service! if your boss stops by, you act like you're working. 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. five." "special report" is next. this is a fox news alert. i'm bret baier. in washington, the trump band wagon is picking up steam ahead of the first republican presidential debate in three days. the latest fox news poll shows trump gaining ground and gaining much wider acceptance among gop voters. this as vice president joe biden is seriously considering a run against hillary clinton. ed henry with what could be the biggest challenge so far to the clinton campaign, but we begin with carl cameron in a look at the numbers and trends on the republican side. >> a lot of movement in the polls. it shows this is a very, very

tense race for a lot of the republicans and here we go. donald trump leads with 26%. higher than any other republican in the fox poll this year. jeb bush runs second. the only other candidate in double digits at 15. scott walker is at 9%. he's lost six points since our june poll. ben carson is fourth with seven. mark rubio and rand paul are tied at five. chris christie and john kasich are both are 3%. christie is down playing. >> every take a deep breath. it's summer. nobody is voting for seven months. >> rounding out the field, rick perry and bobby jindal are both at 1%. trump's got an 11-point edge over bush and he's trying to lower debate expectations against the political pros. >> every night they go into debate with somebody. i haven't done that, but i think i'll do fine and i look forward

to it actually. >> reporter: he slammed five candidates for attending an event with the coke brothers yesterday. i wish good luck to all the republican candidates that traveled to california to beg for money from the coke brothers, et cetera. beg much? >> i wish the whole world could see what goes on here. >> reporter: beef up border patrols, electronic border surveillance, deport immigrants who overstay or violate terms of their visas. dr. ben carson suggested that trump's candidacy benefits his campaign because it draws attention away from carson's political weaknesses, which he drew attention to it. >> it's a tremendous help because fewer people are talking

about my lack of political experience now and that's good. >> 14 of the candidates are in new hampshire for a cattle call tonight. the republican national committee is now working on a proposed pledge for the gop field that would say that no runner-up will run a spoiler campaign against the winner as an independent. they insist it's not aimed specifically at trump, though he is the only candidate in the field who refuses to rule out that option, bret. the republican candidate debate will be held thursday in cleveland. the first event begins at 5:00 eastern. coverage of the primetime debate starts at 8:50 p.m. debate night on fnc. you don't want to miss it. hillary clinton is back on the air tomorrow. the democratic frontrunner will begin running political ads. she may need all the help she can get, because we have more signs tonight that vice president joe biden may get into this race.

ed henry is covering the democrats. >> reporter: democrats close to hillary clinton have loved the attention in the crowded gop field, yet she may now have a civil war of her own with a real possibility of a challenge from vice president joe biden, leaving some president obama's top advisers caught in the middle of a divisive battle over who will survive. >> the president believes a spirited contest would be in the best interest of our party and the best interest of our country. >> he is a senior statesman with the democratic party. does he want to risk all that in a battle that he would be -- very uphill? >> reporter: while clinton still has a commanding lead on the democratic side, she's reached a new low. she's dropped ten points since june. bernie sanders has risen to 22%.

the speculation about biden accelerated after fox broke the news last thursday on "special report" is that the vice president's chief of staff was spotted meeting with a top democratic fundraiser. while there is also new momentum for biden 2016, where "i'm riding with biden" bumper stickers are sold out. significant since the new york times" reported that biden's son urged him to run before his death. >> now a new title. grandma. >> reporter: sanders was drawing huge crowds, leaving debbie

wasserman tongue tied. >> what's the difference between a democratic and a socialist? i used to think there was a big difference. what do you think it is? >> what's the difference between being a democratic and being a republican? >> can you explain the difference? >> the important distinction that i think we're going to be discussing is the difference between democrats and republicans. >> it's not a coincidence that clinton's tv ads start in iowa tomorrow. clinton disappears from the stage this week. she'll be doing a lot of fund raising behind closed doors. the white house calls it the starting gun for an all-out push against climate change. critics say president obama's new regulatory effort will lead to higher energy prices and lower supplies. correspondent kevin cork takes a look at the president's strategy. >> we're the first generation to feel the impact of climate change and the last generation

that can do something about it. >> reporter: and that something is cleaning the air, one state at a time. that's the idea behind president obama's clean power plan, to cut greenhouse gas emissions from the nation's power plants and fundamentally transform the way americans get their electricity. >> the dpa is setting the first ever nationwide standards to limit the endless dumping of carbon pollution from plants. >> reporter: 32% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels. fewer american children will suffer from asthma. tens of thousands of new jobs will be created in clean power technologies like solar and wind, and the plan will save families money. $85 annually and 155 billion collectively between 2020 and 2030. >> start protecting the air they

breathe. >> reporter: for all the praise at the white house, the plan has been pillarried by many on capitol hill. >> the administration is now trying to impose these deeply regressive regulations, regulations that may be illegal that won't meaningfully impact a global environment. >> reporter: compliance with the plan could cost billions. >> the plan, first of all, it's illegal. second of all, it's very, very expensi expensive. third, it does not prevent climate change. >> i have no doubt that special interests and the politicians in their pockets will fight tooth and nail against this specific rule, but the fact is this is a step in the right direction. >> reporter: the clean power plan is essentially the final version of regulations by the environmental protection agency.

the white house is rolling the president out to pump it up. in fact, he's going to nevada to speak at the national clean energy summit. later, he'll become the first sitting u.s. president to visit the alaska arctic. >> love the north lawn. thank you. what do you think about the president's climate plan? let me know at facebook.com/bret baiersr. up next, big changes coming in the u.s. air campaign against isis. first, here's what some of our fox affiliates are covering tonight. fox 7 in austin, texas attorney general ken paxton is booked on felony securities fraud charges. he is accused of misleading investors before becoming the state's top lawyer. the republican party is condemning what it calls a sloppy judicial process. cooler temperatures help crews batting a massive wildfire. 3,000 firefighters are on the

job. the fire tripled in size over the weekend. it has burned two dozen homes and threatened thousands more. this is a live look at long beach, california. nice day there. one of the big stories there tonight a lawsuit over meth in a customer's in and out burger order. he became ill after drinking a beverage that contained two capsules of meth amphetamine. the restaurant denies the charges. we'll be right back.

the pentagon confirms armed drones have begun to fly out of an air base in turkey against isis. this comes as changes are made in how american air power is being used in the region. jennifer griffin is at the pentagon tonight.

>> reporter: after confusion over whether u.s. war planes were authorized to fly air cover, the pentagon announced today the white house has authorized it to do so. these forces are being provided with a wide range of coalition support in their mission. the statement came after reports surfaced that some haof the syrn fighters have been kidnapped by an al qaeda-linked group. the administration is refusing to set up a no-fly zone in northern syria despite turkish requests. today a syrian war plane went down killing 27 civilians, an example of how complicated the skies over syria remain. as the one-year anniversary of the start of the air war against

isis occurs, the white house defends its strategy. >> isil can no longer enjoy freedom of movement. >> i do believe da'esh's momentum has been slowed. >> reporter: the next head of the marine corps spoke frankly at his hearing. >> you believe isis is losing? >> no, sir, i do not. >> you believe they're winning? >> no, sir, i don't believe they're winning either. i believe they're at a stalemate. >> reporter: as of ugh, 4--

august, 4,563 air strikes have occurred. air strikes, in other words, have done little to diminish the size of isis. >> thank you. rome will not ask its citizens whether it should continue its effort to secure the 2024 olympic games. boston, you remember, dropped out last week. officials in italy say there will be no referendum on this issue. there are problems both natural and manmade. amy kellog reports tonight from rome. >> reporter: subway entrances are in disrepair as chaos rains down from below. drivers in rome's largely unair-conditioned subway have been staging protests and

driving so slowly. one one car hurdled through a tunnel with its doors open, rome's mayor fired the chief of transportation. the mayor himself doesn't mince words about the mess he inherited. >> a debt of almost a billion euros. organized crime and corruption. the only thing missing in city hall are land mines. >> reporter: a scandal called mafia capitale has been uncovered. when you ask how proud romans allowed this to happen to their city, they say they have adapted. >> which is good from one point of view, from another point of view it's a problem because people tend to accept also things that cannot, should not, be accepted. >> reporter: not everyone is

giving up. some have taken it upon themselves to clean up on their own time. >> no one has really thought about we can stop complaining and start doing something about it and be positive in spreading awesomeness around. >> reporter: the private sector has stepped in with some famous italian luxury brands paying for the restoration of a handful of historic monuments like the coliseum. now the mayor wants to semi-privatize transportation. he is meeting resistance from the unions. the race is really on to get rome running better. puerto rico has just confirmed that it failed to make a $58 million debt payment in a significant escalation of its debt crisis. in the meantime, greece's stock market plunged more than 22% as it reopened today after a five-week suspension. here in the u.s., wall street

was down today. the dow lost 29. the s&p 500 lost 6. the nasdaq lost 16. first, the senate votes on defunding planned parenthood.

right now, the u.s. senate democratic lawmakers have just blocked a gop measure to defund planned parenthood. it comes in the wake of a series of videos alleging the organization is selling body parts from aborted fetuses. >> reporter: good evening. there was one gop senator mark cork who joined forces with the democrats to block this measure

while two democrat senators joe mansion and joe donnelly voted with republicans hoping to advance this measure, but in the end there were not 60 senators willing to let this defunding measure move forward to an actual vote. calling it a war on women's health, democrats vowed to fight gop efforts to strip planned parenthood of taxpayer funding following the release of four undercover videos showing planned parenthood affiliated doctors discussing harvesting body parts from aborted fetuses. >> it is our obligation to protect our wives, our sisters, our daughters, our granddaughters, and protect them from the absurd policies that the republican party has lost its moral compass. >> protecting the most vulnerable is an important measure of any society.

>> reporter: according to the conservative charlotte institute, there are 30 times qualified centers across the country than planned parenthood clini clinics. they provide health services but not abortions and serve more than 21 million people each year. >> as a mother and a grandmother, i'm steadfastly committed to ensuring that actually women have access to high-quality medical care. >> there's no denying the fact that the organization that is clearly anti-planned parenthood that put out these videos put them out not because of news value, but also because of shock value. >> reporter: he admitted himself he has not seen them, nor has the president. today, hillary clinton released a video pledging her support to

planned parenthood. >> we're not going back. we're going to fight back. >> reporter: though the senate effort has failed, gop house members are putting forth their own measure. it would be aimed at keeping any funding from flowing to parenthood while two house committee investigations play out. the house isn't back until after labor day. >> thanks. breaking news now from memphis. a manhunt has just concluded for the suspect in a fatal shooting of a policeman. trumai trumaine wilburn is in custody. the new mexico governor is promising to catch the person she calls a coward who set off explosions outside two churches sunday in las cruces.

the fbi, atf, and state police are all working that case. jurors in the colorado theater shooting trial have decided the horrors of that attack that killed 12 and injured 70 outweigh the mental problems of convicted murderer james holmes. the ruling keeps the death penalty option on the table. tomorrow jurors will begin the final phase of the sentencing process. another case of a commercial pilot reporting a drone at jfk airport. friday, another pilot spotted an unmanned craft. both planes landed safely. no grapevine tonight. when we come back, republicans in new hampshire trying to get noticed.

this is a fox news alert. donald trump is increasing his lead in the republican presidential race. the latest fox news poll has trump getting 26% support among primary, republican primary voters. jeb bush is at second with 15%. it's also the highest any gop candidate has received since the

fox poll began asking this question in december 2013. mr. trump is not among the republican presidential candidates in new hampshire tonight for a cattle call event. we're in manchester right now. hi, molly. >> reporter: it means the dog days of summer in the primary state of new hampshire, that cattle call event is drawing many republicans here today. >> good afternoon. >> reporter: chris christie was out shaking hands, working the crowd in manchester, greeting voters one on one. meanwhile across town, ohio governor john kasich at a law firm talking about a conversation he had on the plane

while the way here. >> the press is interested in the political calculations the candidates make. i have no interest in political calculations. my only interest is in public policy and making things better for people. >> reporter: and texas governor rick perry worked the state's critical small business community touting his record on job creation. when pressed on the attention donald trump has brought to border security, perry admits he's not a celebrity but argues that actions are better than empty rhetoric. >> i've been dealing with it. i'm not just talking about it. i think this country has just about had it with people that just talk. we've had a talker and chief for the last seven years.

>> reporter: tonight's event follows more than two dozen cattle call events that the gop has already brought together at various forums. the event will feature 14 presidential hopefuls and we'll keep an ear out for any of the highlights. >> please join us for the republican candidate debates on thursday night. let's bring in steve hayes, amy stoddard, and charles krauthammer. you look at that poll, you look at a number of polls, pretty striking all the polls. >> donald trump was considered by most in the party establishment as a sort of

movie, this summer blockbuster, that was going to come and go. who can say his support isn't durable? we have no idea. if he performs well in the debate, if he does not attack, if he comes up with specifics, if he keeps his cool, i think he's going to keep his lead for a while. the field is very divided. the only winnowing factor so far in the field has been donald trump, who has been able to take, like you said, a lead that no one has been able to come near. in the 20s, it's a commanding lead. i think he's going to be in the lead for a while. >> two other notable polls inside that poll, one is the top candidate quality that you're looking for. this is, again, among republican primvoters, the fox news poll asked. among those, strong leader, strew conservative values, and the rest.

among gop candidates, who would you never vote for? lindsey graham is at 40%. chris christie at 34%. 33% is trump. walker at the bottom at 9%. >> shocking poll finding. that's a better number for donald trump than we've seen in polls in the recent past. if you look at his favorables and unfavorables, he's turn around those numbers in a short amount of time. the challenge for him now is to convince people, as amy suggests, that he's a serious guy, that he actually has ideas. anger and frustration can be a great motivating factor. having said that, you eventually have to have plans. you have to have ideas. you've got to go beyond saying we're going to build a wall and mexico is going to pay for it.

we're going to take on china because we'll have better negotiators. you have to have actual ideas on things that will effect people's lives. >> he is saying, charles, he's not studying for this debate on thursday. >> he doesn't have to study. he's been on television, what, 14 years with "the apprentice." he knows what to do with a camera. his success is imminent. i used to believe what steve believes that at some point you have to have a plan, at some point you have to say exactly what you're going to do with health care other than i'll abolish obamacare and then i'll produce a serious -- what did he say? produce a terrific substitute. that's plan of sorts. i used to think that was

necessary. what i would say right now i don't think it is for quite awhile. perhaps on the eve of the iowa caucuses, i would have a plan for something. we surround them and then go in and take isis' oil. that's another plan. i think it needs to be fleshed out a little bit. i think he could run the rest of this calendar year on these statements he's made without any plans. and i think the proof of it is that he's up there with a big lead. >> but you're surprised? >> absolutely. look, i haven't changed my views of his candidacy, but i surely have on his durability. >> is joe biden about to take on hillary clinton? we'll talk about that with the panel when we come back.

joe biden is going to have an opportunity to make up his own mind. he's indicate ed he's thinking about it. in 2008, when obama selected joe biden as his running mate, he's cited that as the best decision he's made. he believed a spirited contest would be in the best interest of our party and in the best interest of our country. >> all talking about vice

president biden getting in this race. before all this hubbub about whether he was getting in or not, you see hillary clinton is still in the lead. bernie sanders picking up some steam there. she's dropped ten points. the question is, is this real? more reading the tea leaves. all indications he's truly considering it. >> i think this is the democrats having gop envy. the republicans have having fun with this crazy race they're suppo supposed to stand by the next 18 months and watch a coronation. i think by leaking this there's a line in the maureen dowd column where she talks about what he was thinking when his son said, i worry about you,

dad. obviously, it came from a source near the vice president or perhaps him himself. there's nothing wrong with that. there's good journalism. good politics. but what it tells you is that the biden people want this to be out there, which means they are close to getting into this. i think this looks like the last stage before a decision and it's a way for them to see what happens when the balloon goes up. and it looks as if the response, at least among democrats, has been quite positive. >> amy? >> yeah, a trial balloon is smart. for starters, i think joe biden has literally nothing else left to lose. he's lost his son. his surviving son wants him to do it. he said in an interview long ago he would run regardless of hillary running if he felt he was the best man. hillary clinton has spent her entire life planning for this.

joe biden is happy to run and lose. i think the trial balloon sets up a process in which he can have a frank discussion with president obama about where his support is going to go. if the obama team, as is leaked all over town, is horrified by how much baggage she's taken on with the e-mail scandal and whether or not she's becoming a beatable candidate in general election, then they need an exit ramp and they need joe biden. sanders support will go to joe biden. before he makes it official, there has to be this period in which people promise him money and backup. >> both sides of the aisle feel the anger, kind of the visceral thing. >> i agree. on specific issues,they're not going to leave him. if you look at that 22%, i think there are people who don't trust her and would be willing to go with biden. he's everything she's not.

he shares that authenticity with bernie sanders. >> the president last week said he could win a third term. some people said overseas who is better to take the obama administration torch forward, hillary clinton or joe biden? >> she's done everything she can to make herself the answer to that very question. she moves left on something literally every single day. she wants to be that person to keep together the obama coalition and perpetuate it. i think joe biden could step in and make the case that he's the rightful heir to obama's policies. he's been by his side throughout this. i've watched an interview with a local station up in new hampshire, wmur, just a candidate interview. a guy asked an opening question about hillary clinton and the e-mails. she answered the question for about two and a half, three minutes.

there were numerous obvious falsehoods in her answer. she couldn't spin it at all. it wasn't a pressing question. it was just the obvious question you would ask about the e-mail scandal. she hasn't updated her talking points. she has no answer for that. i thought as i was watching that interview that's why there is an opening for joe biden. she still don't have answers because there are no good answers. >> they talk about the gaps. they talk about the stumbles that biden makes eventually. they think he brought the president along. on foreign policy, he's the guy that said iraq should be split in three parts and that's what's almost happening now. >> you heard words from an obama spokesman that obama is the

reagan of the left. he became sort of the embodiment for that. for obama, if you have your own vice president pick up the legacy, win the electielection, think that would please him. i'm sure others are not quite sure about the clintons and how she'd carry on, so i think there'll be a lot of support for him much more than we would have expected six months ago. >> does he get in? >> yes. >> yes. >> i'm still skeptical. >> i want you to say yes or no. >> i'm leaning no. i think ultimately he probably doesn't run. next up, the president escalates his

test

i admit that no challenge poses a greater threat to our future and future generations than a changing climate. the e.p.a. is setting the first ever nationwide standard to end the limitless dumping of carbon pollution from power plants. >> the the administration is now trying it impose these deeply aggressive regulations, regulations that may be illegal that won't meaningfully impact the global environment and likely to harm middle and lower class americans the most all done by executive fee the i can't fiat. >> the white house says 2013 levels. back with the panel.

a.b., what about this? there is some question whether this is number one legal and number two can move forward. >> well, it will be subject to legal challenge. the president is confident after some legal challenges to obamacare that sometimes he is right. he obviously is the end of his term and everyone, he has made it perfectly clear he is feeling no pain. this is no surprise. it's been a central focus of the remainder of his presidency. and he is willing to take the criticism. morally defiant. the critic also come after are the same ones against every clean water and clean air regulation passed and that they are always wrong. and he is -- he couldn't care what kind of blow back comes from this. >> two politicians weighing in on twitter scott walker

wisconsin governor tweeting obama's plan should be called the costly power plan it will cost hard working americans jobs and raise energy rates. hillary clinton tweeting out president is right. we can't wait for another generation to tackle climate change. our future depends on what we do today and in the next decade. charles? >> look, we all know it's going to kill jobs. we know it's going to kill coal. we know it's going to raise the rates for everybody. the only reason you would support this is if it actually is going to do something about climate change. if you too the math on, this our power plants emit 5 % of the world's carbon. it's going to reduce it by a third. we are talking about 1.5% reduction in the world'sq year meaning one in 1/thousandth. it will have zero effect on the climate. china is powering up a new plant every 10 days. we are going to close just

about all of our existing coal-fired plants and a lot of others. in other words, we are demolishing and dismantling our own industry and shipping it over to china without any effect on the climate. that's the reason that it is utterly fantastic and it's not going to the have the effect that everybody is promising. >> obviously the green movement getting firmly behind. this there are other groups who say that the estimated -- the proposed rule estimates that about $40 billion a year, steve. >> i think charles is right. most -- even proponents of this will agree that it's going to significantly boost energy costs president obama said that when he first proposed cap and trade. energy costs will skyrocket. what will be interesting to me is how many other democrats embrace this. democrats in the house. they don't have to do anything. if they re he tore rickly embrace this as hillary clinton has. this is trouble for them down the road.

this is not theoretical. if this survives the legal challenges, you are talking about costs that people will see. it's like gas prices rising at the pump. people will feel this. it will have an effect not only on the economy broadly but also on individual pocketbooks. and democrats, if they embrace it, i think will have to answer for that. >> quickly, a.b., for hillary clinton who is looking at obamacare presume yums rising for a lot of families, looking at, perhaps, energy costs rising for a lot of families, she embraces both things. is this a potential problem for her? >> we don't know where the premiums are going to be if and when she is a general election nominee in the fall of 2016. we don't know where the economy is going to be which will support for action on climate change shrink if the economy is in trouble. she has to embrace this because the environmentalists in her party who are frustrated she won't get an opinion on keystone pipeline are willing make happy so she is

the first to pop out and support it. >> that is it for the panel. wait to heart sound track to

finally tonight, an independent vermont newspaper is documenting bernie sanders' race to the white house. really every move on a website appropriately named bernie beat. one late night host created a bernie beat of his own to

go along with the candidate's facial expressions. >> serious bernie. kerney bernie. child bernie. silly bernie, silly bernie. chair, fair, share. sad as bernie. >> i kind of like static bernie the best. >> serious and furious, too. >> thanks for inviting us into your home tonight. that is it for "special report" fair, balanced and unafraid. i'm headed to cleveland tonight. we will see you from >> it is tuesday august 4th. a deadly collapse at the circus. >> i see steaks and stuff coming up out of the ground. everything just went black.

>> what p sent the tent crashing down with 100 people inside? >> 14 of the gop candidates hit the stage before thursday's debate. >> you have to have a concrete plan. you can't just speak in generality. we need a strategy first. >> the only way we are going to turn this around we have to stop suspending our kids and grand kids. >> new clues about the end of the road for the hitch spot. the surveillance video that could reveal who killed the hitchhiking robot. "fox & friends first" starts right now. >> good morning to you. you are watching "fox & friends firs first". i am heather childers. >> i am ainsley earhardt. a fun night at the circus turns to chaos with thunderstorms

brings winds and knocks down a packed tent. >> two people are dead dozens more injured. let's get to kelly wright. >> storms were there but no one expected this. it caught those at the lancaster fair grounds for circus under the tent completely off guard. >> the flaps on the side of the tent they were open. they weren't down with my polls or anything. they started going crazy. rain was coming in. thought we were going to leave. next thing you know wind picks up. >> they described the frightening ordeal for 100 people caught in the middle of a severe storm. strong winds roaring through the