it's the time to keep your head on a swivel. catch us every night at 6 p.m. you can't see the show dvr it. you also don't want to miss a minute of lou dobbs, he's next right here on fox business. ♪ ♪ lou: good evening, everybody i'm lou dobbs. the republican field is battling for their party's presidential nomination and doing so with higher energy and higher hopes after last night's extraordinary debate in cleveland, and what a show they put on. fresh off their performances and the fox news debates, the gop candidates out on the campaign trail selling their message today. governor bush in new hampshire several others attending the red state gathering in atlanta including the party's new star carly fiorina. we'll be assessing the latest state of play with commentator best-selling author ann coulter and republican strategist,

former reagan white house political director ed rollins among our guests, and the official television audience ratings are now in. it was an historic blockbuster for the fox news channel. the debate on fox news was the most-watched primary debate ever and the highest rated cable news program of all time. an incredible 24 million people tuned in last night, all sorts of audience records were simply shattered. and tens of millions more online. does that mean that we will have the most involved electorate in recent times? could those numbers be causing some considerable anxiety among democrats? we've only recently -- who've only recently decided to have a debate or two, a handful of debates, and intend to hide even those few debates? we'll find out here tonight. among the other stories, top diplomats from china and russia on capitol hill. i said on capitol hill.

in an outrageous all-out lobbying effort to persuade our congress to do what they're told on the iranian nuclear deal. meanwhile, president obama today doubled down on his "death to america" comparison of iranian hard-liners to republicans. at the same time, supporting congress for his nuclear deal -- support in congress for his nuclear deal is slipping away. more congressmen today defecting from the white house. we'll take up the issue with republican congressman lee zeldin. congressman zeldin flies to the middle east tomorrow morning. our top story here tonight, the republican presidential candidates didn't waste any time at all trying to take advantage of their debate performances today, taking their messages directly to voters after last night's record-shattering debate. taking all of this up now, a terrific debater herself, some would say keen intellect and razor-sharp wit, and one would have to say tongue as well. political commentator, ann

colter, good to have you -- ann coulter, good to have you here. >> thanks, good to be here. lou: first impressions of that debate last night. >> well, the questions were great, and no disrespect to fox, put on a good debate. the reason there were 24 million viewers wasn't because of fox or the electorate being involved, it was because of donald trump. lou: i think that's clear, that he was the mainstay, the principal attraction and delivered on it. his performance, i know you're a supporter, and i would have to as my colleagues were moderating, i think that they were good for at least 12 million of the 24 -- [laughter] what do you think of his performance, and how did he come out? >> i think he totally dominated the debate. i have a few criticisms. one, i don't think you should be criticizing america's sweetheart, megyn kelly. maybe a misstep there, and it's actually after calling a great joke with rosie o'donnell.

that was the funniest line of the debate. it's like attacking shirley temple, donald! [laughter] and seco hand an at the beginning and said, no, i won't pledge to support in any of these bozos on stage, he should have said why. it's not just leverage, donald. it's because if they won't stand up to the sing lahr threat of our era, immigration, then we shouldn't support them, and neither should we or i or you. lou: ann coulter is going to stay right there with us throughout the broadcast. we'll be back here in just a few moments and discuss amongst other things the -- [laughter] the donald's claim that they wouldn't be talking about illegal immigration had he not been there. i'm going to give you an early hint, i think he was exactly right. ann coulter, good to see you and look forward to talking with you. the other big news of this evening, the obama administration losing yet another key ally in its efforts to get the iranian nuclear deal

approved by our congress. congressman brad sherman, the latest democrat to come out against the deal joining eliot engel and senator chuck schumer, officials pouncing on those lawmakers, however. the secretary of state saying he profoundly disagrees with their decision. >> i would respectfully suggest that rejection is not a policy for the future. it does not offer any alternative. that will lead people to put pressure on military action since the united states would have walked away from the diplomatic solution. lou: if you're not confused, you weren't paying attention. the administration also getting help from china and russia. those envoys lobbying more than two dozen democrats. earths, reports -- efforts reports tonight that iran is violating the agreement. general sulemani defying an international travel ban.

he travel today rouse shah last -- russia last month to discuss weapons deals with president putin. just two weeks ago, secretary of state kerry himself assured congress that pressure would remain on the iranian general. iran stands to receive up to $150 billion with the release of assets that are now frozen when the nuclear deal is implemented. but american victims of the iranian-backed terrorism are trying to stop this administration from releasing that money to the world's largest state sponsor of terrorist attacks. fox news' senior correspondent rick leventhal with our report. >> reporter: stuart hersh, a navy veteran from new york moved to israel 25 years ago. he was sipping coffee in jerusalem in september of 1997 when three hamas suicide bombers blew themselves up. he suffered mild brain damage, burns and back injuries. 200 others were hurt and five

israelis killed. >> these people were trained by the republican guard. so naturally, that would be iran. and we expected, according to the law, that they would have to compensate us. >> reporter: a u.s. law passed in 1992 allows victims of state-sponsored terror to sue the governments financing the attacks. in 2003 hersh and other victims went to federal court and won a judgment against iran of more than $400 million. but the iranians ignored the order and several others totaling close to $2 billion. meanwhile, tehran has up to $150 billion frozen in overseas banks that's sewed to be released when the nuclear deal is approved and economic sanctions lifted. hersh and two dozen other plaintiffs say iran's frozen funds are their last chance at justice, so they filed suit against the state department treasury department and secretary of state john kerry

demanding iran's frozen assets not be released until they get the money they're owed. >> these are the victims of terrorism. these are america's victims, and america should remember them even as they're remembering iran. >> reporter: attorneys say pursuing the judgments wasn't easy for the victims who had to relive the horrors of the attacks in court. giving the iranians their frozen funds is a cruel twist, they say, adding insult to injury. >> this is not an issue of politics, it is an issue simply of human rights. >> reporter: a state department spokesman says there's no connection between sanctions relief and any outstanding court judgments. and the u.s. holds no control over iran's money, calling this legal matter a separate issue. lou? lou: rick, thank you. rick leventhal. coming up here next, i'll be taking up the impact of the iranian deal. congress bank lee zeldin -- congressman lee zeldin joins us, and ann coulter, well, we said

we were going to talk and debate the debate. we will. stay with us, a lot more ahead. a fiery, substantive debate. who did we bring in? a fiery, substantive commentator by the name of ann coulter. we'll be talking with the best-selling author here next. who did she like? who's going to win this thing? and the u.s. coast forward's biggest drug bust in history eight tons of cocaine. but what happened to the rest of that haul? we'll have that part of the mystery for you here next. ♪ ♪ ♪ we all feel the calling to build something great. ♪

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lou: donald trump dominating social media following the first prime time republican presidential debate of the 2016 cycle, and illegal immigration now one of the most-discussed issues. the republican front runner made his position on the position clear. >> our leaders are stupid. our politicians are stupid. and the mexican government is much smarter, much sharper, much more cunning, and they send the bad ones over because they don't want to pay for them, they don't want to take care of them. why should they when the stupid leaders of the united states will do it for 'em? and that's what's happening whether you like it or not. [cheers and applause] lou: rejoining us now, ann coulter.

she is the syndicated columnist, best-selling author, political commentator. her newest book, "adios, america: the left's plan to turn our country into a third world hell hole." good to have you back with us, ann. let's start with the extraordinary statement by trump in which he prefaced that remark by saying if it weren't for him, we wouldn't even be talking about immigration in our presidential debates. is he right? >> absolutely right. and also my book. [laughter] lou: adios america, did i mention it? >> mostly, i'm running for president. he's running for president. i think he could have hit it a little harder, and i wish there had been more discussion of it last night. the parts i liked most about in this book, they've got to cut down the number of candidates. ten is way too many. i've been lobbying fox from the beginning, i think you can cut it down at least to eight or down to five right now.

lou: i disagree with you. i think last night revealed -- >> how boring our guys are? lou: well, it's all relative, as it were. but the fact is, that's a good field of candidates. i'm so tired of people -- >> eh. lou: i'm very emphatic on this one. i really believe the darwinian winnowing of this will take place no matter what. but we saw very able people on that stage, stages. and i really liked the field that there were that many people stepping up here to contest for the job. >> i think there are -- lou: as opposed to the other side where there seems to be an anointment and coronation underway. >> that's true. lou: reminded me of bob dole 1996. >> i think too many of the candidates get rewarded just for running with radio shows, tv shows, higher speaking fees, and i think we have too many, and i think we could narrow it down right now, and some of them are okay. i thought it was basically when

trump wasn't talking or christie wasn't fighting with rand paul it was kind of a snooze fest. lou: you're deeply cynical. >> yes. the debate was a million times better last night, i agree with you -- lou: how about the sharpness of the questions? how about the progression? how about driving relentlessly towards issues -- >> i'm not sure exactly how i would describe it. but it was better than other debates because we didn't have to spend 20 minutes on transgenders in the military which we would have if this were a cnn debate, a cbs debate, an abc debate, and i think republicans ought to say unless we're getting serious questions we all agree to walk out and just let fox do our debates. i would like to see the contrast between the candidates much more than listening to each one of the candidates denounce the iran deal. the most per very, the most eloquence.

lou: i'm one of your biggest fans, but to take issue with last night's debate, 24 million people watching -- >> no, the service great -- it was great, it was fabulous, but how about getting rubio to really explain why he's now saying that we need a fence, but we can't have a fence because there could be a tunnel built under it? i loved the questions to donald trump, but there are other candidates -- lou: i think it was revelatory. it was a powerful moment -- >> no to, it wasn't. are you saying we're going to have a fence orbit? we're not going -- lou: i think the iqs of the general fox news viewer deduces very quickly -- >> but that's the fakeout. if you're complaining -- lou: a non sequitur, you're not going to win the point. >> and how about john kasich going on about ohio's budget when he was asked about a fence? lou: again, i thought you got a very good peek into the character and the -- >> and we had jen saying that, yes, he was -- jeb saying, yes

he was for border security, but also illegal immigration is an act of love. could we mix it up a little more on this here? lou: how about donald trump just getting so ticked off at one point that he, you know, he was spitting lava. i thought, frankly, he did terrifically. he was frustrated -- >> he was totally dominating the debate. it was so clear -- lou: what about ben or carson? >> he's a nice man but, no, not dominating the debate. and i cut it down to five. he had the second best joke after the -- lou: when you roll out your new network, you let me know. [laughter] i want to -- >> i'm just suggesting we start voting them off the island. aren't you going to ask me which five? lou: no, because i want ten at the very least. >> jeb, not because he deserves it -- lou: you're going to make this ten, right? >> cruz, walker, who else? and rubio. lou: i love the passion with

which you include rubio. >> do we need anybody else? oh, i'd cut it down more than that. i'm being generous. lou: i'm guessing down to one. [laughter] >> no, i'd make it two. i'd make it romney/trump. i want them to run together. trump/romney. lou: the dynamics of last night's electrifying debates that she's bringing back mitt romney. >> everybody's missing romney today. lou: you've got to love it, that was great. you know it. ann coulter. the book is "adios, america." the sequel will be hello, america. right after? >> under trump. lou: james holmes will be sentenced to life in prison. the jury unable to reach a unanimous verdict on the death penalty. it is the same jury that convicted him of 24 counts of first-degree murder, 140 counts of attempted murder last month in the july 2012 massacre at a

midnight screening of the dark knight rises in aurora colorado. again, james holmes sentenced to life in prison after the jury unable to reach a unanimous verdict on the death penalty. be sure to vote in our poll tonight after the fox news debates, do you believe the republicans have, well, more impress arive candidates than the mainstream liberal media acknowledges? cast your vote, we're going to send the results directly to ann coulter. [laughter] donald trump mentioning drug smuggling last night, and new video from the coast guard shows exactly what he's talking about. the coast guard seized 12,000 pounds of cocaine headed to this country, six tons. the haul worth a record $181 million, the u.s. coast guard first spotted the vessel on the 18th of july in a small submarine-type craft off the mexican coast. a u.s. coast guard cutter sent

to interdict them. the coast guard removed six tons of cocaine from the submarine, but two tons were left aboard the submarine as it was being towed ashore, it sank. mysteriously. taking some of the cocaine with it. an investigation will ensue. up next, a few thoughts on the absolute disaster that is this president's nuclear deal with iran. and how china and russia are twisting arms on capitol hill. our congress. that's right. we'll take that up, and it's not necessarily what you would want to see right after your plane takes off, but this was the view. wow. that video coming right up. stay with us. much more straight ahead. ♪ ♪

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lou: a few thoughts on the latest setback for president obama in his mad iranian nuclear deal push. in my commentary this past

wednesday, i said that president obama risked major defections from congress, first, because the deal its -- itself is a farce and, secondly, because he took the deal to the united nations before he took it to congress. here's what i said. chuck schumer said he's undecided on whether to support the nuclear deal. i don't believe there's any doubt whatsoever that he will oppose the iran deal. the president has put a fool's bargain before him and all of the rest on capitol hill. and as predicted, senator schumer defied the president and opposes mr. obama's fool's bargain with iran. as i said, the senator's many things and, certainly, an adroit politician and media-savvy politician are among those things. schumer made his announcement during last night's republican presidential debate. now, that almost guaranteed no one would notice as he sought to mute news of his defection in opposition to the president's

deal that would likely result in israel's destruction. but the white house today tried to downplay his opposition. >> i would describe this as an announcement that was not, was not particularly surprising to anybody here at the white house. even if it was disappointing. but it doesn't change our confidence. lou: it doesn't change their confidence. then either their confidence must have never been very high, or they're very high, indeed because they know they have enough democrats who will say the hell with israel and move ahead with this bargain. these defections aren't yet numerous enough to kill the deal, so it's very curious that these defections are beginning to add up. the latest, the temperature top democrat on the house -- the top democrat on the house foreign affairs committee, elliott eliot engel. the obama administration is now sufficiently desperate enough

that the president has opened cap old hill up -- capitol hill up to china and russia asking those nations to lobby senate democrats. even asking those in the series to meet with more than two dozen lawmakers this week, another meeting planned for next week. china and russia, of course, two nations allied with iran, and they also have carried out sophisticated and destructive cyber attacks against the u.s. government. and they believe a nuclear iran is in the national interest of both countries. this administration invites our geopolitical adversaries and enemies to lobby our congress on this deal, but condemn the speech by the leader of our greatest ally in the middle east. what's going on? this president and his administration has almost crossed a line. quickly moving from reckless and about to cross over to outright dangerous conduct of our mission's foreign policy.

of our nation's foreign policy. i would urge you to let your congressmen and senators hear from you and to urge their resistance to such disturbing behavior and ca prix disregard of our national interest. congressman lee zeldin will tell us what he thinks when he joins us here in just moments. now our quotation of the evening. this one from history. political scientist and foreign policy scholar george f. ken nonwho said of large and powerful nations and the influence they exert, quote: there is a real question as to whether bigness in a body politic is not an evil in itself. quite aside from the policies pursued in its name. we're coming right back. what a difference a day and a debate makes. it turns out the republican field isn't crowded as the national liberal media claims, it's really just loaded with talent. former reagan white house political director, republican

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we'll be taking this up in a few moments with congressman lee zeldin of new york. after the debates, the republican presidential field considered by some wide open. the candidates hit the trail today to keep their momentum going. fox news political analyst ed rollins joins us here in a moment with analysis. and the two-hour debate on the fox news channel the most-watched cable news program in history. 24 million tuned in. the best day for fox news since the network was launched, and they just keep setting more and more records over there. joining us tonight, former reagan white house political director, fox news political analyst, ed rollins. great to have you here and appreciate you being with us last night. >> it was a great show, and i think fox did a fabulous job and the country got to see -- in addition to the trump show which, obviously, was a big part of the draw -- got to see some great candidates. you didn't have much time, six or eight minutes at the most but you got to see the caliber of some people and, obviously, that was very important.

rue lou i think the republican party which, obviously, fox news, i mean, really did show off their wares there. those have been -- i was talking with ann coulter here earlier, she wants five people. >> she gets to pick. lou: of course she does. the reality is, those are substantive people. not all of them terrific, but most of them are -- >> everybody on that stage last night was a governor, a senator -- ben carson, an extraordinary surgeon, donald trump, an extraordinary businessman, and carly fiorina a successful ceo. you cannot say they are not qualified to run for president. lou: the democratic debates, very quickly stepping aside, the democrats sort of announcing in the dark of night they're going to have a half dozen debates the first one in october, it's going to be on a weekend. >> saturday night. lou: are they scared to death to put their wares in public? >> i think they want to make a coronation. i think debbie wasserman, who's the chairman of the party, had

kind of hand picked hillary, wants to coronate hillary. and i think to a certain extent, i'd be furious if i was a democrat. if you're not afraid of debating, you ought to get in there and do it. lou: let's listen to, i'd like to hear, if you would, folks share with our audience bret baier asking the pivotal question for donald trump last night to begin this, asking whether or not he would foreswear an independent candidacy. >> mr. trump, to be clear, you're standing on a republican primary -- >> i fully understand. >> -- the place where the rnc will give the nominee the nod. >> i fully understand. >> and that experts say an independent run would almost certainly hand the race over to democrats and likely another clinton, you can't say tonight that you can make that pledge? >> i cannot say -- lou: he cannot say. we got that. i love the way he says, i understand.

it's sort of get to the point. >> i -- this is a very unpredictable environment to be in, but when they come to that a convention, he's not going to be the republican nominee. if he thinks his only option is to run as an independent, get your checkbook out and go do it. but i think you're going to find a lot of conservatives who were very unhappy with that answer. this is a party that thinks they have an excellent opportunity to not only take the house, but to win the presidency and anybody that's going to be a spoiler because of their far is sissism is going to find -- lou: one thing i can't abide in politics is narcissism. let alone in the oval office. let me pose this for you. the man is ahead. he doesn't have a close second. >> no, he doesn't. lou: and the fact of the matter is, you know, if you say he's not going to be the nominee, i have to tell you, i'm going to take it to the bank. but the reality is that this guy is ahead right now, and i don't see anybody stepping up.

did you see somebody step up last night? >> i did not. here's what last night did. i don't think he lost -- usually debates reinforce your base and people that are for you walk out and say you did a great job. trump supporters, i think, are going to continue to be there for a while. he has to collapse before someone else can move, but equally as important, he polarized a whole big force of the election. he has 20, 25 percent of the vote, there's another 60, 65 percent that got turned off by him, and i think to a certain extent that's going to do it. lou: ask you and i watched this movie in 1992, and you ran the campaign for ross perot. same result if he does decide to run? >> oh, i think there's no question there's 15-20% of the electorate, but he will basically have a big impact on the republican party if he runs as an independent. lou: well, one of the first impacts, i don't know if you agree me or not, i'm going to say this as we wrap up, but i

think one of the great contributions last night as you watched that debate, folks, i there ily believe you may have been been seeing the beginning of the end for political correctness. i think the leash is to be taken away from the neck of expression in this country. what do you think? >> i think that's a good thing. lou: of course it's a good thing, but do you think it's happening? >> absolutely, i do. i think one of the things he has, he says what he thinks. a lot of people find that appealing. we have an all-star cast of candidates, but i think there's a lot of people who aren't happy with the political process period. so if you're senator, governor what have you, they want something else. lou: all right. ed rollins -- doctor thank you always. lou: be sure to vote in our poll tonight. after the fox news debates, do you believe the republicans have more impressive candidates than the mainstream media has been acknowledging? cast your vote at loudobbs.com. in colorado, workers should have paid more attention to to the signage.

they struck a 12-inch gas line. flames shooting hundreds of feet into the air. as a precaution, fire officials evacuated residents within a two-mile radius of the blast. no one, no one seriously injured in it all. and a close call of sorts for folks on a flight from chicago to houston. a passenger captured the terrifying moments the united aircraft flew close enough to a huge thunderstorm to record these images. the storm filled with bolts of lightning all happening rightows of the craft. folks on this flight were in no danger ever as the craft is built to withstand this light show. breaking news tonight, the pentagon has announced that half of the 4,000 e-mail accounts hacked by the russians two weeks ago still are not back online. that cyber attack on the joint chiefs of staff, defense department officials say russia

is strongly suspected now of being the ones behind the sophisticated cyber attack. translation? they're behind it, and the pentagon is doing nothing about it. they detected the attack on or around july 25th. they took the unclassified e-mail system offline. the classified system reportedly not affected, but two weeks in which to notify us all of what is happening, and our pentagon -- in our pentagon. up next, russia and china despite their overt aggression toward this company invited to lobby and pressure members of congress to sign off on the president's flawed nuclear deal with iran. republican congressman lee zeldin joins us here next to take that up. and a new warning from california's governor about the raging wildfires on the west coast. we'll have all of that and more straight ahead. ♪ ♪ we live in a world of mobile technology, but it is not the device that is mobile it is you.

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lou: my next guest is traveling to israel tomorrow, part of a congressional delegation. he say it is iranian nuclear deal will pave the way for more instability. joining me now is congressman lee zeldin. good to have you with us and safe travels tomorrow. and, hopefully, you'll have a

productive round of meetings. today senator chuck schumer announcing that he is going to oppose deal. congressman eliot engel promising two distinguished democrats in both the senate and the house, but i don't see anything happening in the way of a formation of a block against the president's deal. >> i think worst case scenario we come close to an override n. the house, just on the new york congressional delegation democrats you had israel, lowy engel, rice, brad sherman, as you mentioned out in california. on the senate side, though, when you have a senator schumer come out against it, that's good, but we really need a senator schumer whipping votes from his democratic colleagues telling them you need to prioritize national security over party loyalty, and he's not doing that yet. lou: to put it clearly, i've had some experience with senator schumer over the years. i've known him for some time.

this is a man that plays on, put it this way, dimensions. the fact is, he's unreliable when it comes to matters of both, i think, conscience and policy. is he or is he not for israel, and does he or does he not believe sip serially that this -- sincerely that this deal will result in the possibility of the destruction of israel? >> this is clearly a two-step process. he outlined 1500-word essay on everything that's wrong with this deal. so believing his own words, that alone should now take this to the next step which is him rallying -- he wants to be the leader of the senate democrats. in his mind, he's going to be the next majority leader of the united states senate. so with that comes this great responsibility to rally colleagues who plan on being there january 17 when obama's not. lou: well, whether they are or they're not, the fact of the matter is that right now the republicans aren't governing very well. whether they are in the senate or whether they are in the

house. this is transparently a party right now that cannot come together around the leadership that it currently has and can't affect policy in a positive manner or make a difference. i mean, is there a single policy issue in which the republican party with control of both houses has changeed the course of history or at least the direction of wrong-headed policy in washington, d.c.? >> there are certain things that have been done this year, the overhauling the sgr sustainable growth rate, cms -- lou: let me write that down. okay. >> there's one with regards to a medicare entitlement reform -- lou: as in the issues that alter and illuminate our time. >> right now as far as foreign policy goes, this vote that's coming up in september is so critical. now, if all of the republicans -- lou: being the iranian nuclear deal. >> it must be rejected. we have to be able to overcome a presidential veto which is certain to be there.

lou: is speaker boehner overcome with emotion and passion and commitment and a fiery drive to make certain that this does not happen because of his concerns about the well being of the republic and our allies and principally in the middle east? >> i'd say two things. one is, as far as the republicans go in the house, this may be a unanimous vote. all of the republicans -- lou: but it is unanimous. he is the speaker of the house. he's not the leader of the conference. he is the speaker of the house. can he persuade a single democrat to do what is proper for the national interest? >> the democrats are led by nancy pelosi who says this is a historic miracle of an agreement. unfortunately, the house democrats have chosen nancy pelosi to continue to lead them into the abyss. i don't think that they're looking for john boehner or any other member of the house republicans for advice. lou: well, we're looking to congressman lee zeldin for illumination on this issue, as

always, and we wish you a terrific journey and safe journey to israel. and look forward to seeing you upon your return. >> thank you, lou. lou: congressman lee zeldin. officials in california warning those raging wildfires are -- the state's new normal, as they put it. 12,200 people advised to evacuate as these wildfires are burning through more than 100 square miles, more than a 10,000 firefighters now battling 24 separate fires, major fires across the state. 45% of most of those fires are contained, we're told. 95% of the state just a tinderbox. 95% of the state in severe drought conditions. up next, hillary clinton goes to hollywood. of course she does. she picks up a big endorsement. can you spot the endorsement? do you recognize that person? it's an unusual angle for her usually in the popular press.

fred barnes and kately here next with their own take on hillary the republican field and a lot more. we're having a hoot, aren't you? ♪ ♪ nne. i'm one of the real live attorneys you can talk to through legalzoom. don't let unanswered legal questions hold you up, because we're here we're here and we've got your back. legalzoom. legal help is here.

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lou: joining us now, executive editor of the weekly standard, fred barnes. real clear politics political reporter, caitlin huey burns. i know you just is got in, caitlin, but give us your take

on the debate, its significance and what its import might be. >> well, this was the first time that voters were seeing all of these candidates together on one stage, and there was an imperative for these candidates on the main stage to do whatever they could to not be outshined by donald trump who was literally at center stage. lou: did he dominate, as some say? >> he did. but i do think a couple of the candidates made news by not letting themselves be outstaged by him. i would say john kasich, the governor of ohio, really felt that hometown crowd, he was comforten on his home turf, and i think marco rubio knew that a lot of people have been concerned about his campaign wondering whether he's going to brakethrough, and i think he rose to the occasion. lou: fred, you divined who the winner is or winners. who are they, in your judgment? >> well, i think there were a

number of them, and a coupleover them, indeed, are mean owe and kasich. -- marco rubio and kasich. i thought jeb bush did fine. i thought in the earlier debate, the one, the jv debate obviously, carly fiorina did a prejob. lou: -- tremendous job. lou: yep. >> in several debates with the other candidates, chris christie of new jersey won both. it was a really strong performance. so i think a number of them did very well. i'm not sure how well donald trump did, but he held his own. i doubt if he lost much of his following, at least here in the short run. we'll see what happens later. a lot of republicans did well, and the reason was there were a lot of strong candidates in the field. lou: i almost see this sort of reflex coming out of this debate. donald trump, sort of the reviled front runner on part of the establishment party. i truly believe that. and in some instances, the

criticism of him is well placed mpleghts but the reality is, that's a very different debate because he's in it. and i said earlier here, fred and caitlin, i truly believe you may have seen the beginning of the ebbing of political correctness and its stranglehold on political expression in this country. i think we're there. what do you think? >> el, it was interesting to see, you mentioned carly fiorina. she, i think, was benefited by being on that kind of jv stage. she really stood out and used, used that to gain momentum and to separate herself from the field. lou: but the idea of political correctness. >> and i think she mentioned you know, she kind of tapped into the anxiety and the frustration and the political speak that donald trump is talking about. she tapped into that. ted cruz does a little bit of that too. i think the question is if donald trump is able to sustain his momentum or not, where are these other, where are these

other candidates going to break through, you were these voters going to go? lou: i saw candidates stepping up their game, speaking more forthrightly, more directly. did you see the same thing or not? >> i saw some of that and i think, look, donald trump in some ways has had a favorable impact on the republican party. one, there wouldn't have been 24 million people watching that debate last night if it hadn't have been for trump. and getting a huge crowd was important. and secondly, there is something that trump does that the other candidates have not done in the past. he says exactly what he thinks. you don't see, you know, the wheels spinning around in his head so he can come up with an evasive answer. he just blurts it out. other candidates who do that going to benefit from it by saying what they think and not overcalculating everything. because voters just don't like that. that's one of the reasons they like trump, is because he doesn't do that. lou: yeah. and if they don't can emulate --

don't emulate his openness, his directness, they don't have to agree with him or even take up the same issues, obviously. the fact of the matter is getting rid of political correctness as trump himself first recognized is critical to this party doing something and not suffocating under the establishment that controls both parties. i just want to point out something to our audience and the two of you, if i may, just how powerful that 24 million is. fox news channel's ratings, with a primary debate -- think about this, a primary presidential debate -- the ratings were higher than game seven of the world series. the ratings were higher than the nba finals and the winter olympics from sochi. you know, i'm sure that we have all talked about how important it is that people get engaged. they're engaged, and we've got people sputtering about the fact donald trump actually talked straight. it's going to be a hoot. fred, thanks for being with us as always. caitlin, thank you so much.

as always. time, quickly, for us to say coming up monday kt america farland among our guests. please be with us.. good night from new york. ♪ >> carbon could cost us the planet. >> mr. vice president, if we don't about act now, it's going to be late. >> there's a blurring between fiction and reality. >> cancel christmas. >> because they have a political agenda. john: so no new pipeline? >> no.pe actually, this time, no. >> use windmills instead. so americans -- >> control and own their own energy. john: and recycle. >> wow, i'm so empowered. ♪ john: and shut down seaworld. >> are you whales being cruelly imprisoned here? should you be set free? john: people demand they be set free, that mines and pipelines be stopped, and they're succeeding. this is green tyranny.