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Malaysian Authorities Confirm Debris Found Last Week Belong to Boeing 777; Mysterious Outbreak of Legionnaire's Disease in New York; Hunt for Memphis Cop Killer; Over 12,000 in Northern California Under Mandatory Evacuation; Obama to Unveil New Strict Environmental Regulations Tomorrow; Republicans Seek Best Way to Debate Trump Thursday; Trump Campaign Aide Fired; Zimbabwe Officials Limit Hunting New Reserve. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired August 02, 2015 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[14:00:17] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello everyone. And thanks so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

A piece of airplane debris found last week does, indeed, belong to a Boeing 777. The same model plane as the missing Malaysia airlines flight 370. Malaysia authorities confirming that today. The piece of aircraft wing is now in France. It arrived in France after being found in the Indian Island -- Indian Ocean Island of Reunion where it was found last week.

Earlier today, more debris was found off the island's coast. Right now, local government officials describing it as a metal object of interest. Flight MH370 vanished 17 months ago with 239 people on board.

CNN's Saima Mohsin is in France with more on the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This crucial piece of the puzzle that could lead us to knowing what exactly happened to flight MH370 arrived with a police escort to this lab run by the French minister of defense, where eight accidents investigators and forensic teams will take a look.

But right now it's closed. It's closed for the weekend. There won't be any scientific experts here until at least Monday morning. So it may take some time in this really delicate procedure. It arrived in a sealed box. Everyone who touches this part has to be registered. Their details written down before investigators get to them.

Now, people are flying in from right across the world from the United States, the NTSB, members from Boeing, Malaysian authorities, and, of course, the French investigators, too. And in parallel with the forensic investigation, there will be judicial teams arriving, too, because there is also a civil manslaughter case here in France looking in to whether or not perhaps terrorist activity or a hijacking was involved in the disappearance of flight MH370. Now what will scientists be doing? Well, they will take a look at

this part of the plane. They will confirm whether, indeed, as experts believe, that this is from a 777 aircraft. And whether or not it is from flight MH370.

Two numbers have been taken from this part, as well. That could potentially trace it to the aircraft it came from. And then, they will see whether or not this was torn away from the rest of the aircraft midair, or in the water. And they will take a look at whether an explosion was involved. These are all the details that the experts will be looking into.

Saima Mohsin, CNN, Toulouse, in France.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Saima. So let's talk more about this. What can we learn from this debris? Let me bring in Charitha Pattiaratchi. He is a professor of coastal oceanography at the University of Western Australia. Good to see you professor.

PROF. CHARITHA PATTIARATCHI, UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA: Hello.

WHITFIELD: So you have predicted early on that debris from MH370 could end up in an area like this. Does this give you some assurance that this piece of debris could be, indeed, be from that flight?

PATTIARATCHI: Well, I mean, it is consistent with the current patterns in the southern Indian Ocean. Which basically flows in an anti-clockwise direction. So any debris which would be arising from the search area for the wreckage would round about this time, about 500 days after the crash, or will arrive around about Reunion Island, or Madagascar, around this time. So it's totally consistent with a piece of debris originated from the crash region.

WHITFIELD: And of course, they will be looking to see if there's any other debris that has washed up on that island, or even near it. Given the pattern of the current, and your assessments, you know, a year ago, what is the circumference of the area in which you believe should be searched if debris is, indeed, from this plane that would wash up on Reunion Island?

PATTIARATCHI: Well, not only -- I mean when you look at Reunion Island, it's a small island. Madagascar is much larger. So, that's where, you know, I think the recent reports that other debris has been found in Reunion Island. But, also, perhaps in Madagascar.

WHITFIELD: Other things have been found as far as we understand but we have not heard confirmation that the debris is associated with that flight. So as it pertains to the distance between Reunion Island and Madagascar, a much larger island, do you think officials should be descending on Madagascar in a very large way to search for any more debris?

[14:05:05] PATTIARATCHI: I'm sure they're doing that already. So that's what they should be doing. WHITFIELD: And what else is near Reunion? You look at the map and

it's a great, vast expanse between it and Australia. But talking about the kind of current system you describe it seems as though the debris could be anywhere in that field of hundreds of miles.

PATTIARATCHI: Well, you can first make the assumption that there is sufficient debris, as well, for it to be carried over. Remember, that there was a big search when the plane went down and they didn't find any debris, and that came to the conclusion that there wasn't really that much debris which arose from that -- from the crash. So, we would expect more debris to wash up here. But it assumes that there is a lot more debris which could wash up. Because, you know, it's been a long time. Some of the debris may have actually floated. So I'm not really sure how much debris is there to be watched onshore.

WHITFIELD: Quite simply, do you feel encouraged by the discovery of this one piece of debris that's been confirmed to be matching of a Boeing 777?

PATTIARATCHI: I mean it gives us hope that we may find more. I mean, our computer model says that we should find some more, if there is debris still in the ocean. So, we hope.

WHITFIELD: OK. Professor Charitha Pattiaratchi, thank you so much for your time. Appreciate it.

PATTIARATCHI: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: And a mysterious outbreak in this country of legionnaire's disease in New York. Now confirming two take the lives of four people in New York City. All of the dead were older individuals with underlying medical issues. But dozens of others have been hospitalized.

CNN's Sara Ganim is following the story from New York.

So Sara, this outbreak first reported last month in the Bronx. What more do we know about this?

SARA GANIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We know it's affecting this community in the south Bronx, Fred, 55 people so far have been hospitalized, as you mentioned. Four of them have died. And investigators, and epidemiologists now working to figure out how this started.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GANIM (voice-over): Daniel Tejada spent nearly a month in a medically induced coma in a New York hospital because of legionnaire's disease.

DANIEL TEJADA, RECOVERED FROM LEGIONNAIRE'S DISEASE: I was about to wait one more day to go to the hospital, and if I would have waited that one more day I don't think I would be here right now.

GANIM: The outbreak has caused 65 people to get sick since mid-July. Four, all with pre-existing conditions, died.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The CDC needs to come in this community.

GANIM: Residents of the south Bronx are calling for more action as health officials say the outbreak could get worse before it gets better.

DR. JAY VARMA, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, NYC DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND MENTAL HYGENE: We think it's very possible that there will be an increase in cases over the next seven days.

GANIM: Named after an outbreak in the '70s that made a group of American legion workers ill, Legionnaire's is a respiratory disease with flu-like symptoms. You can't catch it from someone else. The bacteria travels through water mist like from air conditioners or cooling towers.

Five buildings in the south Bronx have been thoroughly decontaminated, city officials say, in an attempt to contain the spread. Meanwhile, residents are warned to seek help at the first sign of illness.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We thought it was just regular pneumonia, you know, he got sick. Then we found out it was Legionnaire's that's when everybody really got into a panic.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GANIM: Now, Fred, New York health officials saying that this does not affect any drinking water or swimming pools or founds. It's summertime so that's something people think about when they hear that it can be transmitted through the water. But that's not something to panic about. It's not transferred through any kind of drinking water, no need to worry about that. Officials here are now working on long- term plans for monitoring those cooling systems where the bacteria was found, and for that community they are holding a town hall meeting tomorrow night.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Sara Ganim in New York. We'll have much more from the NEWSROOM right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:12:38] WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. The hunt for a cop killer continues in Memphis hours after the officer is shot and killed during a traffic stop. The officer was shot multiple times. Still not clear why the routine traffic stop turned like this and became deadly. This is the third Memphis officer in four years to lose his life on the job.

As CNN's Nick Valencia has details.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, tragedy in Memphis overnight. Veteran police officer gunned down during a routine traffic stop.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TONEY ARMSTRONG, DIRECTOR, MEMPHIS POLICE: This is just a reminder of how dangerous this job is. VALENCIA (voice-over): An active search in Memphis for a murder.

Saturday night just after 9:00 p.m., 33-year-old Sean Bolton, a veteran Memphis cop, is shot during a traffic stop. A citizen uses Bolton's radio to call in to police. But it's too late.

ARMSTRONG: The officer was transported to regional med in critical condition but later pronounced diseased due to multiple gunshot wounds.

VALENCIA: Hours after the shooting Memphis police director Toney Armstrong visibly emotional.

ARMSTRONG: As a community we say so often, there's a theme that do black lives matter? And at the end of the day, we have to ask ourselves, do all lives matter?

VALENCIA: Bolton was the third officer shot in Memphis in the past four years. Speaking to media, the Memphis mayor took the moment to address a rise in the city's gun violence.

MAYOR AC WHARTON, MEMPHIS: This again evidences the fact that there are so many guns on our streets in the wrong hands. That's the key thing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA: Police have not released details about the suspect. They say all resources will be used to find whoever was responsible - Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, thank you so much, Nick Valencia.

Joining me right now from Los Angeles, in California, there is retired LAPD police sergeant Cheryl Dorsey.

Cheryl, good to see you. So have traffic stops become even more dangerous as of recent for police?

CHERYL DORSEY, RETIRED LAPD POLICE SERGEANT: Thank you for having me on. First let me express my condolences to the men and women on the Memphis police department and the family of Sean Bolton. And you know, police traffic stops have always been dangerous because it's something that we do quite regularly. And it's important that officers maintain diligence, that they don't become complacent in the stopping of motorists. And you know, we want to always let our partners know where we are. Telegraph your location. Go code six is what we say here in Los Angeles on that traffic stop and get out information about the plate so that in the event things go sideways you can have help coming pretty quick. It's always reactionary because we never know who we're approaching and confront being.

[14:15:29] WHITFIELD: So, it's likely those things happened because it seems like that is, you know, customary to routine. But I wonder also with surveillance cameras, with dash cams, help us understand the tools that will be used to try to find out who did this and how it happened. DORSEY: Well my hope is that the officer had an opportunity to

broadcast through communications that he was about to conduct a traffic stop. And that he was able to provide them with some information that might help. And we don't know this, and I understand why they wouldn't want to say. But hopefully he was able to give out the description of the vehicle and the license plate number of the car that he was stopping so they could run that vehicle plate and see who it's registered to and follow up with the registered owner to see if that's the person behind the wheel or did they loan their car to someone else.

WHITFIELD: And because of so much that has happened particularly in recent months, in recent years, do you believe that most police jurisdictions are changing the way in which they are training people, you know, with the potential dangers of traffic stops? How is that playing a role?

DORSEY: You know, I don't know that officers or departments are doing anything differently. I would hope that they're doing everything the exact same. Because we understand that there are a couple of things that are inherently dangerous. Traffic stops and domestic violence calls. And so, it's important for officers to be well trained, and then to practice, because we play like we practice.

And so, if you have an idea about how you want to handle a situation when things go sideways you rely on that training. And you don't have to think about what am I going to do. But there's some fundamental things that we should always do. And we should always let others know where we're located. That we're conducting a traffic stop. You should never just stop a car without communicating that to your dispatch.

WHITFIELD: All right. Cheryl Dorsey, thank you so much. Appreciate it from L.A.

DORSEY: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Still ahead, two dozen wildfires in California forcing thousands to evacuate their homes. The largest of those fires nearly doubling in size. Will the weather capital?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:21:18] WHITFIELD: All right. More than 12,000 people in northern California are under a mandatory to evacuation as the so-called rocky wildfire near the city of clear lake doubles in size. More than 6,000 structures are threatened, and 50 structures have already been destroyed. Cal fire says they are also battling more than two dozen wildfires right now.

Meteorologist Allison Chinchar joining me now.

So Allison, what is the latest here?

ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, that's right. The worst part about this was that the fires did double just overnight. It really started to increase. You can tell based off this map, this is the California brought that we're dealing with right now. The monitor, we have 71 percent of the state in extreme drought condition, 46 percent are considered exceptional. That's even higher than the extreme.

So again, we're dealing with very intense amounts of heat, and also a lot of those fires, some being sparked by lightning, others just being unfortunately not able to be contained. Take a look, 20 current wildfires being tried to being contained at this current moment. The most recent one and the one we're dealing with the most right now is in Lake County. This is where we've had a lot of evacuations. And this is where we've seen the most areas burning.

This is the particular area we talked about that doubled in terms of acreage overnight. And it's only five percent contained. And that's a big problem. And take a look. Thousands of structures are being threatened right now from burning. And the worst part is it is the fact that we don't expect the weather to change very much.

Take a look. Right now, we are expecting conditions to not get much better by the afternoon. Here is a look. Once we get later into the afternoon that wind is going to start to pick up. That's going to make it a little bit more difficult for a lot of the firefighters to be able to contain these fires.

Temperature wise, it is still expected to be hot and it's also going to rather dry. Here you can see over the next couple of days, sunny, hot conditions expected. Now the only set of good news, Fredricka, is the fact that once we get into Monday and Tuesday the wind is expected to subside just a little bit. So hopefully, that means that the fires won't continue to spread out and allow the firefighters to maybe be able to contain them just a little bit more.

WHITFIELD: And so, the weather conditions always making a significant impact. Being very dry. Being very windy. You know, should firefighters feel at all encouraged that there is that bright spot, so to speak?

CHINCHAR: Once we get past today, yes. Once we get into Monday and Tuesday and that wind begins to calm down a little bit, it should make it slightly easier for them to get out there and contain the fire. So you just hope that it doesn't get worse before they can get out and contain them.

WHITFIELD: All right. Allison Chinchar, thank you so much.

All right, tomorrow President Barack Obama will unveil a set of new and strict environmental regulations to combat climate change. The president made his case in a video posted on Facebook last night. Some of the new requirements are existing power plants to cut their emission 32 percent from their 2005 levels by the year 2030.

They would also have to use more solar and wind power, plus each state will be aligned a target for reducing carbon pollution from power plants. The rules are expected to be met with strong opposition and some legal challenges, as well. Joining me right now from Austin, Texas, is CNN presidential historian

Douglas Brinkley and from Washington CNN political commentator Van Jones.

Good to see both of you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.

WHITFIELD: We invited the two of you because we know this has been high on the priority list for the president saying he wanted to make an impact as it pertains to the environment.

So, Douglas, you know, the president's proposal is some of the strictest regulations that we have seen. How does this tie in to his legacy, whether I guess success or not?

[14:25:03] DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Well, ties in greatly. The clean power plant is something the president believes deeply in. If you go back and read his state of the union address, as you hear him talk about climate change. You look at what he's been going after, looking to do more wind and solar since the very beginning. He's been frustrated. Congress wouldn't do anything so the president's adopted a plan to work with the EPA. He has a precedent that took place in Massachusetts, EPA versus the state of Massachusetts which says it's legal to do this.

So I think tomorrow is deeply significant. This is going to be a major legacy piece for the president that he doesn't just educate the public about climate change but he took a major leadership role forward. Environmentalists cheering today will be cheering tomorrow. You're going to have a lot of lawsuits following it.

WHITFIELD: And so, Van, you know, this is expected to change in a very big way the way America gets its electricity. So, in your field, why is this so important for this administration?

VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, first of all this was something that he ran on both in 2008 and 2012. He put a big, big bet on the table to get Congress to move forward, and he would stop. Now, the Supreme Court said all along he had the authority to do it himself. The EPA, a creation of Nixon. The clean air act a creation of Nixon. And the conservative Roberts court said you can do this on your own, Mr. President. So he is now doing it. And it's going to be a major, manger change in our country because of a couple things.

First of all, the way that he's rolling this out he's getting every state the opportunity to figure out how they want to comply. But he's going to give extra credit and bonus points to states that go aggressive. States that target low income communities trying to get energy bills down to poor people and solar panels up for poor people is a major part of this push, which is new. So this is a very, very significant effort on the part of this president to make sure as Douglas said he's not just talking about climate change. He put in his daughters. He wants to be able to tell them and their daughters, I did the most I possibly could. WHITFIELD: And so, Van, you think those extra points or even these

rewards that would be given to certain states will indeed be incentives particularly if you have, you know, certain states that are very red and traditionally not in favor of what the president has in mind?

JONES: Well, we certainly hope so. We know, there's going to be a lot of litigation. But the Supreme Court has spoken on this. The president does have the authority. That they shaped this thing after two years of feedback to make it maximally flexible and maximally impactful.

WHITFIELD: And then Douglas, you said, you know, there are likely to be legal challenges. There are already, you know, starting how much of a difference does it make that, you know, the president while he's acting on his own, he may not necessarily have a whole lot of support in congress. Does it matter for this president at this point particularly when listening to the last, you know, state of the union address? He said, you know, he's going to get things done whether he's got the support of Congress or not.

BRINKLEY: No it doesn't matter about Congress now. He's again flexing his executive muscle in doing this. And this is a big part of what he hopes will be his legacy. The problem is for somebody like Hillary Clinton right now because coal plants are popular for some people in Pennsylvania, Ohio, India, West Virginia, key states that are new battleground states.

So I have a feeling that the climate debate is going to take place in the national election. You'll start having Republican running for president, beating up on the clean power plan of the president. But he cares deeply about this issue. I've talked to the president before about climate, and every time he -- he keeps moving the ante up. And also, the media doesn't cover it but this president's been signing a lot of executive orders creating new national monuments, saving scenic parts of (INAUDIBLE) and California. So he is seeing the environment as a big part of his legacy.

WHITFIELD: All right. Douglas Brinkley, Van Jones, good to see you, gentlemen this Sunday. Thanks so much.

JONES: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, still talking about presidential politics but in a very different way. Just four days now until the first Republican primary. Debate and Donald Trump still shaking things up. The changes take place in his campaign next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:32:15] WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back to the NEWSROOM.

Donald Trump shaking things up again. This time just four days before the first Republican primary debates. And we're talking about a shake-up within his staffing. He fired his campaign aide, Sam Nunberg, over racially charged Facebook posts that he allegedly wrote. This as the other Republican candidates wait to see who will be on stage for the primetime debate come Thursday night. Only the top 10 candidates will be allowed.

On Tuesday FOX News will determine who among the 17 declared candidates makes the cut based on standings in recent national polls. The Republicans who don't make the cut can participate in an earlier debate at 5:00 Eastern Time.

So CNN's Sunlen Serfaty is at the White House for us.

So, Sunlen, Trump was one of the candidates who made the rounds today on the Sunday talk shows. Did we see a different side of the candidate today?

SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, I think what we're seeing from Trump is this continually lowering of expectations that he started last week and he did continue that today. You know, he is the front-runner. He is going to be on center stage with that debate stage. He has the spotlight on him so he knows to some extent there will certainly be a target on this back.

But the big issue is, will these other candidates, will they really take aim at him and really engage with him directly? So today Trump really predicted that other people will go against him in that debate and take him on. He says, though, he is not going to be throwing punches, at least not the first one. Here's what he said on "Meet the Press."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've always counterpunched. And you have to counterpunch. But I'm not looking to start anything. But a lot of people say oh, they're getting ready and they've got their little lines given to them by the pollsters. You know, everything's perfectly put down by a pollster, what to say and how to attack me. And you know, if that comes it comes. And I'll have to handle it at the time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: And Chris Christie today, who looks like he will likely get one of those coveted top 10 spots in Thursday's debate, he said -- he really downplayed Trump's recent rise in the polls. He said anyone can do well in the polls for a month. And he says it's up to Trump to be a serious candidate as serious as he wants to be he said on Thursday night's debate. Here's what he said to Jake Tapper on "STATE OF THE UNION."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's going to determine, through the depth of his answers and the seriousness of his answers whether he's a serious candidate or he isn't. That's what I mean about campaigns mattering. Anybody can do well for a month. In this business. Especially if you have talent and you have personality. And Donald has both of those things. So let's see how it goes over the course of time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SERFATY: Now all of this comes as there has been a shake-up today in the Trump campaign. The campaign announcing this afternoon that they have fired one of their political advisers, Sam Nunberg. This was for some controversial, racially charged, politically charged Facebook posts that he sent out allegedly in 2007. He has denied that he posted these things but, Fred, the campaign cutting ties effective immediately with him today.

[14:35:15] WHITFIELD: Hmm. OK. So that's one bit of a shake-up as it pertains to Trump. Meantime on the Democratic side now some more serious talk about Joe Biden and whether he is seriously considering jumping into the race?

SERFATY: That's right, Fred. This is potentially big news for the Democratic side of the ticket. We do know that Biden has not yet made a decision whether to run or not. But we do know from sources that his friends and his advisers are actively encouraging him to give it some serious thought. And it seems that part of much of this motivation is his son Beau Biden who passed away in May. He seemed to have some conversations with his father over the lead-up to his death, encouraging his father to run.

Biden previously had had a self-imposed August deadline. He said he will make the decision by August. But some Democratic sources, Fred, saying that that deadline now might slip, that he's not feeling too much pressure at this specific moment -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK. All so fascinating. Thanks so much, Sunlen Serfaty.

We're going to talk more about this right now. The primetime debate just days away. And now the shake-up within the Trump campaign.

So Ford O'Connell is a political analyst and a Republican strategist who worked on the 2008 McCain-Palin presidential campaign, joining us from Washington.

Good to see you.

FORD O'CONNELL, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Good to see you.

WHITFIELD: And also with me now from New York, columnist, Democrat, and co-author of "The Party's Over," Ellis Henican.

ELLIS HENICAN, CO-AUTHOR, "THE PARTY'S OVER": Hey.

WHITFIELD: All right, gentlemen. All right. So let's tackle this issue of Trump's policy adviser being removed over some racially charged language on a Facebook page. Two things, you know, I wonder, for two things, number one, you know, the effort of distancing oneself from these -- from this language, how concerned Trump is to do that, and then number two, this is the policy adviser. It's presumed that during that debate it's all about policy.

So how does Trump and his camp kind of get back together here?

O'CONNELL: Well, it was smart for him to dump the policy adviser. Right now he's leading in the polls and he's got to show himself to be a serious, you know, leader who can make quick decisions. And I think that was a good thing.

Now for a fact it's the policy adviser, let's be honest. You've got 10 candidates up on this debate stage. It's more about who is mastered and can speak fluently in sound bites, master the gotcha moment and make a positive impression. The key here at the end of the day is to draw headlines but yet make a positive impression so Donald Trump is fine where he is right now.

WHITFIELD: So, Ellis, are you in agreement with that, that really it's Trump who has the most to lose and really the most to win?

HENICAN: Well, clearly he's got the most to lose. He's leading everybody. I mean, the guys who were 2 percent and 3 percent by definition don't have very much to lose. Right? As for the policy adviser, though, you know, it's interesting. I mean, Donald is really the issue here. Right? I mean, he's the guy who called Mexicans rapists. You know, it's hard to believe that he's oh, so sensitive about somebody's ill-chosen words on a delicate racial topic.

WHITFIELD: So you think there's going to be an association between the two no matter what?

HENICAN: I don't think it matters who his policy advisers are. He's a one-man band and he's either going to rise or he's going to fall on his own.

O'CONNELL: Ellis, I really think you underestimate Donald Trump's appeal. Let's put it this way. He's actually channeling anger against Washington and politicians. And frankly, he's driving the conversation where Republican primary voters want it to go. So it's really a lot of appeal. But it's more of the nationalism and populism that people want to hear. And frankly he isn't scripted. He wants to speak his mind. For a lot of folks that's really refreshing.

WHITFIELD: So then, I wonder, Ford, you know, the other nine GOP candidates that will be selected in the primetime debate, they, too, you know, kind of want to drive the conversation. Is the pressure on for them to do that during this debate?

O'CONNELL: Well, if you're down lower in the polls like Chris Christie and Rand Paul you need to make headlines so you can gain momentum in the polls. Let me be honest with you, one way to do that is to counterjab Donald Trump, but you have to be very, very judicious about it because he hits back. And when he hits back he zings hard.

The deal here is to make a positive impression so that everyone is talking about you on Friday around the water cooler.

WHITFIELD: Well, you even heard him today when he was on the Sunday talk, he's saying, you know, he's not the one throwing the first punch, he's the counterpunch guy. (CROSSTALK)

HENICAN: Oh, yes.

WHITFIELD: Being one --

HENICAN: Oh, yes. I mean, like --

WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE) to any punches.

HENICAN: Where have these people been the last month, right? I mean, Donald was just sitting back and waiting for someone to say -- but you've got to look at the strategy, though, for the debate from the perspective of the other candidates. If you're one of the top people, if you're Jeb Bush or you're Scott Walker your strategy has got to be let the little guys do the hard punching and you just hold on for what you hope. You hope will be the inevitable decline of Donald.

If you're in that second tier, right, where Christie's probably going to be, and you know some of the others, you have to make a stand. You have to take a risk. If you're Huckabee, you've got to get in his face and say crazy stuff as he's been doing for the last week or two.

(CROSSTALK)

[14:40:05] WHITFIELD: Really? That's the winning strategy?

HENICAN: It two separate -- well, it's the only strategy the little guys have. Right? The big ones --

O'CONNELL: I actually have to agree with Ellis here.

HENICAN: The little ones can't do anything else.

WHITFIELD: You agree, Ford.

O'CONNELL: Ellis, I have to agree with you. If you're Jeb Bush or Scott Walker, there's no need to roll around in the mud.

HENICAN: Be cool.

O'CONNELL: But if you were way down in the polls, look, you may not be on the next debate -- or you will be on the next stage, it's on CNN, but you may not be in future debates. Therefore you've got to find a way to generate headlines and gain traction in the polls. If you're Jeb Bush, guess what, you want to stick to the issues, stay above the fray and let everyone else get in there with Trump.

HENICAN: Be nice.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave it there. We're going to see you again, Ford O'Connell and Ellis Henican, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

O'CONNELL: Thank you. WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, just days after Cecil the Lion is

killed by an American dentist there are new reports about another lion being killed by an American, a member of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, sharing the details with us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Racket technology has been the biggest game changer in tennis. Size and materials have changed over the years but now the racket is developing a mind of its own.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is actually the first tennis racket you have to turn on before you start playing. Because it's got sensors in the handle. That's exactly where the sensors are located. And those sensors pretty much measure everything you do on court.

[14:45:15] UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: While I'm playing the racket tracks the number of forehands, backhands, my strike speed, and where the ball hits the racket strings. The vibration of each stroke is registered in the chip, which is translated into data.

Until last year, using data collecting rackets during match play was ruled illegal in each of the four grand slams. But a new International Tennis Federation law now allows high-tech rackets to be used during tournament play, although the rule prohibits players from looking at the data during matches.

Rafael Nadal and Caroline Wozniacki are two of the top players that have started using the Babolat smart rackets in competition this year.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Still world outrage over the killing of a famous Zimbabwe lion called Cecil. And now some relief that its fellow lion Jericho is still alive despite earlier reports that it, too, had been killed by hunters.

This is a picture of Jericho, in fact, taken this morning by researcher Brent Stapelkamp who is tracking Jericho with a GPS tag. Jericho was taking care of the cubs of Cecil the Lion who was killed by an American dentist Walter Palmer.

Now Zimbabwe officials have banned all hunting of lions, leopards and elephants outside the game reserve where Cecil was killed.

Let's bring in Johnny Rodriguez. He is the chairman for the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force.

All right. So, Johnny, first of all, your organization is the one that first reported that Jericho was killed and then apparently retracted it. Help us understand why at first it was believed that both Cecil and Jericho had been killed.

JOHNNY RODRIGUEZ, ZIMBABWE CONSERVATION TASK FORCE: Good evening. The issue here, the National Parks, the authority had a meeting -- press conference yesterday afternoon at half past 3:00 where they put the ban in place, and at half past 4:00 I received a message from people on the ground, in the Hwange area, that said that Jericho was shot, and he was dead.

So we were concerned if it was the same repetition on the -- on Jericho, which happened to Cecil, and we thought we'd actually publish it and tell people because I had confirmed from three trustworthy people, and it wasn't true.

WHITFIELD: OK.

RODRIGUEZ: The --

WHITFIELD: And for sure this picture now, this picture, and that there is this GPS tracking, indeed, that Jericho is now alive. Right?

RODRIGUEZ: Yes. Jericho was actually seen this morning because anybody can shoot a lion and take the belt and move around, put it on a dog or any other animal. So we had one of the investigators to go in, and they confirmed that Jericho was alive, and the cubs are alive. So if there was any inconvenience, or any problem, I do apologize, it was honest mistake.

And the issue here is that animals are being lured out of the park, they -- these animals are being shot as trophies. And we're trying to say, to the authorities, this has been going on for so many years. There's all sorts of animals that have actually been shot and lured out of the park, and we are saying, hey, stop. This is enough.

Now it's got the attention. I know that we'll be bombarded in the last 10 days from all over the world. I do appreciate the concern, and you know, it's very hard when you start getting people giving you all the insults, and are blaming, and all the funny things that happen, it is crazy. I mean, we're only trying to sort of say to the world look, we've got a problem here, and in Africa, where a lot of these animals are being taken out and endangered, and it shouldn't be happening. And there's a lot of --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: And so now, Johnny, we understand that there is a ban around the circumference of the game park. What's your understanding of this ban and how it will be enforced?

[14:50:00] RODRIGUEZ: The ban, it should have happened years back. But the -- I'm quite happy that the ban has come in, so if anybody wants to do a hunt, they have to go to the director general and get the permit and the license from the director, and when they conduct a hunt, a national parks escort will escort these hunters to do the hunt which is controllable.

WHITFIELD: And then reportedly there may be a second American hunter that may have killed a lion. This is information reportedly that we've received. Have you heard anything about that and whether that is true? RODRIGUEZ: It is true. The charges have been laid. I leave it up to

the authorities to come up with the charges. The one person, the land owner, has been arrested and he's actually helping the authorities to actually prosecute the illegal hunt.

WHITFIELD: OK. And now we're hearing that the National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority is actually releasing this information that another lion has been killed by an American, illegally hunting. That's your understanding?

RODRIGUEZ: Yes, that is correct.

WHITFIELD: OK.

RODRIGUEZ: Yes, that is correct. And we let the justice take its course.

WHITFIELD: And in your view, I mean, you have already criticized -- I think you're criticizing the Zimbabwe government for its lack of enforcement to protect the animals against poachers. How much confidence do you have at this point that whether it be Jericho, the remaining very famous lion, and the cubs are going to be protected? Or how much concern do you have that the Zimbabwe government is going to do all that it can to protect the lives of the wildlife there?

RODRIGUEZ: I understand. You know with Cecil -- the killing of Cecil, it's actually awoken a time bomb all over the world. The whole planet. Everybody knows. So the thing is, the laws are going to be enforced because Zimbabwe is going to be under the watchful eye of all these passionate people around the world.

WHITFIELD: Johnny Rodriguez, thank you so much for your time. Appreciate it.

RODRIGUEZ: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And we'll be right back.

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[14:56:15] WHITFIELD: All right. A look now at our top stories today. The Coast Guard rescuing a mother and daughter off the coast of Georgia after their 16-foot boat was grounded near Saint Simon's Island. The vessel had started taking on water, but the crew arrived just in time to rescue them.

And Kraft is recalling 36,000 cases of their individually wrapped American cheese slices because of a choking hazard. When the wrapper is removed the small piece of plastic can stick to the cheese. The company said there are three reports of choking. And you can find details on the specific cases being recalled at CNN.com.

And a 13-year-old basketball player from California has verbally committed to the UCLA basketball team. Can you believe that? And guess what? His name is Lamelo Ball. No kidding. Well, guess what? He and his two older brothers also committed to UCLA. His brothers committing months ago. The team's star averaged around 20 points in a 17 and under event in Las Vegas just last week.

Congrats to the Trojan family.

The next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM begins right after this.

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