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Donald Trump to Appear for Jury Duty; Donald Trump Leads in First Post-Debate Poll; Death Toll Rising at China's Chemical Blast; 12 Million Acres Burned Across U.S.; At Least 5 Killed in Bangkok Bombing. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired August 17, 2015 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Granting citizenship to people born in the United States.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They have to go.

COSTELLO: As a new poll cements his frontrunner status.

Plus one million acre burning across eight states.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really upsetting. We don't want to see anybody lose their home.

COSTELLO: Soaring temperatures not helping and resources stretched thin.

And making history. A professional baseball player comes out. How Brewers Minor Leaguer David Denson told his teammates and their reaction.

Let's talk. Live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining me. The Donald Trump circus comes back home to jury duty? Oh, yes. Mr. Trump has been summoned to serve on a New York City jury. And he assures America he is eager to do that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I will be doing jury duty on Monday morning in New York City.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: In a criminal or a district court?

TRUMP: I don't know. It's one of the courts.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Are you looking forward to it?

TRUMP: Yes. I'm looking forward to it. I think it's fun.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Never mind Trump has been summoned five times before and he hasn't shown up for any of those summonses.

CNN's Alexandra Field is outside the courthouse where the Donald could actually appear at any moment.

Good morning.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, that's right, Carol. He actually has a $250 fine for missing those five summonses which were sent him. That fine will be voided if and when he does show up for his jury duty this morning. He should be coming up those stairs behind me in just a few minutes. He's set to be here by 9:00 this morning.

So why didn't he come when he was summoned those other five times? Well, his attorney was on "NEW DAY" this morning, giving an extrapolation, suggesting there was some confusion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL COHEN, SPECIAL COUNSEL TO DONALD TRUMP: It's unfortunate. That whole scenario is just whacky. They claimed that they had sent it to him on several different occasions --

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR, NEW DAY: He's a jury skipper.

COHEN: Not true.

CUOMO: Shirking his civic duty.

COHEN: You've got to serve it to the right property. They --

CUOMO: Is that what it was?

COHEN: Yes, they sent it to some property on the Central Park South. I believe he owns the building, but he doesn't reside there and nobody knows what happened to the document.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FIELD: Bottom line Donald Trump does have these summons now. He has been summoned to appear at the Supreme Court here in Lower Manhattan, in the Civil Division. We're told by court officials and officers here that he will be treated as any other potential juror. The pool this morning about 700 people. They're called today and possibly tomorrow as well. And then it's decided whether or not they are assigned to a case.

So, Carol, if he isn't assigned to a case he could be dismissed as early as this morning or likely by sometime tomorrow afternoon.

COSTELLO: Alrighty. We'll check back. Alexandria Field reporting live for us this morning.

Donald Trump may be stepping off the campaign trail, but his fellow Republicans are still languishing in his shadow. In the first national poll since the GOP debate, Trump holds on to his commanding lead and significantly the top three candidates have something in common. All are winning support with a shared message -- rally against the political establishment.

CNN political reporter Sara Murray joins us now with that.

Good morning.

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. You are right. It looks like that first GOP debate did cause something of a shake-up in the field. And that is good news for the candidates who are running against Washington. Now we also got a really big dose of retail politics this weekend in Iowa. Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MURRAY (voice-over): Donald Trump keeps soaring. Landing at the top of a new FOX News poll, while winning support from one in four Republican primary voters.

Trump isn't the only one climbing. Rounding out the top tier of the anti-establishment crowd neurosurgeon Ben Carson drawing 12 percent support and Texas Senator Ted Cruz with 10 percent. Losing ground Jeb Bush coming in fourth with 9 percent support. A six-point drop from early August.

Now Trump is offering more red meat for conservatives. A hard line immigration plan. Saying on NBC's "Meet the Press" he even supports deporting children brought to the U.S. illegally. A step further than some of his GOP rivals.

CHUCK TODD, HOST, "MEET THE PRESS": You're going to split up families.

TRUMP: Chuck.

TODD: You're going to deport children?

TRUMP: Chuck, no, no. We're going to keep the families together. We have to keep the families together. But they have to go.

TODD: But you're going to keep them together out?

TRUMP: But they have to go.

MURRAY: Trump's six-page proposal calls for an end to birthright citizenship. A provision enshrined in the Constitution that grants citizenship to those born in the U.S. It puts stricter limits on legal immigration and pushes penalties on Mexico if they refuse to fund a wall along the border.

But for most of the weekend, a spotlight wasn't on policy but retail politics at the Iowa State Fair.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Thank you.

FIELD: Jeb Bush looking to boost his sagging poll numbers spent four hours there, sampling pork chops and practicing his back pitch. Meanwhile, his super PAC is pitching in, spending $10 million on ads in the early states.

As for Trump, it was a claustrophobic chaotic spin through the fairgrounds.

[09:05:04] TRUMP: Let's get a picture with everybody real fast.

FIELD: Complete with a free ride for the kids on his $7 million chopper.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD: Now as for that immigration plan, groups that want to curb legal and illegal immigration are applauding it. Meanwhile, immigration advocates are slamming it. The big question is, what are voters going to think?

Back to you, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. We're going to talk about that in the next block of NEWSROOM, actually at 9:15 Eastern Time.

Sara Murray, reporting live for us, thank you so much.

In other news this morning homeowners living near the site of those powerful explosions in northern China are demanding answers from their government. Some want compensation for their homes. Others are worried about lingering contamination. Officials say the air and water are safe but they still don't have a list of the chemicals stored at this temporary warehouse that exploded violently.

In the meantime as anger grows so does the death toll from the blast. 114 people now confirmed dead.

CNN's Will Ripley has more for you.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, the closer we get to the blast site, the more it becomes clear just how devastatingly powerful these explosions were. Look at these. Twenty people were sleeping in this. It was the dormitory for migrant workers. You can see their beds. Everything came tumbling down and everybody inside, we're told, made it out alive. Incredibly without being seriously hurt.

But we know that there are many others who unfortunately are still in the hospital right now. 698 people being treated at hospitals, 114 now confirmed dead, at least, and 70 are still missing. And the families of some of the people who live in this area are very angry. They've been protesting. We saw them outside of a government press conference earlier today demanding that the government buy back their homes. They want compensation because they say they lived too close to this now destroyed warehouse where a long list of toxic chemicals were being housed and they don't feel safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SHI WENJING, HOMEOWNER: The chemical stuff is all over. I saw -- it was like a firework, you know, exploding, flying to everywhere. Some parts might fall to our home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: Right now more than 2,000 troops are working alongside hundreds of biochemical experts. They're testing the air, they're testing the ground water and the sea water and the soil for contamination from this disaster. But chemicals are still strewn about everywhere. In fact we discovered them right here at this site. And we notified the government and they sent in the fire department to clean it up.

But it just goes to show the full scale of this disaster and the environmental impact and the exact toxic chemicals involved are still unknown as the Chinese government promises a full criminal investigation amid growing public criticism and questions about how this could have happened -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Will Ripley reporting for us this morning.

Indonesian searchers think they spotted the debris of the airliner that crashed yesterday. But bad weather has forced hundreds of people to suspend search and rescue operations. The government released pictures of where they think that plane went down and vowed to continue searching as soon as they can. The plane was carrying 54 passengers.

One million acres up in smoke. Western states dealing with one of the worst fire seasons in years. A live report after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:12:24] COSTELLO: I want to take you right out to the streets of New York City. In the middle of that crowd of reporters is Donald Trump. You see his hair there? Yes. His head sticking out there. Yes. He reported to jury duty, and as you can see, most of the crowd consists of media, but there are some people just taking pictures. And you can see the -- see the young woman in the striped shirt, she's very happy, she got a picture of Donald Trump.

In a moment, he will walk to the top of the stairs to this courthouse and he will turn and waive like a true politician. He said on Friday that he thought the summons to serve on a jury would be kind of fun, although he has missed five summonses in the past. He was actually fined $250. But as you can see he did indeed show up for this summon. There he is walking to the top of the stairs. And I'll just let you enjoy the pictures for a moment.

All right. So he's going to turn, he's going to wave to the crowd like the true politician that he is becoming.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: And then he will go to join 700 other people who also have been summoned to jury duty. We'll keep you posted.

In other news, we're keeping a close eye on a story unfolding in Thailand. A CNN crew in central Bangkok is reporting that bomb squads are on the scene of an explosion and actively working to diffuse a bomb. According to various media reports at least a dozen people are already confirmed dead, many more are wounded.

It is not clear who is behind the blast but witnesses say the blast appeared to target a shrine that is often visited by tourists.

CNN is working to nail down the newest details. Of course we'll bring you any new developments as they come to us.

Fast-moving wild fires across a dozen states have now blackened more than one million acres. And it's getting worse by the minute. Triple digits heat and severe drought make this fire season one of the worst in years. The situation so dire that 4,000 California prison inmates have been enlisted to fight the flames. Even Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are sending firefighters.

Chad Myers is covering this for us this morning.

Hi, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Carol. And behind me is the rain expected over the next 120 hours. Not a drop where we need it. Sure, there will be rain in the plains but not where it's -- not where the fires are. The fires here, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and there's going to be a little bit of wind in Wyoming today as next storm system rolls on by.

This is a serious situation. And if you go back all the way to the beginning of the year, there has been 10,000 square miles burned across the United States.

[09:15:04] That is larger than the state of New Jersey. That is larger than the state of Vermont or New Hampshire all bigger. That has much -- how much land has burned out there to the west.

So, here is the real problem, the problem is that it has been drought. There has been drought for so long from Seattle to Missoula, to Central California.

I know we focus a lot on California and how much drought there is there but it has been dry all across. Exceptional drought across the areas here from California through Arizona and even into parts of Nevada.

Look at Death Valley today. It will get to 120 degrees. I know, it's Death Valley and it's not humid but that's not the heat index. That's the real temperature, 115 in Blithe. It was 117 in Phoenix on Friday. It will be 111 today. The problem is it's not cooling down at night. Temperatures are very, very warm.

So, even Salt Lake City at 91, Las Vegas 111 degrees. You want to go outside? You walk down the strip in Las Vegas it's going to just -- it will be stifling there. Palm Springs 114. Carol, remember the temperatures you always see are in the shade.

If you are standing in the sun or on asphalt, those temperatures will be warmer than that -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Just awful. Chad Myers reporting live for us this morning -- thanks so much.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: Still to come in THE NEWSROOM: Donald Trump gives us new details about the immigration plan. A border wall? Deporting 11 million people? Hmm, that's just the beginning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:20:48] ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

COSTELLO: All right. We're getting more information out of Thailand and it's terrible news, to be frank. In fact, the pictures are so horrifying out of Bangkok we can't show you most of them because the carnage there.

A series of blasts have gone on in Central Bangkok near a Hindu shrine. It's 8:15 p.m. in Thailand right now, and around that Hindu shrine is also major shopping areas, a five-star hotel, some people say it was a car bomb that is to blame for the huge explosion and the carnage.

But let's check with the Southeast Asia bureau chief for the Voice of America, Steve Herman. He's on the phone with us right now.

Steve, what you tell us?

STEVE HERMAN, SOUTHEAST ASIA BUREAU CHIEF, VOICE OF AMERICA (via telephone): Well, it is a scene of pandemonium here. We were at the gate of the shrine shortly after the blast. We were able to see six bodies covered with sheets, and the middle of the intersection here at Ploenchit and Rajdamri, one of the busiest intersections in central Bangkok, there are body parts strewn in the intersection. There are several charred motorcycles that were hit by the force of this blast. It came from inside the shrine.

We did have one unnamed official here on the scene confirm to us that it was a bomb blast. They have not told us at the scene a total number of casualties. A number of people have been transported from the scene and were injured. We've seen at least six bodies. Apparently as many as -- or more.

And they are -- they keep pushing the cordoned area back and back. They're worried about a second blast going off. We saw in the intersection an old electronic circuit that police did seize as evidence.

There is a bomb disposal unit on the scene in the full protection suit, and they're nervous. There are hundreds of rescue personnel on the scene. Notion reporters, remarkably, there are also tourists milling about. There would have been dozens if not perhaps a hundred tourists inside that shrine when the blast went off.

COSTELLO: Well, let's talk about that shrine. It's not often you hear a Hindu shrine targeted. So, did it have to do more with it being a tourist area or Hinduism itself?

HERMAN: This shrine is popular with tourists, but Thais coming from other places, right next to the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel would have also been visiting there. There are usually dance performances going on. People come to make offerings.

And we're stepping very carefully. We're being pushed back more. We have to be careful where we step because there are just parts that are covered with little pieces of paper all around the area.

COSTELLO: And just a final question for you, there was a military coup that ousted the civilian government in May of last year. Were there incidents similar to this surrounding that?

HERMAN: After the coup occurred, it has been relatively peaceful. There have been minor incidents in the country. Before the coup, there were a number of small blasts that took place at demonstration sites.

But this is obviously something different. I don't want to speculate at this point as to who may have caused this. We have to be careful here.

We're next to the police hospital and it looks like there's falling blasts right now. It is a very intense and still somewhat dangerous scene here. Well over an hour after this occurred.

COSTELLO: All right. Steve Herman, thank you very much for joining me this morning. I appreciate it.

Again, to recap in case you missed it. At least six people dead in Bangkok, Thailand. Apparently some sort of bomb blast went off near a Hindu shrine there, very popular with tourists. This is right at the tourist area.

In fact, we're getting new video of the explosion.

[09:25:00] Yes, can we put it up? There it is. I'm seeing it -- oh, my goodness. So, you can see it was an intense bomb blast that went on.

As you heard Steve Herman just reporting, there are body parts strewn in the area, and there's no telling how many people have died.

But, again, this is in Bangkok, Thailand. Some sort of powerful bomb blast near a Hindu shrine, very popular with tourists. There's a five-star hotel nearby, and also, shops like Burberry. This is a place where many tourists frequent.

When we get more information, of course, we'll pass it along. Wow.

I'm going to take a break. We'll be back with more in THE NEWSROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

COSTELLO: And good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining us.

And we do begin with breaking news out of Bangkok, Thailand. A terrible explosion at the Hindu shrine there.