ROOM-01
Says Obama Born in U.S.; Trump Calls for Increased Military Spending;
FBI Director Defends Clinton E-mail Probe; Chelsea Clinton Hits
Pennsylvania Campaign Trail; Pentagon Reports Russian Jet Flies within
10 Feet of U.S. Plane; Latest iPhone Has No Headphone Jack. Aired 5-6p
ET - Part 2>
In talking to Republicans, you know, you asked them -- for instance, I've asked them, what's the biggest concern you have about Donald Trump? And often, they would say his foreign policy knowledge and his foreign policy plans. So today you heard him, I think, roll out pretty boilerplate Republican ideas. And I think you'll see him do more of that tonight.
BLITZER: I suspect you're right.
Rebecca, he calls Hillary Clinton in his speech today trigger happy, very unstable. She's going after his character, saying he's unfit to be president of the United States. In the next two months, it's going to get very, very personal, I suspect.
REBECCA BERG, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: And I would argue that it already has, Wolf.
I mean, what's really unusual about this presidential race, well, one of about a million things that are very unusual about this presidential race, is that each of the candidates is really making the argument that the other is unfit to be president. Not that they are wrong on policy necessarily. Not that they are not qualified, that they are unfit to be president of the United States. So it is a very personal argument that they're making.
At the same time you have Hillary Clinton saying that Donald Trump is pushing racist ideas through his campaign. Donald Trump saying that Hillary Clinton is corrupt. These are really strong terms.
BLITZER: He called her a bigot.
BERG: Exactly. These are really strong terms.
But at the same time, I mean, we could hope for maybe more of a high- minded policy discussion, but when you have a candidate like Donald Trump, who's campaign is essentially based wholly on who he is and his style, his character, not his policy prescriptions, and he really doesn't have very specific ones that Hillary Clinton can latch onto, you're left with this discussion that becomes very personal.
BLITZER: And Hillary Clinton also is upping the pressure on him to release his tax returns. And he says he can't do it, because there's an audit. The IRS says he could do it, if he wants to release those tax returns. He says he's not going to do it. Mike Pence, the vice- presidential running mate, he's going to release his tax returns tomorrow. That will automatically increase the pressure, I assume, on Trump, raising this issue once again.
PRESTON: Right, it already has. And Donald Trump has said, "Listen, the American people don't care about seeing my taxes." And quite frankly, they do, right? So if you go back and look at national polls next month, a strong majority of them, whether it be 60 percent or 70 percent, depending on what poll you look at, say they think that Donald Trump should release these tax returns.
What, really, this comes to is the issue of honesty and trustworthiness, which is really two key qualities we're talking a lot about this campaign. Not only about Hillary Clinton, her e-mail server and her work with the Clinton Foundation, and the access between the foundation and the State Department, but also the fact that Donald Trump continues to stonewall on releasing any information about these taxes.
BLITZER: He could release his earlier years that are no longer under audit. He could release those, but he's declined, as well.
HENDERSON: Yes, he has, and he's been pretty steadfast in this whole idea that he's not going to release them, he's under audit. I think last night he may have said he would release them if Hillary Clinton released his e-mails -- her e-mails.
So I don't know. I think the American people, as Mark said, they do care about this, but I don't think many voters, if any voters, are going to be voting on whether or not Donald Trump releases his tax returns. I think at this point I think there's very little incentive for him to do so, and he's landed on this place where he isn't. And he finds himself now tied, at least in a lot of these national polls, with Hillary Clinton. So whatever damage has been done by him not releasing his tax returns, you know, is kind of baked in at this point.
BLITZER: All right, guys. Everybody stand by. Much more coming up including new words, just released today by the FBI director, James Comey, strongly defending his decision not to recommend charges, criminal charges against Hillary Clinton. We'll update you on that when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:41:55] BLITZER: Following some breaking news: CNN has learned the FBI director, James Comey, is strongly defending the bureau's investigation of Hillary Clinton's e-mails and his decision to release the documents about the investigation last Friday, right at the beginning of Labor Day weekend.
In a memo to FBI employees, Comey wrote -- and I'm quoting him now -- "There really wasn't a prosecutable case against Hillary. At the end of the day, the case itself was not a cliffhanger," he said, "despite all the chest beating by people no longer in the government. There really wasn't a prosecutable case."
Our Evan Perez, our justice correspondent, breaking the news. Very strong words from James Comey, the FBI director.
With the polls showing the presidential race tightening right now, Hillary Clinton is getting some additional help. I want to bring in our senior Washington correspondent, Joe Johns.
Joe, the one person we didn't see out on the campaign trail today was Hillary Clinton herself.
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: That's true, Wolf, but tonight, it's her husband, the former president, doing the heavy lifting after having his own foundation's activities called into question by his wife's opponent. Bill Clinton tonight trying to turn the tables on Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS (voice-over): Hillary Clinton getting some campaign reinforcements in the form of her family.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, good morning, Orlando.
JOHNS: Bill Clinton rallying supporters today in Florida, where he hammered Donald Trump for paying a fine to the IRS after the GOP nominee made an illegal $25,000 donation through his foundation to a political group backing the state's attorney general, Pam Bondi, in 2013.
B. CLINTON: Her opponent attacked my foundation. I think that's because he knew they were about to report that he used his foundation to give money to your attorney general, but -- which is not legal.
JOHNS: The Trump Foundation made the donation four days after Bondi said publicly she was considering an investigation into the now- defunct Trump University. Bondi never launched a formal probe.
The former president also mocking Trump's campaign slogan.
B. CLINTON: Saying you're going to make America great again is like me saying I'd like to be 20 begin.
JOHNS: That as Hillary Clinton picks up a rare endorsement from the "Dallas Morning News: editorial board, which hasn't backed a Democrat in more than 75 years. The board writing, "Clinton has made some mistakes and displayed bad judgment, but her errors are plainly in a different universe than her opponent's."
Bill Clinton welcoming the news but urging supporters not to get complacent.
B. CLINTON: We've got to keep working. Endorsements don't vote. People vote.
JOHNS: And Hillary Clinton getting some good news in Arizona, a red state she is hoping to turn blue this year. A new poll there shows her neck and neck with Trump, with nearly a quarter of voters in the state undecided.
A CNN poll from Arizona last month showed Trump ahead five points.
A new CNN/ORC poll, meanwhile, finds immigration now rivals the economy as a top concern, with voters almost evenly split between Clinton and Trump on who is best able to handle the issue.
The survey finds little support for some of Trump's specific proposals on immigration, with 58 percent saying they oppose his plan to build a wall on the southern border, and two in three voters saying they're against mass deportation of undocumented immigrants.
[17:45:23] CHELSEA CLINTON, HILLARY CLINTON'S DAUGHTER: I thought I was my mom's biggest fan here.
JOHNS (voice-over): And Clinton's daughter, Chelsea, also hitting the campaign trail in Pennsylvania today for the first time since the birth of her second child.
CLINTON: Even if I weren't a mom, this would be the most important Presidential election of my lifetime because everything that I care most about, I worry, is at risk.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS: Just a little while ago, the Clinton campaign issued a statement blasting what it called the childish insults in Donald Trump's speech today comparing him to a schoolyard bully saying Trump has only one way of responding to a legitimate criticism of his own vulnerabilities, quote, I know you are but what am I. It goes on to say you could dismiss these actions as insecure schoolyard behavior, but this man is running for President. Wolf.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Joe, thank you very much. Joe Johns reporting.
We're going to have more of the breaking news coming into the SITUATION. There's been a new very close encounter between a Russian jet and a U.S. military plane. Stand by for new details. Also, Apple's latest iPhone doesn't have a headphone jack. Is it a technological advance, or is it a mistake?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:50:58] BLITZER: We're following breaking news. A very close encounter, a very dangerous encounter between a Russian fighter jet and a U.S. Navy plane. An incident the Pentagon is calling an unsafe, close range intercept. Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is working the story for us. What are you learning, Barbara?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, just how dangerous was it earlier today over the Black Sea? A U.S. Navy P-8 patrol aircraft flying in the international air space was approached by a Russian SU-27 fighter. The Russian plane came within 10 feet of the U.S. Navy plane according to the U.S. crew, a very dangerous maneuver by the Russians.
This is not the first time. We have video of Russian planes going over U.S. Navy ships in very close range. There'd been a lot of very aggressive maneuvers by the Russians. This encounter lasted close to 20 minutes. Earlier today, the U.S. Navy, obviously very concerned about all of this.
And the big question remains, why are the Russians doing this? Is this something Vladimir Putin himself is ordering, or are these Russian pilots out there hotdogging? Wolf.
BLITZER: And the Iranians have been doing similar stuff as well. All right, Barbara. Thank you very much.
A very different story we're following tonight. Your Apple iPhone, apparently, is out of date. The company unveiled its new iPhone 7 today which includes a big gamble, no built-in jack to connect headphones.
CNN's Brian Todd is here in the SITUATION ROOM. So, Brian, how are you going to listen to music?
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, you can either listen to music the way you have been but you need to use an adapter with some traditional earphones that you can plug into it, or you're going to have to shell out 159 bucks for new wireless earphones called AirPods.
Now, Apple is counting on us all to embrace the new technology as we so often have, but tonight, the idea of eliminating that tiny little port in your iPhone is getting some major push back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): The unveiling many couldn't wait for and some dreaded. Tonight, after its trademark slick stage production at a packed theater in San Francisco, Apple is out with its new iPhone.
TIM COOK, CEO, APPLE INC.: It's the best iPhone that we have ever created. This is iPhone 7. It has a gorgeous new design. TODD (voice-over): The new iPhone 7 is water resistant, has a fancier two lens camera. It's sleeker, offering two new shades of black. But the biggest change, no more headphone jack.
STEVEN OVERLY, TECH REPORTER, WASHINGTON POST: This plug right here that we're all used to plugging in to listen to music will no longer exist on the iPhone 7.
TODD (on camera): What is the upside to that?
OVERLY: For the upside, for anyone who's ever gone on a run and had the cord get sort of tangled or put it in the bottom of their bag and had to unknot it, you know, that will no longer be an issue.
TODD (voice-over): To save space, headphones will only plug into the lightning port, the port used for charging. Included in your purchase, your buds with a lightning port plug and an adapter to plug in normal 3.5 millimeter headphones used by everyone else. But the biggest innovation, for another $159, there will be wireless ear buds called AirPods.
PHILP SCHILLER, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF WORLDWIDE MARKETING, APPLE INC.: The AirPods deliver truly an Apple magical experience. When you try it, you're just going to be blown away.
TODD (voice-over): But AirPods need charging. You can't use them with non-Apple phones, and you wouldn't want to lose them during work outs.
SCHILLER: It really comes down to one word, courage. The courage to move on.
TODD (voice-over): But after today's unveiling, some serious push back on social media from those not ready to give up their traditional headphones. Why have so many of us been so reluctant to get rid of this?
OVERLY: Well, there's the cliche that change is hard, but it honestly goes beyond that. You know, the cord on the headphones also serves a functional purpose, whether you're reaching for them in your bag or trying to make sure the right doesn't get separated from the left.
TODD (voice-over): Analysts say Apple needs to push new products like wireless headphones, accessories, and the just unveiled water resistant next generation of the Apple Watch in order to recoup after recent setbacks.
Over the past year, Apple sales of iPhones dropped for the first time since the device was introduced in 2007.
OVERLY: Well, they've declined because of competition from smartphone makers like Samsung. And also, data shows that people are upgrading their phones less often.
(END VIDEOTAPE) TODD: Now, with Apple stock in desperate need of a resurgence, the pressure is on for the company to produce another revolutionary product or to make impressive upgrades of existing ones so they can keep making money.
But Apple fans, also called the "iFateful", well, they say Apple has a proven record of pushing us all past entrenched technologies, getting rid of Ethernet ports, floppy disks and CD drives on Apple computers ahead of the curve. Wolf.
[17:55:53] BLITZER: All right, Brian. Thank you very much. Coming up, Donald Trump is about to speak to a group of conservatives just hours after his closely watched national security speech. What is his secret plan to fight ISIS? One of the top Republican senators on military and defense issues, former Presidential candidate Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, he's standing by. He'll take our questions.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:00:37] BLITZER: Happening now, general confusion. Donald Trump says he'll give military leaders a month to draft a new strategy against ISIS after claiming he already had --
(Byline: Wolf Blitzer; Jim Acosta; Sunlen Serfaty; Mark Preston; Nia- Malika Henderson; Rebecca Berg; Joe Johns, Brian Todd)
(Guest: Mike Flynn, Steven Overly)
(High: Donald Trump lays out his national security plan, calling for increasing the U.S. military. Trump's vice-presidential pick, Mike Pence, breaks with the nominee and says that President Obama was born in the U.S. Donald Trump calls for an end to defense sequestration, a move some say is pandering to his GOP base. The FBI director defends the FBI's investigation into Hillary Clinton's e-mail use as secretary of state. Chelsea Clinton joins her mother's campaign trail in Pennsylvania for the first time since the birth of her second child. Hillary Clinton's campaign issued a statement comparing Donald Trump to a schoolyard bully, calling his attacks against Hillary Clinton as childish insults. Pentagon reports a U.S. Navy patrol aircraft was approached by a Russian SU-27 fighter jet over the Black Sea. In a very dangerous maneuver lasting close to 20 minutes, the Russian SU-27 fighter jet came over the U.S. Navy patrol aircraft within 10 feet. Apple Inc. unveiled its latest new iPhone 7 with major upgrades, the biggest of which is its lack of headphone jacks. In lieu of the traditional headphones, Apple Inc. unveiled its biggest iPhone innovation, the wireless ear buds called AirPods, but said innovation was met with some major push backs with some analysts saying they need to push new products instead in order to recoup their recent setbacks.)
(Spec: Election; Military; Donald Trump; Barack Obama; Mike Pence; Military; FBI; Hillary Clinton; National Security; Pentagon; Russian SU-27; US Navy P-8; Apple Inc.; iPhone 7; AirPods)
