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New Day

Second Blast Rocks Bangkok After Deadly Attacks; Trigana Plane's Black Box Found; Trump Leads GOP Field, Makes Big Gains in New Poll; Hillary Clinton Emails Flagged for Review. Aired 6-6:30a ET

Aired August 18, 2015 - 06:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A vicious and cruel attack designed to create carnage.

[05:58:34] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were hundreds of medics, police, fire brigade.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bodies everywhere. And there were cars on fire.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police have a suspect.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Search teams have found the black box.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are no survivors.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They still don't have much of a clue as to why this plane crashed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Trump leading the Republican pack.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will build a great, great wall.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump's eight-page plan is absolute gibberish.

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R-NJ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is not the negotiation of a real estate deal.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three hundred five documents have been flagged.

HILLARY CLINTON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I won't get down in the mud with them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a serious political problem for her.

CLINTON: It's not about e-mails or servers either, it's about politics.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo, Alisyn Camerota and Michaela Pereira.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Tuesday, August 18, now 6 a.m. in the east. And we do begin with breaking news. A terror attack overnight. Police say an unidentified man threw a small explosive from a bridge near a busy pier in Bangkok. This blast comes less than 24 hours after that deadly bombing at a popular shrine killed 22 people, injured more than 100.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: So this morning investigators working to identify this man captured on surveillance cameras as the horrifying video surfaces of the moment that that first bomb went off. So let's get right to CNN's Andrew Stevens. He's live for us in Bangkok with all the breaking details. What do we know, Andrew?

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn.

Yes, significant new developments today with the hunt for that man. Police are now calling him a suspect rather than just a person of interest as this case moves forward less than 24 hours after the blast.

This blast described today by the prime minister of Thailand as the worst ever attack on Thai soil.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS (voice-over): This morning, Thai officials are on the hunt for this man they believe could be connected to the bomb that ripped through central Bangkok. Images show his backpack, seen here, was on before the blast, but not after.

Newly-released cell phone video captures the chaotic scene during evening rush hour on Monday. Unsuspected tourists and locals walked along a popular foot bridge before the sudden explosion below.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I get up on the sky walk. And that's when I hear this huge explosion. I see, like, bodies everywhere and cars on fire.

STEVENS: People waiting in traffic captured the bomb going off in front of them. Smoke and embers filled the air. Surveillance video capturing the large and deadly blast lighting up the night sky.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw about five different ambulances screaming away from the scene. I saw there were hundreds of meds, police, fire brigade.

STEVENS: The bomb claiming more than 20 lives and injuring over 100. Local police believe this was a, quote, deliberate act of terror, quote, targeting a Hindu shrine, a major tourist attraction in Thailand, also near a large shopping mall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's an attack on a touristic site. It tells me that this group wants to hit at the economy, do a lot of damage, especially if there's a follow-on. STEVENS: Thai officials telling the state-run news agency, they

did see the warning of possible attacks, but no specifics.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: Horrific scenes from that bomb blast less than 24 hours ago, Alisyn. And it's interesting: the government is very clearly saying that it was a deliberate target. This was deliberately targeting tourists to hurt the Thai economy. So they have a suspect, but they don't really have a motive as to why they want to attack the economy, what is their bottom line here. The search continues -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, Andrew. Let's get context on all this.

Joining us now is CNN global affairs analyst and managing editor of "Quartz," Bobby Ghosh, and CNN terrorism analyst Phil Mudd. Gentlemen, thanks so much for being here.

Bobby, let's talk about what happened this morning. There was another explosion this morning. No injuries reported, but yet, you think that they are connected?

BOBBY GHOSH, CNN GLOBAL AFFAIRS ANALYST: It's hard to know if they're connected. But it's the second attack, as you see in that video there. It is also an attack on a tourist target. It seemed that somebody threw what appears to be a grenade. They were aiming for that bridge. It missed the bridge, the police say, and it fell into the river. Thankfully, as a result, there were no casualties; there were no injuries.

That bridge, Sathorn -- Sathorn Pier, is, again, popular with tourists. I have been there. People go there to get on these boats that basically tour the Chao Phraya River, which is one of the great tourist attractions of Bangkok. You go up and down the river. You pass through these beautiful great pagodas. There -- again, there are big hotels nearby, like the Shangri La, maybe the Peninsula Hotel, which have -- which are very -- are commonly used by tourists.

So if there is a connection, what would -- what would seem to be the threat between the two attacks is that both of these attack tourists. Whether they're done by the same perpetrators or whether the second one is an opportunistic thing, we'll find out.

CAMEROTA: So Phil, who do you see happening here? Do you think -- who do you think is behind this?

PHIL MUDD, CNN COUNTERTERRORISM ANALYST: Well, we've got a couple clues to start here. First and most obviously, we don't have a claim.

Second, we have sites that aren't like the sites I would expect if this were ISIS or al Qaeda. That is, the sites I would expect to see, if it were those guys, would be western embassies, American, Australia, et cetera. Hotels, there are plenty of hotels in this area. Something you could identify immediately with the west. The third is, we don't appear to have a suicide bomber. We're

talking about a pipe bomb placed in a backpack yesterday, potentially; a grenade this morning. So those suggest to me, at least at the outset, that this might be a local situation, political, maybe from the insurgency in the south, though I doubt that.

That said, the fact that we have so little information 24 hours in, makes me skeptical that we should have any sense of confidence about what happened here. We just don't know.

CAMEROTA: Bobby, one group's name that's come up, the Red Shirts. Who are they? What do we know about them?

GHOSH: This would be very unusual for them if it were the Red Shirts. The Red Shirts are a political opposition against military rule. They are -- we first saw them a few years ago. They are sort of in favor of Thaksin Shinawatra, who was the prime minister of Thailand.

CAMEROTA: They're prodemocracy.

GHOSH: They are prodemocracy. They want elections. They want -- they are a political group; they're not a terrorist group. And there had been -- there has been violence connected to them, but typically, it is violence that is in -- that is sort of reaction to police beatings and things like that. This is very, very outside their style.

[06:05:11] CAMEROTA: They have launched attacks on security forces or government buildings, but this is not their M.O. to use a tourist destination.

Phil, there is that suspect who authorities are now calling a suspect, not just a person of interest, on the video that they are looking for this morning. You can see him spot shadowed there. Does -- do these pictures tell you anything, Phil?

MUDD: Not too much. Although there's a couple of tiny clues here that you might be able to draw. The first is we only have one suspect. And if that suspect was involved in the event today, it does not appear to be a well-planned-out conspiracy where people said, "Over the course of days, we're going to kill hundreds." They missed today. That tells me something.

The second, there's a tiny clue earlier in the report that we opened with. And that is some -- if somebody called in to talk about and to warn about the attack, I'd have a couple questions. Most significantly, what was the accent of that person? Was that a foreigner or somebody who is local?

So there are a couple clues here, but we don't have a lot to go on so far. It's almost like a classic investigation. We have initially chaos. Remember, yesterday, we had the reports of a couple other bombs in the area. It turned out to be untrue. Then over the course of a day or two, you start to slowly have the smoke clear, and you can begin the investigation. And then longer term, you have the intelligence process to map out whether there was a conspiracy.

We're still kind of in stage one where we've got a lot of chaos around here.

CAMEROTA: Bobby, was there a Facebook posting about this before it happened that you know of?

GHOSH: No. I mean, there's been rumors of all sort of things being posted and then taken down. It's a little hard to know. As Phil says, this is sort of very much in the kind of confusion that often, immediately follows these sorts of attacks.

But I will say that, judging by the picture, if that man is, indeed involved, and this is a very vivid-looking T-shirt. He looks quite distinctive in those glasses, although we're not getting a very close up of his face. That person will have been seen, will have been noticed. And I'm sure, as we speak police are getting phone calls. A lot of them will not be -- will not be accurate. But they will be getting a lot of calls.

CAMEROTA: Bobby, I just want to stay with you for one second. Bangkok, what does that mean? Is this -- is this unusual to see something like this?

GHOSH: It's very much unusual. This is not a typical terrorist target. Bangkok is a city that welcomes everybody. It's a great tourist destination. It is -- you know, there's been political upheaval in Bangkok, but it is very localized, nothing to do with the international community. It is not to do with religion; it is not to do with sectarian interests. It is just a political dispute. Sometimes violence in a country that otherwise is very open and inviting to tourists.

CAMEROTA: Last, Phil, where does your gut tell you this investigation will go?

MUDD: Local and relatively small. That is some sort of event that has to do with local grievances. People who aren't connected internationally and probably not a conspiracy that extends broadly, given the fact that we only have one individual showing up, unlike for example, London or Madrid 2005, 2006, not a series of attacks. I don't think this is international.

CAMEROTA: OK, Phil Mudd, Bobby Ghosh, thanks so much for all context. Really helpful this morning.

MUDD: Thank you.

CAMEROTA: Let's get over to Michaela.

PEREIRA: All right, Alisyn. Also breaking this morning, Indonesian search teams have now reached that remote site where a Trigana Air jet crashed over the weekend. All 54 people aboard were killed. Officials have also located the plane's black box.

CNN's Kathy Novak is live in Seoul with the very latest. It's very important for them to be able to find that black box.

KATHY NOVAK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Michaela. And such tragic news for the families of the 54 people on board, including five children. Sadly, this was expected, that people were not able to survive this crash. But confirmation today that, indeed, the rescue teams reached the site. This is now a search and recovery mission.

But once again, the bad weather is hampering that. These teams are now once again stuck on the mountain for another night. Because when they had the clear weather, they were able to locate the bodies. They were actually able to put them in the body bags. But now, they can't actually get them off the mountain to the nearby airport. So that is something that the families obviously will want to see done very quickly so they can be identified and returned to the families.

And also, of course, the black box that you mentioned. That will hold the key, hopefully, to knowing about what actually went wrong here. As we know, this is a country with a very checkered history when it comes to air safety. We saw three very bad fatal crashes in less than a year. This is the latest of these crashes that we keep talking about all too often -- Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Absolutely, Kathy. They have to do something about that airline.

Meanwhile, we do have other breaking news to tell you about. This is in connection with the deadly toxic explosions in northern China. We now know ten top executives of the company that owns that warehouse, they have been detained, including the president and vice president.

That disaster killed at least 114 people Wednesday. Fifty-seven others are still missing this morning. Investigations into workplace safety and negligence at the warehouse are underway.

[06:10:04] CUOMO: Hashtag #huge. That's how Donald Trump would qualify the fact that he is now at the top of every poll. Brand-new CNN/ORC numbers show he has made big gains since last month; now commands 24 percent of the Republican vote. That's not only the big surprise this morning; there are many more.

So let's get into it. CNN's Sara Murray joins us live from Washington.

Good morning, Sara.

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Chris. Thanks very much for having me.

Let's take another look at those top line numbers. Because like you said, a big number right there for Donald Trump: 24 percent, improving from July. But actually, Jeb Bush in second with our poll, with 13 percent. So that's a little bit of a better standing than we saw from him yesterday in the FOX News poll. Rounding out the top three with Ben Carson. So another antiestablishment guy up there. Now, let's take a look at how Donald Trump is doing in the

opinion numbers, the all-important favorable/unfavorable numbers, because he is making big gains there, as well. Fifty-eight percent of likely Republican voters now have a favorable view of Donald Trump. That's up eight points from July. That is a very big jump in a very short amount of time. So that's another thing I'm sure we can expect to hear the Donald bragging about.

The other remarkable numbers in this poll are how Donald Trump does on specific issues. This is a guy who's essentially rolled out one policy plan. We got it this week on immigration. But take a look at how he does: 45 percent think Donald Trump would handle the economy best. Forty-four percent say the same of illegal immigration. Eighteen percent say that of social issues, which is pretty remarkable when you think about how Donald Trump has moved back and forth on a number of issues, such as abortion. And on dealing with ISIS, another 32 percent say that Donald Trump would handle these best. These are just really incredible gains from -- just from July.

Now there's one other number I want to be sure to point out to you. And that is how Donald Trump is doing with women. This is something that we were a little bit concerned about coming out of the FOX News debate, his exchange with Megyn Kelly. And there were a lot of questions of how women would view him.

Our poll shows that they actually have a pretty favorable view of him. Sixty percent of women have a favorable view. That's three points higher than men. Fifty-seven percent of men have a favorable view of Donald Trump.

Now I don't want to say it is all good news for the Donald in our poll. There is one big caveat in here, and that is the question to Republican voters about whether they would be better off with or without Donald Trump in terms of 2016. And with Trump, 38 percent said their chances would be better in 2016. Fifty-eight percent said their chances would be better without Trump in 2016. So he does seem to have a little bit of work there to win over some Republican voters.

CUOMO: Well, now the question with that number becomes why. Because it is now inconsistent with the rest of the fall line of the polling. So that means one of two things. You give me your take.

One, this sample is -- not a corrupted sample, but a stilted sample of what types of voters are there, versus bringing in a moderate base or moderate expectations moving forward.

The second thing is that this is still about his being that early rabbit. That he's pushing everybody out in front, but people don't think he has staying power. Which do you think it is?

MURRAY: Well, I think it's a couple things. First of all, I think that Donald Trump is appealing beyond the traditional Republican Party. When we were in Iowa, we talked to people who liked Hillary Clinton and liked Donald Trump. So the enthusiasm we're seeing for him is not all Republican voters. And the second thing I would say is I think people do have some

reservations about whether Donald Trump and his very blunt speak is the best way to win the White House. I think as we get further along in the process, people start asking questions like is this person presidential? How would this person appear in the White House? And I think people are still a little bit unsure how Trump's rhetoric would transfer over that. They like the refreshing talk, but I think they're not totally sold yet.

CUOMO: That number on women is going to be a big deal, because that has been a major attack zone for him. And now with his proof of his performance on how he pays women and issuing a challenge to the rest of the field, we're going to all the campaigns to trying to get their numbers of where women are in their staffs, what kind of positions, how they're paid. So it will be interesting whether or not he starts being the advocate on that.

Sara Murray, thank you very much. We're going to bring you back in, because there's a lot more to get into in this poll.

MURRAY: Thanks.

CAMEROTA: And we will talk to Rick Perry and George Pataki about that later this morning.

Meanwhile, more politics: the Hillary Clinton e-mail saga continues with more fallout this morning . Intelligence officials assigned to comb through her private server recommending now that hundreds of e-mails get a deeper review.

CNN justice correspondent Evan Perez is live in Washington with more. What are they finding, Evan?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alisyn.

Yes, intelligence agencies are taking a closer look at 305 documents from Hillary Clinton's private e-mail server for possible classified information.

The State Department told a federal judge Monday that the e-mails were flagged as part of a review by five intelligence agencies. Government lawyers said that, quote, "Out of a sample of approximately 20 percent of the Clinton e-mails, the reviewers have only recommended 305 documents, approximately 5.1 percent, for referral to their agencies for consultation."

[06:15:03] Now this comes as the FBI conducts its own investigation of Clinton's server. And that probe began after intelligence agencies raised concerns about the security of classified information in the Clinton e-mails.

Now, the court filing is in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. And Clinton has said that she didn't send or receive any information that was marked as classified. Clinton has said -- has turned over 55,000 pages of e-mails to the State Department. So there's a long way, Michaela, to go before this controversy that is now hanging over the Clinton presidential campaign comes close to being over.

PEREIRA: All right. Many days for us to follow it. Evan, thanks so much for that.

PEREZ: Sure.

PEREIRA: With Congress on recess, states under Republican control are wasting no time targeting funding for Planned Parenthood. At least five states are now trying to cut off money by ending contracts allowing Planned Parenthood to service people with Medicaid. All of this follows hidden-camera videos claiming to show Planned Parenthood profiting from fetal tissue sales, a charge that Planned Parenthood denies.

CAMEROTA: Well, that huge IRS hack we first told you about in May is actually far worse than the agency reported. The IRS now revealing that almost three times as many taxpayers were hit. Some 330,000 accounts, not the 100,000 it originally reported. Taxpayers whose information was compromised will be notified by mail and given access to free credit protection and identity protection PINs (ph).

CUOMO: All right. So listen to this one. This is an historic week for the U.S. military, really for all of us, period. For the first time, two women will graduate from the elite Ranger -- Army Ranger school Friday. Now, I've covered this. It is an intense two- month training course, and it beats the best. Only about a third make it through. But the progress here also highlights a major shortcoming. The women won't be able to join the 75th Ranger Regiment with their male peers, because women aren't allowed to serve in that combat unit, yet.

PEREIRA: And that's the keyword, right? Because this is such a milestone. It has to start tapping at that glass ceiling.

CUOMO: And very importantly, as far as we know, this was not tailored competition, you know, where they...

PEREIRA: This was the existing one, right?

CUOMO: They had to go out there and be in the stuff with the rest of the guys. And I'm telling you, we just took a taste of it, and I was rendered almost unconscious.

CAMEROTA: That should tell you something. So these two graduates, then what? I mean, if they can't serve, what will they do?

CUOMO: Well, what it does is it shows -- it shows proof of performance. It shows they can handle it. It shows that they're just as good as what it takes to live to that standard, which is something the Israeli army learned a very long time ago. So it's a step in the right direction. Boy, they must be tough.

PEREIRA: Wow!

CAMEROTA: Wow. All right. Meanwhile, there's more good news for Donald Trump.

What the latest CNN/ORC poll reveals Trump's strength. Our political panel, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[06:21:53] CUOMO: We have a new CNN/ORC poll out this morning, and it confirms that Donald Trump holds a commanding lead over his GOP rivals. But really, it's about a lot more than just who's up on one specific issue. It's all of these different measures across the board. Really shows that this race is changed.

So let's bring in politics reporter Sara Murray and CNN political director David Chalian. Hello to both of you.

Let's look at what will be directed to the director as P2 here, which isn't just who is at what percentage all the way across the board, but the rate of growth in the last month, OK? Look at this. Look how the race has changed. Trump popping. And remember, July, he was already popular, David. And now at 24. You know, Bush going down. Carson making some moves, but really, it's all about Trump. How do you reckon?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: I think Trump did better last from month to this month than any other candidate in the poll, Chris. And when you look at the issue set, it is just amazing to see how broad this movement is, because it's across every single issue.

He made leaps from where he was back in June when he announced his campaign. And I think what you're seeing and in talking to voters this weekend in Iowa at the state fair, I found this to be true. He has moved from fascination to real contender. And in that time, people have grown to then really trust him on immigration, really trust him on the economy, because they see him now as a very real contender.

CAMEROTA: Let's look at examples of that, Sara. Because on the issue that people often rate as their No. 1 issue, the economy, Trump is so far out ahead. Let's look at this. He's at 45 percent of which Republican candidate do you most trust to handle the economy? The second closest is Jeb Bush at 9 percent. Tell us what you see here.

MURRAY: Yes, it's pretty incredible. And look, I think that the one strength that -- on the issues Trump was always going to have was the strength on the economy. Because people like the idea of a businessman coming in and spurring economic growth. That's always been a big calling card of the Republican Party, is the free market, and Donald Trump really speaks to that.

And somehow he's managed to turn the fact that he is a billionaire into this populist pitch to voter who are making less than $50,000, who don't have college degrees. And so this seems to be reflected all in the view of how Donald Trump would handle the economy. But the interesting thing is, it's not just the economy here.

CUOMO: Right. Let's put up those numbers, Sara, to give some context to what you're about to say.

MURRAY: Yes. So he outpaces the field when it comes to illegal immigration. He outpaces the field on ISIS. He even outpaces the field on social issues, and this is a guy who was pro-choice fairly recently. So we don't really think of him as a social issues stalwart, but he does better than the rest of the field.

CUOMO: So David, the question becomes why. Let's accept all the data on its face. Let's accept what you heard in Iowa, that he's no longer fascination; he's contender.

CHALIAN: Yes.

CUOMO: What does it mean about what is lacking in the rest of the field? Because I think that's still a fair check on Donald Trump, that he may be exposing what people are expecting from others.

CHALIAN: But he's blotting out the sun, right, in the competition right now. So people aren't really getting a full read into the rest of the field. Maybe they did when they tuned into that first debate, Chris. But they walked away impressed with Trump's performance, to an extent, from that first debate.

[06:25:11] So I think -- I think what is going on here is that people like to be with a winner. That is something we know that about politics. And right now, he's winning. So that's bringing more people into his fold. His style, obviously, was sort of his calling card that brought people in initially.

And now, seeing him able to withstand all the attacks when everyone thought he was dead after the John McCain comments, dead after the battle with Megyn Kelly. Now, they see a guy who has real fortitude. And that's an attractive quality, as well.

CAMEROTA: And Sara, let's talk about that battle with Megyn Kelly, if you want to call it that. Because people thought that that would hurt him with women. He made some comments afterwards that lots of people found really distasteful. Yet, look at this. This is the new CNN poll. It shows that his favorabilities among women are even higher than men, at 60 percent.

MURRAY: Yes, that's definitely true. So he has high favorables among women. The one caveat there is he still is drawing more support from men than from women. But it is pretty clear that this fight with Megyn Kelly, that you know, some of the comments he's made in the past that some people thought were misogynistic have not really hurt him in the polls.

CUOMO: He's higher with women than he is with men, Sara.

MURRAY: He's higher in favorability.

CUOMO: Now he came out with this proof of performance thing where he shows how he hires women, that he has them in positions of control within his organization. That their pay is as good as others. And he's saying to the rest of the field and to us, frankly, "Go chase everybody else when it comes to women. I've shown what I've done in action." It could be a real swing for him.

MURRAY: Yes. And I also think the reality is when I've talked to voters about the whole Megyn Kelly thing, they sort of just see it as a political battle and shrugged it off. I don't think in their -- in the minds of real voters out in real America, not sitting in studios, this didn't really have a big impact on them.

CAMEROTA: But then, I mean, in that case, I wonder why people -- why women like him so much? Any thoughts on that, David?

CHALIAN: I mean, I think that -- I talked to a bunch of Republican women who find his message really attractive.

I think that Sara is 100 percent right in what she said, which is that the spat with Megyn Kelly, where was his issue, if you will, with women got the most attention, and there was that controversy really did seem to be more about the media piling onto Donald Trump again.

I heard from a ton of women in Iowa this weekend who loved the fact that Donald Trump stands up to the media. So I don't think that they are concerned about his stance on specific issues. These Republican women are very attracted to his message.

And I will say, take a look what I find the most fascinating thing in this poll. First of all, 98 percent of his supporters have a favorable view of him. Like his supporters are ardent supporters, and they love him.

But when you look at the Republicans in this poll who are extremely enthusiastic about the election right now, his number stays the same. He's still at that 24 percent, dominating the rest of the field. Those underneath him change around a little bit. Jeb Bush doesn't have quite as much ardent support. But when you look at those enthusiastic supporters are still with Donald Trump at that level, to me, that is the indication that he has the ability to convert this early support into real potential votes.

CUOMO: Let's look at the field without Donald Trump. Let's take a look at that number here, because it's very interesting how everything changes. This is, you know, with Trump. Let's look at him without Trump. Because it shows what the real challenge is here for the party as they go forward.

This is -- well, this is do you think you have a better chance with Trump versus without? This exposes what Sara was talking about earlier on, which is that he still has work with moderates and those who have a practical reality about what will happen in the election. But when you look at the field without Trump, the whole game changes. And David, maybe that's a window into why the GOP, writ large, is trying to get rid of him.

CHALIAN: Right. Except as you know, Chris, they need to do that delicately. And honestly, talking to a lot of operatives in other Republican camps, I don't think anyone sees getting rid of him as an option any more. I think that was sort of a wing and a prayer and some hope that they had in the early summer that this was just a summer fling the Republicans were having with Donald Trump. I don't think that's the mentality now of his key competitors. I don't think getting rid of him is what they expect.

MURRAY: But I would say...

CAMEROTA: Go ahead, Sara.

MURRAY: But I would say it's not just that they're not getting rid of him. It's that they almost treat Donald Trump with kid gloves. With the exception of a couple candidates like Rand Paul, who's really come out swinging and Rick Perry, who's really come out swinging against Donald Trump.

I mean, Trump said that he gets his advice on foreign policy on the military from watching the Sunday shows. If any other candidate in the race had said that, you could not -- you would blink and you miss the other candidates in the field piling on and going after them. And we don't see that when it comes to Donald Trump.

CHALIAN: Jeb Bush did take that on last night.

CAMEROTA: It's just -- it's all fascinating. These numbers are really interesting that CNN has found. Sara, David, thanks so much for your take on it.

CUOMO: Teflon Don. There's actually a lot more in this poll that shows where the field is without Trump, why he is where he is, how it's trending. So we're going to talk more about it later in the show.

Also, as you hopefully know, NEW DAY has an open invite to all candidates to come on to talk to news and issues with us. Hillary, Bernie, Donald, Jeb. You know, everybody has the invite out.

CAMEROTA: We're on a first-name basis with all of them.

CUOMO: We hear them all the time.