Last-Minute Preparations for Republican Debate.
GORANI: Serbia's Prime Minister says the chaotic scenes playing out at its border with Hungary are a huge embarrassment for his country. Prime Minister Aleksander Vucic joins me now live. He's in Washington. You just met with the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Thank you, sir, for being with us. First I want to get your raw reaction to the scenes we showed on CNN just hours ago of Hungarian forces tear gassing and using water cannons on refugees and migrants on your side of the border with Hungary. What was your reaction when you saw that?</s>ALEKSANDER VUCIC, SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER: Good afternoon and, first of all, thank you for having me. And I wanted to say thank you for having me on and wanted to say that I was very embarrassed and in a way astonished when I heard everything about this news here in Washington. And you know Hungarian police fired tear gas at Serbian territory and we warned our Hungarian colleagues not to repeat it again. And we don't see any reasons for that. Because we treated those refugees in the best possible way really. Serbia we showed a real solidarity tolerance. We did all medical screenings, medical treatments for those people. We offered overnight stay and not only overnight stay and also we registered and we took their finger prints, we made all the needed photos. We did our job. Everything that all the others didn't do before us, even some EU countries. And we you know, we accepted all EU values and we behaved, we acted in accordance with the EU values, and now we are facing such a terrible situation and also our Serbian journalists has been recently beaten by Hungarian police and with no reasons, with no reasons at all. It's a lady, Jovan Djurovic is her name and I hope that it will stop. We will do our best to stay very calm, not to provoke anything but we hope that we will finally get a comprehensive solution from the European Union. And that's what I was insisting in my discussion -- in my conversation with Secretary Kerry.</s>GORANI: May I ask you Prime Minister. I was going to ask you about this because what you said right off the top there is that you told your Hungarian colleagues, do not do this again, do not use water cannons on Serbian territory, do not use or tear gas. What response did you get to that request?</s>VUCIC: I heard a situation because my Minister of Interior is in close contact with the Hungarian Minister of Interior and we hope that we just overcome these bumps in the road and it won't happen again. And I hope that they'll respect our territorial integrity and sovereignty otherwise we'll have to protect it. But what we need and what we ask is a European response to this. Someone from the European Union has to say what would be a comprehensive solution for this migrant or refugee crisis and someone will have to say what was our fault, what we did in the wrong way or someone else did it. They cannot stay silent as they used to be you know there is need for action. You know, it's 22nd and that very important meeting is far away from today and what we need is prior (reaction) and you know we are eager to see the real results of their consultations. And otherwise I'm afraid .</s>GORANI: .clearly, yes, -- clearly Prime Minister, you sound very frustrated. You sound frustrated with what happened today. You sound frustrated with the slow pace of discussions and negotiations in the European Union to try to solve this. Is it fair to say this that you are very frustrated right now?</s>VUCIC: If you - if you - if you use and choose that word I won't object to that. But, you know I'm very concerned. My job is to take care of our country's interests, to take care of our people's interests. And we treated those migrants, those refugees in the best possible way. What was our fault? I need someone from the European Union to say it to us. Why did they fire tear gas to our - at our territory? Why did they attack our journalists? And we need to find all the response for that. We are not afraid of anybody but we need to see why did it happen? Who was responsible for that?. We were not. We were not at all. We acted in a very responsible and a very serious way and I feel that every single normal person should be frustrated. Otherwise I wouldn't be normal and I wouldn't be deserving the place that I have today. You know it is dare to say a very normal reaction and I expect a European Union very harsh reaction on these event from today.</s>GORANI: Do you consider what Hungarian forces did today at the border a violation of Serbian Territorial sovereignty or integrity here. Do you consider this a violation?</s>VUCIC: Whatever - whatever - whatever you call it, it was a very embarrassing event and we'll do our best to overcome all the problems with our Hungarian neighbors. We had a great relationship and will invest a lot of our efforts and a lot of our endeavors to make it better in the future but it cannot be repeated. It cannot be repeated again. Otherwise it would cause a terrible disaster in an entire region. And I'm not warning only the people that caused it today I'm doing that and I am warning an entire European Union because it's not our fault. Dare to say that it's their fault because they didn't react properly on time and now we have to deal with something that we don't know how to deal with.</s>GORANI: Right. What do you think should happen now in the immediate future? I don't mean longer term negotiations. But there are about 2,000 people on your side of the border right now. Sleeping out on the street with very little access to clean water to bathrooms, et cetera. What do you think should happen now?</s>VUCIC: We do our best to negotiate with those people. To convince them to persuade them to leave that place. To go to that reception center in (inaudible). It's our place close to the border with Hungary. To change the place, to go somewhere else, to change the route, to do whatever they can. But they don't want to accept our proposals. And well after that we cannot do anything else. [15:30:14:</s>VUCIC: They way out was to go through the Hungarian border. And you know what we can is to speak to our Hungarian colleagues to calm the situation down and to see that such terrible events will never happen again. And otherwise I cannot predict anything it's a very silly situation you know. But we have to act in a very responsible and in a very serious way. And I hope that we'll have a lot of response from EU officials.</s>GORANI: OK, Prime Minister of Serbia, Aleksander Vucic, thank you very much. Joining us live from Washington where you just had conversations with John Kerry on a day there at the border between Hungary and Serbia where we saw these chaotic scenes. We want to thank the Prime Minister for taking the time to join us. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back with more news on CNN.</s>GORANI: A look at our top stories. Hungarian riot police have clashed with migrants at Hungary's border with Serbia</s>GORANI: They fired water cannon and tear gas after some refugees broke through a border fence. Frustration has been mounting for the past day after Hungary blocked migrants from entering the country. I just spoke to Serbia's Prime Minister, Aleksander Vucic, saying he has asked Hungary not to do this again. Expressed his frustration at the lack of a Europe-wide solution and also said that what happened today at the border area was a huge, "embarrassment."</s>GORANI: He made the comment during an interview with Russian media. Mr. Assad says the west's support for armed opposition groups within Syria is fueling the civil war and causing civilians to flee.</s>GORANI: In the UK labor's new leader Jeremy Corbyn faced Prime Minister, David Cameron, in parliament for the first time as labor leader. The half hour question and answer session is usually a raucous affair filled with sound bytes for a rolling T.V. audience. But the veteran left wing leader displayed a very different tone today. Phil Black explains.</s>PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A new Labour leader promising a new civil way of conducting what is traditionally a bruising British political ritual.</s>JEREMY CORBYN, LABOUR PARTY LEADER: Many told me that they thought Prime Minister's question time was too theatrical.</s>BLACK: It's been said by a new opposition leader before this was David Cameron versus then Prime Minister Tony Blair making the same point, theatrically.</s>DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: It's only -- It's only our first exchange and already the Prime Minister is asking me the questions. This approach is stuck in the past and I want to talk about the future. He was the future once.</s>BLACK: But Corbyn's first attempt at style over mob like braying he asked the public to suggest questions.</s>CORBYN: And I received 40,000 replies.</s>BLACK: He's only allowed six.</s>CORBYN: And I ask one from a woman called Marie who says what does the government intend to do about the chronic lack of affordable housing?</s>PRIME MINISTER DAVID CAMERON: Now let me answer very directly Marie's question, because we do need to see more affordable housing.</s>BLACK: And so it went, Corbyn repeating loaded supplied questions on serious issues.</s>CORBYN: I've got a question from Steven who works for a housing association who says --</s>BLACK: And the Prime Minister agreeing respectfully with the importance of the question.</s>PRIME MINISTER CAMERON: What I would say to Steven and all those working in housing associations --</s>BLACK: Before talking up the government's record on the issue and often dropping in a little barb about the new labor leader's left-wing politics.</s>PRIME MINISTER CAMERON: If the labor party is going to go down the route of unlimited spending, unlimited borrowing, unlimited tax rates, printing money, they will wreck the economic security of our country.</s>BLACK: This was all very different in tone and volume. David Cameron never looked troubled but crucially for Corbyn he didn't disgrace himself either.</s>STIG ABELL: Comes Jeremy Corbyn with a kind of charming, bumbling amateurism and David Cameron just stood there and deflected everything.</s>BLACK: The Sun, like most British newspapers has been giving Corbyn a bit of a hard time since he became labor leader at the start of the week. And he's been helping them out with headlines and stories like this. Corbyn, a committed Republican standing respectfully but not singing God Save the Queen during a World War II commemoration service. Some of his choices for shadow cabinet were notable including a would-be finance minister who once listed among his hobbies fermenting the downfall of capitalism. Corbyn and his left-wing views were elevated with huge support from labor party members across the country. But he wasn't the preferred choice for most of those labor politicians sitting around him in parliament. This is all raw territory for British politics. Corbyn's not playing by the rules and no one really knows what's going to happen next. Phil Black, CNN, London.</s>GORANI: Returning to our top story now, those angry scenes between refugees and Hungarian police along the border with Serbia. CMM senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman was reporting live when tear gas started filling the air. Take a look.</s>WEDEMAN: They've fired more tear gas so people are sort of panicking at the moment. I don't know if we're still connected, just stick with me. (</s>CNN, HOST): You're connected, Ben. Carry on.</s>WEDEMAN: Yes, all right. You can see that tear gas has been fired. OK, all right, I'll carry on, I'll carry on. All right, yes. Tear gas has been fired, people are running. This is one of the problems, a panic starts and we just try to do a little traffic to keep people from trampling us as well. OK, I can smell the tear gas now. They're chanting God is great. They had great hope when they thought they could go to places like Germany and Austria and the fact that suddenly the door is shut, the road is closed and they can't move forward accounts for what we're seeing here. OK what happened is rumor went around that the gate had been open and people could move forward so women, children, everybody came rushing with all their possessions they could carry towards the gate and then just moments ago the crowd started to run in the opposite direction they were firing tear gas. Again, it's thick, as you can tell. People are being overcome by this gas. Earlier we had seen the Serbian police trying to calm the situation down urging people to move back so it appears these police have now been deployed on the Serbian side of the border perhaps to defuse the situation.</s>GORANI: Well that was Ben Wedeman, It certainly was chaotic, frightening for some of the refugees and migrants who ran away from that tear gas, the water cannon as well, some of them carrying children and many of those migrants at the Serbian/Hungarian border are hoping eventually to reach Germany. Really we haven't spoken to any who want to stay in Hungary. Speaking to CNN, the German Defense Minister, Ursula von der Leyen condemned the Hungarians' use of tear gas was condemned. Listen.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your reaction to what Hungary is doing to the refugees, there's tear gas, there's all sorts of practically battles at the Hungarian border.</s>URSULA VON DER LEYEN, GERMAN DEFENSE MINISTER: This is not acceptable and this is against the European rules we do have. Therefore, it is very important that we really stick to the respect what human dignity and human rights are concerned and the refugees have a right to be treated decent. And this is something where we really have a lot to discuss in Europe.</s>GORANI: There you have it, the German defense minister. A lot to discuss in Europe certainly. Very few people disagree with that. Now let's talk about the U.S. Republican debate. In a face-off you'll see only here on CNN, the hopefuls will meet in California for their second debate. We'll have special coverage starting at the top of the hour so in 20 minutes' time. Let's go live now to CNN politics senior digital correspondent Chris Moody in Simi Valley, California. Chris, set the scene for us.</s>CHRIS MOODY, CNN POLITICS SENIOR DIGITAL CORRESPONDENT: Well it's just a few hours before the debate is set to start and the candidates are all starting to drive up the mountain where the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is located here in Simi Valley.</s>MOODY: They're driving in and they're doing walk-throughs on the debate stage seeing where they're going to stand. CNN has set up a 40-foot tall stage that's parallel with Ronald Reagan's Air Force One jet and they'll be standing adjacent to that. Also as they come in throughout the day and they prepare they've been set up with these trailers. Now we are close to Los Angeles, close to Hollywood, it's kind of like on a Hollywood movie set. There are trailers set up all over this parking lot here just a few hundred feet from the debate stage so they can practice and rest up a little bit. And candidates are coming in and out back and forth. Governor, Chris Christie of New Jersey just came by he actually looked pretty comfortable and ready for a fight. So it should be very interesting both debates tonight on CNN.</s>GORANI: All right, I'm going to try to keep my eyes open past 1:00 and 2:00 in the morning here in London. Thanks very much Chris Moody. Let's go to Washington now I'm joined live by Kevin Sheridan, he's the former senior advisor for Mitt Romney's Presidential campaign. He also was the communications director for Vice-Presidential nominee Paul Ryan so he knows a thing or two about behind the scenes nerves and preparations. Thanks for being with us Kevin. First of all, let's talk a little bit about what the candidates are going through just a few hours from this important second debate.</s>KEVIN SHERIDAN, FORMER SENIOR ADVISOR ROMNEY FOR PRESIDENT: Sure so right now they've just done their walk-throughs of the debate center. They've seen what the facility looks like, they've seen what the crowd will look like, it's a much smaller venue than the first one in Cleveland where it was an entire stadium. So they'll have to get comfortable with that. Then they're going to go back, they'll probably settle down they'll meet with their families, they'll spend time listening to music or exercising or whatever they do to center themselves so that they can really prepare for their lines of attack and remind themselves why they're there and what they need to get across to the American people</s>GORANI: So for our international viewers, the most recognizable name of course is Donald Trump. How is this format going to be different for him? Because you mentioned the Fox debate, that was a big auditorium. This is about I think 500 people total so it's different. Does it hurt or help him?</s>SHERIDAN: You know it probably doesn't hurt him because the bigger event was establishment Republicans. He got booed, I was in the audience and there was heavy boos throughout the - throughout the debate for him especially when he said he wouldn't sign a pledge that he would support the Republican candidate. So I think he's going to do pretty well in terms of the venue. It depends on where the entire rest of the field has evolved to whether or not they're going to start taking shots of him. And whether or not the moderators are going to be able to hold his feet to the fire on some of the specifics that he's avoided to this point.</s>GORANI: Because as you know debate one we didn't see many direct attacks against Donald Trump. Perhaps because they thought well eventually he's just going to self-destruct. He hasn't, not only has he not he's also leading by a wider margin. So what's the strategy now?</s>SHERIDAN: Well, I don't think anybody knows. I think it's kind of a laboratory for experiment. Each candidate is trying to figure out whether or not to go after him. That comes with a great risk as you saw with Rand Paul, if you don't bring you're A game you're going to get slammed. And I think Rand Paul has already telegraphed that he's going to go after him again tonight. Jeb bush is going to have to have a moment. I don't know that he's going to take on Trump but he may do it you know, as a bank shot. I think Carly Fiorina, everybody is looking to whether or not Trump and Fiorina are going to have a moment since they just had an exchange before this leading up to this debate on her looks and a very unfair attack on her which she turned into a really great moment for her campaign. So everyone's waiting to see what happens and it still is the Donald Trump show.</s>GORANI: It still is and it's what's really drawing people. I understand 24 million people watched the Fox debate, I can't imagine that the CNN debate won't get absolutely huge numbers because of that. I want to get your take on Ben Carson as well. Now this is a candidate that is a lesser known candidate for our international viewers but he's polling second now. He is the pediatric neurosurgeon. We see a picture of him there. What is his appeal here?</s>SHERIDAN: Ben Carson's appeal is much like Donald Trump's in that he's an outsider, he's never held elective office. But unlike Trump he's got a very a nice demeanor, he's got a good bedside demeanor of you will. He has come across as the calm, intelligence voice. What Ben Carson's big challenge is going to be taking the support that he's got in the Evangelical community and from his books and from support that he's been able to build up over the last few years and turned it into credibility. He needs to - he needs to be a credible voice on foreign policy. He hasn't shown that he can really you know debate on specific topics like that. So he's going to really have to show like another level of intelligence that he's already done on domestic stuff but he's really going to have to do that on foreign policy issues.</s>GORANI: And I want you just to give us, Kevin, a reality check lastly on at this stage of the stage. How, I mean historically how often does the front-runner at this stage of the campaign end up being the nominee?</s>SHERIDAN: Well at this time last election I think Herman Cain was in the lead. So it doesn't always matter. You know September is kind of the moving time where you're coming out of summer. There's a summer fling. We'll see whether or not this support lasts for him. It's already started to move with Carson moving up against him and Carly Fiorina and some others. I think there's an establishment wing of the party that will come back, and I think at some point Marco Rubio or a Jeb Bush or someone else is going to really take on one of those outsiders.</s>GORANI: All right, Kevin Sheridan, thanks very much we really appreciate your analysis. Kevin Sheridan, a former Romney adviser coming to us from Washington. Don't forget of course to tune in to CNN later when the Republican Presidential candidates face off in back-to-back debates.</s>GORANI: Watch live at 11pm in London, midnight in Berlin and special coverage starts as I mentioned in 13 minutes.</s>GORANI: U.S. President Barack Obama is inviting a 14-year-old Muslim boy to the white house after the teen was mistakenly arrested.</s>GORANI: You may have heard or read this story. You've reacted a lot to it on Facebook on my page. On Monday Texas police handcuffed Ahmed Mohamed after teachers thought a clock he made and brought to school was, in fact, a bomb. Here's that invitation Mr. Obama tweeted earlier. "Cool clock, Ahmed. Want to bring it to the White House? We should inspire more kids like you to like sciences. It's what makes America great." And by the way he also got an invitation from Mark Zuckerberg to Facebook headquarters.