i'm john berman in for jake tapper, live from simi valley, california.cnn debate. turning now to our national lead. flames erupting across california after years of drought have turned this state into a tinder box. some of most devastating damage coming from the valley fire, swallowing nearly 600 homes with 9,000 more threatened. that fire has grown to almost 70,000 acres. firefighters are gaining ground but slow going. only 15% of the fire has been contained. we have learned the wildfire's claimed the life of a 72-year-old woman, officials said she had multiple sclerosis and couldn't make it out of her home in time. >>> to the border between utah and arizona arpz devastation of a different kind. heavy rains led to flash floods in this small community that straddles the border. >> you can hear screams, residents caught off guard by the fast moving floodwaters that washed away cars with everything inside of them. right to cnn's kyung lah in colorado city. >> reporter: john, dangerous conditions that this community has seen continuing today. the flash floo

i'm john berman. "the situation room." >>> happening now, trump to the gop front runner cancel campaign appearance at the last minute amid a barrage of criticism for failing to reject anti-muslim comments from a questioner? murder mystery, boston police now say they know the identity of baby doe who was found dead in a trash bag. were the killers under their noses all the time? and why were 50 million people who saw this sketch unable to identify the victim? tonight,

let's bring back john berman. >> one way to tick off donald trump is talk about bankruptcy.ker and carly fiorina brought up bankruptcy. watch the sound. >> you brought four projects into bankruptcy. you cannot take america into bankruptcy. >> you were forced to file bankruptcy not once, not twice, a record four times. >> i never filed for bankruptcy. >> you filed for bankruptcy there. that is the claim from carly fiorina. here is the deal. the truth is donald trump filed his businesses filed for bankruptcy for times. including casino problems in atlantic city. he never personally filed bankruptcy. the companies were allowed to restructure and shed the debt. if the claim for carly fiorina is you filed bankruptcy. that's false. donald trump. has jeb bush over casino gambling in florida. he tried to push a change in florida to build casinos. listen. >> you wanted casino gambling in florida. >> totally false. >> you did. you wanted it before, during and after. i will not be bought. >> so bush is right here. trump may never have personally lobbied for gambling in florida, he had

for evening prayers and where we find erin burnett and john berman. erin, what are we expecting this evening? >> so it's a service, it's not an actual mass. john and i were just talking about what that means. that means there will be songs, there will be hymns, there will be a homily. so of course the big question is what the pope will talk about, will he take on these politically charged issues. and the audience will be members of the clergy, but it's not a full mass. >> no, this is a religious service for people who are part of the clergy who are are professionals, priests, nuns, deacons, some 3,000 plus of them. but it's a message when he gets to the city meets with the local clergy first. cardinal timothy dolan will be here. that's who he'll be speaking to. when he spoke yesterday in washington he addressed the clergy and raised some eyebrows. when he praised them for their courage dealing with the sex abuse scandal referring to it somewhat vaguely but clear that's what he was saying and people were offended he was talking about the clergy courage

. >> i'm john berman. one long day. 4:00 a.m. in the east. at long last, we know where they will stand for the cnn debate. donald trump will be center stage literally. next wednesday at 8:00 p.m. that location determined by his standing in the polls. the most notable is carly fiorina after cnn changed the requirements. jeb bush, ben carson, marco rubio, rand paul, chris christie and a partridge in a pear tree. the debate will start at 6:00 with rick santorum and george pataki and rick gilmore. these debates are looking ever more crucial and contentious with the race heating up and really getting a lot more personal. cnn's sara murray has more on that. >> reporter: good morning, john and christine. the gloves are coming off on the republican side. candidates are trading insults as donald trump dominates the republican field. our cnn/orc poll shows trump ahead with 32% among republican supporters. ben carson at 19% support, but gaining momentum. both candidates ahead of jeb bush with 9% support. the tenor of the campaign has changed. trump is i

john berman is there. what's happening this, john? >> it's all happening here, fredricka.ust three days away now from the big debate right here at the reagan presidential library. you can see how beautiful it is all around me. the candidates face off on wednesday night. the top candidates take the stage at 8:00 p.m. the second tier begins at 6:00 p.m. the remaining four candidates will be then. it is all worth watching because this really could be make or break for so many of them. what a place this is. that's the vantage point from the sky here. ronald reagan buried here, facing west, facing the pacific. this is the land that he loved so very much. here with me to talk about the comings and goings and the big event, our executive editor of political coverage. i want to look at where the polls are right now. the latest poll, all donald trump, 32%. ben carson up in second place now. the rest of the candidates in single digits. for a lot of them, not even high single digits. let's talk about scott walker right now. he was the leader at one point. certainly the leader in iowa

i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. it is friday, september 11th. new this morning, at long last, we know where they will stand. the official staging for the cnn debate. donald trump will be center stage next wednesday at 8:00 p.m. that location determined by the standing at the top of the polls. carly fiorina now eligible after cnn changes the requirements. trump and fiorina will be joined by bush, walker, carson, cruz, rubio, huckabee, paul, kasich and christie. the other debate, perry, santorum and pataki and graham. these debates are getting much more personal. cnn's sara murray has more on that. >> reporter: good morning, john and christine. the gloves are coming off on the republican side. candidates are trading insults all as trump to dominates the republican field. the cnn/orc poll shows trump ahead of republican voters. a wide lead over ben carson at 19%. both candidates far ahead of jeb bush. the tenor of the campaign has changed over the last couple days. trump insulting carly fiorina about her looks. >> many of the comments are made as a

. >> i'm john berman. big news in the republican primary race and big moment for donald trump here in new york city today. the gop frontrunner and all of the republican candidates asked to sign a loyalty pledge vowing support for the eventual nominee while ruling out a third party run. this is a pledge trump has rejected in the past, but today, he will meet with reince priebus here in new york. all signs indicate trump will sign the document. trump will hold a news conference at 2:00 p.m. this afternoon. this is not enforceable. he can sign the pledge and go back on it later. >> is this normal you have the party to sign an oath? >> the national party, yes, across the board. again, there is no way to enforce it. >> nontroversy. >>> trump and bush are escalating their feud. trump telling bright bart news i like jeb, he's a nice man, but he should set the example by speaking english while in the united states. the former florida governor who speaks fl spea speaks fluant spanish. trump is described as the cand

. >> i'm john berman. it is tuesday, september 8th. is this the sign from biden that some democrats have been looking for? the sign that he is running for president. in pittsburgh, he was undoubtedly running. running along a parade route, at least. the vice president radiated energy as he marched in the city's labor day. senior political correspondent brianna keilar with the latest. >> reporter: good morning, john. as candidates fanned out across key states, it was vice president joe biden in pittsburgh who gave a fiery speech to union members with populous undertones. he talked about how college should be free. he railed against trust fund babies and what sounded suspiciously like a stump speech. >> i'm mad. i'm angry. how many people in your own neighborhoods? how many people in your own neighborhoods are in trouble? can look their kids in the eye and say, honey, it's going to be okay. it's going to be okay. not enough. because the level playing field doesn't exist. >> reporter: mr. vice president, sounds like you have a rationale fo

i'm john berman. the first visit to the united states for the pope.address the congress at the capitol. he spoke to 11,000 people on the white house lawn. he met with the president in the oval office. his comments would delight and concern liberals and conservatives within opening seconds. the pope brought up immigration, climate change and income inequity. later it was abortion. let's get the latest on the historic trip from cnn's rosa flores. >> reporter: john and christine, pope francis not holding back during his first full day in the united states tackling immigration, climate change and religious freedom. even cannonizing the first american saint at the basilica you see behind me. today, he has another action packed day. he starts off with a much anticipated speech before congress. there, of course, we are wondering how democrats and republicans are going to react to what he says. especially after he has made some critical comments about capitalism saying it is the mark of the devil. we know francis is not comfortable in stuffy situations. what

i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. it is tuesday, september 22nd. the pontiff will fly to washington for his first visit to the united states. this is a unique gesture by the president and sign of great importance he is placing on the pope's visit. the white house is trying hard to not take political advantage of the pope. with more on that, here is jim acosta. >> reporter: the white house is going to great lengths to take the politics out of the visit to the u.s. that may be impossible as pope francis and president obama are strong allies as the white house led the charge on same-sex marriage and the pope says climate change is a grave issue with grave implications. the president counted on the pope for the nuclear deal and policy on cuba. with the next election heating up, the white house is trying to downplay the issue it is all about politics. here is what the white house press secretary had to say. >> no plan or strategy put in place to stage an event to advance political agenda. >> reporter: some republicans are steamed that the white house is

john berman, thank you very much. still looking ahead in new york, but let's go back to washington, d.c. for some in congress, just being their feet from the holy father was emotional. for others like us, john boehner, it was really emotional. boehner at points breaking down, got the kleenex ready to roll. so let e me bring in one of speaker boehner's guests for pope francis's congress address, who has known him for years and years and years. so wonderful to have you on. nice to meet you. >> thank you for having me. >> in doing my homework on you, sir, i understand you go so far back that in your teen years you would roll up newspapers at 2:00 a.m. on your paper route. you'd go to sunday morning mass and head out tossing those newspapers. so just to speak about your friendship, who was better at the paper toss? >> we weren't allowed to toss it, that was the boss's job, but we had to do the grunt work of stuffing the ads and getting them rolled up. before we went out and threw them, we had to go to 5:30 mass and make s

i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. francis and his visit to the united states. the first hope to address the u.s. congress at the capitol. he spoke to 11,000 people on the south lawn. he met privately with the president in the oval office. his remarks could delight liberals and conservatives. the pope brought up immigration and climate change and income inequality and religious liberty. let's get more from our rosa flores. >> reporter: john and christine, pope francis not holding back tackling immigration, climate change and religious freedom and canonizing the first american saint behind me at the basilica. he starts off today with a much anticipated speech before congress. there, of course, we are wondering how democrats and republicans are going to react to what he says. especially after he has made some critical comments about capitalism. saying it is the mark of the devil. we know francis is not comfortable in stuffy situations. he prefers to be with the regular man. so what will he do? in very much francis fashio

. >> i'm john berman. 4:00 a.m. in the east. a manhunt is under way this morning in fox lake, illinois, about an hour north of chicago. police, federal agents, canine units and choppers and horseback officers all out overnight looking for three men suspected of shooting a fox lake officer to death. dispatchers lost contact and backup officers counseled lieutenant joe gliniewicz dead and stripped of his gun and other gear. he leaves behind a community already in mourning. this was an officer 30 plus years on the force. >> lieutenant joe gliniewicz was a decorated police officer and not only did fox lake, he was a family member, i lost a very dear friend. >> his nickname was g.i. joe. ryan young is in fox lake with the very latest on this search. >> reporter: manhunt has been going on for more than 12 hours. you can see behind me the command center police have been using for several hours as they look for these suspects. we are about a mile and a half from where the officer was shot. officer joseph gliniewicz, a father of four, wa

>> i'll go. >> a bunch of republicans and john berman. >> this is getting interesting.e candidate playing nice with donald trump and getting some consideration in return. ted cruz and trump shared the stage and hugs at a rally at the iran nuclear deal on capitol hill. let's get more from political don't dana bash. >> reporter: john and christine, you know the saying you hug your friends and hug your enemies tighter. it is unclear which one ted cruz thinks donald trump is. a friend or enemy. they are competitors for the white house, but cruz made a point of inviting trump to a rally outside the white house to protest the iran nuclear deal. the latest on the cruz's approach to the frontrunner. showing him praise and don't criticize him. i talked to both of them about the relationship. >> you and senator cruz have an unusual relationship when it comes to republican competitors. why do you have this bromances? >> it is a romance. i like him. he backed me 100%. >> you were supposed to be t the outsider. >> you know, i'm a big fan that every battle is won before its fought. w

. >> i'm john berman at the reagan presidential library from simi valley, california. it is wednesday, september 16th, 4:00 a.m. 14 hours away from the cnn republican debate right here on cnnt. main contest kicks off at 8:00 p.m. with the other candidates at 6:00 p.m. there is a pivotal moment in a race that is getting more tense by the second t. very latest polls have done tald trump on top. ben carson has rocketed into 2nd place. some having fallen far and fast. they need this debate to turn things around. you can bet they're ready as is donald trump if his own way. >> how are you feeling? what are you going to be doing all day? >> i feel good about it. >> any special preparation? >> i have been doing this 30 years. a lot of preparation. but i feel really good about the debate. >> i don't think my strategy is going to change at all. it's going to be to tell the trut and to talk about, you know, my vision for america which i think is something that a lot of people resonate with. you know, the polls are not particularly surprising given the fact that i'm out there amon

. >> i'm john berman. nice to see you. it is friday, september 25th. 5:00 a.m. in the east. pope francis waking up this morning in the city that never sleep, new york, new york. a few hours from now, he will address the general assembly at the united nations. this comes a day after historic address before a joint meeting of congress. it was there he brought up the issues of climate chge, immigration and the death penalty. vatican officials say the speech at the united nations will cover many of the same topics and social infan injustice and pove. this is stunning. this is fifth avenue, the pope coming down the avenue in the popemobile. the crowds were ecstatic. i saw the pope drive up in front of me. the beautiful doors of the cathedral and the choir music came out. it was moving. cnn's alexandra field was there and has more on the pope's day ahead. >> reporter: christine and john, thousands of people from around the world lined fifth avenue trying to catch the glimpse of the pope as he made his way for the prayer service and riding along fifth avenue. so many will follow hi

our john berman is in simi valley, california, where the stage is set. the candidates will be doing their walk-throughs in the upcoming days. john. >> good afternoon, fredricka. this is such a beautiful location for such a pivotal moment. call it a republican garden party, but not nearly as gentile because what happens here in just three days, it could change the course of this campaign. all the polls right now have donald trump out in front by a lot. 32% in the latest cnn/orc national poll. ben carson has surged into second place. now, just one of the big questions for the debate here is which donald trump will we see? throwing bombs, throwing smiles, or both? trump, ben carson, marco rubiru they were out campaigning this weekend. so many were. at one point, trump hinted at attempting what might be the impossible for him, some reserve. >> you said that. it sounds like you're expecting a bunch of sleepers when you get to the debate. what are you going to do? >> no sleepers. everyone is capable, everyone is competent. you do what you do. i want to make ame

john berman has gotten up to stretch a little bit and gone inside to see the inside scene. > hello, kate. i am up here on the debate stage and it is pretty cool. this is what you might recognize as air force one, the very plane that ronald rigan used as air force one, and right behind the candidates here, and the reminder of the por ten shouse nature of the debate, and i should show you that we are very, very high here, and fareed is going to point down here so you can see it, and we are high above the ground, right? it is making you a little nervous to be up here, and look at where the podiums are here. and chris christie is here, and john kasich, and donald trump over there in the middle and you can see how close they are to the moderator, and dana bash and hugh hewett are right there, and you know, jake, you can't handle the truth! or i disagree with you, and that can get dicey, because, kate, it is the audience where it is different in the debate where in cleveland, you had five or six people screaming, this is more intimate where the candidates are bringing the families

i'm john berman live at the reagan library in simi valley, california.wn to the republican presidential debate, just two days away. you'll hear it all right here on cnn. a brand new poll shows donald trump and ben carson have separated themselves from the rest of the pack as we head into round two, the second debate. the poll also goes into greater detail about what vote rz think about the candidates and issues, and which voters think about what candidates and the issues. i want to talk more about this with senior political analyst ron brown, anna nor vavarro, a friend to marco rubio. ron, they call you the dean of demographic analyst. you dig into these numbers. when it comes for support for donald trump, this guy is a billionaire, has a lot of money, yet it's not the money'd folks who love donald trump. >> no, that's right. thank you for that, john. his constituency is very striking. he's competitive with upscale republicans and white-collar republicans but dominant with blue-collar republicans. in this poll today he's 43% of republicans without a coll

i'm john berman and this is "the lead." our politics lead, the stage quite literally set, the cnn republican debate is two days away. and these go to 11, 11 candidates. that is one louder than the last debate. who will dare attack the man in the middle, donald trump? also in politics, he is the only man within striking distance of trump right now, dr. ben carson, known for his skills with a sk l pal. i will ask dr. ben carson live. also here in california, flames tearing through entire towns, hundreds of homes and businesses destroyed, families forced out now living in tents. a wildfire emergency burning out of control in this state right now. welcome to "the lead." i'm john berman in for jake tapper today. we are live at the ronald reagan presidential library in simi valley, california. we are a tick under 22 hours now from the big show, the cnn debate, the one debate to rule them all, this could reset the 2016 race. the message today for all the republican contenders walking the political wire goes something like this. yo

i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. it is thursday, september 10th. it is 4:00 a.m. in the east. >> we start with breaking news from japan. disastrous flooding sweeping away homes and officials ordering evacuations of at least 170,000 people. japanese self-defense force personnel have been rescuing people stranded by the typhoon. you can see the helicopters in. rescues. this situation appears to get worse in the evening hours. we will go to japan in a moment. cnn's will ripley is there. >>> and the gloves are off. breaking overnight, carly fiorina brushing off a harsh attack by donald trump in a new "rolling stone" profile. trump reacts to the news tv image by fiorina by shouting "look at that face." "would anyone vote for that?" she's a woman and i'm not supposed to say bad thing. come on. are we serious? carly fiorina responded on megyn kelly's news show. >> i think those comments respond for themselves. and the voters helping me climb in the polls. >> what do you take that to mean? "look at that face, would anyone vote for that?" >> i have no idea. honestly, megyn

and john berman. your charity is jdrf, juvenile diabetes research foundation. >> defending champions. >> right, you are defending champions. >> jdrf, leading global organization fight type i diabetes, terrific work, real success. >> don, did your agent insist that you get teamed with john berman again. >> yes. the actual caharity is me. >> they are the team to beat. winning team gets $20,000 for their charity. the other two teams get $10,000 each. let's get started. first game is buzz. >> all right. questions in this round are worth ten points each. the first play r er to buzz in s to answer. players can buzz in before the question is complete. if they answer incorrectly. their team is locked out from guessing again. you cannot consult with teammates. you ready? >> ready. >> all right. here we go. one, what is the longest running tv series in american network -- >> gunmosmoke. >> longest running tv series in american tv history. 60 minutes. today. meet the press. guiding light. >> mike? >> meet the pr

i'm john berman. >> and i'm christine romans. nice to see you. hillary clinton directly apologizing for using a private e-mail server while serving as secretary of state. the democratic front-runner trying a new response to stubborn controversy, bringing the message of regret to ellen degeneres and on facebook overnight, she goes on facebook and apologizes. for the latest let's bring in briana krieler. >> reporter: hillary clinton is still leading in the polls. she's been dipping and bernie sanders and vice president joe biden not even a declared candidate are on the rise. in polls, democratic voters say they actually don't really care about this e-mail controversy but it is killing the clinton's campaign to cut through the message that resonates with voters. so, for the first time after months of resistance, hillary clinton trying to turn the corner on this by very directly apologizing. >> in retrospect, certainly, as i look back at it now, even though it was allowed, i should have used two accounts. one for personal and one for work-related e-m

i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. it's friday, september 25th. 4:00 a.m. in the east. let's begin with the pope. pope francis wakes up in new york city set to address the united nations general assembly. he is expected to wade into political and diplomatic issues as he did thursday in an historic address to the joint session of congress. the speech on climate change and the death penalty. he says the speech to the u.n. will focus on climate change. the pope's arrival gripped the city last night. huge crowds gathered. john, you were there on fifth avenue. >> they threw open the doors of st. patrick's cathedral. it was extraordinary. >> cnn's alexandra field was there. she filed this report. >> reporter: christine, john, thousands of people lined fifth avenue trying to catch a glimpse of the pope as he made the way for the prayer service and riding along fifth avenue. so many who turned out to see him will follow him through the city. the day starts with the address in english to the u.n. then on to ground zero. after that, the pope stops at a school in harlem. from ther

i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. a new batch of e-mails from hillary clinton's time as secretary of state released overnight by the state department. most of the 7,000 e-mails are mundane. some are eye catching over the private e-mail server. in one exchange, they expresses frustration of a treatment of the classified sending it over the classified messages system. it's a public statement. just e-mail it. when she receives the draft remar remarks, she responds, these worthy of being top secret. another from chelsea blasts the relief efforts in haiti as i incompetent. and more than 100 in the batch marked classified retroactively. we have elise labott with the latest. >> reporter: john and christine, 125 of the 7,000 e-mails released last night have information that has now been upgraded to classified. percentage wise, that is double than the previous charge. it suggests the state department is erring on the classified more because of the scrutiny from the intelligence community. the information was not marked classif

. >> i'm john berman. monday, september 21st. new controversy in the race for president this morning. ben carson says a muslim should not be president. donald trump suggests we might already have a muslim. >> could you imagine supporting or being comfortable if a muslim ever became president of the united states? >> i can say that, you know, it is something that at some point could happen. we'll see. it is something that could happen. would i be comfortable? i don't know if we have to address it right now. it is something that could happen. >> you said you had no problem. >> some people said it already happened. of course you would not agree with that. >> now ben carson and donald trump find themselves in a reorder for battle for president. carly fiorina riding away from her cnn debate performance. she received a rock star welcome in michigan and says she has ever intention of milking the attention and focusing on her campaign. >> more people know who i am and we know based on what's happened before this debate that as people com

i'm john berman and this is "the lead."e, rhyme, rhyme, rhyme, the podiums built with cnn with care as jake tapper preps questions all firm but fair. will the candidates play naughty or nice? just about 26 hours until we all find out. he took on trump and slipped in the polls so what is rand paul's strategy tomorrow? is he ready to roll the dice and shut down the government again in the middle of an election? i will ask the senator when he joins me live. >>> also in politics, da bears, they have their superfans and so do the candidates. from wearing nothing but donald trump to the guy with the jeb tattoo. will he regret that the way i regret my margaret thatcher ink? welcome to "the lead." i'm john berman, live in simi valley, california, from the ronald reagan presidential library where we are hours away from the cnn republican debate. the seating chart around the debate stage is mapped out. there will be tough questions, vealing answers and expect sparks will fly. has been election of

. >> well, thanks to john berman for that report.we go, if you're tired of liking everything on facebook, and let's face it, who isn't tired of that, there may be another option. ceo mike zuckerberg said they're working on a dislike button for facebook, something people have long asked for, especially me. he said making something so simple is actually quite complicated, but it should be ready for testing relatively soon. thank you for watching cnn news room. i'm john vause. i'll be back with another hour of news after a short break. ♪ ♪ (vo) you can pass down a subaru forester. (dad) she's all yours. (vo) but you get to keep the memories. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. her daughter lilly is about to spell the word "scary" for the first time. neither is afraid. buy in. quickenloans/home buy. refi. power. ththere's no easy, way to do your job when you're sick. tough symptoms need alka-seltzer plus cold & cough it's four cold symptom fighters put you back in control. stay unstoppable. alka-seltzer plus. without the internet i

i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. it is monday, september 21st. let's start with controversy in the republican race for president. ben carson says a muslim should not be president. donald trump suggests we might already have a muslim president. >> can you imagine supporting or comfortable with a muslim ever became president of the united states? >> i can say that, you know, it is something that at some point could happen. we'll see. you know, it is something that could happen. would i be comfortable? i don't know we have to address it right now. it is something that could happen. >> you said you had no problem putting a muslim. >> some people said it already happened, frankly. you wouldn't agree with that. >> trump and carson find themselves in reordered battle to become president. carly fiorina vaulted in second place in the cnn/orc poll. riding the wave from the cnn debate. she received rock star applause in michigan. she intends to milk every minute of the attention. >> we know based on what happened before the debate, people come to know and m

. >> i'm john berman. it is september. while were you sleeping, the state department released e-mails as hillary clinton's time as secretary of state. more than 7,000 pages of e-mails in the set. many routine, but some catch the eye over the private e-mail server. she expresses frustration with the treatment of a document on the israeli palestinian conflict as if it were classified. secretary clinton wrote to an aide, it's a public statement. e-mail it. when she received the draft remar remarks, she responds, that is certainly worthy of being top secret. another e-mail from chelsea blasts the relief efforts in haiti as incompetent. urging to change the paradigm on the ground. and more than 100 e-mails in the batch marked classified retroactively. we have elise labott with the latest. >> reporter: john and christine, 125 of the 7,000 e-mails released last night have information that has now been upgraded to classified. percentage wise that is about double the previous charge. it suggests the state department is erring on th

i'm bermuda john berman. >> i'm christine romans. the party trying to get donald trump to toe the line. all of the candidates asked to sign a loyalty pledge. a pledge trump has rejected in the past. he is meeting in new york today with republican national convention chairman reince priebus. sources indicate that trump will sign the document and he will hold the news conference. >> what trump gets is a news conference with the rnc chairman. he will sign a pledge that is not enforceable. also going on, trump and jeb bush feud is escalating. he says he likes jeb, he is a nice man, but should set the standard of speaking english in the united states. he speaks spanish at home by the way. the former governor is fighting back on the campaign facebook page. all answers trump or bush. in one answer, trump is described as the candidate with clear democratic tendencies. you know this is getting strange. >> the criticism. >>> vice president joe biden testing the political waters for a potential white house run. he sounded like a candidate touch

i'm john berman. >> i'm alison kosik. it's 5:00 a.m. in the east. joe biden is signaling he is ready to run. whether he decides to jump into the race is another question. the vice president radiated as he marched in the labor day parade in pittsburgh. senior correspondent brianna keilar is there with the latest. >> reporter: good morning, john and alison. as democratic and republican presidential candidates fanned out across key early states, it was vice president biden in pittsburgh who really raised eyebrows. he gave a fiery speech to union members with populous undertones. he talked about how community college should be free and wealthy should be taxed to pay for it. he railed against trust fund babies in what sounded suspiciously like a stump speech. >> i'm mad. i'm angry. how many people in your own neighborhoods? how many in your own neighborhoods are in trouble? can look their kids in the eye and say honey, it's going to be okay. it's going to be okay. not enough. because the level playing field doesn't exist. >> reporter: mr. vice president,

let's begin with cnn's john berman. he's down there on the debate stage. set the scene for us, john. >> wolf, what an interesting view we're getting right now literally the last happening here on the center stage they're vacuuming the rug in front of us now. they just removed seven -- those four candidates polling at the bottom of the polls right now. for lecterns left for them when they get here. few things i want to point out to you about the lecterns, just 20 inches apart at the top. that's close. much closer than the first debate. could be rather touchy for some of those candidates up there during the question and answer session. look at the audience. they're starting to file in here. 500 seats in this arena right here. this small intimate gathering, not the big stadium like basketball game setting we had for the first debate. could make for think of an uncomfortable family dinner when you're all gathered around a table, the tension there you might be able to cut it with a knife. one other thing, the back and forth at the debate itself. less back and fo

john berman is in simi valley, california, where the next debate is about to happen. s never been a president who has also been a grandmother, but then, i remember hillary clinton saying, you know, never a woman as young or old as her. >> yeah, no, never a woman, never amotor, never a grandmother, never a sister either. this could be historic because, of course, on the republican side, just one woman in the race, carly fiorina and her presence will be a big, big deal here in the second republican debate. the candidates face off right here at the reagan library on wednesday night. the top candidates take the stage at 8:00 p.m. eastern. at 6:00 p.m. eastern the four remaining candidates will be on the stage. it will all be worth watching. there could be a turning point in the race. here with me now, democratic strategist van jones. also here, david chalian, cnn's political director. van, i want to start with you on the subject of carly fiorina because you have faced off with carly before. you have been on cable tv, you had to debate her before. she's good. >> she is unbe

john berman and kate bolduan have the day off. thanks for being here with us on this labor day. workers getting labor day love from president obama. the president is giving hundreds of thousands of workers paid sick leave and he's doing it by signing with his pen. the executive order. you're going to hear from president obama on this issue at any moment now because he's about to take to the podium at the greater boston labor council labor day breakfast. lots of dignitaries in advance of the president. you're looking at live pictures now. the president, by the way, is going to order all companies that do contract work with the federal government, they will have to provide seven days of paid sick leave annually. just so you know what the numbers mean, it means 300,000 people, employees, are going to get new access to paid sick leave and an additional number of workers will have the ability to earn more sick leave than they ever had before. this new rule would affect government contracts that begin in 2017. so a little bit of breathing room before all that kicks in. the president h

. >> another special john berman at the rig in simi valley, california. it is wednesday, september 16th. it is 5:00 a.m. in the east. we are here because there is a countdown to the showdown. 13 hours away from the cnn republican debate right here on cnn. the main contest kicks off at 8:00 p.m.. the other candidates at 6:00 p.m. this is a point of view oughtal moment. look at that you can feel the anticipation. the latest polls have donald trump on top. ben carson rocketed into 2nd place. all the remaining candidates are in single digits. some having fallen far and fallen fast. they need this debate to turn things around. you can bet they are ready as is donald trump in his own way. how are you feeling? what will you be doing? >> feeling good about it. >> any special preparation? >> i have been doing this 30 years a. lot of preparation. i feel really good about the debate. thank you. >> i don't think my strategy will change at all. it will be to tell the truth and to talk about, you know my vision for america. which i think something a lot of people reson

i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. it's 5:00 a.m. in the east. >>> breaking news this morning. a huge manhunt under way this morning in fox lake, illinois, about an hour north of chicago. the police, federal agents, canine units and choppers and horseback officers were all out overnight and looking for three men suspected of shooting a fox lake police officer to death. officials say the officer radioed that he was pursuing three suspects on foot. dispatchers lost contact. backup officers found lieutenant joe gliniewicz dead and stripped of his gun and other gear. he leaves behind a community in mourning. this is fox lake mayor donnie schmidt. >> lieutenant joe gliniewicz was a 30-year veteran, and a decorated police officer and family man and a dear friend for the entire village of fox lake. not only did fox lake lose a family member, i lost a very dear friend. >> cnn's ryan young is in fox lake with the latest on the search. >> reporter: this manhunt has been going on for more than 12 hours. you can see behind me the command center

. >> i'm john berman. live in simi valley, california, site of last night's republican presidential debate. there was politics, there was drama. even comedy. maybe a sitcom with the title 11's company. but the stakes were no joke. the cnn debate could reorder the race for 2016. >> absolutely. what was more of a marathon than a race last night, they got personal, they got fist y they got confrontational and also went deep into policy with some very memorable one-liners all along the way. all packed into three hours that could change everything. there are so many highlights. here are just a few. >> first of all, rand paul shouldn't even be on this stage. he's number 11. he's got 1% in the polls. how he got up here, there's far too many people anyway. >> i'm also aware that california has a drought. so, that's why i made sure i brought my own water. >> what i am far away greater than an entertainer is a businessman. we're not talking about real issues. mr. trump, we don't need an apprentice in the white house

john berman is with us. you've been here all day gathering information seeing what is going on.ex this visit has become. >> first as we look at the three men, i'll get to that in a second, it's interesting, the governor cuomo is catholic and mayor bill de blasio, no official religion. he says he's stpiritual but doesn't belong to any church. they gather in front of this cathedral all to meet the pope who could be here any minute from now. oh my goodness, we're starting to see security driving down the street and the people are getting very excited. they see sirens and cheer because they think the pope might be near. they have been gathered out here since about 11:00 today and people have been beginning to line the streets gathering more and more every hour. if you want to be close by where we're standing, you have to go through security to get here. other people hoping to catch a glimpse. it won't be easy. he's only in manhattan, new york city for 39 hours. his motorcade will travel some 54 miles while he's here but there aren't that many official events, so this may be one chan

john berman is over here at the debate stage, john. >> wolf, i feel like i'm standing at the 18th green at the masters. forgive me as i speak in hush tone because the audience is around me. four candidates in the first debate, those polling at the bottom of the polls, the second debate that begins at 8:00 p.m., 11 candidates arranged by their position in the polls, which means donald trump front and center, literally, ben carson will be on one side, jeb bush on the other. and when i say on one side, i mean close by side. these top separated by 20 inches. that is much closer than the first debate. these candidates will literally feel the presence of those right beside them. now, this debate will be a little bit different than the first one in another way, too. not so much back and forth between moderator, the questioners and candidates themselves but hopefully a discussion between the candidates, face-to-face looking at each other just inches away discussing the issues, where they agree and where they disagree and this audience one more time that i'm in between now, it's a smaller crowd

. >> i'm john berman. it is tuesday, september 8th.

. >> i'm john berman. monday, september 21st.ersy in the race for president this morning. ben carson says a muslim

where is john berman? he is where the candidates are sharpening their attacks. with a new washington post poll that shows donald trump expanding his wide lead and ben carson in second place. all others scrambling to device the strategy to end trump's reign. rand paul says someone has to bring him down. republican party chairman reince priebus warning jake tapper that he can expect to referee a tough game. >> all of these candidates will do in order to benefit their own campaigns and there will be more elbows thrown at that debate. >> it all should make for an exciting second debate in simi valley, california. that is where athena jones is. >> reporter: good morning, alison and christine. we are two days away from the debate in simi valley, california. the stage is set. the podiums are ready. as you know, one of the big things is the strength of outsider candidates like donald trump who is the gop frontrunner and ben carson who is not far behind him and carly fiorina. fiorina is the new addition to the stage here in primetime. she spoke with her outsider status.

most of them from john berman. i have a surprise for you. sausage mcmuffin. >> i'm an egg mcmuffin. left. >> you know who is going to be jealous of this. john king, inside politics, breakfast all day. i know this changed your day, did it not? >> i'm feeling left out. isn't technology to the point i can reach through and grab it. give it up john berman. enjoy your snack. we are going inside politics to have fun. joining me is margaret from bloomberg news and lisa from associated press. i said hillary clinton is in the eye of the beholder. i think that's true. people think they know her and have made their judgments. there's a story in the washington post about the e-mail controversy that will further it. the key point in the story is while secretary of state, she wrote and sent at least six e-mails using her private server that contained what the government now says is classified information. i want to show you what they look like. you get the e-mails and see blank space on the paper. if you look on the screen, where you see the blank, that's redacted materials. material that the gov

i'm john berman and this is "the lead."event after taking heat for not challenging an audience member who called president obama a muslim. now, is the man who once pushed the birther movement trying to avoid the backlash? the national lead baby doe identified. police put a name with the face of the little girl found inside a trash bag in boston harbor. who would do such a thing? and the world lead, pope francis

john berman joins us. we begin with breaking news.aunching an air strike overnight against taliban targets in northern afghanistan, one day after taliban fighters captured a major city. this is the first time since taliban gained ground since 2001. >> trying to retake the northern city of kunduz. taliban has been damage. freeing hundreds of prisoners in the pre-dawn attack. let's start with pentagon correspondent barbara starr. >> reporter: good morning, michaela. some urgency to get the situation back under control. the u.s. launching air strikes overnight in kunduz. the largest city the taliban has been able to control since 2001 in afghanistan. a messy situation. afghan security forces have arrived on the scene. we are told by afghan authorities they are moving through the city and trying to retake the prison. the taliban got there and they freed hundreds of prisoners. the taliban said they have taken control of a local hospital, posting pictures on social media. this is what we've seen so many times but this time on a much larger

we heard john berman saying despite donald trump saying he'll win the hispanic vote, a number of peoplere very off d offended by his rhetoric on immigrants and taking it to the streets today. so far a relatively small group of protesters marching outside. at the end of the protest, there is a big old donald trump pinata waiting for them. >> thank you so much. >>> hillary clinton says that she's among millions of people who will watch the gop candidates face-off wednesday night. clinton is campaigning in iowa. she's trying to sure up her declining poll numbers there among women while her closest rival bernie sanders took his campaign into pretty unlikely territory. cnn senior washington correspondent joe johns is in cedar rapids, iowa. tell us what the democrats are up to, joe? >> reporter: hey, breanna, a pair of events for hillary clinton here in the state of iowa today, one still going on, that one is in decora and another earlier today at the university of northern iowa. both targeted toward increasing hillary clinton's appeal with women, which appears to be an on going problem now f