and comments about muslims. wait for it. helping donald trump. >> two new national polls to look at this morning. >> he's now at 41%. that's a monmouth university poll. senator ted cruz also showing some progress. he's now in second place in both of those polls. he has plenty of grounded to make up to catch up to donald trump. let's kick off our comprehensive coverage with cnn's athena jones, live on the debate floor. how is it looking down there, athena? >> good morning, alisyn. the staskes are high as the candidates prepare to take this stage tonight for the last gop showdown of the year. this as the poll numbers for trump show him reaching heights many political pundits thought he'd never reach. >> [ bleep ]. >> reporter: outrage overnight during donald trump's rally in las vegas, tensions high, just

hours before tonight's final gop debate of 2015. >> [ bleep ]. >> reporter: multiple protesters. >> [ bleep ]. >> reporter: forcibly removed while trying to interrupt the front-runner's speech. >> get them out. >> reporter: trump taking shots at his republican competition. >> the other candidates should be thankful because i'm giving them a chance to make total fools of themselves. >> reporter: and bashing the media. >> i've learned two things, more than anything else, how smart the people are and how bad and dishonest the press is. because it is really dishonest. >> reporter: trump's gop rivals going after the billionaire businessman who for the first time has topped 40% in a monmouth university national poll of likely gop voters. that's more than the next three competitors combined and trump towering 23 points above his closest rival in this new "washington post"/abc poll. >> i cannot imagine donald trump becoming president because he would never win.

he would never win. hillary clinton would clean him. >> reporter: this as texas senator ted cruz surges into second place in national polling and tops trump in several polls in iowa. >> god bless the great state of iowa. >> reporter: which means all eyes will be on center stage to see if the two former allies will go after each other. >> they are both strong and very decisive and someone who would take the initiative, that is what we need today and both those candidates fit that bill. >> reporter: tonight's debate is the first for the gop contenders since the paris and san bernardino terror attacks. and comes about a week after trump called for a ban on muslims entering the u.s. the debate will keep national security at the forefront. >> the vast majority of people that are trying to come are people that we just don't have information on. this is an issue you have to be right 100%. >> reporter: now, marco rubio will be another candidate to watch tonight. he's performed well in past

debates and his team is hoping for another strong night. their attitude is why try to fix what's not broken? as for trump and cruz, the question isn't so much whether trump will try to hit cruz but whether and how cruz will hit back. alisyn, chris? >> all right, athena. try to save us a good seat if you can. i know it's filling up already. predebate coverage -- you see the line i wrote here? >> yes. >> the sophistication of prognostication. >> poetic. >> vegas brings out my -- >> poetry. >> it's all about what you know and we have three aces for you. that's another -- >> wow. >> here they are, cnn international political reporter maeve reston. cnn senior political analyst and editorial director at the national journal mr. ron brownstein and senior contributor, mr. matt lewis. >> full house. >> see, see.

>> yes, yes. >> she didn't is the like that. all right. so we had had this supposition coming into this, maeve, you know what, donald trump needs to shine bright on this stage. his numbers are good but he's not jumping up, then this poll comes out. despite all the outrage around his comments, he gains. what's your take? >> i think what the polls are showing us right now is a lot of volatility in this race. i don't know that we should read too much into all of that. but he's certainly is going to have to, you know, have a big night tonight. obviously ted cruz as well. you think donald trump does have a test here tonight, which is whether he can be well versed on foreign policy, give specifics and actually hold his own up there against cruz and rubio. >> ron, you're nodding. >> i have a slightly different take. i think first of all, the 40% roughly in monmouth and abc is higher than the nbc/"wall street journal" which is a very well respected public poll has him in the high 20s. there's no question the shift of

the debate toward the nexus of terrorism and immigration has clearly benefited trump in this republican primary. and he is now in a dominant position among blue collar republicans and he is competitive among the white collar republicans. that's a very strong position to be in. ultimately, the question will be, i think still the question is as the race consolidates, can he build a broad enough coalition, i think, but anyone who thought and you know, i think maybe even certainly republican leaders who thought his support was going to go away. if he's going to lose, that's not what's going to happen. he's not going to be submerged. he'll have to be enveloped. someone will have to build a bigger coalition. what he's got, he's got. >> how is that possible, to build a bigger coalition? he's so dominant. every poll that comes out, correct me if i'm wrong, sometimes you've expressed skepticism that he would hold on to the lead and then his lead goes up. >> i think we've all been there, thinking something would happen and trump would implode. the real thing to look at is

iowa. what's going to happen in iowa. that's obviously the first test. essentially things will slow down after tonight. you'll go into the holiday season. people will not pay as much attention. if ted cruz has a big night tonight, i think the gods are smiling on ted cruz. i think the deck is stacked. the opportunity is there for cruz to have a big night. i think ted cruz wins iowa. then that's what impacts donald trump's national numbers. it's not that he's going to implode. what happens if he just doesn't winner the caucuses or the primaries? >> i take your point. and i take your point. i have to take your point because you're smarter than i am. maeve, while it is tough pressure for donald trump to stand up and show that i can trade policy punches with everybody else, when it comes to foreign policy and terror, that's where emotion, probably, plays most into politics. and what stops him from getting on that stage tonight, looking -- after you give this great proposal, you know what the problem is, maeve didn't have the strength. i have the strength.

those are the things that catapulted him. look at the muslims comment. it's not that people feel that way about muslims but what they fear is fear. he tapped into that. >> to ron's point, he already has those people. if you're looking at winning and the gauntlet ahead, he has to expand a little bit out to the people who aren't sure about his foreign policy. i don't think it's all smooth sailing for him from here. >> i don't think he has to win iowa. iowa is not his place. 60% of the voters in the iowan caucus -- he's not winning for a specific reason which is that evangelical christians, dominant voting bloc is consolidating around ted cruz. each of them it proved a road to nowhere. they could not expand enough beyond that beach head. cruz faces a big win, too.

cruz has to win iowa. if he wins iowa, he'll probably win mississippi and alabama. >> if he doesn't win in iowa, or new hampshire -- >> that's a big or. the other part of what we'll see tonight is that center right part of the party is hopelessly fragmented between rubio, christie, kasich and bush. even if trump loses iowa, he'd be the favorite in new hampshire. >> there's a huge vacuum there. >> we could see a big night for chris christie, who's hanging on, made it on the main stage. will be well versed in talking about issues surrounding 9/11 and terrorism. >> give him a little more juice than that. he's not hanging on. he's moving up. that's how he got back on the big stage. >> to matt's point about rubio, needing to step up, so many in the media assume rubio will become the candidate of that lane, that bracket but that's not happening. he doesn't even want to seem to want to walk through that door.

>> rubio was chiasson by the immigration reform fallout and the backlash he got from conservatives, i think he's a little bit afraid to expand out. and to take this wide open space you were talking about that somebody else, maybe chris christie could occupy. >> these are interesting polls that are out. the monmouth university, the one at midnight that came out from abc, the first ones taking from the controversial muslim comments made by donald trump. let me show you a piece of this. it asked your opinion of donald trump's muslim comments. 59% of those respondents in the gop support them. >> the number we had was 40 something. this is much, much higher. >> 59% according to abc. in terms of democrats, 82% oppose them. >> right. >> but that doesn't matter in the primary. doesn't matter. >> 48% of independents. >> it doesn't although for all of these candidates they do need to make the electability argument. that will be so important to a lot of voters who change their minds particularly in states like new hampshire the final weekend. can these guys actually make it in the general election? you know, those numbers just say

so much about what you are talking about, about the fear that trump has tapped into and others and it will just be fascinating to see the way they play off of each other. >> the wrap on trump about not being able to broaden the base, not being able to get people who are away from that extreme. why can't you say the same thing about hillary clinton? when you look at her numbers -- >> you can. >> she's huge with democrats the same way she is with republicans. >> right. >> go to republicans, she's anathema. >> the difference is the democrats have won the popular vote in five out of the past six presidential elections because the demography of the country is moving in their direction. that poll is the republican dilemma in a nutshell. over 60% of republican primary voters in 2012 were over 50. over 90% are white. in that electorate, things like the muslim ban resonates powerfully. there's a whole big country that eventually they'll have to talk to. where that or mass deportation are less popular.

>> rubio would win if he could make the electability argument. most republican voters would prefer to have somebody that represents their hard-core representative values than somebody who could beat hillary clinton. >> next, we'll look at each of other candidates, too. >> the question is which one will keep american safe? that's going to be the focus of tonight's debate when wolf blitzer is up there putting the questions to the potentials. the coverage starts at 6:00 p.m. eastern. the main debate at 8:30. we'll have the captain, wolf blitzer leading the show. we'll be live tomorrow morning from here at the venetian las vegas as alisyn calls it, "same day." >> we'll try to get some sleep. >> there's a lot on the line when the 13 republican hopefuls take the stage. we are here at the venetian. we'll talk about what each candidate needs to do and to avoid doing tonight. we'll break it all down with our

political panel. that's next. >> you'll have to avoid another fist fight. xwlooi, hi i'm heather cox on location with the famous, big idaho potato truck. our truck? it's touring across america telling people about idaho potatoes. farmer: let's go boy. again this year the big idaho potato truck is traveling the country spreading the word about heart healthy idaho potatoes and making donations to local charities. excuse me miss, have you seen our truck? you just missed it. ahhh! aw man are you kiddin' me? ♪ deck the halls with barks from rudy ♪ (rudy barks) well, it's more like "fa la la la la la la la la" but you're in the same vein. say happy holidays with milk-bone!

rightabreva can heal itold sore, in as few as two and a half days when used at the first sign. without it the virus spreads from cell to cell. only abreva penetrates deep and starts to work immediately to block the virus and protect healthy cells. you could heal your cold sore, fast, as fast as two and a half days when used at the first sign. learn how abreva starts to work immediately at abreva.com don't tough it out, knock it out, fast. with abreva.

. in a matter of hours, the nine leading republican candidates will face off in prime time for the final debate of the year. let's look at what each candidate needs to do tonight and needs to avoid tonight. let's bring back in our panel for the dos and don'ts of the debate, maeve resten is with us, cnn senior political analyst and editorial director at the national journal, ron brownstein and senior contributor to the daily caller, matt lewis. great to have you all. let's tick through, starting with donald trump. tonight he must show foreign policy substance. matt? and he can't appear out of his depths. what do you think of that analysis? >> that's right. there's a threshold he needs to meet. toughness equates to foreign policy strength. i think he can meet that

threshold he has to. >> the biggest crack in his armor, i think, if there is one, upscale republican voters question whether he has the temperament to be president. particularly managing foreign policy. i think he has to show he can be strong. >> on the graphic it says donald trump can't be dragged into arguments but he's always dragged into arguments. >> out on the stump, he hits hard and in a couple of the debates he faded into the background. he needs to be careful of that, too, particularly when they get into the foreign policy issues that he's not as well versed? >> don't underestimate the value of emotion in talking about foreign policy. there's a lot more leeway than strong economics. the key matchup has to be made, maeve, ted cruz with trump. he's the presumptive leader. you have to capture the momentum when you have it. we saw what happened with fiorina. she got it, she didn't seize it,

she goes back down. >> right. >> what does ted cruz have to do tonight? fend off national security criticism. he has a big record of rhetoric out there, can't get dragged into arguments. i would qualify that. name calling, nasty spats, ui would say. >> right, right, if he gets in arguments with trump, sticking to policy specifics, not getting dragged into a mud fight. he continues to kind of try to play nice with donald trump. that seems to be working for him. you were saying this morning that that may appeal to women if he kind of takes the high road with trump and it will be fascinating to see the way that he plays that, particularly because he will be the guy who's the target here with everyone coming after him. >> the key interaction for cruz is not going to be trump. it's going to be rubio. cruz conceded a lot to the libertarian strain in the republican party when that seemed more powerful on intervention abroad. marco rubio inheriting the

bush/mccain mantle is probably going to be the one that will take him to account on. >> rubio has to capitalize on that and talk about the bulk collection of metadata that cruz opposed. >> the past is predictive. he killed it in the debate when he was talking about foreign policy the last time. it gave him a step up. >> let's look at ben carson. people haven't been talking about him as much this week with all of the surging of trump. it says here he must dem straut a command of issues. okay. not appear overwhelmed on foreign policy. that is his achilles heel, maeve. >> yes, the whole debacle with mispronouncing hamas and he's had these series of stumbles on foreign policy, particularly as the news has been eclipsed by the terrorist attacks in paris and in san bernardino. he's just seemed sort of lost in this race. of course there's also the questions about his personal background and he really has to do something tonight to try to regain momentum.

that slide is just continual. >> when you look at that trajectory, the toothpaste out of the tube, it will be hard for him to restore a sense that people respect him, they like his story, especially christian conservatives but whether he is suited to be president, i think it will be hard to undo that judgment. >> the presumption is that cruz took a big block of his support. can he get him back tonight? he'll have to do affirmative things. he can't just be passive. >> it's all about confidence in him, too. that's just not there anymore for a lot of voters. >> how about jeb. >> let's talk about jeb bush. >> he has to have a moment. he just has to be relevant. that alone would be a huge -- >> he has to be jeb with the exclamation mark. jeb! >> people are forgetting about jeb bush. he's almost an afterthought. if tomorrow morning we're showing some "b" roll that has jeb bush fighting somebody, that would be a win. >> he has to balance that with who he is, what he believes he

offers, which is the steady hand, presidential. >> exactly. he has to deliver on that moment that people thought was coming after paris and san bernardino. people say, all right, we need someone with more experience. maybe more temperamentally judicious temperament. it hasn't worked out that way. i think he needs to find a way to make temperament and experience more relevant in this than it has been so far. >> chris christie stood out in the undercard debate, so much so he did gain momentum. what does he need to do tonight, maeve? >> i think he has to show that he really can be up there with the big contenders at this point, that his momentum in new hampshire isn't just because he's kpam camped out there and done 100 town halls. i think he'll have strong, emotional moments tonight. talking about terror. he's good at connecting with audiences in those moments. if he can demonstrate that.

>> he may be the most underrated person tonight. >> john kasich. >> i hate to sound like a broken record. i think he has to have a moment. as ron was saying, there's a big yawning chasm in this mainstream conservative turf that nobody is occupying. i think marco rubio is most likely to seize that. but john kasich is the governor of ohio, a big state with, i think, winner take all delegates. he can stay alive to get to ohio. >> that is the big opening, out of bush, kasich, christie, rubio, someone needs to occupy that space. rubio seems the most likely. he does seem to want to walk through that door. even tonight, ebel probably go at ted cruz from the right. >> do you that i this space, center right, may be the biggest long call at this point, maeve? that is something that can develop and change over time more than other dynamics. >> absolutely. that's why there's so much volatility in this race.

there are so many voters in that sector of the gop electorate that have not made up their minds. so there really is an opportunity for someone to come in here and -- >> possibly with three candidates. trump's piece is distinct, not going to way. cruz has the evangelical side. there's the third spot that's not yet been filled. >> we have to go. i'm sorry she didn't get to carly fiorina. she always does well in the debates as well as rand paul. thanks so much for the analysis. coverage of tonight's cnn republican debate starts at 6:00 p.m. eastern, for the first debate, followed by the main debate at 8:30. >> so nice we do it twice. donald trump has never had more support than he does right now. in the latest national polls. what is behind his commanding lead? we are getting answers, ahead on "new day."

♪ (train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities. 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.

good to have you back with us here on "new day." more of our coverage on tonight's gop debate in moments. first let's look at your other headlines. president obama is insisting the u.s.-led military commission is hitting harder than ever. he's meeting with his national security team. he actually met with them on monday. he claims isis has lost 40% of the territory it once held in iraq after nearly 9,000 coalition air struks. he pledged to wipe out the group's leaders, warning them, they cannot hide. a maryland man has been arrested for receiving nearly $9,000 from people connected to isis in order to finance a terrorist attack in the u.s. the fbi says 30-year-old mohamed al shanawi says he was not planning an attack. they said he pledged allegiance to isis on social media back in

february. army sergeant bowe bergdahl will face a court-martial. he ended up as a taliban captive for five years after walking away from his camp. bergdahl could face life in prison if he is convicted. bill cosby countersuing seven of his accusers who hit him with a defamation lawsuit. cosby claims he did not sexually assault them, calling their accusations, quote, malicious, false and defamatory. cosby says his reputation was severely hurt, causing him several business deals. more than 40 women accuse the comedian of sexually assaulting them over four decades. 29 minutes past the hour. those are your headlines here in new york where everything is just fine. how are things in vegas, you two? you look pretty good. >> things are great here. it's early but things are great.

>> or is it late? >> everyone is awake. when we leave for work, usually in the cover of darkness, here it's like happy hour. >> it's just lighting up. >> not so happy for camerota. i had to bail her out this morning. >> i'll try to do better tonight. >> early christmas present. the more controversy he stirs up, the higher his poll numbers go. trump's commanding lead now an all-time high heading into the final republican debate of the year. >> lots of interesting findings in the latest polls that help set the stage for tonight. we'll break down the numbers. stay with us. but it is not the device that is mobile, it is you. real madrid have about 450 million fans. we're trying to give them all the feeling of being at the stadium. the microsoft cloud gives us the scalability

to communicate exactly the content that people want to see. it will help people connect to their passion of living real madrid. in panama, which is a city of roughly 2 million people, we are having 5,000 new cars being sold every month. this is a very big problem for us with respect to fast and efficient transportation. it's kind of a losing proposition to keep going this way. we are trying to tackle the problem with several different modes. one of them is the brand new metro. we had a modest forecast: 110,000 passengers per day in the first line. we are already over 200,000. our collaboration with citi has been very important from the very beginning. citi was our biggest supporter and our only private bank. we are not only being efficient in the way we are moving people now, we are also more amicable to the environment.

people have more time for the family and it's been one of the most rewarding experiences to hear people saying: "the metro has really changed my life." ok, wehere's dad. mom. the twins. aunt alice... you didn't tell me aunt alice was coming. of course. don't forget grandpa. can the test drive be over now? maybe just head back to the dealership? don't you want to meet my family? yep, totally. it's practically yours, but we still need your signature. the volkswagen sign then drive event. zero due at signing, zero down, zero deposit, and zero first months payment on a new jetta and other select models. the markets change, at t. rowe price, our disciplined investment approach remains. we ask questions here. look for risks there. and search for opportunity everywhere. global markets may be uncertain. but you can feel confident in our investment experience... ... around the world.

call a t. rowe price investment specialist, or your advisor... ...and see how we can help you find global opportunity. t. rowe price. invest with confidence.

the stage literally set here at the venetian hotel in vegas, figuratively as well. because we have national polls now new ones, once again, not just showing that trump is on top of the field but confirming

why. his comments about banning muslims criticized because of actual legal and moral concerns, taps into common fear, shoots him up to 41%. that's the finding of an abc/"washington post" poll. a new high and for sure, the first time nationally that trump has received what they said was too high for his ceiling, 41%. let's discuss. cnn politics executive editor, mr. mark preston. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> we keep hearing he can't go any higher, this is what it is. it's a slice of the extreme, blah, blah, blah. >> we need to stop saying that. >> 41%. he taps into the fear that is much more widespread. let's look at some of these numbers. not only is the 41, i don't think it's the most impressive number. it's the opinion of trump's muslim ban. gop, 59%. independents, 38%. saying they agree with his idea of a ban. that is the elixir.

>> totally tapping into the anger, the frustration and the fear right now that a terrorist attack could happen, not in america but on your front door step right now. and it seems that whenever donald trump says something, as outrageous as it may sound, as crazy as it may be, he is connecting with people right now that are frustrated, that are upset, that are really looking forward to the future right now and they see no hope. and donald trump, when he says i'm going to make america great again, they see something in donald trump. >> i want to go back to the poll we had up for just a second that shows what happened since october. it's really strike. donald trump at this new ceiling, 41%. look at the other candidates as well. ted cruz, garnering a lot of attention, he's gone from 10% to 14%. people consider that a surge from october to now. donald trump outpaces that by a mile. rubio, 6% to 10%. look at what's happened to ben carson, 18% down to 9%. >> fallen off.

ben carson whenever he's been interviewed by you all has been interviewed by any journalist, has been asked for specifics about foreign policy proposals, cannot give a clear answer or specifics about how he would be able to deal with some of the hot spots. it's one of the most important issues. while people look at ben carson, we like ben carson, we like that he's wholesome, he has our values, they don't like the fact that he doesn't have specifics about how to deal with the problem. >> the same way chris christie is proof that it is never over until it's over is an exception to that rule, what we're seeing with carson and fiorina. that they have peaked and they are going down and we will not see them at the previous peak. >> chris christie has edged his way back up. in fact, if just a few hours he'll be on the stage behind us. >> on the main stage. >> on the main stage, after being relegated to the undercard. somebody like chris christie who has survived bridgegate and is looking for that lane right now. when you look at how can you win

the nomination right now, there are three lanes right now. there's the donald trump lane, nobody else is in that lane. there's a social conservative lane, that's the ted cruz lane and there's the establishment lane. you have marco rubio, chris christie. you know what we're not talking about right now. >> jeb bush. >> jeb bush. correct. >> carly fiorina always does well in the debates. she may have a pop after this. >> her pops don't seem to be enough to escalate her up to where she needs to be. her high point was back in september when we were out at the reagan library when she climbed out and got the attention of the republican voters. she was never able to gain momentum on that. >> we're in vegas. let's talk about the odds, baby. oddsmakers have talked about who will win this debate and beyond. they give 3-1 -- for the gop nomination. it's even bigger than who wins tonight. trump gets 3-1. bush 50-1.

>> if you're a betting person, why wouldn't you throw your money on christie, 75-1. >> because it's illegal. that's why, matt. >> good answer. >> if you lived in ireland, then you could make the bet. >> yes. we do have to tell you that. you cannot bet on this, even in vegas you're not supposed to bet on the election. don't do it. and it would be scary money at this point, because you never know what's going to happen. >> so true. tonight anything can change, mark. thank you. >> it always does by the way. that's why we get so excited about these debates. things are different after them. these are main events. >> they are unpredictable. coverage of tonight's gop debate starts at 6:00 p.m. eastern, the undercard debate, followed by the main debate at 8:30. >> what is tonight supposed to be about, national security and terrorism. those are the categories that wolf blitzer will test the candidates on at the venetian in las vegas. that's why we're here. >> will one candidate emerge as the best qualified to keep

americans safe? we'll break that angle down, next. thousands of people came out today to run the race for retirement. so we asked them... are you completely prepared for retirement? okay, mostly prepared? could you save 1% more of your income? it doesn't sound like much, but saving an additional 1% now, could make a big difference over time. i'm going to be even better about saving. you can do it, it helps in the long run. prudential bring your challenges on location with the famous, big idaho potato truck. our truck? it's touring across america telling people about idaho potatoes. farmer: let's go boy. again this year the big idaho potato truck is traveling the country spreading the word about heart healthy idaho potatoes and making donations to local charities. excuse me miss, have you seen our truck? you just missed it. ahhh!

aw man are you kiddin' me? ...one of many pieces in my life. so when my asthma symptoms kept coming back on my long-term control medicine, i talked to my doctor and found a missing piece in my asthma treatment. once-daily breo prevents asthma symptoms. breo is for adults with asthma not well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. breo won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. breo opens up airways to help improve breathing for a full 24 hours.

breo contains a type of medicine that increases the risk of death from asthma problems and may increase the risk of hospitalization in children and adolescents. breo is not for people whose asthma is well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. once your asthma is well controlled, your doctor will decide if you can stop breo and prescribe a different asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. do not take breo more than prescribed. see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. ask your doctor if 24-hour breo could be a missing piece for you. see if you're eligible for 12 months free at mybreo.com.

good to have you back with us here on "new day." the two main topics for tonight's cnn debate, national security and terrorism. want to discuss it with john avalon, breaking down tonight the focus, how it could help or hurt candidates. good to have i don't with us. >> good to see you. >> this is monday morning quarterbacking before the game. >> that's how we play ball. >> we look at the game before the game actually is played. this is interesting. this is a new "wall street journal"/nbc poll asking americans what their priority should be for the federal government. it's interesting to see this poll. 40%. john, i would argue when you see immigration, job growth and creation, government spending, about a year ago, even six months ago, the numbers would have been a lot different. >> you don't need to argue it because it was true. this is definitely a san bernardino/paris effect. it happens to be that the

federal government's prime responsibility tends to be national security and foreign policy, particularly that of a president. but the economy had been issue number one for years. certainly immigration, particularly in the republican field. top of the list. but now you see that impact, terrorism is always one bad day away from being the number one issue in america. it's back at the top. >> not necessarily voting with our hearts but our fear, right? >> our fear, our rational concern. it's about existential issues instead of a pocketbook issue. >> we have fight a lineup, nine on the big stage. >> we do. >> of the lineup we have on the main debate stage, give me a couple candidates who you think have the most to gain from the big debate tonight. >> most to gain, chris christie crawled his way back to the main stage. he fought his way back. he's now at number two in new hampshire. >> do you expect him to come out guns blazing. >> he has swagger and confidence on foreign policy. he's definitely brings his experience as a u.s. attorney in the wake of 9/11. he's more of a george wrc. bush figure, interventionist.

he could bring swagger and fight his way back. >> who else? >> rand paul always in an interesting position. his father was the original, the og anti-interventionist candidate. now rand paul has to carry that mantle. the question will be does he try to triangulate or own his libertarian perspective. >> who has the most to lose tonight? >> ben carson. ben carson has been in free fall. when he was fighting for the one and two spot, he sounded so flat-footed and unconfident and saying things that are untrue about foreign policy. it's eroded a lot of credibility. >> who else? >> the other person i'd say is jeb bush. he has such a tough line to walk. he inherits his brother's policies but he has to make the case that all these guys are inexperienced, don't have a fixed world view, i do. high stakes for jeb bush. >> i want to watch the debate with you. i think it would be fascinating. i want to drill down on the issues. there are so many things each of the candidates have a strong

stance on. first of all, talking about their policy on isis. if we look at ted cruz. he believes carpet bombing isis territory. he suggests removing assad. pardon me. he suggests ground troops should not be taken off the table and he does believe that arming the kurds directly is important. we know that rubio here also agrees expanding the air strikes, supporting internationally. he believes assad has to go. he believes that arming the sunnis, kurds directly will be more effective. and the donald. >> bomb the hell out of them. >> bomb the hell out of isis and keep the plan under wraps. his plan is so good he didn't have the to tell anybody about it. >> this is nixon's secret plan to win the war. >> these are fascinating snapshots of individuals. what's interesting, marco rubio representing that george w. bush -- the broad strokes of his plan are not that different from

barack obama. boy would he hate to even hear that. the reality president obama has been forced into this issue in a way that's more similar. criticized the lack of advantage early on. ted cruz trying to try an gate didn -- triangulate. >> this is fascinating, a poll from the "washington post" and abc news about donald trump's muslim plan. 59% of republicans support it. is that surprising to you? >> it's disappointing. it's not necessarily surprising. what you've got is a party that's increasingly polarized, more dependent on its base. the folks that might have been the outliars are a bigger and bigger percentage of the base. it accounts for trump's rise. >> we'll do post-show quarterbacking tomorrow. >> let's do it. >> good to have you here. alisyn and chris, back to you in las vegas. >> great stuff, michaela. great to see you and john there. >> you heard the breakdown there. there's no question no matter

who is doing the analysis, the candidate that brings the controversy is mr. donald trump. but, look, he's resonating. he's resonating. 59% of people say that they agree with him when it comes to the idea of banning muslims. so does that make him outlandish or on the spot? >> well, part of what's working for him, chris, his not so secret weapon, attacking the media. hear what he said last night. we'll discuss it. >> was it about me? >> yes. hi i'm heather cox on location with the famous, big idaho potato truck. our truck? it's touring across america telling people about idaho potatoes. farmer: let's go boy. again this year the big idaho potato truck is traveling the country spreading the word about heart healthy idaho potatoes and making donations to local charities. excuse me miss, have you seen our truck? you just missed it. ahhh! aw man are you kiddin' me? ♪ deck the halls with barks from rudy ♪

(rudy barks) well, it's more like "fa la la la la la la la la" but you're in the same vein. say happy holidays with milk-bone! the market.redict but through good times and bad... ...at t. rowe price... ...we've helped our investors stay confident for over 75 years. call us or your advisor. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. thisit's like candy block ofcane lane. i know. oohhh. oh, holiday ferris wheel. i kind of love it. look at those reindeer. jeffrey, you're awfully quiet back there. i was just thinking... maybe it's time we finish this test drive and head back to the dealership? that is so jeffrey... soooo jeffrey... so jeffrey... oh. elves.. it's practically yours. but we still need your signature. the volkswagen sign then drive event. zero due at signing, zero down, zero deposit, and zero first months payment on a new passat and other select models.

but it is not the device that is mobile, it is you. real madrid have about 450 million fans. we're trying to give them all the feeling of being at the stadium. the microsoft cloud gives us the scalability to communicate exactly the content that people want to see. it will help people connect to their passion of living real madrid. rightabreva can heal itold sore, in as few as two and a half days when used at the first sign. without it the virus spreads from cell to cell. only abreva penetrates deep and starts to work immediately to block the virus and protect healthy cells. you could heal your cold sore, fast, as fast as two and a half days when used at the first sign. learn how abreva starts to work immediately at abreva.com don't tough it out, knock it out, fast. with abreva.

welcome back, everyone. we are at the venetian in las vegas. it is beautiful here and the stage is set behind us. donald trump continues to build on his commanding lead, even this morning we're seeing it in polls. what is behind his staying power? let's ask, joining us is kailee mcananey, editor in chief of political prospect and brian selter. if you could credit one thing to donald trump's staying power, what's behind it?

>> his simplicity and strength. he has a visceral passion. he simplifies things. voters tune out when they hear a 12-point plan. when you say something in a succinct way, direct way, strong way as donald trump has continually done, you stay. >> he learned that on "the apprentice." if i could credit one thing, it was "the apprentice." he had more than ten years of reality show training, elections are reality shows. he knew that earlier than anybody. >> knowing how to do something, how to perform, still leaves open the issue of what you choose to focus on. tonight, foreign policy, substance, deep, profound plans. no. he'll go up there and he's going to say we're afraid, these guys are doing nothing about it, they're not strong enough, i am. his numbers go like that. it's not about being simple, it's tapping into the right emotion of people, right? >> sure. it's executive capacity. he has accumulated a $10 billion

grand. he knows how to lead. when people look for a good foreign policy leader, they look for executive capacity. ben carson fiddles away because he has a soft demeanor. donald trump has this executive capacity he's developed for years. >> one thing donald trump has done masterfully is attack the media, made them an enemy. last night, once again, he did it. listen to this. >> today we had a lot of news and it was all good. it never gets reported properly because these people back here. look at all those press. i've learned two things. more than anything else. how smart the people are and how bad and dishonest the press is, because it is really dishonest. it is really, really dishonest. >> god the crowd eats it up, brian. >> absolutely. i take two things away from that. first us versus them. trump is very effective at creating the sense of we, the sense of community. and then the enemy. sometimes it's the media,

sometimes it's radical islam, sometimes it's a number of other enemies he'll describe. the second thing i take away, it's disingenuous. the media is giving him constant coverage. some negative but some of it is positive. there are numerous news sources where you can find nothing but positive donald trump news nowadays. he's a voracious consumer of the media. he knows what he's doing and saying. the reality is, we sometimes make it easy for those applause lines. we make it too easy to get booed, whether it's through hostile questions or negative coverage. we see what he's doing there. has been effective so far. i'd like to think it's the kind of thing most people see through, most people know we're trying our best every day as journal iis isist journalists. >> or do most people disagree with him? >> the polls show most people distrust the media. >> it seems to me that people

are not looking to be open to any ideas other than their own right now. they are holing firm and they want media that reinforces what they believe. so if you're at cnn and you're in the testing business because we don't have the luxury of being owned by one partisan perspective, you are bait for these guys. you get someone like trump who turns a weakness into a strength. you go after him, test him, you can poke holes in him. >> it needs to be a credible attack. the cnbc debate, for instance, they laid the ground work for ted cruz who sat there cautiously listening to every single attack on his fellow candidates, enumerated them and went after the moderators and it was a success. when fair questions are asked, that can backfire on a candidate when you don't seem legitimate in your criticism. >> the question ted cruz was asked when he went on his diatribe, it was a serious question. >> the aforementioned questions were not so serious. they were more character attacks.

he took that opportunity to harp on the character attacks. >> he was waiting for his moments. >> it worked. >> he was. >> and donald trump has built-in boo lines. look at all of you up there, he looks at the cameras focused on him. it's so funny. >> television networks spend lots of money on these debates. we go to great lengths to promote the debates. we're holding the debates so people can learn more about trump and the other candidates. it's easy to criticize and attack. let's keep in mind the beneficial relationship that also exists between trump and the press. >> also tonight, you got the captain up there, wolf blitzer. it's not going to be about people seeing shortcomings in him, that's for sure. >> that period of time there was lots of explaining about tough questioning at debates, that's passed. that moment has passed. we're not hearing candidates complain about the debate process the way they were last month. that appeared weak on the part

of the candidates. >> brian, kailee, thanks so much. a lot of news. it's a big night for the election. we have big headlines. let's get to it. i cannot imagine donald trump becoming president because he would never win. hillary clinton would clean him. >> we have not seen one bad debate from marco rubio yet. >> marco rubio, in particular, really needs to define ted cruz's foreign policy as weak and inconsistent. >> comments about muslims, wait for it. helping donald trump. >> cruz is much closer to him in iowa. will trump feel like he has to go after him on a much bigger platform? >> i think it's going to be big. they're all coming after me. >> tonight's debate is the first for the gop contenders since the paris and san bernardino terror attacks. people want to see a commander in chief. >> the vast majority of people trying to come are people we just don't have information on. this is "new day" with chris cuomo, alisyn camerota and

michaela pereira. good morning, everyone. welcome back to your "new day." you're looking there at the venetian in las vegas. michaela is in new york. chris andry out here. we're coming to you obviously live from las vegas where just 11 hours from now, the republican hopefuls will get to battle in tonight's high stakes cnn debate. donald trump remains the undisputed front-runner. even after backlash to his controversial muslim ban. >> two new national polls have trump surging to all-time highs. highs the prognosticators said he would not reach. he's broken the 40% barrier, well ahead of ted cruz who also has made a good jump. let's kick off our comprehensive coverage. cnn's athena jones live on the debate floor. athena, any seat you want is yours. >> any podium. >> good morning, chris. the stakes will be high as the candidates step up to these podiums behind me for the last

gop showdown of the year. and those new national poll numbers for trump show him reaching heights as you mentioned, many political pundits thought he'd never reach. that makes him a top target tonight. he was also a target of protesters last night. >> [ bleep ]. >> reporter: outrage overnight during donald trump's rally in las vegas, tensions high, just hours before tonight's final gop debate of 2015. >> [ bleep ]. >> reporter: multiple protesters. >> [ bleep ]. >> reporter: forcibly removed while trying to interrupt the front-runner's speech. >> get them out. >> reporter: trump taking shots at his republican competition. >> the other candidates should be thankful because i'm giving them a chance to make total fools of themselves. >> reporter: and bashing the media. >> i've learned two things, more than anything else, how smart the people are and how bad and dishonest the press is. because it is really dishonest. >> reporter: trump's gop rivals

going after the billionaire businessman who for the first time has topped 40% in a monmouth university national poll of likely gop voters. that's more than the next three competitors combined and trump towering 23 points above his closest rival in this new "washington post"/abc poll. >> i cannot imagine donald trump becoming president because he would never win. he would never win. hillary clinton would clean him. >> reporter: this as texas senator ted cruz surges into second place in national polling and tops trump in several polls in iowa. >> god bless the great state of iowa. >> reporter: which means all eyes will be on center stage to see if the two former allies will go after each other. >> they are both strong and very decisive and someone who would take the initiative, that is what we need today and both those candidates fit that bill. >> reporter: tonight's debate is the first for the gop contenders

since the paris and san bernardino terror attacks. and comes about a week after trump called for a ban on muslims entering the u.s. the debate will keep national security at the forefront. >> the vast majority of people that are trying to come are people that we just don't have information on. this is an issue you have to be right 100%. >> reporter: now, marco rubio will be another candidate to keep an eye on tonight. he's performed well in past debates. his team is hopine ining for an strong night. their attitude is why try to fix what's not broken? as for trump and cruz, the question isn't so much whether trump will try to hit cruz but whether and how cruz will hit back. alisyn, chris? >> you did the right thing, athena, conflating, truz, cruz and trump. well played. well done here at 100 o'clock in

the morning. what do the candidates have to lose on the debate stage tonight? let's discuss. maeve reston, cnn anchor of early start, trivia giant and anchor at this hour, john berman and senior contributor to the daily caller and conservative commentator, mr. matt lewis. maeve reston, truz. that's the power word going into tonight. 41%, trump say he's not going anywhere. cruz has sunlight on him. it's time to make the most of it or go the way of fiorina. >> he has coalesced the evangelical vote in iowa. it's been fascinating to watch. he put in the spade work over many, many months. people should not miss that in the polls here. it's not like this is an outlier. cruz has built to this moment and if he can capitalize on it, i think it will be a big night for him. he could give donald trump fits if he pulls off a strong finish in iowa.

and then it would just be anyone's race. >> john, the polls, new poll out this morning, abc, finds that he is -- he keeps breaking the ceilings that people predict. in the monmouth poll, 41% for donald trump. he has had some lackluster debate performances. does it matter what happens tonight? >> look, i think these polls are fascinating. the monmouth poll, the abc news/"washington post" poll, 38%, both taken completely after he proposed banning muslims from coming into the united states. this helped him. this actively helped him in the national polls. you know, donald trump is playing a different game here. i think a lot of times we're not giving him the credit he deserves. the story the last week has been ted cruz, the ted cruz surge in iowa. well, donald trump has gone up in every single one of the polls ted cruz has gone up. donald trump has gone up also. he's playing his game, yes, he has a ceiling. it would be interesting to see if he goes out on a limb.

does he try to poke a hole in ted cruz or does donald trump play it safe like he has the last few debates? >> when we're talking about the candidates, we also have the party at play here about what they wanted to happen. we always refer to the big report, the after-action report in 2012. we have to reach out more, be ethnically sensitive. now a guy is rocketing to the top of the polls by saying ban muslims. where does that leave you in the gop? >> in really bad shape. there's a time for choosing and a cross roads. there's one path that would have, let's say, for example, a president marco rubio and speaker of the house paul ryan. that's an optimistic conservative, republican party. >> young. >> young, diverse. that's a conservatism that can win the 21st century. there's another path. i think that path leads toward destruction. that is donald trump. that path actually in the short term could pay big dividends but i think in the long term, the mathematics don't add up. >> what do you say to all the people backing him? r 9% of gop voters, 38% of

independent voters who say you guys are out of touch. you're the establishment. >> yes. >> we are angry. you want all these elections, you gave us nothing. now we want somebody like him. >> i think their frustration is understandable. it's partly because of barack obama to be frank, the rise of isis, the struggling economy. some of it is because establishment republicans have pushed things like immigration reform, what they call amnesty which is out of touch with the base. >> how does the president take the blame for your party not getting the message out and having people vote for someone else? >> here's the bottom line. whether it's ted cruz or marco rubio, somebody has to find a way to co-op the message that donald trump has, the good part of it, the part that talks about the understandable frustration with political correctness. >> make america great again. whoen does the like that message? >> that message resonates. >> john berman doesn't like that. >> i think we undersold donald trump from the beginning. that message he came out with

the moment he announced and came down that escalator. which was about six minutes before building a wall in mexico to keep the rapists out. >> some of them are good people, i understand. not all. >> he's been doing this from the minute he got in. in some ways he's not doing anything differently. he's been a consistent candidate in his tactics. it may be enough to be a strategy. >> he did do something differently last night. he said something we've never heard him say before. we heard him say he's surging with women, muslims love him, hispanics love him. last night, maeve, he for the first time talked about why he might have high disapproval ratings, because he said some people don't like him. listen to this. >> one thing i don't do as well on is a lot of people don't it the like me as much as they like others. who cares. you know what, i think i'm a nice person. honestly, i think i'm a nice person. if they got to know me, thard like me. i'll be honest with you, this time i don't think niceness is

going to matter. they want competence. they want smarts, toughness. >> fascinating insight. people don't like me as much as they like some others but niceness doesn't matter. >> we're in this moment where he is really connecting with people's fears, with their anxieties and their struggles in a way that other candidates have not been able to do. i think what's most fascinating is who will emerge tonight to really move into that vacuum? all the other republicans that have not chosen their candidate yet, you know, in that establishment lane. there's just a big opportunity for christie or a rubio or even a jeb, you know, to come back out tonight and try to capture some momentum in the middle. >> other than that, though, is there still an establishment lane? i think that's a legitimate question as this primary moves ever closer to iowa and new hampshire. >> i think j.b. is right, funny but insightful as always. he's a brilliant combination. i think you guys deal with this.

i have people stop me and say, listen, don't say i'm afraid. i'm not afraid. i have concerns about people attacking us. they seem to channel that the rebuff of donald trump is a rebuff of them, that he is literally the -- you know, the physical embodiment of how they feel. they feel they are him. i know that boggled the mind at first. the guy is a billionaire. >> magnate. >> they talk to you as if they are saying what donald trump says. they don't want to be invalidated. that's a tricky spot if you don't like where they are. >> you're exactly right. people have internalized this. an attack on trump can be an attack on a lot of conservative voters. if you're a working class white voter who, it used to be you could graduate high school, get a job at a factory, make $15 an hour, you could have a middle-class life for your

family. now whether it's automation, globalizati globalization, whatever, that world is gone. he's saying we're going to make america great again. that's a big deal. >> the reagan democrats. that's what we're back to. >> stick around. we'll be calling upon you all morning and all day. which candidate will keep america safe? national security, that is the focus of tonight's cnn debate. the coverage begins at 6:00 p.m. eastern for the undercard debate, followed by the main debate at 8:30. that's with wolf blitzer moderating. we'll be live tomorrow morning also here at the venetian las vegas. always interesting to see what shape we're in at 3:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. >> all right. you're getting ready for the showdown of tonight's cnn republican debate? of course you are. now, what are the matchups? that's a big reason these things change the fates of the election. somebody seems to pop. who could it be? we'll tell you about it. >> stick around. we'll have sarah palin's take on this gop field, what the former vice presidential candidate

thinks about donald trump and the others. you don't want to miss this when "new day" returns, live from the venetian in las vegas. this is brad. his day of coaching begins with knee pain, when... hey brad, wanna trade the all day relief of two aleve for six tylenol? what's the catch? there's no catch. you want me to give up my two aleve for six tylenol? no. for my knee pain, nothing beats my aleve. ♪ it's the final countdown! ♪ ♪ the final countdown! if you're the band europe, you love a final countdown.

it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. after a dvt blood clot.mind when i got out of the hospital what about my family? my li'l buddy? and what if this happened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital but i wondered if this was the right treatment for me. then my doctor told me about eliquis. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. not only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots, but eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. knowing eliquis had both... turned around my thinking. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. if you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily... and it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop.

seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. eliquis treats dvt & pe blood clots. plus had less major bleeding. both made switching to eliquis right for me. ask your doctor if it's right for you.

three guesses why we're in vegas and the first two don't count. the big debate, of course, the last gop debate of the year. cnn has it. wolf blitzer is moderating it. what's going to happen on that stage tonight? every time we have a big deal like this, the race changes. what are the rivalries to watch? let's discuss. cnn political commentator essy kupp as well as others. let's start with essy. so does he drive the action tonight and go at anyone in particular? >> not if history is any indication. he really tends to sit back in debates. at times toward the latter end of the debate.

i don't think the action will be in the mid of the stage. i think the action will be between marco rubio and ted cruz. marco rubio has one job to do tonight, define ted cruz's foreign policy as weak and inconsistent. that's because the country, accord tock all the polls, identifies terrorism as the top issue. ted cruz has been trying to walk this line. he says he's somewhere between rand paul and john mccain an foreign policy. there's obviously a lot of ground between those two people. so he's really not committing to a side. he's been sort of against the metadata collection, against syrian intervention. it's not a great time to be ted cruz at a foreign policy debate when the country is so afraid and rightfully. i think marco rubio on the other end of that really needs to set the distance between himself and

ted cruz. if he doesn't, i think ted cruz's momentum going into iowa is pretty unstoppable. >> kevin, do you agree that's the rivalry to watch tonight? >> i think so. s.e. brings up a good point. donald trump hasn't initiated a lot of these attacks but when the moderators have allowed someone like him and ted cruz come out and touch gloves, he absolutely counterpunches and goes after ted cruz. when someone in this race has started to be on the assent and threatened donald trump's lead, he does go after that person. i expect them to touch gloves at some point and post up against each other. >> there are people up there tonight who you should be worried about. who do you see up on that stage, whether it's a chris christie or kasich. >> i do think it's an interesting thing. chris christie is a zombie that cannot be killed. we thought that bridgegate -- >> figuratively. >> he can't be stopped.

>> that's the thing with the zombie, you're already dead? >> he and i are both coming at you. >> i get this. i like it. >> bridgegate, supposed to take him out. he's back. he falls off the adult table. he's now at the kiddie table. if you're marco rubio, you're so happy. you can be the foreign policy guy. now he's back on that stage. and he can look at a marco rubio and say you know what, it's fine for you and senate committee to run your mouth. i was governor during 9/11. i think that hurts rubio. you are going to have somebody like a chris christie trying to be in that moderate lane. rubio will be getting it from different sides. >> how do any of the other candidates, other than rubio, cruz, trump, maybe christie, how do they get traction? >> rand paul has come out of nowhere on occasion. he's picking fights with ted cruz and marco rubio. >> a lesson on what to did or not to do? >> he didn't really have a net

effect for rand paul. it certainly reminded us all that he was there. frankly, when you have this crowded a field you have to find a moment. carly fiorina is excellent at this. she makes these debates her shining moment. >> she's won some. >> she has. she has great debate moments. i expect she'll have a repeat of her great debate moment. she's fantastic on foreign policy, actually. she's at the highest level of clearances a civilian can have. she's touched a lot of these issues personally and professional professionally. i expect her to have a breakout night again. whether that results in poll movement remains to be seen. >> s.e. is right. these debates are about moments. the headlines that come out the next day is one person coming out against another. if any of those candidates want to break out, it's offering the strongest critique possible of

president obama and on the issue that in so many polls we've seen come to the forefront, which is foreign policy, national security, terrorism. >> bashing the president is always a good thing to do when you're the out party but you have a party right now where the state of play is we know what we're angry about. we just don't know what you're going to do about it. we felt like we helped you win all these elections and you've given us nothing for it. and president obama hasn't done a lot of good things. they are looking at trump for one reason, they think he's different than everybody else up there. >> he's offered people what they think they don't have with the obama administration, strength and clarity. these other candidates, they have sort of get ahead of donald trump on that issue by doing the same. but offering a vision for what the national security foreign policy posture of the country ought to be in a republican white house. >> i see it somewhat differently in terms of what donald trump has been offering.

if you're a democrat, an independent and you're watching this, will somebody stand up to what i think can only be called demagoguery. a leader defines a solution. a demagogue defines a problem and blames somebody. >> you think they go after trump? not hillary tonight? >> they will definitely go after hillary, obama, but if you're an independent, this is very troubling to see someone, first pick on the mexicans. now he's picking on the muslims. >> 38% of independents agree. >> and 15% of democrats. >> you said 15? >> 15. >> 15% of democrats probably believe in ufos. you have a majority of independents and democrats who don't like this kind of thing. and my concern is, is there -- you're talking about strength. >> you have a majority of republicans who don't like this kind of thing. i'm not talking about the muslim ban in particular, i'm talking about trump. you have a majority of the party who has not chosen donald trump. it's the job of the rest of the candidates to explain why his message is wrong. i believe it is.

>> creeping up. him at 41%. guys, stick around. we want to get your take on what happened last night as well. sarah palin was out with jake tapper. we'll talk about that. these are beautiful people with gifted minds. we know you are more beautiful and more gift. what do you think tonight going into the debate? who are you watching and eye? tweet us, using #alisyn camerota, #"new day" or go to facebook and do it as well. alisyn with a "y." >> very good. >> sarah palin was talking straight about the gang of 13. >> she spoke about donald trump. what does she think about the message that he's selling? she told our jake tapper. he'll tell us all when we watch a little bit of this in a second.

♪ deck the halls with barks from rudy ♪ (rudy barks) well, it's more like "fa la la la la la la la la" but you're in the same vein. say happy holidays with milk-bone!

welcome back to vegas, everyone. former republican vice presidential nominee sarah palin is here and she was speaking out just hours before the final republican debate of, right here on cnn. she spoke with cnn's jake tapper last night about the gop field and her thoughts on it. let's listen. >> one of the things that upset the republican establishment the most has been donald trump's recent proposal calling for a total and complete shutdown on muslims coming into the united states until, quote, we figure out -- or our leaders figure out just what the hell is going on, unquote. that's something you support? >> the reaction from so many right off the bat, knee jerk reaction was typical of the media, not you necessarily. but the media. it was to jump all over him like it was such a negative.

i wanted to say, not speaking for trump, i wanted to say, let him finish the conversation. let him finish his thought about what he's talking about, a temporary ban. we do have a very screwed up system that is resulting in the bad guys coming on over. it is common sense that when we're in such tumultuous times as caused by -- in a lot of respects, not knowing who it is coming over our porous borders, we need to take a pause here and figure out what the system is going to be to make sure -- first and foremost, that americans live here, that we're safe. >> of the republican presidential candidates, who would you most likely to have a beer with? >> the one that seems most fun bellying up to a bar, trump. >> donald trump. >> yes. >> you've had interesting things to say about donald trump and senator ted cruz.

in november you said you thought it was going to come down to trump versus cruz. it looks as of right now that that's what it is headed towards. between these two men, i know you think they're both strong and able leaders, whom would you pick? >> i'm glad you prefaced with i know you think they're both strong and both good. you know what my answer is going to be. i'm not going to pick one right now. what a nice problem to have, if it came down to cruz and trump. that's a good problem for voters to have, because we know that, as you say, they are both strong and very decisive and someone who would take the initiative. that is what we need today and both those candidates fit that bill. >> here's the word association. one or two words. >> oh, good. >> i'm not going to hold you to one each. okay, ready? obama. >> warned ya.

>> hillary. >> nyquil. >> nyquil she said. bernie. >> crazy cat that lives up in the attic. >> jeb. >> george. >> trump. >> gold plated everything. >> cruz. >> control. cruz control. >> rubio. >> robotic. >> robotic. for rubio. kasich. >> states rights. >> christie. >> embracing obama. remember this is word association. you say the first thing that pops into your head. >> you're being honest.

>> i am. >> i appreciate it. o'malley. >> biceps. >> first thing that popped into your mind? >> yes. >> media. >> oh, gosh. let me find the words. >> i think that was it. a growl and then the word oh, god. >> that's a fun game. i mean, so much to dive into there. hillary, nyquil? what's that? >> i was there. and i actually sat with her husband todd and her daughter willow. it was actually a great night and a great conversation, really. some great funny moments. i think what she's doing is you've heard recently donald trump start to raise the idea that hillary doesn't have the stamina for this campaign and the presidency. i think she was trying to sort of harness that message. >> sleepy. >> hillary low "t."

>> i didn't call her a man. >> low "t" equivalent. >> low "e." >> whatever it is. >> it's early. >> i haven't really seen her for a while. it's really interesting what she kind of maybe set the template for trump, very emotional, bizarre syntax, not fight sure where the ideas are. somehow you get the impression she's strong and going into a certain direction. i think in some ways trump is like that. for people who don't -- who look at that as inkblot test and say, good, they're very inspired by a palin, inspired by a trump, for people who look at that inkblot test and say what the heck, very alarmed. >> i never hear trump compared to sarah palin. >> she was asked that last night, she was asked if she feels responsible for setting the table for trump. she said she didn't think so. she talked a lot about how she came up.

her sort of hostility for the media is right here. >> that's it. i think there are similarities. they speak in headlines and when pressed fill in a few of the specifics. >> ben is right about her setting the stage and being a precursor to donald trump. issues are very important in campaigns. but for voters, they're not really driven a whole lot by the issue specifics. instead, they're driven by attributes and how you talk about the issues. sarah palin, like donald trump, is somebody who was able to capture feelings of anxiety. she's articulated in 2008 the way that donald trump is articulating now. this desire for some inside the republican party to have this clash 6 political civilizations. and that is -- that's what we're seeing, i think right now. >> i feel like we're selling him short, though. i mean, sarah palin made her mark. >> yes. >> she would never get the kind of numbers he's getting in an election. >> she had 80%, 90% approval in

alaska. she did. >> we're talking nationally. >> i'm saying something different. no question she was popular. we get why mccain picked her, though many would argue that wound up being the wrong move for him. donald trump is in a different echelon. >> than anyone else. >> stylistically there are similarities. >> national security conservatism, to a party that is now celebrating some candidates who have a bit more of a celebrity profile, who have -- who have a premium on relatability with the average person. >> i remember -- now everybody says sarah palin, she's a joke. i remember when they picked her. we were terrified. because she had that ability to relate to people, electrify crowds. >> absolutely. >> it wasn't until "saturday night live" got ahold of her that we started breathing a sigh of relief. that ability to electrify a right wing audience. >> she had conservative

credibility. she was a republican for years. republican governor. she had conservative ideas. >> grass roots conservative. grass roots conservative. >> conservatives understand her language. donald trump doesn't seem to have much affection for the conservative. >> we're in a different place in our collective culture. the fear, the anger, the anxiety that we're seeing right now that can be channeled. it was different in 2000. >> the challenge for republicans, we risk being defined as a party for what we're against, not what we're for. >> panel, thank you so much for your insight. >> great to be with you. >> we'll be relying on you all day. our coverage of tonight's cnn gop debate, starting at 6:00 p.m. eastern, the undercard debate, which is often more interesting, followed by the main debate at 8:30. tune in for both. >> i'm telling you, you cannot exaggerate the significance of these big debates. the race changes every time we have one. the heavyweights are all ready

to do battle. the stage is right behind us. there isn't a person there but it will be tonight. someone who will be here in terms of presence is hillary clinton. people are going to talk about her tonight. >> who has the most to gain and lose tonight? who has the most to gain and lose in reference to going after hillary? we will debate and you will decide. that's next. right when you feel a cold sore, abreva can heal it in as few as two and a half days when used at the first sign. without it the virus spreads from cell to cell. only abreva penetrates deep and starts to work immediately to block the virus and protect healthy cells. you could heal your cold sore, fast, as fast as two and a half days

when used at the first sign. learn how abreva starts to work immediately at abreva.com don't tough it out, knock it out, fast. with abreva. 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.

the citi double cash® card comes in very handy with cash back twice on purchases. earn once when you buy, and again as you pay. that's cash back now, and cash back again later. it's cash back déjà vu. the citi double cash card. the only card that lets you earn cash back twice on every purchase with 1% when you buy and 1% as you pay. with two ways to earn, it makes a lot of other cards seem one sided.

good to have you back on "new day." obviously we'll have more off our coverage of tonight's cnn gop debate in just a few moments, first, though, let's take a look at your other headlines. president obama is trying to reassure nervous americans that the u.s. is attacking isis harder than ever. he met with his national security team and is promising to wipe out the terror group. he claims isis has lost 40% of the territory it once held in iraq. thanks to nearly 4,000 coalition air strikes. >> november we dropped more bombs on isil targets than any other month since this campaign started. we're also taking out isil leaders, commanders and killers,

one by one. the point is isil leaders cannot hide and our next message to them is simple, you are next. >> the president also announced he's sending defense secretary ash carter to the middle east to further assess america's anti-isis strategy. we're learning more about social media posts made by the female san bernardino terrorist promoting violent jihad. tashfeen malik made comments under a pseudonym and she used strict privacy settings that only a small group of friends could see. because of that her posts would not have been discovered even if u.s. authorities reviewing her visa application checked her social media accounts. kerry met with the russian foreign minister. he is meeting with russian president vladimir putin later this morning. they will discuss syria's bloody civil war and syrian president bashar al assad's role in a political transition. back here at home, the fate of the first of six baltimore police officers charged over the

death of freddie gray now in the hands of a jury. they'll return to deliberations in about an hour's time. officer william porter is charged with involuntary manslaughter, second degree assault, misconduct and reckless endangerment charges. he faces a max numb ten-year prison sentence. you'll recall gray died after suffering a spinal cord injury while in police custody back in april. back to chris and alisyn. how did your blue man group audition go yesterday? that's what that whole ruse was about, right? >> once again, i think it's a fair standard that they employ but i had to make the choice and stay with what i love which is journalism. i'm going to turn down the offer. >> keep working on the thing you do with the ping-pong balls. i think you'll get in next time. the republican candidates expected to take jabs at each other during tonight's debate and of course, hillary clinton. she later today is laying out her plan to wipe out isis. let's talk about all of it with our cnn political contributors,

commentators, dan pfeiffer and paul begala. dan is a former senior adviser to president obama. paul is a democratic strategist and senior adviser for a pro-hillary clinton super pac. good to see you. >> good morning. >> let's talk about the timing of hillary clinton's speech today about her plans for isis. forget the gop reaction. that will happen tonight for a moment. is this her moment to draw a line between her and the president? >> no. i think it's move mo-- more drawing a line ben h-- between her and the men and woman on the stage tonight. she lost to barack obama. one reason. she was too hawkish. the party has now come around to a slightly more hawkish position. no one has ever come up to me and say, you know, i worry she's not strong enough. ever. she can set this, most women

frankly start with a disadvantage on strength and most democrats do. she doesn't have either of those problems. she upholds everybody on that stage. that's an advantage for her and they'll have to answer to her tonight. >> let's take the other side on that. you guys are in a hole when it come to this issue. the big buzz words, weak versus strong. that's what's working for trump. the current administration, secretary included as part of it, weak, they don't understand the fear that you're being too nice about people who want to kill us. these are narratives that are hurting you. you'll hear about them tonight. what is the counter? >> the challenge for all these candidates up there tonight is going to be to lay out specifically what they would do differently. it's not enough to say i will destroy isis more. >> why isn't it? >> destroying isis, you say you will but you don't do it. >> that's not a real position. that's rhetoric. that may be enough to get applause lines in the earliest

part of the election but to actually win the election, they'll have to lay out a specific plan. i think it's important and smart that hillary clinton is doing that today. because in large part, you're going to have a large audience tonight, people who will hear just republicans attacking, unfiltered hillary clinton until they ride the wave. >> do you think that tonight on stage, the gop rivals will go after trump or mostly hillary? >> i think mostly hillary. in fact, not that i'm advising, if i were advising them, i'd say you have to attack hillary. everybody in the party hates hillary. you can't out-hillary bash the person next to you. they need a plausible plan on isis. i agree with dan. they're trying to stir up fear right now. because it consolidates their base, gets them votes. at some point people will want to hear, okay, i'm afraid. what are you going to do about

it? >> who's the last person who won with a plan? president obama got in there with one word. change. right? he didn't articulate the plan. >> i tell you what, the guy published a 200-page book putting people first. it was all of his plans. it was a number one best seller. >> nobody wins on a plan. >> twoen lad slides. >> i didn't say he didn't win. i said he didn't win on a plan. hillary clinton comes tonight and gives a brilliant speech and it's totally fundamentally different than what's going on right now. where was it when we needed it, when she was secretary of state? isn't she in a box. >> isis is a challenging situation for everyone involved. it's challenging. it's also challenging politically. as paul pointed out, this was clear in 2008. there are divisions in the party on how to deal with national security. there are divisions tonight as well. this is a tricky situation. it will play out the course of the campaign. hillary clinton is doing the

right thing, defending the steps she's taking and laying out what she would do going forward. some it will be what president obama is doing, some of it will be different. >> where trump has hurt himself and his party in terms of the general election is this nonsense about barring all muslims -- >> how do you know he hurt himself? >> 38% of independents. >> i can read polls. >> 60% oppose it. 60 prerz 60% of independents oppose it. >> barack obama lost independents but still won the election. >> they have history on their side. that's a good point. when mr. trump is proposing something, that's six out of ten independents who are pretty conservative oppose, you can't win with that. i've never heard of anything on terrorism that 60% of independents opposed that we finally found where the line is. >> you let them double-team me the entire time. >> it was interesting. it was fascinating to hear what

they had to say, paul. >> thank you, alisyn. >> you're welcome, guys. >> thanks so much, great to see you. looking forward to all your coverage. >> don't lean back too far, begala. coverage of the cnn debate starts at 6:00 p.m. eastern. that's the first debate, we're calling it the undercard and the main debate at 8:30. >> which republican is best positioned to win a debate on national security and terrorism? we've been talking about that. which gop hopeful has the best plan? we'll dig into that, ahead. >> nobody wins on plans. what makes this simple salad the best simple salad ever? heart healthy california walnuts. the best simple veggie dish ever?

heart healthy california walnuts. the best simple dinner ever? heart healthy california walnuts. great tasting, heart healthy california walnuts. so simple. get the recipes at walnuts.org.

doesn't matter the party. doesn't matter the person. the concern is obvious right now in america, at this moment it is the fear of attacks from within and without. terrorism. the top issue on the minds of american voters heading into the debate. no question about it. now, this is the first debate after the terror attacks in paris and san bernardino. how will the field size up on national security? >> joining us now is someone who

can own this issue for you. cnn national security commentator mike rodgers. it is that theme tonight. we've been having an ongoing to be the this morning. they are saying you need a plan. you need a plan. you are hearing that more from the lefties than the gop. what works in this forum tonight? >> i think exactly the way donald trump has transacted voters is through strength. -- attracted votes. you don't get much of a plan. bombing the snot out of them is a tactic. not a plan. i think you are going to find people in themselves to say i have the strength to deal with isis. it is pretty hard to lay out a plan on a very complicated issue. >> the latest polling. this was out yesterday in terms of people's top priorities right now. number one is national security

and terrorism. it has leapfrogged over the economy. over government spending that used to be the battle cry of republicans. so when that is your number one priority as a voter, don't you want to hear more than just bomb the heck out of them? >> i certainly do. but the candidates have to appeal to the vote ner a very sort segment. i think that is why these plans of i will bomb the snot out of them. i will be tougher than anyone else. you don't have a lot of time to go in and how do you do that. you night find differences where they go on the surveillance side and how that's changed but you won't see big layed out plans. maybe quick snaps of building a coalition. some of that. but these things get really complicated in a hurry, as we

have seen and it takes a thoughtful approach to it. but what i think voters are identifying with is where the president has been saying everything's fine, they see it's not fine. i saw a series of attacks that it's not fine. including the biggest since 9/11 in the united states. they know something is wrong so i think that is why they are attracted to this other message. and here is the key. a candidate who can i think attract those trump voters in a way that isn't offensive i think is going to do very well in the weeks ahead. >> take a step further down that road. remember everybody, mike rodgers isn't just national security. he was in the house for a long time. he was in the business of how to fight this war on the intelligence side. he was chairman of the committee. so as someone with the insight of what works and what doesn't, how do they distinguish themselves tonight? if they're all saying we got to be strong. hillary's weak. i'm strong. how do they break away? >> you have to find that line

that captures people's attention in that minute answer. >> what do you think it could be. >> for me it's different. i don't like the bumper sticker approach to national security. i it is dangerous. but we're in that political campaign. >> ban all muslims. -- [inaudible] >> i have a theory on this. bear with me. >> go ahead. we're all ears. >> voters are looking for something. i think if you want back and went through a discussion in a forum and had longer opportunity to talk about it. most of those folks would say yea it is probably not the right thing to do but we've got to do something. and just like they are attracted to a candidate they don't always agree. with well he has the attributes or she has. and i think that is what they were looking for. and they were attracted not necessarily to his message on the issue but the fact ha he was willing to stand up and say listen, i'm going to do something about it.

and here is what i'm going to. i think people are attracted to that action, not necessarily the event in itself. >> you are steeped in the specifics from all of your expertise. do you hear distinctions? do you think they have laid out enough? >> we've done these forums and yeah there are some distinctions. there are a lot of similarities but there are a lot of zirngss in the approach to it. i think tonight you will see they find the differences and go at it. and you have to a multi pronged approach, not in the big boots kind of way -- everybody is going to try to find that nuanced approach. and then they are going to i think try to exploit that one difference. you will see that with rubio and cruz and christie.

and i think that is what voters want to see. who do i trust? because the biggest issue facing these candidates on january 21st is going to be national security. and that is not by their choice. it is by the world's choice. >> we are following a lot of news this morning. lest get right to it. >> national polls have trump surging to all-time highs. >> he's connecting with people who are frustrated. >> the other candidates should be thankful. i'm giving them a chance to make total fools of themselves. >> one of the two killers in san bernardino was an american citizen. >> national security is the focus of this debate. >> people are looking for

strength. trump is playing that role. >> he's tapped into the compassion of the american conservatives. >> this is "new day" with cris cuomo, alisyn camerota and michaela pereira. >> vegas, baby. just hours ago alisyn camerota was swimming in those canals there at the venetian hotel in las vegas. of course that is where we are because this is where the big debate is going to happen. michaela is in new york. alisyn and here yeah just hours away from getting it on. yeah it feels like maybe ten minutes because we're in the big room. and donald trump is taking heat but it is working for him in the polls. he now has the biggest lead ever. >> two new national polls have trump hitting all-time highs. even breaking the 40% ceiling for the very first time. despite backlash over his

controversial museum lim travel ba let's kick off our coverage with cnn's athena jones live on the debate floor just down behind us. how's it look? >> good morning. the stakes are going to be high when the candidates take the stage. and this comes as the new national poll numbers show trump's support is reaching heights many political pundits thought he would never reach. that makes him a top target tonight. he was also the target of protesters last night. >> outrage overnight during donald trump's rally in las vegas. >> multiple protesters forcibly

removed while trying to interrupt the front runner's speech. trump taking shots at his republican competition. >> the other candidates should be thankful. because i'm giving them a chance to make total fools of themselves. >> and bashing the media. >> i've learned two things. more than anything else, how smart the people are and how bad and dishonest the press is. because it is really zdishonest. >> reporter: for the first time topped 40%. that's more than the next three competitors combined. and trump towering 23 points above his closest rival in this new washington post abc poll. >> i cannot image donald trump becoming president because he would never win. he would never win. hillary clinton would clean him. >> this as texas senator ted cruz surges into to second place in national polling and tops

trump in several polls in iowa. >> god bless the great state of iowa. >> which means all eyes will be on center stage to see if the two former allies will go after each other. >> they are both strong and very decisive. and someone who would take the initiative. that is what we need today. and both those candidates fit that bill. >> the first for the gop contenders since the recent terror attacks. the debate will keep national security at the forefront. >> the vvast majority are peopl just don't have information on. this is an issue you have to be right 100%. >> marco rubio is another candidate to keep an eye on tonight. he's performed well in past debates and they are hoping for another strong night. the attitude is don't try to fix

what isn't broken. and the question is not whether or not trump will go after cruz tonight but whether and how cruz will hit back. >> so what will happen when the republican candidates take the stage tonight? let's talk about it. joining us is cnn's national reporter maeve reston. and john berman and contributor to the daily caller matt lewis. great to have yaw all here. new national polls for tonight. donald trump has hit higher water marks in both polls than previously. let's look at just what's happened since november. in the abc news poll out at like midnight. and he's gone from like 32%, which people said was hithe hig.

and then cruz also has virtually doubled support. carson has fallen significantly. so what are you going tab watching, maeve. >> carson's loss, cruz's gain certainly. it is a big night for ted cruz. he obviously has momentum in iowa. he really needs to capitalize on that. show that he has a broader appeal and really can unite the party. we definitely are expecting to see trump go after him a little bit. they will be standing man to man next each other on the stage. skmi think it will be just be a fascinating night for looking at those establishment candidates. jeb, rubio, christie, which one stands out? and can they come in and fill the vacuum that exists right now. >> who is the man of the match tonight? or is it a woman? >> the man of the match? >> what's going to have their breakout? >> i think it it would be a big

night for christie. >> chris christie. okay. let me ask you something. the movie references, you're great at. the princess bride, despite all your strength and let look at him, he gains. and the when you look at trump. saying he's way over the line. look at what he said habit muslims. it is all lifting him every time. >> absolutely. every time if it is a mainstream media person, a moderate republican, if more you attack him, the better he does. but i still think the man of the moment is ted cruz. i feel the gods are smiling on him. the media wants something different. donald trump has been at the top of polls now for month. and i think ted cruz is poised to have a big moment tonight if he seizes it. >> to that point, let's look at the des moines register poll. this was out over the weekend. and this has ted cruz winning and beating donald trump there. he has 31%. that is ted cruz.

versus. so it's fun to look at the national polls. it is fun to see but this is more relevant. >> it is more relevant. also relevant not just the fact he has momentum but the fact he has money. ted cruz is polling well in iowa. he's got money to back it up for the next six weeks or 48 days. he east building the team to put him over the top in iowa. but what happens after iowa? because new hampshire is not going to be friendly to ted cruz. it is just not a state that lines up well for him. cruz has got to look past new hampshire then to south carolina and the sec primaries on march 1st. but again he's got the money to do that. even if cruz does win iowa there is a window. a big new hampshire window for someone else. is it donald trump. christie east chance.

can marco rubio do well enough? >> pat robertson, that gives us our opening. trump wrote an op ed why he was considering run for president. it was pat buchanan. >> so we're doing the nickname pat. >> it remoreminded me of this. the second reason, is patrick buchanan. he has the virng of plain speaking but he often says stupid things. for example, the latest being his comments about questioning whether -- whether the u.s. was right to stop hitler. it took three days for elizabeth dole and john mccain to react. and now listen to his conclusion. this underscores the problem.

-- >> can you believe it? donald trump writing this? prescient. about himself. >> yes. maybe this was the secret to his success all along. >> there have been moments. pat buchanan. process ross pero in 92. maybe donald trump is studying where they went wrong and replicating. >> he also talked about pat buchanan's plain speaking. he also recognized why buchanan was doing well there. one of the questions going in is which candidate will stand up to donald trump and talk about the ban on muslims. a better question might be, why would they? why would they when 60% of republican primary voters say they support banning muslims coming into the united states.

>> when it comes to the flip-flopping and hip okayky. you don't have to go back to buchanan. donald trump --. >> so then what is he doing? >> winning he's tapping into -- >> -- felt that way pat buchanan, why now is he personifying these things? >> i think it is a very cynical ploy to win the election. i think that donald trump has studied leadership. he had studied politics. he's studied pat buchanan. i think that he is telling the voters what they want to hear. which of course i know we're shocked that there is gambling in a casino. but i think that is what he's doing. i think it is very cynical and very calculated. >> that is what politics is t yosmt -- >> sometimes you have a vision. >> but these are his convictions. the threat is real. people are trying to kill us.

they happen to be usually muslim. we should do something about them. mike rogers. big brain knows this stuff very well. he says that is resonating. because people want something. they are seeing the war on isis is not working. >> people are seeing this republican primary voters are seeing it. and a majority agree with it. >> 59% support it. >> he's exploiting it. >> the whole thing about branning all muslims coming into the country, i this i he's pushing buttons that some angry frustrated voters have and it is working flawlessly. it is very unhealthy i think for the political process. and very harmful if for conservative movement in the long run. >> how big is the establishment wing of the republican party at this point? how many republicans are there out there who really disagree with donald trump and are going to show that when we head into the caucus season and primaries. >> you put up that number and

you can get a sense of how big the establishment lane is. and it is not very big. if you have trump at 38% and cruz at -- i'm bad at math but cruz at like 15 or 16%. you add in ben carson, now the non establishment wing is over 60. >> we have to leave it there. biel talking to you all day. so go get some rest. >> we're also teeing up the big concern. the voters are going to be watching the men and women on stage and saying who is going to keep me safe. the first debate, 6:00 p.m. then the second 8:30 and the moderator wolf blitzer. we'll be here a while longer. and we'll is it be here somehow tomorrow morning in the same chairs at the venetian. >> bigger poll numbers mean ted cruz is a bigger target tonight.

so what does he have to do? where does she stand exactly on the key issues? we'll look at cruz's views. >> ooh. >> yeah. you heard me. that's next. what makes this simple salad the best simple salad ever?

heart healthy california walnuts. the best simple veggie dish ever? heart healthy california walnuts. the best simple dinner ever? heart healthy california walnuts. great tasting, heart healthy california walnuts. so simple. get the recipes at walnuts.org. ♪ deck the halls with barks from rudy ♪ (rudy barks) well, it's more like "fa la la la la la la la la" but you're in the same vein. say happy holidays with milk-bone!

senator ted cruz, number two in national polls. making him a target tonight. also a target of his opponents but also of his own ambitions. what does he have to do tonight? we have amanda carpenter, a former communications director for the senator from texas. let's start with the big ticket item. the debate's focus. foreign policy. national security. here are his hot points. prevent the nsa from gathering phone meta data. allow syria to fight on its own. prevent isis -- >> the first point. preventing nsa from kwarting meta data isn't quite right.

just had the nsa has to get a warrant to get meta data from americans. this is the reasonable standard. it doesn't stop them from collecting the data. it just protects the privacy rights of americans. i think that is a good mainstream position. it may come up in the debate tonight because marco rubio wants to pick a fight over it. rubio wants to position himself more as the muscular national security candidate. more in the camp of john mccain and lindsay graham. and this is something that's been brewing in republican circle farce long time because those voices have dominated republican foreign policy and people are looking for alternative. >> let's talk about the ted cruz's response to donald trump's ban on muslims entering the u.s. when he said it. all sorts of republicans came out and said this is not whew we are. cruzs response was the most

tepid of all. now polls suggest republicans actually agree with trump on this. and he's gone up in the polls. now what does ted cruz say about that tonight? >> here is the thing. donald trump is very good at identifying issues people are concerned about. he identified the problem from july people are worried about in immigration. in the light of the terrorist attacks he identified that people are worried about what's going on in muslim communities. his wholesale solution is probably not right but it provides a lot of coverage for someone to provide a reasonable alternative. i like what paul ryan said. i think it is very reasonable to say we need to look at countries that are hot beds of terrorism. pause the program and while donald trump has bombastic proposal, other people should be

willing to talk about those issues and provide reasonable alternatives. >> is that what cruz does tonight? does he come one the slightly finessed version? >> we talked about we should let in christian refugees and -- >> is that any better than the trump position? he says keep all muslims out -- >> well it -- >> for cruz to say let in the christian refugee. >> same thing. just a different way of spinning it. >> we need to find a way to screen out people who aren't going to be threats to our national security. people are trying to find a way that we can keep protecting people while at the same time protecting our homeland. >> let's look at cruz on immigration. end birth right citizenship. and he wants to triple the patrol agents on the mexican border. >> is he playing to the fear here sh. >> we'll, you know, i've worked for the guy. and again and again we says we need to celebrate legal

immigration. we need to take it to a place where we all are in favor, celebra celebrating, upholding legal immigration. we can't give blanket status to people who keep violating the law. immigration is a national security issue at this point. so we have do something to fix the system. and if we automatically go to, well, what are we going to do to deport people, we're missing the problem. we're missing this wide consensus area where people agree that we need to fix the programs we have. >> short-term, long-term. short-term cruz being more hardline. helps with the base. but look at what senator rubio did. he said we can't get it done in one bill. it is not going to happen. so i'm going look at it here with democrats and republicans. i'm going to look to do it piecemeal. he's getting killed in house.

>> that was what ultimately sank it. they tied everything up together so democrats could get an amnesty program. i think if marco rubio had not struck a deal and participated in the gangs of eight he would be the de facto nominee. illegal immigration is such a big issue to republican voters. i think he lost his right to be b that nominee by striking that deal. >> tonight, what does ted cruz do? how does he stand out? does he wait for people to attack him? >> does he go after trump? >> what do you predict? >> i think he needs to show he has a commanding presence and can rise above the attacks thrown at him. all the republicans are going to be coming at him. and in other words just another day for ted cruz on the main

debate stage. >> except it's different now. he had gotten a reputation for being, you know -- being very tough. very aggressive with his positions. coming at people. saying bad things about the speaker. >> but this is the thing. he is very tough on his positions. he doesn't attack people personally that often. >> he called mcconnell a lie. >> we he did lie. he told people he was not striking a deal to prop up the --. guess what it. happened. and so somehow only in washington does the person who exposes the lie is the bigger sinner than the person who told the lie. it is a really interesting tricky mcconnell pulled. he deceived the republican senators and ted cruz told everybody. i like that truth teller quality about ted cruz. >> thanks so much. coverage of tonight's gop debate starts at 6:00 eastern. that is the under card. followed by the main debate at

8:30. >> donald trump, top of the polls, bigger than ever. after his arguably most recent controversial -- i'll qualify it a little bit. but what he said everybody thought was so wrong is proving to be so right in the polls. so what is the magic this man has as he comes to the stage tonight? and. >> can anything stop his momentum? 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. toto the nation's capitalut to support an important cause that can change the way you live for years to come. how can you help? by giving a little more, to yourself. i am running for my future. people sometimes forget to help themselves. the cause is retirement, and today thousands of people came to race for retirement and pledge to save an additional one percent of their income. if we all do that we can all win. prudential bring your challenges® rightabreva can heal itold sore, in as few as two and a half days when used at the first sign. without it the virus spreads from cell to cell. only abreva penetrates deep and starts to work immediately to block the virus and protect healthy cells. you could heal your cold sore, fast, as fast as two and a half days

when used at the first sign. learn how abreva starts to work immediately at abreva.com don't tough it out, knock it out, fast. with abreva.

my name is jamir dixon and i'm a locafor pg&e.rk fieldman most people in the community recognize the blue trucks as pg&e. my truck is something new... it's an 811 truck. when you call 811, i come out to your house and i mark out our gas lines and our electric lines to make sure that you don't hit them when you're digging. 811 is a free service. i'm passionate about it because every time i go on the street i think about my own kids. they're the reason that i want to protect our community and our environment, and if me driving a that truck means that somebody gets to go home safer, then i'll drive it every day of the week. together, we're building a better california.

so that is when camerota takes her wedding ring, throws it on black jack table and when i'm doubling down i'm doubling down. she takes a wild swing at me. winds up in the canal that we're

showing you right now outside the venetian. it was a horrible scene. and now we're back. >> yeah. and i got it back. whew. >> you know what, the stage couldn't be set better. two new big polls show that donald trump has been rewarded for his recent statements about muslims. he has broken yet another ceiling people said he wouldn't reach. so what are the others to do to try to catch the man in the middle? joining us, hugh hewitt and michael smerconish. you're looking at tonight. donald has been rewarded for what he said in the cross-tabs as well. almost 60% of the gop support banning of muslims. what does it mean for the mood

on the stage? it means everybody on the stage has to decide. i call this the christmas dinner debate. they are all going to be talking about whatever happens tonight for the next three weeks because we are shutting down news in a way that people will concentrate on these candidates and say did anyone show me that they are better than trump? so you have to go after him hard, soft, whether you are ted cruz and you bear hug him or you are chris christie and you hit whim a chair. this is the night to define yourself vis-a-vis donald trump. >> i keep thinking of jeb bush two years ago saying you need to be prepare to lose primarying in order to win the general. this is that circumstance in my view. although republicans are rallying to the donald on this issue, it is not in spite of this, it is because of these things. it doesn't pray well in a general election. i don't think it is a strategy. >> you have to win the primaries

and then you can move onto the general. you can't lose the primaries. >> it is going to be very hard though if you have gone in this direction to reign it back and appeal to independents. when you look at independent, 60% are saying hey we're not cool with this. >> i'm saying almost 40% are with something that everybody said was so inarguably extreme. >> when he came out with the muslim ban, you said that is it. stick a fork in him. you thought we've reached the rubicon. >> if you want a list of how many times i've been wrong, you better go back to john mccain. because when he sulleyed john mccain and said i like the one whose don't get captured, that is when i said put a fork in him first. >> mike rogers comes in. he knows what he's talking about. he says i'll tell you why the -- worked. people are looking at the world. they are saying it is a scary place. we're not doing anything against

isis. this is something. how will that find its way into the rhetoric tonight? >> congressman is very smart. i was listening to that segment. i live in southern california. i have been in that room the mess ke massacre occurred. house intel committee, he'd been reading the reports forever. that is not where the party is. every one of these candidates have said no to his proposal, including senator cruz, the second place and actually the front run ner iowa but sec place in the polls. so no one agrees but it resonates. so there might be comparable position where is someone goes out there and welke live with that and then the responsible side will shape that into a

focused precise. so it's evolving. and i've been wrong at least as much as you. on donald trump i've been wrong since mccain and from that moment forward so i stopped having any predictions. but after this voting in iowa, i think people will think who will be in the white house versus hillary clinton. who can beat her? he's not negatives of 61%. she's got negatives of 61%. >> that is a point. people who look at her and say she's untrustworthy. i think the fact she's not cleaning the clock of all of these individuals is really a reflection of her poor numbers. >> really only trump she has any kind of margin on. >> the questions. you will be asking some questions tonight at the debate. so via facebook, people have been submitting what they want you to talk about.

give us a sense. >> i want to ensure everybody out there most fair process i've gone through. they go all around. people say good question, bad, the facebook questions are across the map. but here are continuing concerns. safety guns. can we talk about more guns and safety? then let's go back to terrorists and then back to guns and safety. that is what i see coming in. now, there is a bunch of democrats who sent in questions that would like us to ask democrat questions. but there is a republican primary voter debate. so i read them with interesting because i want to know what the wrong side is thinking. those aren't really on my question wheel. and what i want to know about is where are those headed in primary concerns? it's terrorism, guns and what are we going to do about isis? >> you make the distinction

between safety and guns and terrorism. sometimes they meld. >> they do. and there is a growing movement within the republican party that the answer is more guns not fewer. a militia that is well trained. not one that is disbanded. in the general, guns are going to drive. when you are doing this show from the debates you will be talking about the gun control questions coming. >> who is it going to be on your side is this. >> i have no predictions. other than the cleveland browns. and i won 181 bucks by betting 200 bucks on them this weekend. >> thank you gentlemen. great to talk to you. both of you. >> so coverage tonight is going to start for 6:00 p.m. that is the undercard here. and then we'll have a lead up to the main debate. 8:30.

we're going to have constant coverage throughout. please stay with cnn. it matters. >> when you get past the pundits and pageantry, the 2016 election comes down of course to the voters. >> we have some of them here. what do they want to hear at tonight's debate? coming soon. after a dvt blood clot.mind when i got out of the hospital what about my family? my li'l buddy? and what if this happened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital but i wondered if this was the right treatment for me.

then my doctor told me about eliquis. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. not only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots, but eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. knowing eliquis had both... turned around my thinking. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. if you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily... and it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. eliquis treats dvt & pe blood clots. plus had less major bleeding. both made switching to eliquis right for me. ask your doctor if it's right for you.

here we go with the five things to know for you new day. number one, we are just nine hours from debates tonight. the under card at 6:00. the main debate at 8:30. polls showing trump expanding nationally. even cracking the 40% barrier. president obama warning isis leaders they are next. he said u.s. led air strikes have forced isis to surrender 40% of its territory in iraq. army sergeant, former army sergeant bowe bergdahl facing court martial charges. he could face life in prison if

convicted. bill cosby filing counterlawsuits. he saying they cost him his reputation costing him several jobs. >> r2-d2, the red carpet a teeming with stars and storm troopers. the force is strong with this one. episode seven opens nationwide on friday. count me in. >> despite having a losing record, the new york giants are now tied for first place in their division. more on the monday night madness. >> oh the nfc east. the giants and the dolphins had just 5 wins and 7 losses coming in. so this was a must win for both sides. be thank you g-men would not be denied victory. eli manning was on fire.

and so was odell beckham, jr. this 84 yard score. he would snag two of manning's four touchdown passes on the night. giants kick open the playoff door at 6 and 7, they are tide with washington and philly for the division lead. after rajon rondo shout ed racial slurs at referee kennedy this month, kennedy has reported he's gay. in the hopes it will send a message to men and women that you must allow no one to make you feel ashamed of who you are. rondo becoming the first player to be suspended for facing antigay slurs. and pete rose was denied baseball hall of fame.

he admitted he still betds on baseball. rose was band in 1989 for gambling on games while playing for and managing the cincinnati reds. interesting note, the decision has no direct impact on rose's eligibility for the baseball hall of fame which is not run by the mlb. alisyn, chris. >> thanks so much. so millions will be watching tonight's debate from las vegas here with an eye on national security issues. so what do voters want to hear from the candidates tonight? we have a voter panel. we checked in with them in october. we're bringing them back now. what's changed? we'll ask them. ♪

(vo) some call it giving back. we call it share the love. during our share the love event, get a new subaru, and we'll donate $250 to those in need. bringing our total donations to over sixty-five million dollars. and bringing love where it's needed most. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. rightabreva can heal itold sore, in as few as two and a half days when used at the first sign. without it the virus spreads

from cell to cell. only abreva penetrates deep and starts to work immediately to block the virus and protect healthy cells. you could heal your cold sore, fast, as fast as two and a half days when used at the first sign. learn how abreva starts to work immediately at abreva.com don't tough it out, knock it out, fast. with abreva. 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. coughing...sniffling... and wishing you could stay in bed all day.

when your cold is this bad... ...you need new theraflu expressmax. theraflu expressmax combines... maximum strength medicines available without a prescription... ...to fight your worst cold and flu symptoms... ...so you can feel better fast and get back to the job at hand. new theraflu expressmax. the power to feel better.tm

we've heard from all of the pundits. all of the experts. let's talk to the people who

really matter, the voters. who will the voters will talking to tonight and what are they hoping to learn? let's bring back our panel of nevada voters. they are all registered republicans. great to see you guys again. we last checked in with you in october. and back then, brenda, you were supporting dr. ben carson. how are you feeling today. >> i'm feeling pretty good. my list has grown since that time. >> of who you like? >> of who i like, yes. >> who do you like now? >> i like donald trump and ted cruz. >> well what happened to expand that pool? >> dr. ben, his position on immigration is not quite as strong as i'd like it to be. and of course, you know, in two months a lot has happened. and some of the issues have changed. so we're talking about national security. security of our nation.

and donald trump is talking more about the things that we need to do in raising the awareness of the seriousness of the problems that we face in our country. >> jesus? >> i'm still with jeb bush. one thing i don't understand when you talk about trump being strong in national security and immigration, he really doesn't have a plan to fix the immigration system, which is broken and also to protect us. yes he's speaking with strong rhetoric about what is going on in terms of national security. but i still don't -- haven't heard any concrete ideas of what to do. >> you want more specifics from him. i mean would have been these specifics is ban muslims from the u.s. derek, how are you feeling about him today? >> i still support trump.

i think we start off looking where the country is. in gallup poll, obviously need change. >> how do you feel about his ban on muslims? >> i don't agree with that at all. i think certainly what that reflects is we -- something has to be done. that is not the right solution but in a time of uncertainty. >> skpidespite that you still support him. >> you hear a lot by the way. people understand that what donald trump says sometimes is too far, too over the line but at least he's saying something. and we often see it in the media as forgiveness. ted cruz you mentioned. he's had a burst in iowa. now tonight he may shine bright

up here tonight. what do you need to hear from ted cruz to bump him ahead of ben carson and donald trump in your mind? >> i think he has that steadiness that i liked with ted cruz. donald trump is bombastic. he's out there in the front. very vocal. and the thing i like about ted cruz is that he's kind of cruising. >> absolutely. >> yeah. he cruises. and the fact that he knows and understands our constitution i think is very important because that is what we need to get back to. we need to get back to our constitutional republic, which is what our country is. >> jesus are you concerned? you still support jeb bush. his poll numbers are anemic. what do you make o of that? >> i believe right now the main topic for this debate is going to be national security and from here to the probably the first

caucuses is going to be that. national security. and yes right now donald trump, you hear him with really strong rhetoric. but he doesn't have really a plan for how to keep us safe. and i believe that the people will start to lean more towards the establishment even though they hate the establishment. as we get closer to election they will start reasoning more and getting more into the establishment. you know what? establishment i hate it but in times where national security matters i believe we need, you know, someone that knows what to do. >> monmouth has trump at 41%. abc has him at 31%. do you think he's going to be the nominee? >> i think it's to be determined. i think these debates are useful to have it out. i think democracy is messy. so having the different comments and uncertainty and seeing how

candidates respond to that. >> so it's not over for you. >> certainly not. >> the voting hasn't started. >> it's not over. >> and ted cruz is winning in iowa. >> yes he's doing quite well. and like i said he has that steadiness that in a time of crisis. december 2nd changed everything with regards to the whole presidential election with the terrorist attack. and he has that calmness that i think that our country needs and also that strength. quiet strength that i think we need. >> i believe so. i believe people are going to start to ask for more. somebody that knows what to do with more experience. right now in iowa you mention cruz is up. but i believe in last election, santorum won iowa and he didn't get the nomination. >> iowa is a particular state in

terms of how it does its process and what resonates there. there is no question. but for cruz to maove up was precipitous and impressive to a lot of people watching the election. and you have 13 people up on stage. 12 men and a woman. can anybody still get up there and break into this echelon? >> for me it's always been about track record. you can come up and say what you want. being able to execute was a different story. that is level one. number two, these debate, here is your forum. we in the country are looking for leadership. and this is an opportunity. you want to lead. lead. show us what you're going to do. tell us what you're going to do. and i think it's open. >> we're going check back in with you again tomorrow morning to see what your takeaways from the debate are. >> and they are making a big point that we've been echoing

all morning long. these debates are big events. they change the race. all right. late night laughs. are you ready? >> i am. >> the comics like the joke about politicians. donald trump has a big target on his back all the time. so ahead of the debate. >> according to new national poll donald trump has support from 41% of republican voters. this story was first reported when it was yelled by donald trump. >> tomorrow's debate is in las vegas. and of course all of the candidates will be there early. we found out how they will be spending the day in vegas before the debate begins. ben carson will go to a imagine managic show. >> and donald trump is fanning the flames of hate, which is what donald trump calls blow drying his hair. >> trump was on a lot of shows this weekend. he defends his plan to ban

muslims from entering the country and also cleared some things up. >> you say this is going to be temporary until we figure out in your words, quote, what the hell is going on. >> it's temporary. they have got to help us. >> i understand. but you call our leaders in washington losers. >> i didn't say losers. i said they're stupid. okay? >> okay. >> glad he cleared that up. >> there you go. always funny note to end on. so make sure you watch tonight and of course tune in tomorrow when we will be back with all of the post game wrap up. newsroom with carol costello picks up right after this very quick break. see you tomorrow. i didn't get h. 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.

, you know, we have a big night tomorrow night. it is going to be good. this will not be like an evening in paradise for me. >> debate day in america. and this is where it is all about to go down. i'm carol costello. thank you so much for joining me. the stage is set and the stakes are high. the republican candidates face off tonight in their final debate of 2015. you are looking live at the venetian in las vegas. this is where the cnn debate will begin to unfold. less than nine hours from now and swaggering to the middle of the main stage, none other than donald trump. he now holds his biggest lead yet. according to a new washington post abc news poll