united states and all around the world. this is "new day." friday, august 9th. 6:00 here in new york this morning. alisyn is off. erica hill joins me in new york. >> nice to see you in person this morning. >> what a week it's been. president's visits to dayton and el paso. visits we heard first that some white house insiders considered a debacle. senator mcconnell says deliberations will see gun control center. this is different language. for now, it is just language. he will not call the senate back from vacation to work on the issue immediately. the president has been talking about background checks including talking with chuck schumer and pelosi.

the president's instinct is to expand background checks but what will his action be. he has talked about it before. will he now as he heads to summer vacation today? and this morning, a controversial picture of the first lady holding a baby who lost her parents in the el paso shooting. the president with a thumbs up. >> and discusses continue about gun control legislation. advocates say every single day matters. look at this breaking news overnight. reality playing out in missouri. police this morning and other folks want to know why a man walked into a walmart heavily armed wearing fatigues all while recording himself on a cell

phone responding police to respond to an active shooter. no shots fired the panic however, reeled what more do we know about this. >> bottom line, these were scarey moments. this man walks into a walmart. no shots fired. no one injured. police were responding to what they thought was a potential active shooter this time at another walmart in springfield, missouri. you see what he was wearing and what he was yielding. body armor and a rifle. the motif is still under investigation. he was recording himself on a cell phone and pushing a cart around. the manager saw him, he pulled the fire alarm urging people to get out when people started evacuating after the calls for

the potential shooter came in. the off duty firefighter held this man up until police got there. no shots fired and no one injured. here is what the police had to say about the scene when they arrived just mines later. >> he walked in heavily armed with body armor and military fatigues and caused a great amount of panic inside the store he certainly had the capability and potential to harm. he was client with us but his intent was not to cause peace or comfort to anybody in their business here. he's lucky he's alive still to be honest. >> it should be noted missouri is an open carry state for anyone at least 19 years old but not legal to carry a weapon in a

threatening manner and putting this in context that this happened justify days after the shooting in el paso. between this and the events earlier this week in time square where people were running from the backfire. >> you can understand why people were nervous and scared about that. i can't immake inwhat i would have thought seeing that this week. joining us now senior analyst. and political anchor of spectrum news and cnn political commentator. we were saying there is new movement on the battle of gun violence this morning. people are talking in ways they have not talked before. i want to play the sound of mitch mcconnell on a radio show explaining what he is going to do and for lack of a better word allow in discussions over

battling gun violence. >> there has also been discussion of background checks. that has been around a while. there is a lot of support for that. the republican and the democrat, those are two items for sure will be front and center as we see what we can come together on and pass. >> background checks front and center. who knows whether he will follow through when the senate comes ba being in september. he's not calling them back now. mitch mcconnell hasn't spoken like this before in my memory. >> he killed that very bill after sandy hook. he's recognizing reality that background checks are massively popular with republicans as well as democrats. the president seems to have the instinct to go there as well. the nra opposes it.

ooshlly that drives the agenda in the senate. but if mitch mcconnell is talking about that on local radio, that's a hopeful sign something might get done. >> that hopeful sign and then the reporting. we talked about this yesterday. the president speaking with the influence of the nra. there is a little bit of a movement there with aids saying the nra may not be as powerful now as it has been in the past. this could be why we could see movement. all of these things brought together. >> that's right. you've got the nra which has been really divided at the top in fighting lawsuits. they've shuttered their tv division and have much less of a presence. while they are gaining their feet, you have 24 candidates out there trying to push in a

different direction. you have members of the senate where that is also true. you have mitch mcconnell who is in trouble in his home state. there are a lot of things that could fall into place. we all know different things can happen. we've got this long break. they are clearly playing for time. we know other things can take over the news cycle. we are going into fire season, hurricane season, protests in hong kong. there are a million different things that can happen as well as distractions the president has hinted at with video games. maybe we have a culture war discussion. we should stay hopeful. >> the president is going on vacation starting today. who knows what he can say when he doesn't have as many babysitters around. but the president does have the power to force this issue. no question he has so much support among the base and folks that have fought for gun

violence acts if he were to come out and say this is the specific billy want, wouldn't that make a difference? >> i think a lot of americans are expecting not only the president but congress to take action. we've seen children mowed down by guns, innocent people at a walmart. you can't go to the movies anymore. at what point are public places becoming so unfair, that they'll take action. this is about common sense gun reform. this is not either or where we are saying no guns or all the guns. this is i think where the nra really stumbles. the question is, does the president have the confidence of the american people. at this point, given when he did in el paso, dayton and beyond, i think he's lost a lot of that confidence. >> if enough people can get in

his ear to say you've lost that confidence. this a real opportunity for him. we know he wants that rose garden signing ceremony so he can say look what i did. >> which would be his biggest appeal. >> to your issue, it is not an either or, it is also not a one size fits all issue. moving on, how much can we see a more holistic approach overall? >> sure. republicans always focus on the mental health and video games. democrats want to deal with the guns. there is hope you can make some gains on different fronts of this issue. a big ambitious bill isn't going to happen given the divided nature of congress the question is can you make some progress at least on the red line and the

background check. that should be doable. >> doable if they want to do it. what we don't know is if they actually want to do it in september when they come back. i want to put up a photo that caused a lot of controversy. this was posted by first lady melania trump. this is a baby boy who lost his parents in the massacre in el paso. the reason this is causing controversy. look, the first lady is smiling, the president flashing the thumbs up. this baby lost his parents. how can you take a picture flashing the thumbs up with an orphan. the uncle there was a trump supporter and the father who was killed was a trump supporter. the context there. still, you take a step back. >> i would fault the president's

staff. the president himself, you put him in front of a camera. he's going to do what politicians do. they smile, they do the little thumbs up. they needed to stage that quite a bit differently if they knew it was for public consumption. this individual, if he's a big trump supporter saying, it is the honor of my life, i'm proud to meet the president. that's one thing but for public consumption on a public trip on which every step, every photo is supposed to if not scripted, at least thought about. >> the fact that it was tweeted out by the first lady. it would be different if it came from the uncle there saying what an honor to meet the president today but seeing that tweeted out from the first lady with the thumbs up sign. >> there is a tone deafness as a

whole from aids saying this didn't go quite well. the president flies in to el paso, there are protests everywhere. a lack of empathy. that is the issue. apparently, the baby was brought back to the hospital. they tried to keep the press out. the president talking about the crowd size in the el paso rally. the president has an empathy deficit. an empathy gap. it is not too much to expect that the president would act like a normal humanbeing. instead, he's talking to the doctors and talking about how big his crowds were a few weeks were. that's not a normal human response. >> or a helpful response, which is the most important thing to the victims and the families

there, not helpful. thank you very much. new overnight. president trump announced his new pick for acting director of national intelligence. this game minutes after we learned the nation's number two official chose to resign. the resignation is controversial because she has a ton of support inside the intelligence community. here in washington with all the details. >> it is now not just that top intelligence job but the top two. intelligence committee now losing one of the most capable and respected leaders in sue gordon. she is widely adored and respected across the aisle here. the writing to some extent had been on the wall when the president didn't name her to be the acting leader when her boss dan coats steps down. normally, she would have been the automatic and logical choice

but now they are leaving together on august 15. in a hand written note to the president, sue gordon made it clear that leaving was not her preference but she told him, you should have your team. retired vice admiral will step in. currently the head of the national terrorism center. the president hasn't said who he wants to nominate as the permanent dni. after that move with radcliffe, the president said he wants more of a loyalist unlike dan coats. he's less interested in someone from the intelligence establishment like sue gordon. lawmakers have expressed their regret that she is leaving calling it significant loss.

the ranking democrat saying the president has made it shown he has no problem prioritizing his own defense. >> i read ahead here a little bit. >> john skipped ahead. get ready, this weekend is all about butter, fried food. >> two of my favorite things. >> even fried butter. presidential politics in iowa. why the state fair could be a make or break event. this time for the presidential hopefuls, who will make it past iowa. >> and fried butter.

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the 2020 democrats descending on iowa for the state fair. the political stakes are high in the key early voting state. day, day two will see more candidates and more soap boxes. we'll go live in des moines, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. no question all eyes on this democratic primary race are here. joe biden at the state fair yesterday making his case, trying to reframe the race to show he's the strongest democrat to take on donald trump.

he was walking around and asked how it feels to be a front runner. he said, do i still have that target on my back? he had a little bounce in his step. in this new poll out yesterday, he is showing a steady lead. still leading the pack of candidates here. bernie sanders and elizabeth warren have essentially flipped. that is sort of setting the mood here as all the candidates are descending. other candidates will be here today and tonight will be at the wing ding. a traditional event at the surf ball room at clear lake where each candidate will have five minutes to make their case to voters here. really the moment is joe biden leading the pack and others making their case as well. kamala harris is making significant move here in iowa

out with her first ad yesterday. it is the race between warren and sanders here. sanders nearly won the iowa caucuses four years ago coming in just behind hillary clinton but he has fallen a little bit. >> i see the fried butter stain on your shirt. stand by, we have more to talk about including, i think, this is the most we've seen of joe biden and the retail politic setting in this campaign. how did he do? what does it mean for his chances in iowa? and what is the state of the democratic race this morning? that's next.

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shows just how the race in iowa is shaping up. former vice president joe biden remains a front runner there. senator elizabeth warren making some moves. harris firmly holding third place. as we look at these polling numbers and what we are seeing on the ground, what is the sense there in terms of how these numbers translate to what you are hearing? >> no question elizabeth warren has been organizing and building a campaign here that by all accounts and measures is stronger than most other rivals. the rise is coming at the same time she's building her ground organization. some of her teamworked on the barack obama campaign years ago. he really did build this county by county organization. so elizabeth warren's rise in a

lot of sense she is seen as bernie sanders 2.0. i am hearing questions about her electability. fewer democrats say they like her plans. after talking to voters here, kamala harris also has a lot of interest. they like how she performed at the first debate, not the second debate as much. but i have to say that joe biden remains the favorite. he's had a strong couple of days here but there is still a question hanging over him. is he the new fresh blood democra democrats usually choose. jimmy carter, john f. kennedy.

he may not fit that mold but may fit the moment. >> as you watch joe biden, he is trying to carve out a very specific space. he gave a really tough speech. then yesterday, he was pressed a number of times if he would out and out call the president a white supremacist. listen to how he responded here. >> why are you so hooked on that. you just want me to say the words so i sound like everybody else. he is encouraging white supremacist. i don't call people liars. i say they don't say the truth. that's not who i am. you got the wrong guy. >> we have to remember rhetoric has consequences.

the president's consequences have had serious consequences. elizabeth warren has called the president a white supremacist. maybe this idea of having to be the moderate which i think joe biden has been trying to play off of. not too radical, not too conservative of a democrat, maybe that gamble is not going to payoff in 2020. maybe americans are saying call it what it is. >> the question too, you and i talked about this yesterday, the question is what can he carry forward from this speech. the way he came out so forceful and energetic, now we move on. >> that's right. you don't use that speech while you are shaking hands at the iowa state fair. this is going to be that kind of delicate balancing at that he's

good at. i've heard him refusing to take the bait as him looking down the road. you are not going to win a name calling contest with trump. you call him a liar and supremacist, he's going to come up with a thousand new nicknames. we've seen in the past when people have tried to match him, he always wins the game. he sort of wrote the rules for that game. what is interesting, there is not a lot of optimism among democratic caucus goers that more than half the field can actually take on donald trump. this question of when does the field widle down? voters are way ahead saying, look, we don't think most of these people can beat donald trump. i think we'll start to see them making their choices and we'll

see so much movement in the polls. >> the one thing he needs to be go good at is being good at being joe biden. you saw him fiery and feisty. he was comfortable in how he was answering that. you haven't totally seen that before. this week, he may have found a space he likes to operate in. that's not to say he hasn't been joe biden we've seen over the years with some gaps. he's said some things that were controversial. he said poor kids are just as smart as white kids. >> that makes you stop. >> things like that. that's all part of the joe biden package. >> no question joe biden was on full joe biden mode. he loves to get ice cream and shake hands.

i think you are right. i saw a different sense of energy over the last couple of days. he has been trying to reframe this race and make this against him and donald trump, a referendum with trump. that's why he jumped in this campaign. i asked him if he thinks this week represents a turning point. he said it should. it should focus the contest of voters. democrats are engaged in this huge food fight on the stage but has gone away for now. maybe on a hiatus so to speak. president trump did win this state. who can win the general

election. that is also on the mind of some pragmatic voters here. joe biden has tried ride both of that making the case he is in this for the long term not just trying to win the democratic primary race. >> it is a 24 candidate race but when you look at the polls, i don't think a lot of voters see it that way. >> i don't. i think we are looking at a solid core of five candidates whose names are maybe household names. recognition is important. we saw on the debate stage. half of the folks on the stage were no, res ig nating. if you go outside and ask who they are, you wouldn't get a lot of answers. >> joe biden has that name recognition. he's been the vice president. he evokes obama's name when necessary and dare i say

convenient. that has a lot to do with why he's leading at the polls. >> we'll see how long that lasts. coming up, one candidate just won a ticket to the next debate stage. what does andrew yang plan to do to keep rising in the polls. authorities arresting hundreds in immigration raids in missouri missour mississippi. what happened to those children as they make their first day of school? we're reporters from the new york times.

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new developments in mississippi this morning where immigration authorities arrested nearly 700 undocumented workers in a sweep at seven food processing plants. the raids that happened on the very first day of school left many children without their parents feeling afraid. >> governments police put your heart that my parents would be here with everybody else. please don't leave the childs. i need my dad with me.

my dad didn't do nothing. he's not a criminal. >> can you save my father, please. >> please. >> i need my dad. can i please see my mother. >> joining me now on this story since it broke. first where we are now, we heard the pleas from those children. are there guarantees all these children for whom their parents may have brought in, taken away, are they being cared for this morning? >> john, that is a great question. right now, we know very, very little. honestly because the people in charge of this investigation, dhs, i.c.e., u.s. attorney's office, they know very, very little. i've seen the context of e-mails and seen reports.

i.c.e. ignored its own protocol, which was contacting cps and the schools and getting things in place before the raids. they didn't do that. they ignored the protocols. for the people trying to take care of these children, it has been chaos. we don't know how many have been reunited or even affected in the first place. there are a lot of unknowns right now. >> in mississippi, the state child protection services, what kind of heads up were they given? >> that's correct. >> were they given any? >> no, they weren't. i checked with them last night. the response i got back was crickets. a day and a half, they still haven't reached out to the agency in charge of the welfare of these children. they don't know how many kids were affected. they've had a ton of people reaching out offering food,

clothing, shelter. they haven't been able to take them up because they don't know where these children are. >> more on just how secretive this planning was. the white house wasn't even alerted because they were likely afraid the president would leak it in advance. as you've pieced together what happened and what the day was like for these children and their parents. >> sure. i believe the raid took place around 7:30, 8:00 in the morning. only then did those in charge of the raid reach out to schools. the reports i've heard are things like principals calling school bus drivers saying wait, wait, make sure you have eyes on parents. do not leave a child unattended at home. if they don't seem like they have parents at home, bring them

back to the school and we'll take care of them. everything seems like after the fact. the first concern was conducting the raid, the second was the children. again, back in 2007, they set these prot koocols at i.c.e. sag child welfare needs to be informed. schools need to be informed to mitigate the trauma this could cause. that wasn't done. >> we are told this morning about half the people who were initially brought in have been released. the others still in custody. 700 people, workers targeted. any sense of the companies themselves were targeted? they are the ones that hired these workers. what ramifications are there for the companies? >> so far none.

i haven't heard anything happening to the management that hired them. >> wow. great to have you on with us. great to have your reporting. please keep us posted. there are still so many questions this morning. >> there are. thank you, john. >> we'll speak with some folks from the local schools a little later to find out when they got calls. they don't have answers either. we have some polls showing how they think candidates performed in the cnn debates. here to show us the candidates moving up and moving down. ♪ corey is living with metastatic breast cancer,

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>> the first round of post debate polls are in. where is the movement going? whose up? whose down? >> shalom, everyone. it is the same old race. joe biden is still ahead. sanders and warren fighting it

out for second place. the one thing we can say now, kamala harris and pete buttigieg are now tied in fourth place. >> there was a lot of movement but a lot of it happened before the cnn debate. >> right. this was a debate a lot of people recognized not a lot really happened in terms of moving things. what is powering joe biden? the same thing among african-american voters at 50%. they make about 1/5 to a quarter of all voters. looking back to 2007 in august. a few interesting things here. a lot of movement because barack obama overwhelmingly won african-americans. another thing is important. joe biden right now with the other candidates, they'll rise

up and overtake biden. based upon where obama was. harris is not anywhere close. biden is above clinton. this is like a real sort of thing. tha this could be real. >> if harris or booker were going to do what obama did, they are far away. >> that's right. another thing, cory booker who had a good debate, 2%, 2%. marian williamson received a lot of press. not a lot of bump there either. >> 0 to 0. pretty much the definition of no movement. >> look at this. the first of the nation primary contest. we were talking about this earlier. joe biden still ahead here. the big movement here is senator

he's beth warren. right now, you have a one/two matchup biden/warren and everybody else around here. >> it is a miracle really how little change there has been. >> there has been so little change. >> except i will note for this guy. >> thats right. bernie sanders being replaced in that liberal lane by elizabeth warren. >> another thing, he got to 3%. now he has three of four qualifying polls. turns out you can buy your way on to a debate stage. he's proofing that. >> the beetles were wrong.

>> i was more of a monkey's fan. >> learning music and polls. i went back and looked at the polls in august before the caucus since 1980. joe biden is in this range. the 25 to 30% range. usually they win 30 to 40% of the time. if you were betting on someone to win, you probably bet on somebody else. elizabeth warren at 20%. it is not over yet. >> you wouldn't bet on someone else, you bet on the field. you'd much rather have a 40% chance than a 10%. joe biden has been compared to jeb bush and others based off name recognition. he's got them over a hump.

one last thing, i have a new podcast, folks, the forecastfest with me. you should listen. it is good stuff. >> congratulations on that. >> thank you. if you like what you heard. the forecast, subscribe via itunes. >> thank you. >> thank you for the invite. >> you didn't get one? >> we'll get you on. >> noted. a new scare in a nation on edge. what we know about a heavily armed man who walked through a walmart and sent police scrambling through the store.

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stills tells cnn he has received multiple death threats for his comments about dolphins owner. we have more this morning. >> he was one of the first players to join colin kaepernick and chose to kneel during the national anthem. this comes the day after criticizing the owner of playing both sides. the owner has a foundation called rise. he is still tweeting you can't have a nonprofit with this mission statement and open your doors to trump. talking about why he felt the need to call out his owner. >> i was just baffled more than

anything, you look at the work he's done or trying to do through rise and then you look at the work at the man he's hosting a fundraiser for. it didn't line up or make sense. >> ross releasing a statement saying i have known donald trump for 40 years, while he with agree on some is issues, we strongly disagree with others. i have never been bashful expressing my opinions. some prefer to sit outside the process, he prefers to engage directly and support the things he deeply cares about. >> watching that closely. controversy in the hamptons about ross also. we'll get to those demonstrations in a little bit. is there new progress in the push to battle gun violence in america. "a" we'll tell you what they mean next.

>> i was here three months ago, we made a speech. that was some crowd. >> people recovering from injuries. >> he's happy to hold back. these kind of bills are needed to defeat much mick con al. >> police, can i see my mother please. >> we are once again becoming a nation of law and order. >> 607 people detained. >> that narrative doesn't exist here. >> this is new day. >> welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. this is new