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At This Hour

Bomb Explodes at Bangkok Hindu Shrine; Donald Trump Leads Polls, Wants to Change Birth Right Citizenship; Trump Reports for Jury Duty; How Does Billionaire Trump Rate as A Populist; Weather Causes of Indonesian Plane Search; North Korea Threatens Attack to U.S. Homeland. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired August 17, 2015 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: AT THIS HOUR with Berman and Bolduan starts now.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news. A bomb explodes in Thailand's equivalent of Times Square. The target appears to be a huge tourist attraction next to a five-star hotel. We will tell you what they just discovered at the scene.

A passenger plane disappears carrying 54 people. One neighborhood may have the answer to what happened after a major discovery.

And Donald Trump is, A, a billionaire, B, winning, C, Batman, D, all of the above. The new poll and the new policy that has everyone talking.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome. I'm John Berman. Kate Bolduan is off today.

We have breaking news out of Thailand. A bomb in central Bangkok has killed at least five people. That number will go up. This video, you saw it right there, shows the moment the exPLOsion occurred. It hit around 7:00 p.m. local time, and the location here is crucial, a Hindu shrine that is a huge tourist attraction. Locals call it the equivalent of Times Square in Bangkok. The scene is still active, and as I said, the casualty count, it will rise.

CNN international anchor, Kristie Lu Stout, joins me now.

Walk us through what happened here.

KRISTI LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, a massive blast took place in the heart of Thailand, Bangkok. Several people are dead, scores more are injured, and local media is reporting at least 27 people are dead and there are fears the death toll will rise. We spoke to an eyewitness earlier on the scene. This is over an hour ago. He said he saw six bodies under sheets at the site of the bombing. Thai police are telling CNN there's another bomb that needs to be defused. It's unfolding in an area popular with tourists. Bangkok is a huge tourist destination and it happened at the Erawan Shrine. The bombing also took place during a very busy time. If we bring up the CCTV video -- you screened it a moment ago -- you will see the time stamp says it took place just before 7:00 p.m. local time and that's rush hour in Bangkok. So, John, it appears this was an attack. It was designed, and it was timed for maximum casualties targeting both tourists and the people of Thailand.

Back to you.

BERMAN: It's the location and a time designed to kill people it seems. Again, the news just in, at least 27 people dead, and, again, that number could very well go up a lot more in the next several minutes and hours. Any word yet of any claim of responsibility? This seems so deliberate, something you would do if you were trying to send a message.

STOUT: There is no claim of responsibility so far, and that is a question that we have right now. Who is behind this bomb blast? No claim of responsibility just yet. We know that police investigators are on the scene. They're trying to piece together what happened and who is behind it. No word behind that, but what we do know on the scene right now, it's still an active bomb threat under way. The police there in Bangkok have cordoned off that area around the Erawan Shrine. They're trying to defuse another bomb, so it's still very much a fluid and uncertain situation in the heart of Bangkok.

BERMAN: At least 27 people dead trying to defuse it seems another bomb. We will stay on this breaking news all morning.

Kristie Lu Stout, thanks so much.

We do have other news this morning.

He is winning and he is Batman. Welcome to the summer of Trump. A new poll shows Donald Trump firmly in the lead of the Republican field, and that position unshaken despite the fact that responders said he lost the debate, and despite the fact they say they don't like him more than any other candidate. The not-liked, debate-losing, field-leading candidate released his first policy statement. He wants a wall and wants to kick out kids born to undocumented immigrant parents, no matter what the 14th Amendment says. This morning, he's reporting to jury duty. He is, in fact, just like all of us. And he told a child that he is, in fact, Batman. That actually happened. And if that's not enough, what is?

Joining me now, CNN's senior Washington correspondent, Jeff Zeleny.

Jeff, Donald Trump's position in the polls unshaken, to say the least.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Unshaken, indeed, and it's an open question. We thought the summer of Trump would sort of be the end of it, but it's clear that is not the case. This is going into the fall of Trump. And you can see those poll numbers right now. 25 percent, that's a quarter of this Republican electorate, and no one is anywhere even within striking distance of him. So right now the Republican field, all the rest of all these candidates, are grappling with how to deal with him going forward. They thought he was a nuisance for a while. Now he is a clear contender, a clear front-runner across this field. It was clear, John, seeing him in Iowa over the weekend. I walked with the throngs of crowds. I talked with him a little while as he was soaking up all this energy. He loved the fact his crowds he said were much bigger than Hillary's. He loved the fact he was getting all this attention. This comes with a little bit of a downside as well. So interesting in this poll that he had the majority of people saying that they don't like him of all these candidates and that he is the -- performed the worst in the debate, yet people are still giving him the highest rankings largely because they're not liking what other candidates are saying. They still believe that he tells it like it is. He is out there sort of railing against the establishment, and in this very outsider, anti-establishment year, that's exactly what some voters are looking for at least right now.

[11:05:48] BERMAN: Not liked but winning. I think he would take the winning half of that any day of the week. Reporters have been saying where are your policy positions, where are your policy papers? Well, he put one out on immigration. It's not something everyone agrees with but it is a position.

ZELENY: It is, indeed, and it's the most extensive we have seen him wade into the policy debate. It is on immigration. The question is how workable it is. The headline is basically everyone should be deported, children including, and he said, you know, we'll bring the good ones back. Entirely unclear how workable that is, how that policy would actually be affected but also the birth right citizenship. The 14th Amendment, he said that that needs to go basically. So, a very ironic argument from a Republican presidential candidate here. But, John, the reality is that resonates well with at least some of this Republican base, probably not the entire Republican base, but at least a quarter or more of this Republican base, so this immigration policy that really thrust him into the limelight at the very beginning of his campaign is now going to be the spine of his race going forward here. So probably not good for the party overall as they try to expand their appeal to voters everywhere, but in this Republican primary, not a bad place to be.

BERMAN: No. Maybe a liked position but not even Donald Trump can aggregate the Constitution.

Jeff, it is fascinating to see. Thank you so much.

ZELENY: Thank you.

BERMAN: Donald Trump not campaigning at this very moment because, at this very moment, he has jury duty at the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan.

Our Alexandra Field is there.

Alexandra, what's the latest?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Batmobile, his black stretch limo, still parked out of the state Supreme Courthouse in lower Manhattan. This isn't a campaign stop but it almost looked like one when he rolled up in the limo this morning sort of taking his time to make his way through the crowd, mostly members of the media. But really a crush of cameras as he is wont to attract these days. He walked up the steps slowly, gave a big wave and a thumbs up to the crowd and in he went to serve his civic duty. He's been getting a little flack as we know over the last five days -- last few days given the fact that we now understand that there have been five previous summonses that Donald Trump ignored, never showed up for jury duty in these previous five cases. His attorney says that's because Trump never received the notices, they were sent to a building he owns, not the building he lived in. In any event, he did show up for his duty today. There was a $250 fine which he would be facing. That fine is to be voided with the completion of his duty. He's been inside for about two hours now, John. You can only imagine what the conversations are like inside that jury room right now.

BERMAN: I'm sure Donald Trump is probably talking about himself if today is, in fact, like any other day.

Alexandra Field, thank you so much for being with us. Appreciate it.

We want to know, what is the secret sauce that has Donald Trump leading around the nation and in the key state of Iowa as well?

Joining us right now one of Donald Trump's key strategists, Chuck Laudner, Donald Trump's Iowa state director.

Mr. Laudner, thank you so much for being with us.

You are a serious player in Iowa with a serious record of success in Iowa. In 2012, you drove Rick Santorum to 99 counties in that state. You helped lead led a populous campaign to win the Iowa caucuses. How is it that Donald Trump, a billionaire, the son of a millionaire, rates right now as a populist?

CHUCK LAUDNER, IOWA STATE DIRECTOR FOR DONALD TRUMP CAMPAIGN: Well, he does rate as a populist because it reaches across all these demographics. It's Reagan Democrats, Independents, social conservatives on the Republican side, all age groups. And because it's that anti-establishment message. It's that we've had it up to our eyeballs and we're not going to take it anymore and we're tired of hearing all of the things that we can't do after 30 years of zero policy achievements. It's time for someone to say absolutely we can do this and all it is a matter of people coming together and demanding that it gets done.

[11:09:56] BERMAN: One of the things you can't do at least not easily is abrogate the Constitution or the Bill of Rights. Donald Trump put out a policy paper on immigration. He did an interview with Chuck Todd where he says he essentially wants to do away with birth right citizenship. If you were born in the United States to illegal immigrants, he says, you still have to go. Let me read you the 14th Amendment. "All persons born or naturalized in the United States are citizens of the United States." Do you think Trump understands that, Chuck?

LAUDNER: Subject to the jurisdiction thereof, born and naturalized citizens. This is one of the things that no one ever had this in mind when those words were written, and, yes, it can be done, and a majority of people understand that it can be done. The only block isn't the Constitution or a court, it's the political will to do the things that are right, and everybody recognizes it and that's why people are fed up, that's why you see Donald Trump riding at the top of the polls. They're fed up. They know we can do these things. We just need to get someone in there that will follow through and deliver the simple things that get our jobs back, get our economy running, and get this incompetence out of government and serve the will of the people.

BERMAN: No matter what the 14th Amendment says. It says born or naturalized. If you're born here, so says the 14th Amendment, you are a citizen.

LAUDNER: But to the parents of illegal immigrants, and if we don't control the border, if we don't cut off the jobs magnet, we're going to continue the same problem over and over again for another 30 years. All the things that we can't do when actually we can, and we can get Americans those jobs, lift wages, and get this middle class churning again.

BERMAN: I understand that is his position, and it may be as you say what is helping him lead in the polls right now. His campaign slogan is "Make America great again." When he did an interview this weekend, he was asked, when was America last great in his mind? And this is how he answered. Let's listen.

LAUDNER: I would say during the administration of Ronald Reagan you felt proud to be an American, you felt really proud. I don't think since then to any great extent people were proud.

BERMAN: You know, it's interesting, Chuck. You know, you're a student of political history. Michelle Obama made a statement that for the first time she was proud to be an American. She faced a lot of criticism. Donald Trump is saying he hasn't been proud to be an American since the 1980s? Have you been proud --

(CROSSTALK)

LAUDNER: Wrong, wrong, wrong. That is not what he said. When was the last time America felt things were great? And it was Ronald Reagan and, sure, you can throw a dart at any July 4th in the last 30 years and you can show parades across America and flags waving and welcoming vets home. Americans are constantly proud of their country, but they want things to be better, and coming out of the Carter malaise, Ronald Reagan delivered something that no one else has since. We're in the exact same predicament. Vets are met by a federal government that refuses to give them the proper care they deserve. It's been over a year. Several sternly worded press releases from all of your elected officials but nothing has been done and people are ticked. The veterans are ticked. Dying on secret waiting lists and you think that's a reason America should raise that flag up and be proud? No, certainly not. That's feeding right into this why we need someone like Donald Trump in the White House to say enough is enough, this doesn't happen anymore. It's not only unconscionable, it's flat- out unacceptable. We're going to deliver veterans health care, we're going to take care of our military families and build an Army that is peace through strength that no one is going to want to mess with and we won't have to be sending them into every single entanglement across the country -- across the world.

BERMAN: I was in Iowa about a month ago and I was talking to people on the ground. They said a month ago they didn't see an organization to speak of for Donald Trump, but I have talked to reporters who were there this weekend and they say it's beginning to sprout up. You know Iowa well. Do you have the organization to get people to the caucuses next February?

LAUDNER: Sure we do. Absolutely we do. Not only do we have a big staff out here on the ground that's working every corner of the state, political events, nonpolitical events, but we also have an Army of volunteers that we have plugged in. We're miles ahead of where even I expected we would be, and I remind folks like yourself that we -- that Donald Trump just announced he was running for president two months ago.

BERMAN: So I need --

(CROSSTALK)

LAUDNER: We've been at this for several months, and it's growing, growing, growing.

[11:15:02] BERMAN: Last question right here. Donald Trump told a child this weekend that he is Batman. Chuck Laudner, can you confirm to us that Donald Trump is Batman?

LAUDNER: Well, I don't think I can confirm it, but it certainly connects a few dots. I will just say that.

BERMAN: Yes, it does.

(LAUGHTER)

It would explain a lot, to be sure.

Chuck Laudner, thank you so much for being with us. Iowa looks great today as it always does. Thanks, Chuck.

LAUDNER: Absolutely. Thank you, sir.

BERMAN: Other politics news, run, Joe, run. A new call for the vice president to enter the race from a source that really matters. A key early state power broker joins us live.

Plus, a major discovery in the frantic search for a missing passenger plane. Villagers say they saw a crash.

And more on this breaking news. A bomb explodes in the equivalent of Times Square in Thailand. At least 27 people reported dead, and that number is rising by the minute. We have much more on this ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: The search for a plane that went down to the mountains of Indonesia has been suspended. We have our first look at what we believe to be debris from that plane. 54 people were on board including five children. Still no indication if there are any survivors. Indonesian officials say bad weather is preventing them from getting to the wreckage. That search plane spotted for the first time on Sunday.

Kathy Novak joins us now with the latest -- Kathy?

[11:19:51] KATHY NOVAK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, John. This is the second night in a row that the search had to be suspended. It's dark now, but before that bad weather prevented the planes from going up anymore, also prevented the crews on the ground from moving any further. What you had was a situation with two groups of people on the ground hiking through really difficult terrain. This is steep mountains, thick, heavy jungle, and then thick fog rolled in. They had to stop. They were camping on that mountain at an elevation of 11,500 feet. When the conditions were good enough, planes were able to take pictures of this debris they say they are almost certain this is the plane that went down. Villagers said it crashed into the mountain and the head of the search and rescue operation says he is 95 percent sure this is the missing plane but they just cannot get to it. They're waiting until the sun comes up, but if the weather is still bad, they're not going to be able to go out there. What they're trying to do is hike out so they can set up a helipad so that helicopters can get to this very difficult terrain and if it cannot land, then people can actually rappel from the helicopters to try to find any survivors. We're being told there's a very, very faint hope that someone might have survived but warnings with the situation that is extremely unlikely -- John?

BERMAN: Such a tough area to get to.

Kathy Novak, thank you so much.

Coming up for us, our breaking news. A bomb explodes right next to a huge tourist attraction. At least 27 people are dead, and as we speak, that death toll is rising. We'll bring you the very latest.

Also, the threat of war. North Korea warns the United States it will attack the homeland, and this time, they say they mean it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:25:01] BERMAN: Happening now, North Korea threatening to attack the United States. This is over U.S./South Korean military exercises that happen every year. And these threats from North Korea happen every year. But today, the threat is especially heated. A North Korean spokesman says that country is an invincible power equipped with the latest offensive and defensive means unknown to the world. The statement includes a threat to attack the United States in the United States.

CNN's chief national security correspondent, Jim Sciutto, joins me now.

Unknown offensive weapons, a threat to the United States in the homeland. Is this something that officials here in the U.S. are actually concerned about?

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, anytime North Korea talks about this kind of weapon they're talking about nukes. It's effectively threatening the U.S. with a nuclear missile. When you talk to the U.S. military, we know that North Korea has a nuclear bomb. They tested it three times. There's a belief they could put one of these warheads on a missile, that's certainly concerning but there's always been doubts as to how well they can target it and, two, can they actually explode that warhead where they target it. Continuing questions about what their actual capability is as well as the idea that as crazy as that leader sounds, they know that the reaction from the U.S. would be so great there would be in effect suicidal. That said, it's an unpredictable leadership. They've done nasty stuff in the past. They sank a South Korean navy ship. Killed a lot of people. This is a few years ago. So whenever it happens, you got to treat it with concern, no question.

BERMAN: Harsh words between the U.S. and North Korea. Also really complicated tense situation right now between the Obama administration and China. The Obama administration issuing a stern warning, this has to do with the fact there are many, many spies, says the U.S., inside the United States, Chinese spies pressuring Chinese ex pats. What's going on here, Jim?

SCIUTTO: China is in the midst of an enormous anti-corruption crackdown and no one is safe from it. They have gone after the former top general in China, some of the most powerful figures in business and government. Business and government are often mixed in China. No one is safe from it. And that's what this president has proven, including people who have come to the states. This has been happening for years where the Chinese store a lot -- they make a lot of money, they store it here in the U.S. and consider it safe. The U.S. and China don't have an extradition agreement so they think they're safe, but China has got spies here trying to pressure them to go back, and at the same time pressure the U.S. to help them go back even though there's no extradition treaty. The U.S. position is this, you share the evidence with us, and you tell us that there is a criminal case here, we have a protocol. They do have a protocol, and maybe we'll play ball and in the past, John, I was just speaking to the State Department, said have you ever done that before? They said, yeah, we have done that but we have to see the evidence first. It's interesting, a lot of folks might think they're completely safe when they come to U.S. shores but there actually is an agreement between the U.S. and China and it is possible. It is possible.

BERMAN: Jim Sciutto, thank you so much.

SCIUTTO: Thank you.

BERMAN: Coming up for us, is this the final straw that will push Joe Biden into the race? A key influencer in one of the crucial early states says run, and he joins us live next. Plus, they blew up two death stars and now "Star Wars" plans to blow

up Disney World, in a good way. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)