably rubio, maybe chris christie still hanging on in that battle for the voters who are already showing the most resistance to trump, the more affluent, white collar republicans. that's a focus on new hampshire. there's still the possibility this race becomes two brackets, one emerges iowa, when that emerges from new hampshire and those are different races. >> a lot of people are watching carly fiorina. >> and ben carson. >> they have engaged somewhat with donald trump, each to a different effect. >> right. >> do we have any sense of what her plan is?

>> i'm so excited to see carly, what carly will bring tonight. she obviously ran here in california in 2010. she's an incredibly disciplined candidate. a lot of people see her as substanti substantive. she has an art of the zinger, the soft way she delivers it. you've seen the why she's gone after trump. >> the light touch, humor, she does that very well. >> class verse crass. >> yes, yes. >> the dynamic of having a woman on stage changes the way the candidates speak to one another. they'll be close to each other. i mean, it does put a different focus on it. think about so many people watched the debate over the summer. this is now post-labor day, people are tuning in and they're completely engaged in this race. and i'm going to wait to see what people are going to say about her hewlett-packard record, especially here in california. >> we've seen that movie before here in california. it was a nasty battle that's

coming if she continues to rise in the polls. >> is that because it's nasty or true? >> well, i mean, the voters will have to decide that going forward. what we saw in the race between fiorina and boxer here in california was day after day, hewlett-packard workers coming out from everywhere and the democrats have all of that opo waiting. we have a news bulletin about hul little pa hewlett-packard cutting jobs day. >> when she ran hewlett-packard it went this way. sometimes that's just the truth. >> more visibility, there's more vulnerability. in that sense, in that sense, we're talking about donald trump. i wonder if become might have the most at stake in this debate. ben carson ascended almost as high as donald trump in national polling. voters probably know less about him other than his inspiring personal life story. whether he can -- in the

spotlight for a policy conversation, can he sustain the support that he's generated so far? i think he is someone also with a great deal at stake. not only in this debate but the ones to follow. >> and has positioned himself as the anti-trump. a lot of the people at his rallies will tell you, i was interested in trump, i'm done with trump. i want someone i can trust. >> talked to new hampshire voters this weekend that were high on carson. they sat down with him in their living room. he listened to them. they weren't expecting much and he completely blew them away. they told all their friends. people are taking a serious look at him. he's gaining in all these different polls. the retail politics thing that trump has a harder time doing because the cameras follow him everywhere, that will matter to the voters. >> dr. carson falls into that category of what he is, now how he is. which is a nice thing to have as long as you have a big enough constituency to support what your core values are.

is he going to wow you with performance? i haven't seen it yet. i haven't seen him have that other gear. maybe he'll develop one. people who want him, they like what he's about. >> he does hold the crowd spell bound. it's interesting with that quiet touch and they're waiting for his lines. >> he's said a lot of things that when you put them in 42-point type are going to raise a lot of questions. >> right. >> again, when he is more visible does he become more vulnerable? >> right. >> that's a great point. we started off the testing with dr. carson when he said gay was a choice. that was something he had to deal with. he found the way forward. >> from the fetal research. >> now he's in second place. >> interesting tonight, guys, thanks so much for previewing it with us. we'll see you throughout the day. >> three "l.a. times" alum. big southern california presence on the podium. >> you guys are ept aring. >> we are here. >> you should have moved your neck a little bit when you did that, ron. to be sure, these two

debates tonight will change the race, the first one begins at 6:00 p.m. eastern. not western. that's why it's so dark out here. then the big shot is at 11:00 p.m. eastern. please tune in because it will mack a difference. also tomorrow morning, we'll have debate analysis and candidate interviews in a special early edition of "new day," live from the reagan presidential library, that will begin at 5:30 a.m. eastern. so -- >> have you done the math on what 5:0 eastern is on west coast time? have you done that yet? >> you know what, i'm trying not to think about it, in fact. >> they have red bull in california. >> we're pulling an all-nighter tonight. >> i think you will. >> good to know. >> i have been asleep the entire time we've been traveling. alisyn has been waking me up qu constantly. i'll check headlines. 6:13 in the east. explosive claims from syrian president bashar al assad this

morning. he's blasting turkey claiming they are arming isis, supporting terrorism in his country and fueling the current refugee crisis. cnn's becky anderson live in abu dhabi with the latest on assad's comments. >> reporter: that's right, michaela. a couple of interesting points about what was a wide-ranging interview with a number of russian media outlets. for the first time, assad addressed the refugee crisis facing europe. as you might expect, he says the issue is less about europe's response and more about the reasons why thousands of people are leaving their homes in places like syria and iraq and heading to europe. now, a lot of people would agree with him on that, yes, you need to focus on the root causes. we've been saying that. the prime cause is european and western support for what he terms terrorists, not say his government's ongoing barrelple booing of civilian areas. sebld

secondly, assad positioned himself as the only viable option on the ground that can defeat groups like isis, suggesting that he's willing to work with the likes of saudi arabia and a global coalition against terrorism. when the discussion turned to his future, he was very clear. he says only the syrian people can decide whether or not he can be their president, pouring cold water on any thought he might step aside. michaela? >> interesting to hear his comments given the bulk of the refugees are coming from his nation. thank you for that look for us today. in the meantime, the white house is growing increasingly concerned about russia's military buildup in syria. the pentagon believes moscow is trying to set up a military operations base there. secretary of state john kerry calling his russian counterpart three times in the last ten days warning him the troop buildup could intensify syria's ongoing civil war. the russians claim they're trying to help the assad regime in its battle with isis. for the second time in less

than a week, senate democrats block a move by republicans to derail the iran nuclear deal. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell is vowing to try yet again. he's forcing a vote as early as tomorrow an an amendment that would keep president obama from lifting economic sanctions against iran unless tehran releases american prisoners and recognizes israel as a state. the death toll now reaching 16 in the dangerous flash flooding in utah. we understand four people are still missing. on monday, a wall of water swept away two cars in the small town of hildale, killing 12 women and children. four hikers were also killed in a canyon in nearby zion national park. those are a look at your headlines. let's return to beautiful simi valley. it's the middle of the night there but you're wide awake. >> we sure are. we're counting down to the republican debate right here on cnn. will donald trump finally provide specifics about immigration or any other policy

plans? and how will his rivals respond to him? we're debating all of that, next, live from the reagan presidential library in simi valley, back in a moment. 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.

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and mercedes griono. are we expecting specifics from donald trump on immigration, foreign policy, taxes or is tonight not the time that he'll roll that out? >> i don't think you're going to see much substance coming out or policy specifics coming out from donald trump. i think where he has been effective is basically on his style. he's going to stick what we've been seeing all these past last weeks which have been very much on his stump speech, these great, amazing words that he does. it will be interesting to see how the moderators will be

pushing him in the direction of providing specifics. i don't think we'll be seeing too much change in what he's saying. >> matt, we're hearing from campaigns, something different in terms of what the media is putting out. the media is putting out trump will have a bullseye on his back that's as big as his lead. he'll be in the crosshairs all night. for these other candidates, especially the second tier, this is about survival for them, matt. don't they have to worry about making themselves more appealing than going after the leader. >> you have the two dynamics. you have the previous debate where it will be harder and harder for them to break through. and on that main stage, you're exactly right. these candidates who have a couple of percentage points in the polls have to do something to break out. the other candidates, the top four or five, i don't think they're beginning to take the bait and just try to attack the front-runner. i think they know that probably

is a mistake. a lot of this is going to be on cnn's shoulders and the moderators. are they going to allow these things to give and take? everything i read says that is exactly what cnn will do. i don't want them to attack each other or be brutal, but in the give and take, that's how we learn a lot. that's how we'll get deeper, getting to specifics because they'll get pushed. >> yes, look, donald trump has proved that he's not afraid to go after his opponents. he talks about them by name. he talks about their shortcommings. he was given what was billed as a foreign policy speech. it morphed into yet another stump speech of his and once again, he talked about ben carson and why ben carson was not up to the job. so listen to this. >> i like ben carson. but he's not a dealmaker. we need somebody in this country that will get ready of the 19

trillion in debt, that's going to bring back our jobs and manufacturing. >> he says he's going to do that. >> well, he's not going to do that. you have to have that and you know, like, it's one of those things, he won't have that ability in my opinion. >> you're not going to call him a pin head or anything like that. you're not going to question his faith. >> i wouldn't do that at all. depends on what he does with me. >> okay. so mercedes, if he, as usual, goes after, names one of his opponents, then will they fire back at him? or do they ignore him and talk about their own record? what's the strategy? >> i'm hoping that they have their legal pad with like point number ten, if donald trump attacks, this is my one liner, because this is the only way that some of these candidates will be able to break through and really become part of the 24-hour news cycle you need the one liners. it is critical to be able to stand out and debate when you're talking that there's 12 people on stage. you really need to pop.

i believe that one of those opportunities would be if a donald trump were to go after you, call you, you know, low energy or insult your face or whatever, that you're able to go back with a good solid line. because that's what's going to catch on. i think that's what also the viewers are looking for. they want to see that exchange between trump and some of these other candidates. >> matt, how many candidates do you think tonight really have to come out of this differently than they go in in order to be alive in the race five months from now? >> chris, i think it's a bigger number than -- >> not even five months from now. when's february? the next fund-raising -- >> in february. >> february, right. november, december, january, february, four months or so. when that next fund-raising deadline comes up, tonight is a big night for that deadline. they all leave here and what do they do? they start asking for money based on this performance. how many do you think are on the bubble? >> i think it's a bigger number

than in past cycles because, as you brought up money, there is this new technique which is the super pac, which is having a big impact on the races where you don't have to get a large number of donors, you just have to get a couple that will write large checks. this race is pretty wide open and more than just a couple people have a chance. tonight, i think ben carson has a lot to gain from tonight. he's had the biggest spike in the poll, a huge spike in the polls. these people don't rally know him. they'll get a chance to learn more about him and he might be able to cement their support or if he does a bad job, they might move on to another candidate. for jeb bush and scott walker, they have to show energy. they have to show some feistiness and they have to show they have what it takes to take on the challenges that get this no, ma'am fashion. it ill with be a fascinating debate. >> to matt's point -- >> it sure is. >> go ahead. >> to matt's point, no one has sme cemented. we're in the dating process still.

no one has decided we'll get engaged to this one candidate. there are still a lot number of republican voters that are shopping for their candidate. that's why this debate is so important. >> yes. it's a year out. they should still be. matt and mercedes, thanks so much. we know you'll be watching with your note pads tonight. we look forward to talking to you again. tweet us using #cnndebate. also be sure to tune in tonight for the first of these two debates, the first one begins at 6:00 p.m. eastern and the main event with the 11 candidates on stage starts at 8:00 p.m. eastern. >> less than 12 hours to go. we'll have a handy clock up on the screen for you. let you know when the debates go. carly fiorina, we didn't mention her too much in this segment. we'll be talking about her a lot this morning. she's made it to the big stage. you've got her, you've got trump, carson. they are the outsiders garnering so much attention.

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but you can count on our 1,000 americas and canadas best value inns for room discounts, upgrades, instant rewards, and a home town touch. welcome back to "new day." we are hours away from the second republican debate right here on cnn, tonight in simi valley. are we expecting memorable moments that could change the race? john avalon is a cnn political analyst and editor in chief of the daily beast. margaret hoover is here, a cnn republican commentator and sirius xm host. are the boxing gloves on? we speculate. who has a trump strategy which is something that we expect most of the candidates will have to have? so we thought we'd put together,

in fact i've got this in the wrong spot. i thought we'd put together some of the matchups we're watching. trump and bush, you feel this is an important one for bush obviously. why? >> absolutely it is. jeb bush has to show he has the fire in the belly and he has to make a strong case for defending the party of reagan and bush and ike and lincoln for that matter. against sort of the troll party of donald trump. he has to do it with passion, with fire, with conviction. otherwise he looks lake beta bush and then he's done. >> beta bush? >> beta bush. >> immigration is an issue. it's the issue that's catapulted donald trump to the spotlight. people say it's not his experience they like, it's him on the issues. what is that issue? jeb bush is the counterpoint. he wrote the book on immigration and how the republican party should reform immigration but he hasn't been able to really challenge him point for point on how to do it. >> tonight is an opportunity. >> tonight is an opportunity for bush to distinguish himself. >> let's take a look at another

matchup, first of all, because this is the only woman on the stage as a candidate but also because of the comments that have been flying back and forth between the fiorina campaign and the trump campaign. >> just look at that face. that's what she's going to say. nobody can do the counterpunch like carly fiorina and nobody has actually taken on the strategy. they're insulting trump back to him but it's not sticking or working. carson is actually apologizing to trump. her strategy is instead, own the insult, make him look like a fool for insulting you and cut an ad and make money from it all the while galvanizing female voters. carly is masterful at this. i think we'll see a moment that enkalas la encapsulates how shrewd she is. >> how does trump deal with fiorina. >> given the comments. >> and given the underlying

gender die nam iynamic. if he's smart he'll try to be gracious and deescalate the debate. >> last but not least, we saw fireworks between rand paul and chris christie. do you think we'll see it again. >> chris christie and rand paul need a defining moment in this debate. they're both languishing they're at risk of becoming second tier. and chris christie has the boldness and the brashness of trump without having to carry the cudgel trump has. >> he's been a governor for two terms. >> we thought we'd bring up some of the moments from last debate. this is actually speaking of that very fiery exchange. >> if you want to give him a big hug, go right ahead. >> you know, senator paul,

senator paul, the hugs that i remember are the hugs that i gave to the families who lost their people on september 11th. >> here's the big question, why did that not elevate either of their campaigns? >> simply having a good food fight doesn't mean you'll look more presidential. what we have here is a philosophical difference about governance. both who are strong figures have not been able to coalesce a deep er support. those 10% to 15% saying you're libertarians, i'm your guy. define yourself. >> i'll stuck with you for one second. you brought attention to this moment from john kasich. >> we'll accept it. guess what, i just went to a wedding of a friend of mine who happens to be gay. because somebody doesn't think the way i do doesn't mean i can't wear about them or love them.

>> which is a perfect metaphor for the relationship you two have. >> john kasich stood out, a midwestern governor, successful governor of a purple state who's making the case for compassionate conservatism. a party of inclusion, fiscal discipline. he needs to keep being that implicit strong contrast with the trumps of the world. >> it is early on in the game. you look at the numbers he has right now. talking of numbers, here's a guy who we've seen an aboutface happen. let's listen. you said this is significant. >> i'm not the only one willing to pick up the baton of freedom. freedom is not free. every one of us must fight for it because we're fighting for our children and the next generation. >> this was part of his closing comments from ben carson. we've seen a real turnaround. >> ben carson cannot be und underestima underestimated. he has codified the christian conservative primary evangelical base of the party in the way

none of them have. his numbers are on the rise. we saw "the new york times"/cbs poll creeping up in the margin of error. >> he's doing it by being a gentleman rather than a jshg. that matters. >> tonight all eyes will be on the stage. the main event with 11 candidates starting at 8:00 p.m. eastern. tomorrow morning we'll have debate analysis and candidate interviews in a special early edition of "new day," live from the reagan presidential library in simi valley, starting at 5:30 a.m. eastern. i didn't warn you about that. we might need you on standby. those two look bright eyed and bushy tailed in simi valley. that's for sure. >> so far, so good. >> usually we say they were up all night and it's a lie. tonight it will probably be true. we will probably not go to bed in any meaningful way before we see you again after the debate. here in simi valley where we are in california i don't you have

13 men and a woman who had a lousy night's sleep. but there's one man who slept like a baby. that's because political lives for anyone but donald trump is about to change. what's beginning on in his head? where is he going to bring his game tonight? we'll talk to a man who wrote a biography about donald trump. knows who he is and how he thinks very well. we'll give you his insight when "new day" returns, live from the reagan presidential library in california. stay with us. listerine® total care strengthens teeth, after brushing, helps prevent cavities and restores tooth enamel. it's an easy way to give listerine® total care to the total family. listerine® total care. one bottle, six benefits. power to your mouth™.

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it lets students do homework and study at home. so far more than two million people across america have benefitted. internet essentials is going to transform the lives of families. i see myself as maybe an entrepreneur. internet essentials from comcast. helping to bridge the digital divide. good to have you back with us on "new day." looking at your headlines, 16 republican presidential hopefuls -- 15 rather are gearing up for big debates on cnn. front-runner donald trump says he's not doing much to prepare. he says he feels good heading into the showdown. the latest polls show trump and ben carson at the top of the field with establishment candidates falling. the main debate of course begins at 8:00 p.m. eastern. the other candidates will take

the stage at 6:00. we turn now to the migrant crisis that's currently gripping europe. some train lines between austria and germany have been halted because the railway company says 180 people have jumped from trains to avoid checkpoints. on the serbia/hungary border, hundreds of refugees were forced to spend the night out in the night or in opportunities as hungary were trying to crack down. in utah, the death toll has now reached 16 in those monster flash floods. is there more heavy rain in the forecast? that's our question for cnn meteorologist chad myers who's watching the situation for us. hi, chad. >> hi, michaela. there is more rainfall coming but north of where the flooding was. provo, brighten, idaho could see the flooding today. be careful out walking, hiking,

whatever. those dry ditches may not be rain. even rain coming into northern california. we'll take that rain. that may help the firefighting efforts just a little bit. the threat of desert flooding of utah, arizona, nevada, that threat is gone because the drier air is moving in. the moist air moving away. the east, you warm up into the 80s. same story for tomorrow for new york city, humidity is back. doesn't feel like fall although it isn't that far away, michaela. >> the clock is ticking by so fast in 2015. chad, thank you for that. we'll keep an eye on a situation in utah. right in you, how about sports on this pennsylvania. pennant races are heating up in major league baseball with less than three weeks left in the regular season. where's the year gone, andy shoals? >> it . >> the astros just a half game lead over the rangers coming into last night's game.

texas down by one. beltre hits this one down the line. prince feeler e fielders rumble first to score. the sacrifice fly right here, rangers win it 6-5 and lead the division for the first time this season. royals and indians playing in cleveland. alex rios will hit a home run and the celebration fireworks will go off. only problem with that, this is an indians home game. you don't set off fireworks after the away team hits a rinne. the poor worker gets booed. he is totally embarrassed. he tries to bury himself inside of his hat. got to feel bad for the poor guy. >> face palm. oh, my goodness. all right, andy scholes, we needed that smile. 6:47 out east. let's head west to alisyn and chris. donald trump parentally not

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too many candidates and media members spend time dismissing trump's popularity when they should be trying to understand it. as random as it seems, this is an act that donald trump has perfected over years. and we have someone who would has cataloged and studied the rise, donald trump's biographier, michael d'antonio, author of "never enough." thank you for joining us. people who are being introduced to donald trump are wowed about how the rules don't apply and how it's okay to insult those

who disagree. you say none of this is an accident. >> none of it is new. he's bn creating and fine tune this persona for 40 years. he tells us who he is. people tell you who they are. when i interviewed him, one of the things th that he said to me said, i'm the same person i was when i was 6 years old. i often think of a person who's 6 years old sitting at the dinner table, debating with his mother how many brussels sprouts he's going to eat. he's been making a deal every moment of his life for now 69 years. he'll be 70 next summer. >> michael, it's so interesting that you say this. just last night, he was asked on the campaign trail by a reporter trying to catch up with him, how are you preparing or are you preparing to are tonight's debate? he said i've been preparing for 30 years. you understand that. it was hard for people on the

campaign trail to understand what he men. in some ways everything has been leading up to this for him. >> right. he's the kid who was so out of control at age 13 that his father had to go to the school where he was actually a major donor and a major figure, pull him out and send him to military school. then he goes off to military school and all these decades later, he makes the claim that his experience in military academy was sort of comparable to being in the actual military. and yet all of this kind of rolls off him, because i think the public has seen guys like this before. he's the guy at the bar who tells big stories and insults everybody and does it with a smile and when he comes back the next night, they say, hey, how are you doing? sit down and have another beer. >> he's just the guy who's at the bar who has the ability to buy everybody a round and buy the bar at the enthe of the

night. >> that's a big part of it. >> it creates something that sometimes alienates candidates. being wealthy has been maybe a bad thing. >> it was. he's owned it. >> one thing i think you need to think about, there's a long tradition after really rich guys identifying with the average person, at the turn of the century during the first guilded age. we're now in another guilded age. it was not fashionable for the very wealthy men to be seen as elite or to have refined tastes they let their wives do that part. for their part they wanted to be muscular and masculine and aggressive and donald is doing all those things. >> when people talk about style, i think that maybe we're misusing that word or mean something different with him. he seems to have an ability to bond with some people by

alienating others. tell bus that. >> well, right. i think there are a lot of people who are very dominant personalities who define others as the enemy, as the source of the problem. donald started doing this in the 1980s. back then it was the japanese and oil producing states in the gulf. they were -- actually he said gulf states would make sure we were paying $6 or $8 or $10 a gallon for gas back in the '80s. back then it was the japanese who were eating our lunch and we were losers and he sees everything in the terms of winning and losing. he's a guy whose mind goes to the word vicious when he talks about how people relate to each other. he even says this about people in love. so if you're in a relationship with a man or woman, that's where the viciousness comes out.

it's a thing that's very stark. you know, he defines things in comic book terms. and it's easy to understand. if you feel like you're the one he favors, you feel pretty good. he'll tell you, you're a good guy. you're a smart guy. he told me that i was pretty good looking. and it feels good to be complimented and to be on one team that seems powerful and wealthy against another team that might be the bad guy. >> uh-huh. that is insightful. that's a good strategy. when you feel special around someone, you like them back. you know? >> people like to be liked. it may be one thing nobody will disagree with trump about, d'antonio has a good look to him. thanks for being on to explain your per spespective about trum. how he is may be good for this time. >> it appears to be. he appears to be resonating at exactly the right moment that

people wanted something like this. >> the polls ain't a coincidence. >> no. >> tonight, another test. not so much for mr. trump necessarily but all those who want his spotlight. two debates beginning at 6:00 p.m. eastern, the main event, 11 candidates starts at 8:00 p.m. eastern. there's a lot of news for you this morning, including the debate. let's get right to it. it is debate day. >> in 12 hours, the gop race will change. >> i don't know how you can prepare for something. i hear everybody's coming after me. >> my vision for america, which i think is something that a lot of people resonate with. >> all the candidates, they need this debate to turn things around. >> i'm going to mix it up because i like to rumble. >> all of our characters are being revealed, including mr. trump's. >> in the end this is not a game show. >> mr. trump believes he can insult his way to the presidency. >> i'm fighting very nice people. >> they're never going to be able to do it. >> this could make or break someone's campaign.

>> this is the "new day" with chris cuomo, alisyn camerota and michaela pereira. >> and good morning, everyone. welcome back to your "new day," michaela is there in new york. chris and i are coming to you live from simi valley, california, at the reagan presidential library where 15 republican presidential candidates will square off in two big debates tonight, right here on cnn. look at the inside. the venue is beautiful, chris. it is intimate, very different from the first time around. it will be fascinating to see everyone in there. donald trump still the front-runner. he claims that he's not preparing in any traditional way for tonight's debate. instead, he continues to campaign and vamp like he did last night with what was supposed to be a national security speech for veterans. >> did you take a picture of yourself at the podium in the trump position? >> i did. how did you know that? >> check instagram, people.

a lot of people are promising not to let trump steamroll his way through another debate. vice president joe biden took time to talk about trump in his rhetoric about latinos. what will it mean? just 11 hours until the festivities again. let's begin our coverage. athena jones inside the debate hall, surrounded by everybody who's better than you. nobody. >> good morning, chris. this is where it's all going to go down a few hours from now. this is a huge opportunity for these candidates to make a strong impression. of course, we will all be watching very closely. donald trump has really torn up the usual playbook. not only when it comes to campaigning but also when it comes to preparing for a big night like this. and in just a few hours we'll have a chance to see if his unusual approach pays off for him. debate day is here. in just hours, gop presidential

hopefuls will be facing off inside the reagan presidential library. >> i don't know how you can prepare for something. i hear everybody's coming after me. >> reporter: while some lower tier candidates are gearing up. >> i'm going to mix it up because i like to rumble. >> i read up on current issues. >> reporter: the front-runner was busy soaking up the spotlight. donald trump, as always, doing things his own way. >> mr. donald j. trump! >> reporter: he was on the campaign trail on the eve of the debate. making an appeal to veterans aboard the "uss iowa." a historic world war ii battleship. >> i am with the veterans 100%. we have illegal immigrants that are treated better by far than our veterans. >> reporter: tuesday vice president biden taking his gloves off, sharply denouncing trump's rhetoric towards latinos on illegal immigration. >> there's one guy absolutely denigrating an entire group of

people, appealing to the baser side of human nature, working on this notion of xenophobia in a way that hasn't occurred in a long time. >> there's tremendous crime, tremendous drugs pouring across the border. >> reporter: trump's remarks igniting a firestorm. from hundreds of anti-trump protesters outside. in typical trump fashion his 15-minute speech was short on policy details. instead, he bashed his rivals. >> i'm fighting some very nice people, but they're never going to do anything with these countries. they're never going to be able to do it. it's an instinct, something that's special. they don't have it. >> reporter: as the candidates get ready for round two, the donald seemed unfazed by those taking aim at him both on and off the stage. >> i feel good about it. feel really good about it. >> any special preparation? >> i've been doing this for 30 years, a lot of preparation.

i feel good about the debate. >> so trump says he feels really good about the debate. he said his whole life has been preparation for a debate and that he's a strong counterpuncher when he's under attack. one of the big questions for tonight will be whether any of the other candidates can land punches on him and what he's going to say to hit back. back to you guys. >> yes, we will all be watching to are that. let's bring in now cnn national political reporter maeve reston, cnn political commentator and political anchor errol lewis and presidential campaign correspondent for "the new york times," maggie haberman. great to have all of you. maeve, we'll start with you. what are you expecting tonight? >> it's interesting. a lot of the camps have different strategies. you talk to some of the candidate strategists who say they are fine with letting their candidate focus on the message, stay back. then you have jeb bush who are

expecting to bring it against donald trump as he has been on the campaign trail. others like carly fiorina who's been doing a lot of that light jabs at trump and showing a little bit of humor and flash. it will be really interesting to watch her tonight. ben carson is one of the most interesting kanes. you see him almost beginning to eclipse trump. he's really got to show voters that he has what it takes to be in the oval office. >> carson and fiorina are the only two people on the stage that, in a way, trump owes something to. he did the wrong thing with fiorina. >> expect her to get the better of that tonight. >> i would hope she would. >> then you have dr. carson where it doesn't feel quite right when he goes after dr. carson. he's a nice guy. he's not the right kind of guy for this. errol, one of the interesting things that happens in a debate, you plan for what you know the

other person is going to say. >> you have to watch and wait what all these others do to see how much you have to do to make yourself known. do you have to be at one to go at trump or wait for maeve to do it? this is more of a listening game than usual. >> absolutely. you have the great jake tapper who will be pairing them up in perhaps some unorthodox combination so that the ideas and personalities and the candidates may not be what a candidate prepared for. how do you do de-barret prep with ten other people on the stith and who knows what coming from the moderators. yes, it's probably the best strategy is to stick to your knitting, figure out what it is you want to say about yourself and expect to do that. keep a sharp ear out and be ready for certain kinds of exchanges. >> stick to your knitting. i like that. i don't use that expression enough. i will be inserting that throughout the morning into our

conversations. maggie, with your political reporting, i mean, what's being revealed? what are you hearing? >> what you're going to see is essentially, i this i, i think errol's advice is right. the number of people who will be able to stick to that is probably pretty slim. you have a number of people who have pre-existing fights with donald trump which maeve was just talking about. then you have a bunch of people on stage who need to remind folks at home that they exist. you have chris christie, john kasich who had a pretty good debate performance last time in the fox news debate and it helped him soar. he's leveled out a bit. he needs to remind people he's still there. rand paul had a rough outing in the first debate. it seemed like he was flailing, including waving his arms around. he needs to do a much better showing. he's had money troubles. you have a lot of people who basically need to have a moment where they make their mark. as we saw with rick perry, who dropped out last week, hard dollars and campaign donations

still matter. being seen in the debates is part of how you raise them. i think you'll see a lot of candidates take a dive if they done have the a good night tonight. >> spot on, maggie. pla maeve, we have a mixed relationship with money and politics. we hate it but have to deal where it. after tonight, they have to go out and raise money. >> right. >> it is hard to raise money between now and february if you don't make the most of every opportunity. >> well, absolutely. as much as donald trump likes to talk about how he can finance his own campaign, these smaller dollar donations do show you how much support is out there for a candidate. and certainly someone like perry really struggled when he was on the kiddie stage afterwards. donors were just like, i don't know if i can put my money there. a lot of other candidates are having that problem. not just the ones slide ing off the stage.

jeb bush, donors want to see if he can show that fire and channel that anger. it is a money race going on behind the scenes. there's lots of eye balls out there but maybe those are the most important ones in some ways. >> errol, last night, donald trump was supposed to be giving this speech that was billed as a foreign policy or national security speech. he didn't really do that. he reverted to a campaign stump speech. why is that? why isn't he giving specifics? can he not do that? or is this by design? >> well, you've got to assume it's by design. let's keep in mind, donald trump has his name on two books. i don't know if he physically wrote them. he said that he did. there are two books, one in 2000, one in 2011 that are full of ideas. books specifically about what he would do if he's elect president. it's perplexing in a way that he never references any of what he put into those two books. he never talks about any of those policies. and he stuck to the -- sort of the bluff and the bluster last

night. one thing to keep in mind, last night although it was perhaps billed as a policy speech, it looked more like a political favor being repayed. the group that he raised money to are, the veterans for a strong america, has a very, very low someone shadowy and entirely political profile and it was one of the few groups that came to the defense of donald trump when he said that john mccain was not a war hero. it's not clear whether or not he was intending to really give a policy speech so much as raise money for very small -- very, very small group that did him a favor a few months ago. >> be that as it may, maggie, in politics you do what you have to. he does not have to give specifics. the others do because they're playing a different game that we're judging, frankly, by different rules. donald trump has a tached himself to the feelings of a group of americans and they're not asking him for specifics because they know how they feel. they don't need him to prove it

any more than that. the question is how does he grow that into the half of his party that isn't buying into him right now. >> that's exactly right. how he grows from where he is is the big question. he has become a much better candidate. i wrote about this today. he has matured as a candidate. he's given in to a lot of candidate conventions, things like sticking around after a speech and shaking hands and working rope lines. he uses notes now. he actually had a lot of notes prepared i'm told for the speech last night and yet he didn't quite go by them. he went to standard stump. i do think it is harder for him to go with things that are unfamiliar and i think that talking about national security in depth and at a granular level is not quite what he's used to as much as he's used to throwing hats into the crowd and rallying them. i do think we're approaching -- not max out but a ceiling of where he can go in terms of tapping into voter anger and

emotion. national security is a pretty important issue. i think there are only so many of those opportunities that he can have and not take and not seize. >> yes. hugh hewitt will be asking questions tonight. he got tripped up the last time there was an exchange with hugh hewitt. >> that worked against hugh hewitt. >> sometimes it's not so much the specifics as much as giving people a level of comfort. that's what voters are looking for. >> maeve, errol, thank you very much. be sure to tune in tonight for the first two of debates beginning at 6:00 p.m. eastern, the main event with the 11 candidates starting at 8:00 p.m. eastern. and alisyn and i will there be for you tonight. we'll be talking to the candidates afterwards and bringing you those interviews and a lot of analysis tomorrow morning, especially early edition of "new day," right from here, the reagan presidential library. when does it begin? 5:30 am eastern.

>> i think errol gave me an idea. i'll knit and watch the debate. it's a mashup of the two. >> stick to your knitting. >> i sure will. more debate preview coverage ahead, but we want to look at other headlines at 11 minutes past the hour. death toll now reaching 16 in those dangerous flash floods in utah. four people are still missing. a wall of water swept away two cars in a small town of hildale monday, killing 12 women and children. four hikers were also killed in a canyon near zion national park. and california firefighters slowing gaining ground on the valley fire. it's threatening more than 9,000 structures still. there are 2,400 firefighters battling this blaze. they got a little relief thanks to the weather tuesday. that fire is now 30% contain. we've lurched the obama administration has allocated $250 million in emergency funding to help fight those

wildfires. chilling words from the sole survivor of the virginia murders captured on live tv. vicki gardner speaking out for the first time, telling fox news she decided to play dead when a gunman opened fire, killing wdbj reporter alison parker and photo journalist adam ward last month. >> i just fell to the ground as though i had been hit and went in fetal position because i felt as though he was going to shoot me in the head. had i continued to stand there i would not be here talking to you. my heart just goes out to alison and adam. they're so young. why save me and take they will? i just -- but obviously there's a purpose and by golly i will fulfill it. >> what a lady. vicki gardner said she was ready to die when the gunman came back to shoot her. he killed himself hours later

after posting videos of that horrific attack. those are your headlines, let's head back to simi valley, california. this will be the big battle, big step in who becomes the republican nominee for president. the race will change after this. because you have a huge group of people who want to get some of donald trump's attention. but how do they do it so they can keep raising money, so they can keep staying in it. we will discuss what has to happen on the stage tonight from the reagan presidential library in california, live in just moments. it's time to get a good seat. nobody's taking them yet. look at that.

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i was going to the library to do my homework. it was a little bit of a walk to get to the bus stop. i had to wait in line to use the computer. took a lot of juggling to keep it all together. what's possible when you have high-speed internet at home? the library never closes. it makes it so much better to do homework when you're at home. internet essentials from comcast. helping to bridge the digital divide. we are counting down to tonight's cnn republican debate.

how much of tonight's event will be a showdown by t? we're joined by ben ferguson. >> good morning. >> alex, you were prepping us up here before the debate. you said this ain't the first debate, it's the second one and you believe there will be a big difference in term of tone and substance and all this focus on going after trump is not necessarily true. it's about how people see you as the candidate tonight. make those two upons and why. >> we're talking about the biggest job in the world. and the great mission all of these folks have on stage tonight is let us see them as the president that we believe one of them is going to become. who's steady hand do we want on tiller in the stormy seas that we find ourselves in today? getting small, getting -- making it look like it's just a high school election and name calling

and all of those things, that can actually take you out of the campaign tonight. stay big. i think that's one of the things we want to see. it's not the first date. this is not who looks prettiest in the red dress. we know who that is. >> she's the only one wearing a dress. >> this is not your first date. we're beginning to develop a serious relationship here. we want depth. >> so, ben, last time around, you'll remember that carly fiorina was thought to have had a good night. john kasich was thought to have had a good night. marco rubio was thought to have a good night and nothing happened. other than carly fiorina, they didn't get much traction after that. what do all of the other candidates, other than donald trump need to do tonight to break free? >> substance, substance, substance. i think that's how you can separate yourself from donald trump. if you can come out there and remind the voters that, one, you're still there and there are other options outside of donald trump and, two, that you actually have ideas and plans on how to deal with serious issues,

that's how i think people like ben carson have been able to rise above. he's not throwing bombs at donald trump. he's not attacking him day in and day out. he's not going to war with him. he's been really a completely different candidate. it's worked for him. it worked already with carly fiorina. she didn't just talk trash as some people would assume to get a big bump after the last debate. she talked substance in the early debate. it obviously helped her. if you're one of the karens you have to be noticed. if you're up there, you need something memorable. the memory might not be the classic i've got a one-liner or zhenger at donald trump. it may be, hey, i came out and looked like i was smarter on the issues than donald trump and that might work. >> it's a tough balance, though, ben. >> sure. >> you foe thknow that it is. we sound like we're saying opposing things sometimes. you have to be remembered which means you have to have a one liner.

that's why these are such good tests, not because there's not a good answer. we want to see how do you handle a difficult situation? how do you be big while showing you can give and take a punch. >> politics is a lot like real life. it's the way we have to deal with problems in our every day life. it's the way you raise children. are you a tough parent but are you also an understanding parent, finding that balance. the president of the united states is the head of our political household. we want to see maturity, see strength. at the end of the day, that's more important than a zinger. >> ben, it feels like this is high stakes tonight. it feels that way because rick perry got out of the race. after tonight if somebody doesn't see a bump, do you think we'll within the next week perhaps see somebody else bow out? >> i think there's a good chance of that. because if you, tonight, cannot get donors inspired and you're one of the guys that's sitting

at the very bottom, you'll be in trouble because this is the second debate. if you don't get traction after this, am i willing to write you a check? the other thing is, is anyone going to show up at your campaign rallies? if you don't have people showing up or writing you checks, you're in serious trouble, the same way rick perry bowed out. i think you can see one or two more after this debate, especially those on the predebate. you have to have some major resurgence of your campaign tonight, the same way carly fiorina did. in other words, you're always going to be on that stage. you have to have a big night in that capacity. ultimately if you don't have money, you don't have a campaign. >> you know what you have to do, the question is how. we've just seen the roads diverge in the wood. one of the roads is i'm taking the high road, ben carson, i know i've took a hit at trump. i've learned this lesson before with the gay stuff. i'm not going there again. rand paul is saying i didn't

give it to him enough. i'll show you who's tough what's the plus/minus on that move? >> good big or go home. i think he's ready. the biggest thing you can fall into, if you try to preplan a zinger, an attack, a one-liner, that can get you in trouble. it can fall flat. it can look like it's prepared. your best chance to go after trump, if he wants to do that, it will be a strategy, he's ready to go. it has to be a reaction to something donald trump said that wasn't well said or planned out. donald trump says a lot of things you should be able to attack him on. can you jump in there at the right time and do it? i think he thinks i have nothing to lose tonight. if i do somethin't do something will it matter? >> alex?

>> i think rand paul is here in case it rains again so he can go get our umbrellas. >> ouch! >> i don't think there's a big role for him. there are only a few candidates on that stage who americans at this point would trust entering the oval office and sitting in that big chair. >> who are you keeping an eye most closely on tonight other than trump? >> jeb bush has to remain big and presidential, establish himself as a conservative. scott walker is fading. >> when you say he has to remain big, he's going this way right now. >> he is. >> why do you say remain? do you think this is a short-tim suffering but long-term payoff? >> when you're at 6% in the polls, that's pretty flat. he's still a bush. he's still got 100 million bucks in the bank. we are moving to a new phase. candidates will have tv ads now. it's not just news media with trump and debates. jeb bush has to have a good evening this evening. >> he has the most to lose.

>> excuse me? he has the most -- we have scott walker who has been fading. that's a real concern. money does dry up and resurrection is hard. if you've declined coming back, that's going to be very tough. carly fiorina has more room to grow tonight probably than any other candidate on the stage. she's one to watch. ben carson is safe harbor for republicans. a good, steady choice but we don't know if he has the substance yet to be president. can he establish that tonight? >> i think jeb bush literally tonight has the most to lose. he's the biggest candidate to be underperforming at this point. he has to come out and have a good night. >> ben, alex, thanks so much. great to see you guys. >> a lot of people on the stage. a lot of different ways to get there. but all with the common goal to come out tonight with a better chance at victory down the line. what do you think you want to see? what will impress you?

what will not? tweet us hughusing the #cnndeba. it's very tricky. there's two debates tonight. the first one begins at 6:00 p.m. eastern, two senators and two governors. you have heavyweights. the main event has 11 candidates and one excellent moderator, jake tapper and he has dana bash and hugh hewitt asking questions. that begins at 8:00 p.m. eastern. we have 418 days until the election, alisyn and chris. we'll get back with you in a second. one of the most intriguing matchups we're watching will involve carly fiorina facing off against the donald after he made those comments of look at that face. will fiorina fight back? we'll speak with patricia schroeder, a trail blazer who briefly entered the 1988 presidential race. we'll talk to her when "new day" continues, live from the reagan presidential library in simi

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kind of like mute buttons equal danger. ...that sound good? not being on this phone call sounds good. it's not muted. was that you jason? it was geoffrey! it was jason. it could've been brenda. i have such respect for women. i cherish women. i'm going to take such good care of women's health care issues, you won't even believe it. but i'm surging with women.

>> donald trump says he is surging with women. disparaging comments about one woman in particular have set the stage for what could be tonight's most explosive exchange or at least one of them. that is the showdown between dip and carly fiorina. let's bring in former democratic colorado congresswoman patricia schroeder, one of the first women in u.s. history to seek her party's presidential nomination. good morning, congresswoman. >> good morning. >> you are the perfect person for us to talk to tonight, because you were a trailblazer. i mean, you decided to get into this all boys club long before other people did and you went down that road and realized how hard and challenging it is. here we are again tonight. if you were carly fiorina on the stage tonight, what would you say to donald trump? >> well, first of all i think i would have been very disappointed in him. i thought there was a teachable moment when they went after his hair.

they used to always go after women's hair but never men's. i thought maybe he's going to be different. apparently not, not as he comes on with this whole face thing. i think i'd have a little fun with him. say to him, you know, if my face is so disturbing you, i want this debate to be fair and i'm more than happy to kind of block it if that would help you at all. in other words, i would kind of play with him a little bit. >> that would be fun to see. so you would put your hand up over your face to keep you from looking at donald trump and from him looking at you and i mean, what is the right level of engagement here? is she supposed to make light of this and say all of this in jest or is she supposed to say donald trump, you are objectifying wom women? in this day and age, that's not allowed. >> i don't think you want to be angry. you want to be playful.

i want this debate to be fair an i understand my face really disturbs you. if that's going to interrupt or cause some kind of a problem, i don't want to be hearing after the debate that i would have been much better in the debate if i hadn't had to look at her face. i just want to help you if that would help. don't want to use that as an excuse. >> i mean, is it too childish for her to say, donald trump, you're no looker either? are we just devolving too much in a school yard tit for tat if she takes that tactic? is she supposed to take the high road and rise above this and not, you know, even sort of dignify his comments? >> i think so. i think you pretty much either have to be playful with it and just move on if you can. you know, you look at him and he kind of reminds me of so many men who -- i think you can tell

how much lettuce a guy has by the type of tomato he's with. somebody needs to remind him this is not a beauty pageant. this is about substance. i don't think she wants to get into beauty thing. you don't want to distract him too much. you want it to be fair and move on and do your substance. >> you went down this road in 1987. are you struck by how much has changed since then or how little? >> well, how little. i honestly thought that we would have women running really in almost all the presidential races from then on. and we haven't. it's been a very, very slow progress. and when you look at even the senate, we still only have 20 women senators. we have very few women governors and mayors.

i must say, i'm rather disappointed. when i first got to congress, i asked the library of congress, how long will it be until half of the congress is female? they said probably over 400 years. i was furious. now i'm going to think maybe they're right. >> oh, my gosh. that is a striking number that you were quoted. so the conventional wisdom on donald trump is that this has all been fun and games over the summer and maybe it will last through the fall. but at some point, he might flame out. that's what pundits at least traditionally believe might happen. what do you think the end game is for donald trump? can you imagine him becoming the party's nominee? >> well, first of all, i think i'm like most americans and i can't believe the end game is still like -- i don't know, 14, 15 months away. will we live through all of this drama? and i don't know that he can keep that drama up.

i think at some point -- i mean, tonight i believe you'll be talking about foreign policy. it will be interesting to hear what kind of need he puts on the bones he's put out there or the things he's talked about. people are going to -- as we get fewer and fewer candidates, people will focus more intently. then you begin to wonder, is this the person you want in your living room every night explaining disasters or whatever will happen in the world or why we have to do "x" or "y." is that really what it is? i think americans will start to have that more serious look at everybody probably about nine months from now. >> yes. great point. former congresswoman patricia schroeder. great to talk to you this morning. >> thank you. >> thanks so much for your insight. >> thank you. be sure to tune in for the first of two debates beginning

here at 6:00 p.m. eastern. the main event starts at 8:00 p.m. eastern. tonight's debate moderator "the lead's" jake tapper and chief political correspondent dana bash will be asking questions. and what about radio show host hugh hewitt. what can we expect from them? we'll debate that when we come back. we are reporting live from the reagan library here in simi valley, california. introducing freeze it, from discover. it allows you to prevent new purchases on your account in seconds if your card is misplaced. not here... ♪ and once you find your card, you can switch it right on again. hey...you're back! [touch tone] freeze it, only from discover. get it at discover.com.

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internet essentials is going to transform the lives of families. i see myself as maybe an entrepreneur. internet essentials from comcast. helping to bridge the digital divide. we want debate, a policy about politics, leadership, the different things they bring, the different things they have said before each other. >> i'm not out to get everybody. i don't think dana is either. i want to hear the differences between these candidates on key issues of national security and domestic policy. >> our goal is to have almost entirely a debate entirely of interaction between the candidates. that's what the republican voters out there deserve. >> that was a look at what we could expect tonight from cnn debate moderator jake tapper as well as dana bash, and radio

host hugh hewitt who will be asking questions. more more insight, cnn media correspondent ryan stelter. for the benefit of our viewers, give us insight on what each of the moderator and the other two who will be joining with questions, what they each bring to the table. >> you think about jake tapper, you think about someone who is respected by all sides. republicans tend to be distrustful of the media. a lot of skepticism about the mainstream media. tapper is someone who's recognized as being fair to all sides. he has a lot of fans morph conservatives when republicans, as well as liberals and democrats. that's something relatively rare in our fractured media age. tapper will be able to use the respect and trust he's built up over years in response. >> dana is an insider, been covering the hill for a long time. she has great expertise. and hugh hewitt, we saw last

time around, how things, in terms of how he kind of threw off donald trump, not last time around but in the last coming weeks. i want to pivot to last time around. that's where my mind went. megyn kelly and the donald trump, that seem to be the one story line out of the debate more than anything else. do you think that will happen again tonight? do you think there's the potential that are? >> i asked hugh hewitt that last night. he doesn't think the candidates will direct their fire at the questioners. he think the candidates will have plenty to discuss among themselves. i'm not so sure i agree. i think at some point we'll hear one of the candidates challenge the questioners. it makes it into a much more interesting but distracting sort of situation. i'm not sure trump benefitted from his long fights with megyn kelly. >> no. >> often times viewers see through it.

they are talking about policy and talking to each other. >> we in the news certainly ate it up. it gave us headlines to discuss. >> for sure. with trump and kelly, it had broader issues about how trump treats will. there was insider analysis that was gain from it. for the most part when we see a politician beating up on the press or an individual questioner with be they're usually trying to distract from the more important issues. >> in those unguarded moments we do learn more about the candidate on foreign policy. there's been criticism about the lack of foreign policy from donald trump. do you think that there will be more pointed questions that way, especially given that these are two cnn questioners? and do you think they'll be perceived as gotcha questions by trump. >> there will be pointed questions but in an attempt to get people to talk to each other. that's what will look differently remember rand paul and chris christie on each side sparring with each other. we'll see that much more often

tonight on these cnn debates that will be the signature feature of the debates. that is cnn's plan. there's 13 cameras in the room, they're there to capture every possible moment. >> jake has been pointed about that. he wants to make it a debate of a debate. it's a smaller venue. it's not a big volumous arena. that will play to the strength of our questioners. >> i think it will. i was there the last time cnn had a debate at the reagan library. we built the stage higher. it's eye level with the plane, air force one. visually it creates a spectacular image. this will most likely be the highest rated event in cnn's history. it's strange we know that ahead of time. usually people turn to cable news when bad things happen. this we expected ahead of time. fox's debate had 25 million viewers. cnn's prior record was the nafta debate, al gore and ross perot

debating nafta. this will top that. it's a real advantage to any of the candidate who have a great night. a real disadvantage to the candidates who have a bad night. >> that's true. >> they're in front of so many more eye balls than any primary debate. >> we'll be discussing this in the coming days with you, the man in the media, brian stelter. tune in tonight at 6:00 p.m. eastern, the main event kicking off with 11 candidates at 8:00 p.m. eastern. chris and alisyn, you guys are ready to go. well, there's no question that the stakes are higher this time but you know what? the rules are different as well. when we come back, we'll tell you how jake will control the there are ways and methods that will make you get more out of it. we'll tell you about it, next. and everybody needs to do something about it now if they want to preserve their teeth. i recommend pronamel.

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welcome back. our complete coverage of cnn's republican debates will continue in a bit. but first more job cuts here

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500 seats, kevin as opposed to 5,000. and some have said that may not work as well for donald trump. he likes a raux crowd. he likes to play to the bleachers. and the people in the front row are sit iting -- >> it is going to be harder for a lot of guys to get into one-on-ones with him. >> and cnn may be doing him a favor by doing what jeffrey lord is saying. we have seen nobody going at trump and playing his game. one of the guys jake tapper

pairing people up. and in doing that couldn't that be the best opportunity made? can't you make the case that if i want to survive in the race tonight, i need someone to die out of the race. and especially in the sickle digit category, are my chances better against you another opponent than it is against trump. >> the group dynamics are so difficult because they really only have a few minutes. and candidates have been practicing for the moment. how they get their talking points across in a way that really connects. and there is a big opportunity there. the bill clinton moment in the famous debate where he walked towards someone in the audience. there is a lot of opportunity for a personal connection with the voters in the debates. >> and remember this is the host of the apprentice. right? in other words. >> -- what does that mean?

>> talking about schwarzenegger. >> he's got a lot of experience. a lot of television experience with an intimate audience. there is a little bigger than apprentice audience but still. >> he's been used to the celebrity now for probably the better part of 35 years. and so many of these candidates are up there for maybe their first or second presidential debate. they are trying to master the policy details. at the same time they have to worry about the optics and the theater of the presidential campaign stage? it is very difficult. >> and they don't fight the way they usually do. trump fights the way we do when cameras are not on. politicians are -- he's like your face bothers me. it's unsettling. >> exactly. kevin, who is most afraid of trump tonight? >> i don't know about afraid. i think the campaign that has to be worried the most about going

after him right has to be carly fiorina. they have had a little bit of a back and forth in the last few days but carly fiorina, this is hr -- >> isn't she excited about that engagement with donald trump? isn't that an opportunity. >> do you really want your first introduction to be with a fight with donald trump? or your ideas and vision for the country? if i had to choose, i would take the latter. >> she more than any of the other candidates up there is so practiced in the art of those kind of moments. she's very good at knowing exactly how to to create a tv moment. sthooes she's a very disciplined candidate as we saw in 2010 here in california. and i think she will once against surprise tonight. >> who else does he owe anything to other than fiorina. he did the wrong thing by her. >> my question was who has the most to lose? and i thought you were going say

jeb. in terms of tonight. >> i do -- trang frankly this is becoming to look like an episode of the survivor. these people up on the stage with him. a lot of them -- all but one isn't going to makt. >> and you have the cruz/trump alliance that -- >> part of the reason i say jeb is because he has already telegraphed to the voters this is going to be different. i'm prepping differently. i'm going to go after donald trump. he's setting the bar. >> trump prep as opposed to debate prep. >> and your point earlier how to stage works to somebody's favor. it is one thing to attack donald trump when he's not around. are you willing to do it when he is 10 feet from you. and if jeb bush doesn't do that it could look very awkward for a lot of -- >> i don't get what you get other than attention and time in

the media cycle, which will definitely give who ever has the best shots on trump. that is just the reality. >> when you look back at the history of the presidential debates immediately afterwards there are people like us sitting there talking about it. but what really happens is a day or two later you find out what the television viewers out there were really watching and reaction in carter reagan was different. they thought reagan won. the media gave it by a hair to carter. >> -- [inaudible]. >> right. correct. >> there was actually a scientific experiment at the time where the voters watching didn't notice ford's gaffe at the time but he was finished after that. so the narrative gets framed two or three days after the debate. >> that's right. >> that's interesting. when the dust sets. >> correct. and we're there to talk about

this. at home it's well mill dreadred do you think here? >> and the media covering this. they even go beyond two or three days. they do it in two or three hours on social media while the debate is going on. >> i'm with you with the mediasy. but i still hold out -- maybe i'm being romantic. but social media is a nasty toxic place. it is. that is just the truth. however, i still believe that joe biden was tapping into the something that many republicans can as well. sweet strength. if you do have a fair line criticism of trump right now it is that he's playing to a harshness that is resonating because people are angry. but i think someone on the stage tonight could say look i get why you're angry but we're not an angry peel. we are strong, sweet people.

we make it better. i think there is space for that. >> and i think that's part of the carson's rise for sure. >> it's two things. first is optimism. at the heart of what biden was saying is we should be optimi optimistic when we look at the immigration. and the other part is character. he stood up and said when he thought something wrong. said so. and voters really respond. and right now they are putting a premium on who is the most confrontational, the biggest fight ore the boldest or the brashest. a lot of other campaigns, what they are looking for is this electorate to swing at some point as we get closer to voting in iowa and new hampshire to put emphasis on character and vision. >> exciting to talk to you. very exciting tonight. >> one of the bigs shows of the strength is often restraint.

strengths/restraint. i'll explain it in the break. tune in tonight 6:00 p.m. eastern. the main event, 11 candidates, starts at 8:00 p.m. eastern. >> and tomorrow morning analysis and interviews. that begins at 5:30 a.m. eastern. set your alarm clock for that. >> 4:30 a.m. begins the caffeine iv. >> yes we'll have you hooked up. meanwhile back to michaela in new york. >> no restraint needed for the caffeine iv though. right? that's just open it up and let it go. thanks guys. here the are headlines 14 minutes past the hour. shocking claims from bashar al-assad this morning. pointing the finger at u.s., europe and turkey for arming isis, supporting terrorism in the country and fuelling the crisis. live in abu dhabi with the latest. interesting because so many have criticized him for allowing the

place to devolve. >> absolutely. this war was a very wide ranging interview conducted in damascus, in syria with a number of russian media outlets. and for the first time president bashar al-assad addressed the refugee crisis facing europe. he insists the issue is less about europe's response and more about the reasons why hundreds of thousands of people are leaving their homes in places like syria and iraq and heading to europe. nobody is going to disagree with them that the focus should be on the root cause of this human catastrophe. but in assad's world view, the prime cause is european and western support for what he terms, as you rightly point out, terrorists. and not saying his government's on going barrel bombing of areas. and assad clearly wanted to project an air of confidence. he positioned himself as the only viable option on the ground on the ground that can defeat

groups like isis suggests he's willing to work with groups like saudi arabia in a global coalition against terrorism. and when the discussion turned to his future michaela he was very clear. he says only the syrian people can decide whether or not he should be their president. and that pretty much pours cold water on anybody's thoughts that he might step aside any time soon. mila. >> all right. he's saying it's up to the people to vote on that. meanwhile breaking news out of phoenix. overnight an officer shot several times during a traffic stop. he's in serious condition but is expected to live. police tracked down the suspect's vehicle but the shooter or shooters are on the loose. police don't believe it is related to the recent shootings on interstate 10 but they stay it is too early to tell. the man accused of killing hanna gram is now charged with

killing a second student. jesse matthew indicted on first-degree murder and intent to abduction. each sentence carries a maximum of life in prison. a bit of a mystery here. did russian president vladimir putin call elton john to discuss gay rights in russia? depends who you ask. in an instagram post the pop star thanked putin for reaching out. but a kremlin spokesman says no such call took place. even hinted the call could have been a hoax. russia takes criticism for its antigay laws. so the mystery continues. no mystery here though, it is debate day. we head back out to simi valley to chris and allison. >> it is debate day. did you know that? >> i had heard that, yes. >> we are at the early starting

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so tonight is the high stakes cnn republican debate. what will all the candidates do to win the spotlight? here with this us this morning two men who know well how to prep candidates for debate. scott mclellan, former white house press secretary to george w. bush and the --.

great to have both of you with us this morning here. great to see you. let's talking about what the candidates will do today. today, dan, are they cramming for the exam? or is it too late and they are just relaxing this morning? >> a good campaign has done all the prep work for the candidate. when you get to the last day it is not about will they get the answer right it is about getting in the proper head space. and president obama you do a little prep, mainly try to keep him loose, make sure he's aware of the larger strategic goals and manage the personal and psychology going into the debate as opposed to the answers. >> what does that look like? >> it's keep it loose. >> what was loose for the president. what would he do? play ball? >> sometimes play ball. work out. but right br the debate he wut people in the room with him to keep him loose and joke around with him. and when you sit in that trailer in your hold room, the walls

close in on you beforehand. so just, just keep them loose. >> what about our president george w. bush. >> i agree. you want to keep the candidate or president relaxed and rested. so on the day of the debates it is not time to cram. it is a time to have time to yourself if you want it. you want to relax it. you want to have time to work out maybe. that was something president bush liked to do. maybe get a nap in. because it is a long day. it is a long evening. and you want their head in a very good space. so you might go back over a few things like strategy, what is the simplified strategy you are trying to approach the debate with? >> how do you -- >> and what is your persona. >> that's it. you just answered my question. so your persona, your demeanor. you are in an unusual space tonight. there are a lot of people on the bubble. they are going to be fighting for dollars, for relevance. and there will be someone there who's a very attractive target that makes you think you can get more of what you need by going after him. do you believe that?

do you believe that the path to doing better to surviving goes through trump tonight? >> no, i don't. i do think you cannot let his attacks go unanswered. and if i'm jeb bush, for instance. three words for him in terms of his demeanor. passion and lean forward. last debate he kept leaning back. you need to lean forward and show you are going to be a strong leader. the other aspect is strategy. make it something bigger than trump. make it about the heart and soul of the gop. what is the future of the gop? you can't govern if you can't win. you can't win if you turned your back on a whole segment of people and alienate that whole segment of people. and this election is about hillary clinton and the differences and the way we could contrast ourselves with the governing philosophy for that. donald trump, he's a guy who may lead us out of the desert by right off the cliff. george bush could lead us out of the desert into the shining city

on the hill. >> if you have had to have prepped candidate barack obama against donald trump, what would you have recommended? >> i would say don't try to out trump trump. be yourself, be authentic to who you are. some candidates like scott walker may get pushed out of the debate tonight but others like jeb bush they will be around a little longer and you have to be authentic to who you are, and everyone is not as goo as being donald trump as trump is. so if he attacks, respond, but don't try to be as bombastic, offensive as reckless as he sometimes is. >> especially this is the memorial library for ronald reagan. he was not a divider. he was pods, he was optimism. he was sweet strength. he was america's great. and i'll tell you thousand reasons why. who do you think can bring that to bear tonight on the stage. >> the party of lincoln, the

party of reagan t party of inclusion and addition. that is what reagan was all about. look at jeb bush. look at the kasich. he did a good job in the first debate. understands the importance of reaching out to the other side and to get things done you have to to do that. the two of the most successful governors in the race are jeb bush -- >> walker. >> walker too. >> i think rubio is someone who has -- is become the close toast having ab optimistic forward looking message. everything else has been about pessimism, division and looking backwards. >> dan, you were suggesting they be themselves. they have to be their authentic sell vts. can being ben carson really work in this setting? where you have to distinguish yourself, you have to stand out. you have to get some of the

spotlight. he's very low key. >> he makes jeb bush look high energy. but whatever ben carson's been doing and nothing would be in any standard playbook has been working. he's gained a tremendous amount since the last debate. no one said beb carson was the winner of the last debate yet he is doubled and some cases tripled his support. he just has to be the best he can be and i would not mess with that. and in you are second place without having done very much, stick with that playbook. >> trump is there because of how he's been and not about the principles and then you have carson whosz all about the principles. and yet there are one and two. >> thanks guys. we'll see you in the next 24 hours. tweet us using #cnndebate. that's it. >> yes that's what it says on the prompter. also join us for the first of two debates beginning a t

6:00 p.m. skpeeeastern and the debate at 8:00 p.m. high expectations for carly fiorina tonight. she'll be on the main stage. how is she preparing? an inside look when we come right back. live from the reagan presidential lineally in california. -- library in california. when you're not confident you have complete visibility into your business, it can quickly become the only thing you think about.

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i read that you play a little solitary on your phone

too, is that true? >> i do. i do. yes i play solitaire on my phone. and then the last thing my husband and i have a quiet moment together and i then spend some time in solitude, in player before it is time to actually go out on that stage. >> it can't hurt. >> solitaire followed by solitude. nice insight there. we have hours before carly fiorina hits the big stage for the first time. she has a seat at the table in the cnn republican debate. she's going to be there. how is she going to do it? how is she coming into this tonight. let's bring in former democratic governor of michigan, of course, who helped joe biden -- did you know this -- helped prepare in 2008 by playing sarah palin. >> i became the palintologist.

i had to embody sarah palin has the stand in. >> wow that is such a great window into how the preps go. somebody has to play your opponent. i wonder who is playing donald trump for everyone. >> interesting. although there are so many that you would have to have a whole army of people playing these. it is easier when it is one on one. and in this debate because there is only one minute for each answer. you have to answer the question. you have to get out what your main point is, whatever that is. you have to pivot and launch an attack on somebody presumably, especially if they are going after donald trufr trump or anybody else. so it is a lot to pack into a brief amount of time. >> so whew do you recommend for carly fiorina tonight? >> for her she's just starting from a great place. first of all i hope she is coming in with a series of attacks. you have to know that you are going to get a wide array of

subjects. right? so does she attack trump on the fact that he stood on the deck of the iowa last night and there were supposed to be big policy announcements and nothing came out. does she attack on lack of substance or she has to demonstrate herself that she shows the substance and then pivot to an attack. >> she's the only person on that stage that i think -- i think, donald trump would think twice before attacking outward. >> right because look what happened last name. >> and how. he tried to turn and pivot to her record at hp but it is too hard to accept that when the context for your sit criticism was herb face. >> he may decide to dwon the substance. he may try to attack on the record at hp, which is fair game. if you are not attacking people on their looks or on, you know, stupid things like that, then that is a sharp attack. if you have to attack them on the record. >> a lot have talked about her record and she has a very pat

and impressive answer. she has her own narrative of how she thinks it all unfolded. that's out there. she's practiced that. if something is less predictable. if there is sort of a below the belt something that happens, is she supposed tone gauge ed to level? >> you expect there will be some attack that you are not prepared for. so you have to prepare for something that you are not prepared for. so she will have equipped that response to that and a pivot out and perhaps a counterattack. >> what about a woman rule though? what was so offensive is that when trump said it, whether he's talking about persona or not. when he talked -- i know you don't buy it at. >> of course not. >> what don't you buy. >> when he came on and chris interviewed trump, he said how could you go after her face? he says i was talking about her persona. >> [ inaudible ]. what i'm saying is no matter what he said he was trying to

do, you don't do that with women as a man in politics. good rule, bad rule. it is a rule. he did it. does she have to have a different set of responses for those? the i'm not going to dignify kind of thing? whereas if she said to a guy you're a shrubby guy, the guy would have to respond in kind if he wants to play that silly game. is it different for carly. >> she's going to have a response for something like that. guys don't usually go after guys for hair or face or. >> don't go after women for it in politics, at this level of the game. >> even outside of politics what. he did. >> was so beyond the pail. what he did to megyn kelly was so beyond the pail. so she's got to prepare for that. and frankly, i bet some of the other guys on the stage are preparing for that. if she's attacked do they step up to defend her chivalry etc. she won't allow them.

she will fight back on her own but i'm wondering if they are preparing for that as well. >> what are you watching for tonight? >> i'm a hillary clinton supporter. so i am really interested to see how the umbrella of donald trump's sort of extreme rhetoric plays out in terms of specific policies that these candidates adopt. so i think he's sort of a leading indicator. so he's extreme on immigration. they all are starting to talk, you know, anchor babies. they are extreme on policies as well. same with women. i think the women issue, i hope it is an issue tonight. because they are all very similar. and so i'm watching to see is he going to be coming out as extreme on a woman's right to choose. no exceptions for rape or incest or life of the mother like the rest of them. are they all going to be lock step on these extreme positions? because of course this is an issue for her and will be set up for the general election. >> let'ses give you one question

on her. the reset of her campaign. engaging media more. do you think this was a smart move? and what led into the -- >> i think her strategy now to lean into that and to get out there and to do more interviews, to be really visible and to ask -- you know, i love -- personally, i just love the town hall kind of format because real people ask real questions about what's on their mind. and she's put out all of these incredibly substantive policies. >> but not to us. >> okay. bring it on. more kpez exposure is better. >> our door is open. >> tune the tonight for the first of two debates. all right here at the reagan library. the first event is 6:00 p.m. eastern and the main event with eleven candidates is at 8:00.

>> we're going take you inside tonight's debate. it is designed in a way that you are going to see the candidates matched up like you haven't before. live from the reagan presidential library here in sim val. simi valley woman: it's been a journey to get where i am. and i didn't get here alone. there were people who listened along the way. people who gave me options. kept me on track. and through it all, my retirement never got left behind. so today, i'm prepared for anything we may want tomorrow to be. every someday needs a plan. let's talk about your old 401(k) today.

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here we go with the five things to know for you new day. number one, 15 republican candidates for president setting off to square off in their debate tonight right here on cnn. that main debate begins at 8:00 eastern. the lower polling candidates will take the stage meanwhile at six. the death toll has reached 15 in utah. in hildale, 12 women and

children killed. four hikers also killed in a nearby national park. in the meantime four others remain missing still. the valley wild fire in northern california is 30% contained now but it has already consumed some 600 homes and 105 square miles. train lines have been stopped between austria and germany after the railway companies says migrants were jumping off to avoid check points. they are deciding the next move after hungary has closed its boar tore them. and all competing to host the 2024 olympics. for more on the five things be sure to visit new day cnn.com for the latest. shall we wing west to allison and chris.

>> what was that? >> what was what? >> 11 candidates as you know going head to head in the main stage debate. what are the rules tonight by the way? can they interrupt each other? what if they go over time? is there a big hook that comes out? we're going to take you inside the cnn event. and tell you what they are up against. stick around. >> no standing eight count tonight. [ male announcer ] whether it takes 200,000 parts, ♪ 800,000 hours of supercomputing time, 3 million lines of code, 40,000 sets of eyes, or a million sleepless nights. whether it's building the world's most advanced satellite, the space station, or the next leap in unmanned systems. at boeing, one thing never changes. our passion to make it real. ♪

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tonight's the big night. as eleven of the gop contenders face off in the main stage debate. so what are the rules for tonight? plus what were the most memorable moments of previous debates? joining us to talk about all of this is -- mark preston. what are the rules? it is going to be a different format. each candidate has one minute and then they can attack each

other? >> well i don't like to use the word attack. we want to see -- >> engage. >> we want to see them debate. you get asked a question. you will have a minute to answer. if you invoke someone's name, if i were to criticize you or chris, which i would never do. then have you lived 30 seconds to respond. but those aren't hard and fast time limits if there is now a discussion developing and we're arguing over policy. >> he can let it breathe. >> yes. >> and jake is very good at this. he understands how to move people, how to use time and that will work to the benefit of the audience tonight. what about this pairing feature that's going to be going on tonight where two people can be asked to discuss one another? >> this is a debate and you can either have interview questions, where when you interview candidates you ask about specific policies to try to draw it out. but this is about a choice for the republican presidential

nominee. so you want to get a discussion about why your policy might be different than your policy because otherwise the viewers and the voters don't really have an idea about why they might want to choose you over you. >> everyone is moping to have one of those memorable moments. let's look back. we're here at the reagan library and one of the most memorable was during a primary where ronald reagan said -- well he was being challenged by the moderator about his microphone. and let's watch this memorable moment. >> turn that microphone off please. >> if you have -- >> i am paying for this microphone mr. -- >> why was that one so -- i am paying for this microphone you cannot turn it off. >> and ronald reagan wasn't a shoe in to win and at that point he had shown some leadership and i think at that time certainly

coming out of '76 and what have you they were looking for a strong conservative and saw that in reagan for that moment. >> that was a balance of sweet strength that showed he had a spine but also a huge heart. give me another one. >> i'm a boston convey andguy a there was this moment back in 1988 where we had a debate between the vice presidential nominees. and it invoked our president john f. kennedy. let's take a listen. >> watch this. >> i served with jack kennedy. i knew jack kennedy. jack kennedy was a friend of mine. senator, you're no jack kennedy. >> a ha. what's interesting about that is that is that one was manufactured. that one was preplanned. because he knew that dan quayle has been likening himself to john kennedy. whereas the reagan one was off the cuff.

>> and if you look at that clip, dan quayle did not look over. he knew he was on his heels. >> i think that was a bigger mistake than it was a plus for benson. i grew up on that debate. dukakis was running because when someone is talking to you you rook at them. especially when you are the younger guy. and he looked paralyzed with fear by that. and that really hurt him. >> there is something to be said tonight. donald trump when he is getting attacked by his fellow candidates doesn't look liking at them. so. >> we'll be looking forward to being you tonight and talking about this tomorrow as well. be sure to tune in tonight for the first of two debates. beginning at 6:00 p.m. eastern here. and the main event with the 11 candidates starts at 8:00 p.m. eastern. it is goin' to be a great night. the good stuff, next.

i've spoken of the shining city all my political life. god blessed and teeming with people of all kinds... living in harmony and peace. trump: they're bringing crime. they're rapists. if i am elected they're... going to be out of there day one. reporter: do you think birth right citizenship should be ended? walker: yeah, absolutely. cruz: i think we should end birth right citizenship trump: i will build a great, great wall... in my mind it was a tall proud city built of...

rocks stronger than oceans. and if there had to be city walls... the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. that's how i saw it and see it still.

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a quick little good stuff for you. ordering breakfast at a coffee shop. a little guy offered to buy his meal. >> i smiled and declined and his parents were like no no, he really insists. he appreciates the job you guys do. i was totally caught off guard. i wasn't expecting it. i told him if i allow you to buy your breakfast then you got to allow me to have a picture with you. >> that same sifr a local hero who saved the lives of two young boys in a car accident. officer jackson posted this photo on facebook and hoping somebody will recognize this little fella and help them get in touch so he can say thank you in person. just the good stuff we need today. >> that's wonderful michaela. what a great story. all right. if we haven't mentioned this yet we do have a programming note for you. because tomorrow morning we will have a very special early

edition of new day, live from the reagan presidential library. and will begin at 5:30 a.m. eastern. and we'll be here for that. >> i see you as the person of authority. i would like to buy you breakfast. >> i accept. >> done. >> thank you. >> time for news room with carol costello. i will pay but i'm using mixed wallet. >> have a great day guys. news room starts now. >> and good morning, i'm carol costel costello. the clock is ticking and the political stakes are climbing by the minute. we are now nine hours from the first republican candidates squaring off in the cnn debates. that is air force one, of the ronald reagan era looming over the stage. today we're looking at two rounds that could shape the presidential race. first up the undercard t four lowest polling candidates head-to-head before