trip ends for mr. beaver. >> mr. parabeaver. all beavers believed to have survived that. i'm jim sciutto in for jake today. i'm going to turn you over to wolf blitzer. as always he's in "the situation room." happening now, breaking news. center of hell. the strongest hurricane ever recorded is about to slam into a popular tourist hot spot. hurricane patricia described by weather officials as a catastrophic category 5 storm. millions of people including many americans are in the path. i'll talk to one man who flew into the center of the storm. american extremists. the fbi director reveals that of its 900 investigations into suspected home grown violent radicals, the majority are isis-related. and now cnn has learned that the son of a leading hollywood director has joined terrorist

forces. how many americans has isis already recruited? hill tops, hillary clinton strengthens her lead in the democratic race for the white house rising in the polls as biden opts not to run. and now back on the campaign trail fresh from her grueling appearance before congress. did her marathon testimony boost her campaign? trump flops. donald trump falls behind in the polls in a key early state while jeb bush is forced to cut salaries and campaign staff. but ben carson is gaining in the polls. and out with some powerful new ads is he now the man to beat in the gop race? we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." this is cnn breaking news. >> we're following the breaking news. the strongest hurricane on

record. barrelling right now toward one of the most popular pacific resorts puerto vallarta in mexico. patricia is a monstrous category 5 storm packing sustained winds of 200 miles an hour. officials are warning the storm surge alone could be catastrophic. and patricia also could dump as much as 20 inches of rain triggering flash floods as far away as texas. and there's more breaking news. a disturbing revelation by the fbi director who now says the vast majority of the 900 investigations into suspected home grown violent extremists here in the united states are isis-related. and now we've also learned that the son of a well-known hollywood director has joined terrorist forces. i'll speak with the ranking member of the house foreign affairs committee, congressman eliot engel standing by. we'll also get into the other top stories with our correspondents, analysts and our guests. but let's get straight to puerto vallarta right now.

cnn's martin savidge is there in patricia's path. martin, how have conditions so far worsened? >> reporter: you can feel it, wolf. it's almost a minute by minute incremental thing. the rain now is really beginning to start to come down. you can tell that the temperature is dropping and the winds are beginning to pick up. most of all in this town is the sense of fear. and there's very good reason for it. just because of what you describe, a storm like no other that has been seen in this area and many other places. they're trying to be prepared, but they've had so little time to get ready. that's the problem. this storm intensified from a tropical storm to a major hurricane in about 24 hours or so. for an emergency planner it's the worst nightmare. a huge city full of tourists, full of people right on the waterfront and now facing a storm the likes of which it hasn't seen. this community, this town, this area holding its breath and many

people just praying it won't be a direct hit, wolf. >> martin, talk about the evacuations. have the tourists been able to get out? >> reporter: they have to some extent. i mean, i can't say for all touris tourists. what i can tell you is they began closing down the hotels and evacuating tourists. in fact, originally we were going to be in a hotel. we found out early this morning they were evacuating everyone there. they're either being taken to places like larger cities away from the coast such as guadalajara or taken to shelters and schools that have opened up reportedly in the mountains. so in theory, yes, the tourists are being taken care of. there was very little time if they wanted to fly home because the airport began to close down and the weather began to move in. they are standing by. police are in the streets. the streets are pretty much deserted at this point. the stores are closed. nothing's open. people are just waiting, wolf,

to see what's going to happen. and this storm is getting incredibly near. wolf. >> be careful over there, martin. we'll stay in close touch with you. our meteorologist jennifer gray is tracking this monstrous storm for us over the cnn hurricane center. jennifer, obviously a very serious situation unfolding. how close to landfall is it? >> wolf, this may make landfall during your show in the next two hours. it's very close to making landfall. in this storm when it makes landfall will be -- have stronger winds than andrew, katrina, camille. this is going to be historic. and it's going to possibly be catastrophic for whatever area, whatever village is right in the path of that eye when this makes landfall in the next couple of hours. winds right now 190 miles per hour. that is from the latest advisory that came out about five minutes ago. gusts of 235 miles per hour. that's stronger than an f-5

tornado or just as strong as an f-5 tornado i should say. it is moving to the north-northeast at about 14 miles per hour. this storm is going to push inland very quickly by 11:00 tonight it is going to be well inland. and it is going to be a category three. look how far inland it is and it's still maintaining category three status. once it enters this real mountainous terrain across mexico it is going to weaken to a tropical storm. this is going to be devastating in form of winds, also storm surge as well as the rains. the mountainous terrain we are going to be looking at major flooding and possibly landslides across mexico. so the forecasts of rainfall totals, wolf, we're looking at anywhere from 10 to 20 inches right along the coast. and then once you head inland we'll look at about 6 to 10 inches give or take, some areas even higher, wolf. >> just for comparison sake, jennifer. if it's 190 miles an hour when it makes landfall in the next couple hours or so, remind our

viewers what hurricane katrina when it made landfall along the gulf coast in the united states. >> we know the gulf coast was devastated. you know, not only because of the winds. we had the major storm surge. and we know that in new orleans those levees were breached, so that just added to the flooding. but if you remember all across the gulf coast of mississippi we saw devastation. we saw brick homes that were completely flattened. and so not only the winds but when you have that wall of water come through as well, it can be the same type of damage that we see from very strong tornadoes. and so that's why you don't want to be along the coast right now. i know as martin was saying people didn't have a lot of time to evacuate, but hopefully people are away from the coast and they are in a very, very sturdy building because we're going to be looking at damage similar to a very strong tornado right around that eye, wolf. >> patricia eventually is going to make some -- is going to hit texas in the united states. what do they expect there?

>> well, patricia will hold onto that moisture. and as you can see from the water vapor moisture's already streaming into portions of texas. it will no longer be tropical. it's not going to be a tropical storm. it's not going to be a hurricane. but we will hold onto a lot of that moisture. we've already seen a lot of rain in texas. we are going to continue to see additional rainfall as this moisture is pumped in to south texas. so anywhere from houston all the way through dallas, even the hill country of texas and then pushing into portions of louisiana. we could be dealing with flooding. in fact, already are seeing flooding around the dallas area, even south of dallas we've seen a flood emergency in place in the last couple of hours. and so we're going to be dealing with very heavy rain across the south for the next several days, wolf. >> a real disaster unfolding. let's hope for the best, jennifer. thank you. we now have someone on the phone who flew through this hurricane, hurricane patricia. captain chase allen of the u.s. air force reserve is joining us on the phone.

you were the pilot for this mission, captain. have you ever flown through a storm of this intensity? >> personally no. i've flown through storms that had some pretty bad turbulence, but none to this caliber. this was probably the worst for me. definitely a bumpy ride the whole time for us there. >> well, describe, captain, what it was like inside your aircraft. >> well, you know, when it's a big storm like that we're anticipating a lot of turbulence. and strong winds like that especially with the storm being closer to land it's all business. and we really utilize all of our crew members, work together and whatever task we're working at hand we try to focus on what's going on at the time and just back each other up the whole time really. >> and when you're flying through the storm what's your altitude? >> we flew it at 10,000 feet for

this mission. >> is that low or high given the enormity of this storm? >> that's as high as we normally fly a fixed mission storm. we can do it as low as 5,000 feet, but with the winds being where they were our criteria if they're over 80 knots then we're going to plan to be 5,000 at least. and then when you have that moderate turbulence or above then we're required to be at 10,000 feet for safety issues. >> this hurricane has developed so quickly, 24 hours ago it was a tropical storm. now it's a category 5 hurricane with winds up to 200 miles an hour. so i assume that makes this even more dangerous because there was no great preparation for this. >> right. absolutely. and even we weren't expecting the winds to be that high when we were coming up for the storm and even when we were briefing prior to the flight time. so we were caught off guard a little bit, but we were able to

handle it. and i guess it all worked out. but we were definitely caught off guard with the amount of turbulence and the 200 knot winds. that was a surprise for us. >> captain allen, you're with the u.s. air force 53rd reconnaissance squadron. will you be able to complete more missions like this as far as hurricane patricia is concerned? >> are you talking about just in the future? >> no, no, i'm talking about in the next few hours. >> our squadron is not currently tasked to fly this mission. i think noaa's out there flying it again. and after that i think it's going to be close enough to landfall where they won't be tasking anymore planes to fly. >> well, i'm glad you did it safely. and i'm sure you got important information for all the folks down in mexico. captain chase allen of the u.s. air force reserve, thanks very much for joining us. >> absolutely. thanks for having me. appreciate it. thank you. up next, we'll have more by the way on this hurricane later this hour, but there's other major

news we're following including u.s. commandos they've been battling isis forces on the ground in iraq now for the first time saving dozens of people faced an imminent mass execution but losing one of their own. plus, the son of a well-known hollywood director joins an al qaeda related group. what role is he playing in their brand new video? wait, i can freeze my account. [touch tone] introducing freeze it, from discover. it allows you to prevent new purchases on your account in seconds if your card is misplaced. not here... ♪ and once you find your card, you can switch it right on again. hey...you're back! [touch tone] freeze it, only from discover. get it at discover.com.

thiproof of less joint pain. and clearer skin. this is my body of proof that i can fight psoriatic arthritis from the inside out ...with humira. humira works by targeting and helping to block a

specific source of inflammation that contributes to both joint and skin symptoms. it's proven to help relieve pain, stop further joint damage and clear skin in many adults. doctors have been prescribing humira for nearly 10 years. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis serious,sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. visit humira.com and talk to your rheumatologist. humira. this is a body of proof!

where our next arrival is... red carpet whoa! toenail fungus!? fight it! with jublia. jublia is a prescription medicine used to treat toenail fungus. use jublia as instructed by your doctor. are you getting this?! most common side effects include ingrown toenail, application site redness, itching, swelling, burning or stinging, blisters, and pain. oh, epic moves, big j! fight it! getting ready for your close-up? ask your doctor if jublia is right for you. visit our website for savings on larger size.

breaking news about isis and the terrorist ability to inspire and recruit violent extremists right here in the united states. that threat now dominating the fbi investigations into home grown terror threats. evan perez has been working the story for us. what d comey reveal about the home grown terror cases in the united states right now isis related? >> well, wolf, he's saying there's about 900 investigations nationwide that are focused on individuals who are suspected violent extremists. and of those 900 the vast majority are isis-related. that just really goes to show you how much isis has come to really dominate the conversation for extremism in this country. al qaeda used to be the top worry for the fbi. and it is really transformed now the fact that isis is using

social media, all kinds of other ways to get its propaganda into the pockets of just average people. so these 900 investigations and isis investigations we're talking about everything from people who are suspected of perhaps thinking of plots to carry out in the united states to people who are simply just consuming and sitting and consuming this poisonous propaganda and the fbi's keeping an eye on them, wolf. >> as comey told me last summer, isis is now the main terror threat to the u.s. homeland by far. are they able, the fbi, other law enforcement authorities, are they able, evan, to keep track of all these people? >> well, he said that right now things are okay. there was a period which you and i covered very much in june and july where the fbi really was having to move resources. we covered that story as well really because they were having a hard time keeping up with the amount of surveillance that they needed. 24-hour surveillance on a number

of people they were very, very worried about in june and july. that has died down a little bit. another thing that he talked about, wolf, is the fact that they've noticed perhaps a dissipation in the number of americans who are trying to travel overseas to join isis. he talked about for a period there was nine americans a month who were trying to travel overseas to join isis. in the last three and a half months it has gone down to about six. now, it's not known whether this is a long-term trend, whether this is something that's just temporary or whether people are hiding better. and that's one thing they're focused on, wolf. >> evan perez reporting for us. evan, thank you. we're also learning new information about the first u.s. ground operation against isis forces in iraq. a daring hostage rescue mission and it left one u.s. special forces commando dead, but also saved the lives of dozens of people believed to be facing imminent execution by the terrorists. our chief national security correspondent jim sciutto is working this story for us. jim, the pentagon is now

releasing new details about what was a very, very complicated operation. >> no question. and defense secretary ashton carter saying that he was proud of master sergeant joshua wheeler. he was the delta force commando killed in that raid. he said in secretary carter's words that he ran to the sound of the guns. he ran into this fire fight. he lost his life for it. but secretary carter also making clear there will be other in the future other deadly risky or potentially deadly risky raids like this by u.s. forces on the ground in iraq. he said they will continue to be in harm's way. [ gunfire ] faced with the first u.s. combat death in iraq in four years, today pentagon secretary ash carter made clear that u.s. troops will continue to face danger there. >> the administration has taken great pains. the president in various permutations to say it's not a ground combat, it's not a major combat role. >> they will be in harm's way. there's no question about it. i don't want anybody to be under any illusions about that.

>> a u.s. military official confirms to cnn that master sergeant joshua l. wheeler, 39 of roland, oklahoma, a 20-year military veteran, was a member of the elite delta force. the deadly battle was the first time u.s. forces have directly engaged isis fighters on the ground in iraq. in a joint operation with kurdish commandos, u.s. special operators from the delta force raided an isis compound rescue hostages thought to be in imminent danger of execution. u.s. warplanes bombed makeshift isis training camps, staging sites and bridges in the area. and five helicopters brought in nearly 30 u.s. special forces and 40 kurdish troops. the u.s. forces were not meant to enter the walled compound or directly engage the isis fighters. but when kurdish forces inside the compound were overwhelmed, the u.s. commander made the decision to enter the fire fight. master sergeant wheeler was shot

inside the compound and died later after being transported to a military hospital in irbil. when the mission was over, the u.s. aircraft overhead destroyed the compound. u.s. troops are deployed to iraq on a train, advise and assist mission, however under current rules of engagement they are allowed to return fire when they or their partner forces come under attack. >> when a fire fight ensued, this american ran to the sound of the guns and all the indications are it was his actions and that of one of his teammates that protected those who were involved in breaching the compound. >> this risky mission was launched say u.s. military officials after u.s. surveillance spotted freshly dug mass graves inside the compound. u.s. officials say that 70 prisoners were rescued, 20 iraqi security forces as well as iraqi civilians and interestingly isis fighters accused by their own group of spying.

missing however were the kurdish captives they were originally sent in to rescue. >> master sergeant wheeler's remains will come home tomorrow. they'll be welcomed by his family and secretary carter and his wife. those images of those flag draped coffins we haven't seen them for four years from iraq, wolf, we'll see them again tomorrow. >> and our deepest condolences to sergeant wheeler's family. what a sad story, father of four. let's talk about all of this with the ranking member of the house foreign affairs committee, democratic congressman eliot engel of colorado. let me get your quick reaction. looks like the u.s. is engaged in combats, not just training, advising, assisting, this is real combat. this is real war. are you supportive of this? >> well, it's not combat like when we had nearly 200,000 troops in iraq. this is a terribly unfortunate incident, but we do have business in iraq. and from time to time this is what's going to happen. i don't think it reflects any desire to get back into a war, a

large scale war. but there will be times like this unfortunately where they'll be casualties. >> the u.s. has about 4,000 troops in iraq right now. they're supposed to be advisers or trainers. are you okay with 4,000 american troops in iraq right now? and occasionally having to get involved in deadly combat. >> well, i think that iraq like afghanistan we need to have some troop presence there. we don't want all the hard fought gains to really go out the window. and we're going to need it. i think we have to have it. what i don't want to see are boots on the ground in terms of large numbers of troops so we get sucked back into a war. but i think that missions like this are in the u.s. national interests and from time to time again unfortunately very unfortunately there are going to be some casualties. >> you have confidence in this iraqi government of prime minister al abadi that they can get the job done? they still haven't been able to regain mosul, a city of nearly 2

million people came under the control of isis, remains under the control of isis. the iraqi military simply ran away and left behind all that u.s. military equipment that armor that was given to them. >> that's all true. and i don't have much confidence. we're all pretty much disgusted. but it is in the u.s. national interest. isis needs to be destroyed. we cannot turn our backs and put our heads in the sand and pretend that it's not going to harm us, our allies and our friends around the world. so we have to make a major mission in terms of destroying and degrading isis. and in doing that unfortunately we're going to have some casualties from time to time. >> because this iraqi governmentin creasingly is relying on the iranians and now russians as opposed to the united states despite all the blood and treasure the u.s. invested in iraq going back to 2003. you must be concerned about that. >> i'm very concerned. and i think as you're stating it it's quite correct. it's very galling particularly so much american blood was lost and shed in iraq.

of course putin is running around with his mischief in syria and every place else. he's coordinating things with the jordanians, he's doing all kinds of things. he's going to keep doing it. he's going to keep poking fingers in our eyes and trying to do what he perceives to be in russia's national interests. that's another worry we have. >> the fbi director today and you heard evan perez's report said there are 900 current investigations in the united states under way, surveillance, total terror investigations a vast majority of them isis-related in the united states. i knew isis was a problem recruiting americans here. i didn't know there were 900 vast majority isis related. that number is pretty shocking to me. what about to you? >> well, it's shocking but reports also say the number has died down as of recent. it was even probably greater. look, i can't figure out why any american would join isis. it's not just either a matter of people living in poverty. you have middle class kids who are growing up in the suburbs

who think it's i don't know cool or whatever it is to join isis. we have to figure out why that is and try to combat it. it certainly doesn't make sense to the average person. it makes no sense to me. >> we're going to have more on this coming up. brian todd has an exclusive report coming up in a few minutes about one american who did in fact join one of these terror groups. stay with us, congressman. don't go too far away. much more coming up right here in "the situation room." ♪ while you're watching this, i'm hacking your company. grabbing your data. stealing your customers' secrets. there's an army of us. relentlessly unpicking your patchwork of security. think you'll spot us? ♪ you haven't so far. the next wave of the internet requires the next wave of security. we're ready. are you? the possibility of a flare swas almost always on my mind.

thinking about what to avoid, where to go... and how to deal with my uc. to me, that was normal. until i talked to my doctor. she told me that humira helps people like me get uc under control and keep it under control when certain medications haven't worked well enough. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. raise your expectations. ask your gastroenterologist about humira. with humira, control is possible. they say that in life, we shouldn't sweat the small stuff.

but when you're building a mercedes-benz, there really is no small stuff. every decision... every component... is an integral part of what makes the 2016 c-class one of our most sophisticated cars ever. because when you're setting a new benchmark for refinement, it is the small stuff... that makes the biggest impression. the 2016 c-class. see your authorized dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services. mcgladrey was founded to help growing businesses reach higher goals. soon our team of audit, tax and consulting advisors started taking the middle market to the global market. and now our network, spanning more than 110 countries, is unifying under one brand. mcgladrey is changing its name to rsm. experience the power of being understood. you're down with crestor. yes! when diet and exercise aren't enough,

adding crestor lowers bad cholesterol up to 55%. crestor is not for people with liver disease, or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. tell your doctor all medicines you take. call your doctor if you have muscle pain or weakness, feel unusually tired, have loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark urine, or yellowing of skin or eyes. these could be signs of serious side effects. i'm down with crestor! make your move. ask your doctor about crestor.

we're back with ranking member of the house foreign affairs committee democratic congressman eliot engel of new york. we'll get back to him in a moment. i want to talk to him about the son of a well-known hollywood director who appears in a new video from an al qaeda affiliate. cnn's brian todd has been working this story for us. brian, what are you finding out about this young man? >> wolf, a short time ago we spoke to a relative of this man. the family member says the al qaeda member is actually lucas kinny as he was photographed a few years ago. we've learned at one point his parents moved with the most powerful people in hollywood. >> in the northern countryside -- >> it's a slickly produced video featuring a militant who knows a little something about making a good film. >> these are the houses of brothers, of your sisters, of

your father, of your children. >> heavily armed with a distinct british accent the man says he's with the al nusra front. in the video slams the competing terror group isis for decimating a village in northern syria. >> the followers of the so-called islamic state decided that in the middle of ramadan that the best worship they could perform was to bomb the houses of innocent muslims. >> according to the site intelligence group which posted the video, the militant goes by abu albritani. but tonight cnn has learned his real name is lucas kenny and his family once moved in hollywood's top circles. a distraught family member tells cnn lucas kinney is the son of patrick kinney worked on blockbusters like "brave heart." his father also helped direct a rambo sequel and worked with steven spielberg on "indiana jones and the last crusade." now it appears lucas kinney is

on his own terror crusade. >> this is a guy that had every advantage in life yet still ended up with al qaeda, with the terrorist group in syria. somebody who appears to have traveled to syria because he believed it was his religious duty to fight jihad. >> cnn has learned kinney's father and mother, a british national divorced years ago. he attended the best schools in cairo, saudi arabia and britain. one relative says he was a rock and roller who once played in a band called hannah's got herpes. ♪ >> tonight it appears lucas kinney is using performance skills to aid a brutal terror group. and experts warn he could exploit his familiarity with western culture to deadly effect. >> some of these recruits are becoming suicide bombers ready to give up their lives. the worry is that they could be sent back attacks. right now the group's focus is on syria.

the worry is that could change. >> neither british nor u.s. officials we contacted would comment on lucas kinney. the family member we spoke with doesn't know when, where or why he became radicalized. his father a dual u.s.-british citizen hasn't had contact with lucas at least for a few years according to the relative. this person said of the family, quote, this is not our proudest moment and there are broken hearts all over. the relative said of the terrorist group that lucas is with, quote, i hope they find them all and blow them all to hell, and that included lucas, wolf. >> brian, lucas could be especially dangerous because he's trusted by al nusra as a committed recruit, right? >> that's right. al qaeda is paranoid of spies in its ranks, and it screens westerners even more carefully than others. now, for lucas kinney to have gotten this far he probably got a strong recommendation he was someone they could trust. experts telling us it may be more difficult for him than other western militants to return home because his face is

so recognizable but still someone western official haves to watch out for, wolf. >> brian todd reporting, thank you. congressman engel is still with us. i know you spent a lot of time studying these terror groups. the guy comes, educated, comes from a prominent family. what makes someone like this join al nusra, one of the main terror groups in syria? >> i don't think we really know and i think we have to try to find out. people get disaffected, doesn't mean that they should be radicalized. you have the internet, you have all kinds of social media. and it's appealing, i guess, to somebody who feels that he doesn't belong anywhere. he finally finds a group that he belongs and uses it as a part of a terror campaign. it's just shocking. and again, it's not for people, it's from people in middle class families. >> who are educated. sort of coincides with the fact com comey, the fbi director saying there are now 900 ongoing investigations right here in the united states on various terror affiliated groups, mostly isis

right now. as i said before, that's a shocking number. but i mean if you take a look at these numbers that are actually going over there, americans who are going over there, the numbers seem to be increasing, not decreasing. >> well, i don't know if it's increasing or decreasing, but it is a shocking large amount. the one good thing is we seem to be on top of it. and we seem to be following it. and we seem to be monitoring these individual cases, but it's not easy. it's just not easy. you can have a situation where you have kids growing up in household one becomes radicalized and one doesn't. we've got to figure out why there's such an allure to such a horrific group. >> congressman engel, thanks for joining us. >> thank you, wolf. always a pleasure. in politics we're seeing something we haven't seen before in the race for the republican presidential nomination. guess what, donald trump isn't winning. he's falling into second place in a crucial state. we're going to tell you who's beating him where and why. stay with us. and we also continue to watch for updates on the monster storm that's putting millions of lives across north america at risk.

it's from virtually anywhere.rn of danger it's been smashed, dropped and driven. it's perceptive enough to detect other vehicles on the road. it's been shaken, rattled and pummeled. it's innovative enough to brake by itself, park itself and help you steer. it's been in the rain... the cold... and dragged through the mud. introducing the all-new mercedes-benz gle. it's where brains meet brawn.

new polls show donald trump has a big problem, he's fallen to number two behind dr. ben carson in the first of the nation caucus state of iowa. right now trump is getting ready to for a campaign rally in florida, the home turf of jeb bush and marco rubio. our political reporter sara murray is just outside miami in doral in florida, set the scene for us. what's going on right now?

>> reporter: well, wolf, we just had a lot of excited supporters literally run in here to catch sight of donald trump. this is a guy who loves the polls. and for one of the first times since he joins the race the polls are not being very kind to him. as of tonight not one but two showing him trailing in iowa. donald trump who lives for the polls. >> i'm leading in every single poll. reports are amazing. i love polls. i've been at the top of every poll. >> reporter: no longer leads in all of them. today there's a new man on top in the hawkeye state. dr. ben carson pulling to the lead in iowa. and it's not a small one. a new des moines register/bloomberg politics poll shows carson with 28% support, nine points ahead of donald trump. >> i'm gratified by the fact that so many people are really paying attention to what i'm saying. because none of the things that i'm saying are wild crazy

things. they are very logical things. if people really sat down and thought about them rather than allowing themselves to be whipped into a frenzy. >> reporter: trump fresh off the campaign trail in iowa where he bragged about his lead. >> i love these polls. and i say to people when they always say you love to mention the polls, nobody else does. i said that's because they're losing. they're not stupid people. >> reporter: now he's struggling to explain two polls in as many days showing he's no longer on top. >> i was very, very surprised to see it because i think we're doing well in iowa. i have a feeling we're doing much better in iowa than the polls are showing, if you want to know the truth. but we had an amazing crowd. i'm sure you saw it because it was all over television. >> i did. >> reporter: polls show trump is still in first nationwide. but carson is looking to solidify his position going up on the air waves with two new ads slamming washington. >> did you know washington is built on a swamp? massive government debt,

stifling regulation, special interest politics, partisan dysfunction. now it all makes sense. washington is broken. >> we're on the verge of greatness -- >> reporter: meantime jeb bush in fifth place with just 5% support in iowa is trying to regroup. his campaign is cutting salaries across the board and downsizing their staff at headquarters. now you can see here supporters already filling in for this event later this evening here in florida, the home state of marco rubio and jeb bush. we'll be watching to see whether trump goes after either of them tonight or maybe his closest competitor, ben carson. wolf. >> we'll see what he says and what he does. sara, thanks very much. let's get some analysis. joining us here in "the situation room," our senior political reporter nia-malika henderson, dana bash, chief political analyst gloria borger and senior washington correspondent jeff zeleny. guys standby. we have a lot to discuss. let's take a quick break. much more on the politics

involved in this race for the white house when we come back. hi i'm heather cox on location with the famous, big idaho potato truck. our truck? it's touring across america telling people about idaho potatoes. farmer: let's go boy. again this year the big idaho potato truck is traveling the country spreading the word about heart healthy idaho potatoes and making donations to local charities. excuse me miss, have you seen our truck? you just missed it. ahhh! aw man are you kiddin' me?

well, right now you can get 15 gigs for the price of 10. that's 5 extra gigs for the same price. so five more gigs for the same price? may i? 50% more data for the same price. now get 15 gigs for the price of 10. the has unlimited access is thatto information,tion no matter where they are. the microsoft cloud gives our team the power to instantly deliver critical information to people, whenever they need it. here at accuweather, we get up to 10 billion data requests every day. the cloud allows us to scale up so we can handle that volume. we can help keep people safe;

and to us that feels really good.

despite spending 11 hours testifying, hillary clinton is back on the campaign trail today defending her record as well as president obama's. >> i agree with what vice president biden said the other day in the rose garden, democrats should be proud of that record of achievement and we should defend it. >> we're back with our core s n correspondents and analysts.

it's been have a very good ten days for her, good debate, joe biden not running and good performance yesterday before the benghazi committee. >> no question. this is the campaign she hoped she would have and most democrats thought she would have but they are conscious there are ups ask downs in the campaign. i was struck by what voters said. i was in virginia today just across the river here from washington, she was doing a big campaign rally and so many voters said they weren't sure about her candidacy were won over by her performance yesterday. one voter said i think she was able to deliver over 50 speeches in 11 hours. she was able to get points across and the best most unplugged version of hillary clinton or any presidential campaign that i've ever seen. it was actually good for her in that moment. if you can make lemonade out of lemons, she's done it with this hearing and over the last ten days.

>> a great ten days. >> the clintons know this as much as anyone, this is not forever. >> you were there all day yesterday, dana, she seemed to have a new energy and posted and calm and didn't let herself getting a tated. >> she was clearly determined to have not one of those what difference does it make at this point, which is the last time she testified she did getting a tated. i mean, not even close to that despite attempts at trying to get under her skin a bit. you know, it was fascinating to watch her yesterday, but also to watch as the day went on, her staff because she did have some campaign aides there with her. obviously, she had her lawyer and her former chief of staff from the state department that got more and more, i wouldn't say excited but relieved and became clear to them that she did extremely well to the point they were considering bringing her out after the 1 1 hours wer over to talk to the press and

decided, you know what? we can't top this. leave it alone. don't do it. tells you everything you need to know. >> let's talk about the republican race. all of a sudden, donald trump is not number one in one poll, two polls yesterday and today two new polls on iowa, the des moines register, dr. carson 28 and trump at 19%. is this significant, not significant, gloria? what's your analysis? >> it's important for trump. he doesn't want to be sinking anywhere and carson is viewed much more favorably than donald trump. what was most revealing to me was if you look at the favorability numbers in this pole, donald trump is sixth in favorability in iowa. watch ted cruz. he's doing pretty well. he's a sleeper candidate here in iowa. >> no question. >> if you ask me, right? okay, we all agree so it must be

tr true, okay, and the voters in iowa figure they know donald trump. they know who he is. they looked him over and 78% of them in this poll say they are persuadable. people don't like trump so much, now they look carson. cruz moving up fits with iowa voters. there is a long way to go. >> dr. carson is on a book tour selling books and very well liked and has new ads so this could potentially be a moment for him. >> he'll be in iowa this weekend and hasn't been in iowa that much. he was there a lot this summer -- >> he's on a book tour but if you look at september, he was there a few days this month but his wife has been there and they have been doing events, the wife will show up at a pumpkin patch or something like that. they are doing unorthodox

events. they feel like if he's this far ahead, he'll be there at some point. >> trump is doing well. he's ahead in the national polls and other polls in new hampshire, south carolina, nevada and other states, as well. much more politics coming up. brian fallon is standing by to join us live in the next hour. we're also following breaking news, the strongest hurricane ever recorded now barrelling toward some of mexico's most popular resorts packing winds near 200 miles an hour. we're tracking this monster storm. plus, the hunt for the fugitive mexican drug lord known as el capo expands to the united states. we're learning details of his deep ties to this country. across america, people like basketball hall of famer

dominique wilkins... ...are taking charge of their type 2 diabetes... ...with non-insulin victoza®. for a while, i took a pill to lower my blood sugar. but it didn't get me to my goal. so i asked my doctor about victoza®. he said victoza® works differently than pills. and comes in a pen. victoza® is proven to lower blood sugar and a1c. it's taken once a day, any time. victoza® is not for weight loss, but it may help you lose some weight. victoza® is an injectable prescription medicine that may improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes

when used with diet and exercise. it is not recommended as the first medication to treat diabetes... ...and should not be used in people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. victoza® has not been studied with mealtime insulin. victoza® is not insulin. do not take victoza® if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer... ...multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to... ...victoza® or any of its ingredients. symptoms of a serious allergic reaction... ...may include itching, rash, or difficulty breathing. tell your doctor... ...if you get a lump or swelling in your neck. serious side effects may happen in people who take victoza®... ...including inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). stop taking victoza®... ...and call your doctor right away if you have signs of pancreatitis such as severe pain that will not go away in your abdomen or from your abdomen to your back... ...with or without vomiting. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take...

...and if you have any medical conditions. taking victoza® with a sulfonylurea or... ...insulin may cause low blood sugar. the most common side effects are headache, nausea... ...diarrhea, and vomiting. side effects can lead to dehydration... ...which may cause kidney problems. if your pill isn't giving you... ...the control you need... ...ask your doctor about non-insulin victoza®. it's covered by most health plans.

be part of the conversation. queen. in a good way. with all the latest episodes of your favorite dramas, xfinity on demand let's you catch up and keep up with fall tv. don't get voted out of the tv gossip. be part of the conversation. with all the latest episodes of your favorite reality shows, xfinity on demand let's you catch up and keep up with fall tv.

happening now, hurricane horrors, it's being called the most dangerous storm in history barrelling toward land packing winds near 200 miles per hour threatening millions of people. right now cnn is live in the storm zone. isis in america, the fbi chief reveals the surprisingly huge number of investigations on u.s. soil linked to the brutal terrorist group. is the isis threat exploding. hunt for "el chapo", the manhunt widens beyond mexico. could he be here in united states? and clinton's best week, the democratic front runner has new spring in her step after a series of fortunate events and a showdown with republicans over benghazi. can she maintain the new momentum? i'll ask her campaign spokesman

what is next. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're "the situation room." breaking news this hour, in one on the planet ever seen a hurricane as strong and dangerous as the one that's lashing southwestern mexico right now. emergency officials are fearing massive death and destruction from this category five storm, and its winds near 200 miles an hour. millions of north americans are at risk from hurricane patricia and we're told 15,000 tourist have just been evacuated. the threat spanning into texas where rains will get worse in the hours ahead. also breaking, cnn learned that the manhunt for the fugitive drug lord noknown as "el chapo"

expanded into the united states where he has a personal connection. his wife is a u.s. citizen. we have correspondents, analysts and news makers standing by as we cover all news breaking right now. first, let's go to martin savidge in puerto . >> reporter: they feared a storm like this, one with incredible intensity and so little warning to get ready and get people out of harm's way. it's raining and increasingly raining harder. so far no sign of heavy winds, no sign of any storm surge coming. remember, this storm, as powerful as it is is very compact. it seems to be going to the south of this community, which may spare a lot of it, but i'm not going to make a prediction like that. it's way too early. right now i can only tell you things are intensifying but not

to the point where you have to hang on in any kind of wind. still, the fear is that the rains and what may come overnight could be devastating for this community. it could be devastating to the tourism industry and we know this storm is going somewhere and wherever it goes, jennifer gray can attest to, it will be destruction, the likes of which is seldomly seen with a hurricane. they are trying and waiting to see what is next. >> martin, have the tourists managed to get out or hunkered down in secure locations? there are a lot of tourists there. i understand the airport is now shut down. >> reporter: well, what they have done, wolf, they wanted to move people, not just into shelter, they wanted to get them out of town. the airport wasn't a way of doing it so they tried to get a lot of tourism buses and moved people to guadalajara. it gets them out of the main

path of the storm and given the short amount of warning they have, they were able to move some and the people that didn't move sought sturdy structures or gone to maybe schools in the hills opened as evacuation centers. >> this is potentially deadly, indeed. martin, be careful. let's go to the cnn weather center, jennifer gray is going to share the latest forecast with us. >> wolf, this will be ugly making landfall most likely within the hour. it has winds of 190 miles per hour with gusts up to 235 miles per hour. strongest storm to ever make landfall. this is going to be unprecedented and martin was right, it is going to make landfall south of where he is in puerto vallarta. it is going to possibly jog a little bit to the north or south before doing that, but we're pretty much nailing in on that

one area because it is getting so, so close to landfall. it is going to weaken quickly. once it does so, downgrading to a category three but 11:00 tonight and pushing farther inland and this storm is small in size. it is compact, so hurricane-forced winds will extend about 35 miles from the center but that one town, that one village where the eye, the center of the storm passes, we could see devastation that is equivalent to say an ef 4 or 5 tornado. so we could see devastation across those areas. forecast rainfall, we're looking at huge amounts, 10 to 20 inches along the coast, 6 to 10 once you move inland and as this storm pushes inland, wolf, we're not only dealing with winds and storm surge on the coast, we're also talking about very heavy rain fall inland. the mountainous terrain will

shred. because of the rain we could see mudslides across mexico. that's one concern we have. also, the hoist tour from this storm is going to be pumping into places like texas, where we've seen rain over the last couple of days. we're already seeing flooding rains there and as this moisture continues to pump through this weekend, we are going to see incredible rainfall amounts in texas, as well as louisiana, all the way through the weekend and then louisiana continuing to get some of that into monday. so this is a huge storm to talk about, wolf, and it's going to have far-reaching effects on through the weekend and the beginning part of next week. >> jennifer gray with the forecast, jennifer, thanks very much. also in the storm zone right now is david garcia, a reuters correspondent joining us on the phone. where exactly are you, david? >> caller: i'm in one of the shelters in the hills, you know, not too far from the beach that

martin mentioned a second ago, maybe five miles from the beach. it's a university campus where latest count there is about 500 people taking shelter here, a mix of tourists that have been evacuated from nearby hotels plus local residents. >> how secure is that shelter? >> caller: well, it looks like a sturdy, you know, relatively modern college campus. it's a three-story, three different three-story buildings, classrooms and that's where people are inside. it's cement-type walls, very little large windows or glass, so i guess that's a good thing with injuries from breaking glass. it looks relatively safe but i guess time will tell. it's too soon to know how safe this spot is. >> emergency personnel, are they there with you? advice are they giving you? >> caller: advice is to come in, make yourself comfortable.

there aren't great accommodations, they are bare bones classrooms and many tourists come in with pillows and suitcases in tow and very little else. other than that, there is not much police presence or federal or military. you know, most people are hunkering down and kind of waiting for the rain and winds to intensify. right now it's relatively calm. >> we understand 1500 tourists have been evacuated. do you have any idea how many are stranded there? >> caller: earlier today, i was just a couple hours ago driving through the main tourist part of the town and it looked really deserted. the only thing you saw was workers, you know, boarding up windows, laying down sandbags, you know, to try to prevent some of the damage that could happen from flooding but aside from that, it was very much a ghost town on the beach. i saw one very hardy canadian

tourist and that was about it. >> we know about 24 hours ago, this patricia was a tropical storm and all of a sudden it became a category five hurricane with winds nearly 200 miles an hour. that's the highest recorded number ever by the u.s. national weather service. which means people there where you are, they haven't had much time to prepare for this. give us a little sense of the mood there. >> caller: i mean, i think most people here are good spirits. tourists and locals, this is not entirely uncommon to this region. there is annual hurricane season and not too long ago another major hurricane many remember hit, hurricane kena, not as strong as what we're likely to see here soon but this isn't completely unheard of. i think folks are relatively in good spirits. the people that i've talked to but there is a lot of worry. there's a lot of fear because of the unknown, but i think most folks are heeding the warnings

that have been blared on loud speakers, in the streets in terms of trucks and of course, radio, tv, all those kinds of messages have gotten out for folks to seek shelter and as far as i can tell, almost everyone has done so. >> a reuters correspondent in mexico in a shelter in puer puerta vallarta. we'll stay on top of the hurricane. more coming up but let's get to the presidential race now. right now hillary clinton is capping what's being called her best week yet of the 2016 presidential campaign. the democratic front runner back on the campaign trail today. she's doing something of a victory lap after enduring the marathon benghazi hearing and appearing to come out largely n unscath unscathed. >> one thing she's celebrating tonight. the campaign had the biggest

online fundraising hour last night from 9:00 to 10:00 p.m. after the hearing after she emerged unscathed, this is the campaign she's been waiting for. hillary clinton is back on her feet. >> hello, everybody. >> and confident after the strongest ten-day stretch of her campaign. >> i can't tell you how great it feels to be here on this beautiful day out in the sunshine. >> a commanding debate performance, escaping a joe biden challenge and emerging unscathed from a benghazi hearing. today a victory lap in virginia. a summertime controversy becoming a fall triumph. >> want to talk about a fighter, how about those 11 hours of testimony yesterday? >> reporter: virginia governor and long-time clinton confident

leading the cheers. >> this is why she needs to be our commander in chief. [ cheers ] >> reporter: the benghazi hearing is hung over clinton's campaign like a dark cloud but she stood her ground and kept her cool during a session that lasted 11 hours knowing not everyone is on her side. >> i really don't care what you-all say about me, it doesn't bother me a bit. >> reporter: trey gowdy concluded he learned nothing new. >> i don't know she testified differently today than the previous time. >> reporter: with the testimony behind her, clinton is trying to build on her momentum. >> a lot of things have said about me but quitter is not one of them. >> reporter: today she basked in the glow of her adoring supporters. she's on the rise in iowa, a new poll today shows her at 51%, up is 11 points and bernie sanders helding steady at 40% and former rhode island governor chafee the

latest to drop out and clinton extended a hand to joe biden as she tries to fire up the obama coalition. >> i agree with vice president biden said, democrats should be proud of that record of achievement and we should defend it. >> now clinton won the endorsement today from the largest public employee labor union, another step to consolidate this democratic base. with chafee out of the race, it's down to three candidates. it's more the start of something we'll see more of. bill clinton on the campaign trail, trying to capitalize on his momentum. >> on his and hers, as well. thanks very much. the hilary campaign spokesperson brian fallon is with me. thanks for coming in. >> thanks, wolf. >> just to note that one point, bill clinton is going to be spending a lot more time with

her i take it, is that right? >> i think you'll be seeing him more and more. this is part of the natural evolution. come the fall, you'd start to see hillary clinton hitting the stump on behalf of his wife where only 100 days out from iowa. it's a natural point for him to be more involved. >> you'll be at the big democratic dinner and he's still a popular figure, especially among democrats so i assume she thinks he's an asset for than a deficit. >> he's a tremendous as get eig -- asset. >> i think you'll see plenty of president clinton and he can only help the campaign. >> take us inside a little bit, the day after the 11 hours of testimony, was she all purpompe up? >> she was solum and appropriately so. for her the whole reason to attend and in fact, we got a lot of questions for the weeks leading up to the hearing in light of the admissions you hear from people like kevin mccarthy this was really a partisan

exercise. a lot of people asked her are you thinking of bailing on the hearing all together? people thought she would have adequate basis to do so and for her it was never a question she would show up because if even 1% of the time would be devoted to figuring out how to improve diplomatic security, she wanted to be there for that. appropriately enough she was focused how to improve diplomatic security and focused on the victims, talked in very deep determiterms, chris steven what he meant to her and it's unfortunate we didn't see similar on the attack from republicans. >> she answered all the questions during the course of 11 hours. i thought maybe eight hours and went on for a total of 11 hours. there was a lunch break in between. she done now? does she have to go back? if they call her, does she have to go back? has she stopped answering their questions? >> that was the longest appearance by our count in 20 years by a single witness in a congressional investigation. i can't imagin what they left

on the table yesterday in terms of top picks or ground they might want to cover. i don't see any basis for them to call her back. i think she -- all the questions they asked had been asked in previous investigations so as it was, they were covering well-trotted ground. >> i assume she's getting a lot more fundraising today. money is pouring in, is that right? >> actually, yesterday in a nod to the hearing, we did not send out a single fundraising solicitation to our list and yet, as jeff mentioned in the report just now, between 9:00 and 10:00 last night it was the highest performing hour on spontaneous people going to the website and contributing. >> brian, stand by. we have more to discuss including what's happening next in this race for the white house. we'll take a quick break and be right back. how much protein does your dog food have?

18%? 20? nutrient-dense purina one true instinct with real salmon and tuna has 30% protein. support your active dog's whole body health with purina one. big day? ah, the usual. moved some new cars. hauled a bunch of steel. kept the supermarket shelves stocked.

made sure everyone got their latest gadgets. what's up for the next shift? ah, nothing much. just keeping the lights on. (laugh) nice. doing the big things that move an economy. see you tomorrow, mac. see you tomorrow, sam. just another day at norfolk southern. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ geico motorcycle, great rates for great rides.

where their electricity comes from. they flip the switch-- and the light comes on. it's our job to make sure that it does. using natural gas this power plant can produce enough energy for about 600,000 homes. generating electricity that's cleaner and reliable, with fewer emissions-- it matters. ♪

brian fallon, talking about her surge of momentum that began

with the democratic debate. having said all of that, senator bernie sanders has a lot of enthusia enthusiasm, a lot of energy. has anything fund mentally changed between her and him? >> since the debate polls have consistently shown a bump in her support levels. saying that, we know the polls will rise and tall. even though it's undisputable, hillary clinton had a good month of october. head winds will return at some point soon in the campaign, but i think what you seen over the last couple weeks is that even as the head winds come, when hillary clinton is tested, she rises to the challenge and that will hold her as the weeks go forward. >> it's interesting you call it a debate last night. >> last week, last week. democratic debate last week. >> since the debate last week it's obviously a lot going on. does she regret at that debate wrapping it up by calling the republicans her enemies?

>> oh, i think she was making a joke. look, there is no doubt about it when it comes to governing, no one is more capable of reaching across the isle than hillary clinton. in the senate she did that. she was secretary of state. there is a long list of republicans that had positive things to say about her tenure and lindsey graham, she has a list of accomplishments when she was the first lady working on chip to get chip after the larger health care reform bill didn't pass. no one can get things done like hillary clinton can when it comes to reaching across the isle. there is no doubt it's campaign season and the republicans to a person on the republican side, all candidates seem to have her in her sights and if you look at how the republicans convened, it's an effort to damage her campaign. she was making a light-hearted reference to the fact. >> vice president biden kept over and over and over again referring to enemies, republicans are not our enemies, he kept saying and today she was

very nice to the vice president in her speech saying she agrees with him. he dropped out. he never really got into the race but he wasn't running, she must have been relieved to see that. >> i think she has great tremendous personal respect for the vice president. he would have been a formidable challenger in this campaign if he had gotten into the race. that said, we realize it was a tremendously difficult decision for him but as hillary clinton has said, he's going to remain a fighter and she looked forward to working with him on that. >> dr. ben carson is ahead of donald trump. he had this exchange on fox news radio. i'll play it to you. it involves hillary clinton. >> you know, hillary could well be in jail and it's hard to run from there. >> you think some indictable offense is going to come out of the benghazi hearing or fbi investigation. >> or the computer server

problems. i think she may not be actually in jail, but i think the controversy swirling around that will have an extremely damaging effect. >> yeah, the beginning of that exchange, she could well be in jail. your reaction? >> well, that's ridiculous and i think that that is an example of the trump effect on the republican primary where it's a competition to say the most ridiculous things and get attention and garner headlines based on saying absurd things. he's clearly made a decision he wants to go toe to toe with donald trump saying dumb things and saying ridiculous things. >> thanks for joining us. who would she prefer to challenge, donald trump or ben carson? >> she'll take any of them on. she's a fighter. -off saw that yesterday. >> up first, our senior political analyst, your thoughts right now on what is going on because you heard what brian fallon, the campaign spokesman

just said. >> yeah, well, i thought the most important thing he said in the interview was that really none of the questions she was asked were questions she had not been asked before. it was an impressive performance but more important is removing this big cloud of uncertainty. this committee has been investigating for a long time and all of us sitting here would have trouble identifying one major fact about the attack and they unearthed to confront her with. obviously she's taken on a lot and damaged and her numbers and integrity are over. some further going to present a new problem. i think on the benghazi said, fbi investigation and the committee did not have anything new and finally, in their dialogue yesterday but to show for all of these months of investigations. they found e-mails and that big

cloud i think has been lifted. >> dana bash is with us, as well. dana, you were up there at the hearing all day yesterday. hillary clinton, she's an aleague player and been around for a long time but republicans on the panel say they were sort of lesser. they weren't up to her standers and couldn't keep up with her. what are they saying on the hill? >> these republicans were picked because they are by in large good lawyers and prosecutors. trey gowdy is and was a fantastic lawyer. going back to the concept of trying to make this look as apolitical as possible, that's the other reason the seven republicans who were picked were picked because they are not heavy hitters politically and household names as real partisan republicans. so that was intentional. now, did it really matter at the end of the day because hillary clinton seemed to, as one

republican said to me, sort of wipe the floor with them? no, probably not. but, you know, the only other thing i'll say to ron's point about nothing significant coming up, nothing that will change the ark of this story but there were some important pieces of information that came out, contact with the egyptian prime minister saying it was an attack, not a video and her e-mail to chelsea clinton, things that, you know, frankly for people who already were against her and thought that she was responsible for this or had responsibility, it's more evidence of that. >> well, what a lot of people, gloria borger are saying is she kept her cool during those 11 hours. she answered all the questions. the republicans, several of them were badgering her, interrupting her, occasionally screaming at her, not necessarily looking that good. >> well, as dana points out, they are prosecutors and also politicians, some of whom could and some of whom are potentially facing challenges.

so it's not bad if you're playing local politics to be seen really hammering away at hillary clinton. i think however in doing so, hillary did a good job and you can't take away from that, but they made it easy for her in a way. so long as she kept her cool, there are couple moments i thought she was looking like board or you guys fight among yourselves while i sit here. in the end they did work for her. she looked better. she just did. >> she certainly got a new element of excitement, jeff, right now around her campaign. >> i think that's right. i think it reminded them of the candidate that she can be. it reminded them that she's presidential. she's been in more of these settings than anyone else up there on the stage and it, you know, they had a tough summer and by all means, we have to keep this in perspective.

there is still an fbi investigation. there was information that came out that she did not reach out or talk to ambassador stevens. the reality is it puts things into perspective, this campaign is going on regardless of this benghazi committee and she is driving this campaign but i think that it boosted her confidence. >> uh-huh. >> in some respects and it reminds democrats that look, she is your likely nominee. bernie sanders aside, she's probably it. >> jeff, you just said something that reminds people she's a good candidate and looks presidential but those are two different things especially for hillary clinton and what i was hearing, i'm sure you were, too, is she looked presidential. she may not be the greatest candidate in the world or greatest campaigner in the world, but when it comes to being able to do the job of president, that's where she looks the part. >> for most of us, we would be less comfortable in front of a congressional committee than we would glad handing in iowa. i think hillary clinton is not like most of us.

she is actually more comfortable in front of a congressional committee than she is -- >> she had a lot of experience in the congressional committees. >> except for watergate. >> right there. >> even first lady, she testified in various committees. ron, the chairman trey gowdy of south carolina went to great lengths to insist this was not a partisan investigation and didn't swear her in to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth in public, it was done privately outside of the cameras. this was after all, a hearing involving why four americans were killed in benghazi, libya. but people were noticing he was doing some opposing pictures with people there, signing autographs. how is that supported to be interpreted? >> look, you know, trey gowdy, i've been in his district. he was never seen as the most hyper partisan choice they could have made but the way this

unfolded i think in many ways has gotten away from him and yesterday during the hearing itself, some of the most memorable moments were his heated exchanges with democrats that fueled the narrative of this being a fundamentally partisan. i think the biggest challenge they face in justifying this as a true fact-finding mission is not with standing the e-mail to egypt. there were not facts that fund mentally changed the story that we have heard before and as trey gowdy said, very little she testified that added to where the record had been already. in the end, i think, that is the fundamental challenge they face in this being seen as a legitimate inquiry. it has not advanced or changed the story much and leads back to that conclusion this is fundamentally about damaging her politically and i think that threat has enormously lifted at this point. >> yeah, she got a huge gift from kevin mccarthy, the house

majority leader when he suggested look at her poll numbers. a big, big one for her. everyone stand by, much more coming up on the race right after this.

i'm only in my 60's. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. then i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call now and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans,

it helps pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. to me, relationships matter. i've been with my doctor for 12 years. now i know i'll be able to stick with him. [ male announcer ] with these types of plans, you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. plus, there are no networks, and virtually no referrals needed. so don't wait. call now and request this free decision guide to help you better understand medicare... and which aarp medicare supplement plan might be best for you. there's a wide range to choose from. we love to travel - and there's so much more to see. so we found a plan that can travel with us. anywhere in the country. [ male announcer ] join the millions of people who have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp, an organization serving the needs of people 50 and over

for generations. remember, all medicare supplement insurance plans help cover what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. call now to request your free decision guide. and learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now - and down the road. i have a lifetime of experience. so i know how important that is. my name is jamir dixon and i'm a locafor pg&e.rk fieldman

most people in the community recognize the blue trucks as pg&e. my truck is something new... it's an 811 truck. when you call 811, i come out to your house and i mark out our gas lines and our electric lines to make sure that you don't hit them when you're digging. 811 is a free service. i'm passionate about it because every time i go on the street i think about my own kids. they're the reason that i want to protect our community and our environment, and if me driving a that truck means that somebody gets to go home safer, then i'll drive it every day of the week. together, we're building a better california. we're back with our political team. trump may be feeling a 1-2 punch

as the republican presidential front runner, a second poll out of iowa shows ben carson a surge ahead of trump by a significant margin. our cnn political reporter sarah murray is standing by outside of the trump event outside of miami. what do we expect to hear from trump tonight? >> you can see people are already fileding ing but waitin trump but we want to know how he reacts to not one but two polls showing him slipping behind in iowa. this is the first credible threat since jumping in the race. the des moines politics poll shows trump behind ben carson by a pretty significant margin, 9%. after the first poll said that, here is what trump had to say. >> i was very, very surprised to see it because i think we're doing well in iowa. i have a feeling we're doing much better in iowa than the polls are showing if you want to know the truth.

we had an amazing crowd, i'm sure you saw it -- >> i did. >> -- because it was on television. >> reporter: you can see trump who loves talking about the polls seems almost stunned to find himself behind in iowa. we're waiting for him here and his campaign says it's going to be a different kind of speech tonight. now we're here on the home turf of jeb bush, of marco rubio in florida so we'll have to see if this different speech means going harder against him or going hard against ben carson. >> we'll stand by with you, sarah, thank you. ron brownstein you wrote that the blue color wing of the republican party consolidated around one candidate. the party's white collar wing remains fragmented. given the loss of his lead in iowa, what does this say for donald trump? >> there is a remarkably consistent pattern on the republican race that reduces the race to two sentences. donald trump has consolidated

the blue collar wing to a remarkable extent in a 15-person field. the white collar wing remains fragmented. they haven't consolidated. if you look at the national poll, donald trump is at 38% among non-college republicans. your most resort cnn polls in south carolina and nevada he's over 40%. about 35% in new hampshire in the last cnn poll and one-third in florida where he is tonight among non-college republicans. trump usually runs, 12, 13, 15 points less well among college republicans and no one is doing better. usually no one is above 20%. the question is whether anybody can consolidate that side of the party against him. iowa is the ghost of christmas future. one of the few places where the club for growth for example, conservative group is spending money in the race and they have taken a bite out of donald trump but worth noting ben carson's need is primarily on the back of e vvangelical christian voters.

that's the way mike huckabee won in 2008 but able to expand, they couldn't emerge into full scale challengers. that's the challenge for carson and can he reach beyond the evangelical christians. >> gloria, among major cut backs and salaries, staff, they have serious problems over there. >> they do. i mean, you know, the fundraisers are getting a little bit nervous. you know, not to the point of saying we're not with you but they made $100 million investment in jeb bush, and, what, 5% in iowa. the person and we were talking about this earlier, the person to watch in iowa i think is ted cruz who plays to the evangelicals that right now carson is appealing to. i think there is an opportunity for him there but i also remember getting back to jeb, the john mccain campaign which in july before the election was at zero. remember that?

they had to fire their staff and he changed and he -- and it was a nightmare and of course, mccain came back. never say never in politics but it's always a sign. we saw it with rick perry. when you're slashing salaries -- >> we saw with scott walker, too. how much of a problem is this for jeb bush? >> it's a huge problem. so much of his campaign has been riding on the idea that he's got a lot of money in the bank and he can take this the long haul and right now he's behind ben carson. he's behind ted cruz. people that don't have the kind of jugger knot he was supposed to have. the entire bush operation is going to houston for a big donor retreat and they made this announcement today because of nervous donors but certainly not good. >> bush has been spending a lot of money on ads that's not working. >> doing not well at all in

iowa. thank you. just ahead, a surprise from the fbi director that says the number of isis related investigations in the united states reached an astounding new level. stand by for that. can one of the most wanted men in the world be here in the united states? we have new information on the hunt for the escaped drug lord "el chapo." mcgladrey was founded to help growing businesses reach higher goals. soon our team of audit, tax and consulting advisors started taking the middle market to the global market. and now our network, spanning more than 110 countries, is unifying under one brand. mcgladrey is changing its name to rsm.

experience the power of being understood.

they say that in life, we shouldn't sweat the small stuff. but when you're building a mercedes-benz, there really is no small stuff. every decision... every component... is an integral part of what makes the 2016 c-class one of our most sophisticated cars ever. because when you're setting a new benchmark for refinement, it is the small stuff... that makes the biggest impression. the 2016 c-class. see your authorized dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services.

breaking news tonight in the battle against isis. new revolution about isis-related investigations underway in the united states. let's bring in our justice reporter evan perez. what did they reveal about the amount of homegrown terror cases isis related? >> wolf this is the first time we heard a number like this. there were 90 oc0 investigation and the vast majority are isis related and goes to show you how much isis has come to dominate extremist world including here in the united states. these are people who might be plotting attacks here in the united states or consuming some of this poisonous propaganda, that the fbi talks a lot about, stuff that comes into everyone's phones and they're consuming it

every day, wolf. >> are they able to keep track of all of these individuals? >> well, he says that they are now. there was a period during june and july, a period when you and i talked a lot about this issue, when he said they were really having trouble keeping up. they were moving agents to do 24/7 monitoring of suspects that they were really, really worried about. he says that has gone down since then. he also mentioned, wolf, that the number of people who are traveling overseas to join isis, seems to be dissipating right now. for a period, there was about nine a month that nethey were noticing, people were going overseas to join isis. he says there were about six over the last three and a half months. he says that's a good sign. he says he doesn't know whether this is a permanent trend, whether this is just a blip, but something they're keeping an eye on, wolf. >> evan perez reporting for us, thank you. just ahead, could the

fugitive drug lord el chapo be lured by love to hide out right here in the united states? we're getting new information on the manhunt. but first, this "impact your world." ♪ giving yourself away ♪ and save that pillow >> actress and singer caitlin crosby says she just wants to help others. >> i just am obsessed with people and wanting to spread hope and encouragement, whether it be through song or an instagram post. like, whatever it is. >> reporter: like sharing inspiring words on old keys. >> i had an old hotel key from new york that i thought was cool. and went to a lock smith and asked him to engrave inspiring words like "love," "hope," "fearless." at first, i wanted to create cool, inspiring products that different people could buy on tour. and this story started pouring in like, so-and-so had cancer, soy gave them my "fight" key. so i thought, i need to make a

website where these stories are being shown. so i started givingkeys.com. >> reporter: crosby had no idea this would be a key to open doors for people without a home. >> i partnered up with kris lis and screen the people for us to make sure they hire people that are really ready to change their lives. >> reporter: and giving people like jamani a new beginning. >> thank you for not judging me on my past, but where i'm striving to go in my life.

if you qualify for a sittingham's card today i can offer you no interest for 24 months. thanks to the tools and help at experian.com, i know i have an 812 fico score, so i definitely qualify. so what else can you give me? same day delivery. the ottoman? thank you. fico scores are used in 90% of credit decisions. so get your credit swagger on. go to experian.com, become a member of experian credit tracker, and take charge of your score. at&t and directv are now one. and take charge of your score. so get ready to laugh here

and cry here. scream over here and freak out over there! and maybe go back to laughing here. and crying there. try not to laugh here though, it's rude. and maybe don't cry here, people will get the wrong idea. introducing the all in one plan. only from directv and at&t.

it's gotten squarer. over the years. brighter. bigger. it's gotten thinner. even curvier. but what's next? for all binge watchers.

movie geeks. sports freaks. x1 from xfinity will change the way you experience tv. there is breaking news. cnn has learned that while the hunt for one of the world's most wanted criminals, the mexican drug lord who broke out of a mexican prison earlier this year, now includes efforts to find him right here in the united states. brian todd is working the story and has new information from his sources. what are they telling you? >> they're telling us this search is intensifying to a great degree. there is enormous pressure on the mexican government tonight to recapture el chapo. we're told a key focus of the manhunt right now is his beauty queen wife, who's a u.s. citizen. >> reporter: he came close to being captured in recent days and now cnn has learned the search for fugitive drug lord joaquin "el chapo" guzman has been expanded into the united

states. a mexican official with knowledge of the investigation tells cnn, authorities are looking for his wife, emma cornell, believed to be seen in these photos posted online. authorities believe there's a chance cornaell is with el chapo. she's a u.s. citizen and the couple have property in the l.a. area, our source says. one analyst says it would be risky for her to be with her husband, but their ties run deep. >> she seems to be completely committed to el chapo. this is a relationship that's been going on for a while. it's not like she is ever going to sell him out in any way. >> reporter: authorities are not looking to arrest or detain emma koranel, according to our source, but they are tracking her to see where she is. she is a former beauty queen who gave birth to el chapo's twin daughters near los angeles in 2011. her phone was one of the leads used in el chapo's capture in

mazatlan last year. they had a visible sighting and chased him through the forest in his home state of sinaloa and he fell down a small cliff, injured his face, might have broken a leg, and his bodyguards carried him and got away. el chapo escaped through this elaborate tunnel from a high-security prison in july. previously, he had eluded police through a trap door hidden under his bathtub. >> if they ever close in on el chapo, do you think he'll be taken alive? >> if he's in mexico and the mexican military closes in on him, i think there'll be a fight and i'm pretty sure he'll end up like pablo escobar. he'll be shot in the exchange of gunfire there. >> the dea would not comment on the information that the search for el chapo has been expanded boo the u.s. the circle around the fugitive drug lord is tightening. authorities have detained his brother-in-law, who they say supervised the building of the tunnel for his escape in july. and they've detained two pilots who helped him get away, including one pilot who flew a decoy plane while el chapo was

in another very similar aircraft, wolf. >> and you have new details, also, on how his main private pilot may have actually led authorities to nearly capture him, not that long ago. >> not long ago, wolf. a mexican official tells us they've been tracking the private pilot for a little while. recently, they observed him fly off to pick up supplies and other things for el chapo. he would always come back to the same airstrip. that led them to a visual sighting of guzman. they chased him, he fell off a small cliff. his bodyguards took him out of the bottom of that canyon and he got away. >> the question is, whether they do find him, whether in new mexico or here in the united states, is he going to be alive or dead in the course of trying to capture him? >> it will be very interesting to find out. one gentleman we just talked to said he may go out with guns blazing because he don't want to be extradited to the united states. >> people think it would be risky for him to come to the united states?

>> incredibly risky. they think it's unlikely, but they have to expand that net. >> brian todd, thanks very much. you can follow me ton twitter. tweet me @wolfblitzer, tweet the show and join us here monday right here in "the situation room." i'm wolf blitzer. "erin burnett outfront" starts right now. "outfront" next, months storm. hurricane patricia, the most powerful hurricane ever recorded barrelling into the pacific coast. millions in its path, almost no time to evacuate. we are live where patricia is slamming onshore. plus, donald trump taking a big hit in the polls today, gearing up to slam ben carson. speaking at a rally this hour, we'll go live to miami. and isis killing a u.s. commando in iraq. the intel for his mission terribly wrong. what happened? let's go "outfront." good evening. i'm erin burnett.