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U.S. Marine Released from Mexican Prison; Virgin Atlantic Spaceship Crashes in Mojave Desert; Interview With Rep. Ed Royce Of California; Republican Chances of Taking U.S. Senate in Midterm Elections Assessed; Volcanic Lava Threatens Homes in Hawaii; Nurse in Maine Released from Ebola Quarantine

Aired November 01, 2014 - 14:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Here are the stories that are topping our news right now in the Newsroom.

Andrew Tahmooressi is a free man this afternoon after being released from a Mexican jail late last night. The former marine has been in prison there on gun charges since March when he says he took a wrong turn at the Mexican border. Nick Valencia is covering the story for us. So Nick, this is a joyful ending for him but still a lot of questions as to how this came about.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's what we're going to ask the attorney right now. We're joined exclusively by Fernando Benitez. He's the third defense attorney for U.S. marine sergeant Andrew Tahmooressi. Fernando, thank you so much for taking the time with CNN. Was this how you expected it to come about?

FERNANDO BENITEZ, ATTORNEY FOR RELEASED MARINE, (via telephone): Well, actually, if I must be truthful, I was prepared to go all the way to a judgment. But I am delighted, and despite some opinions to the contrary, especially in my country, I'm very, very proud of the attorney general's decision to file non-accusatory conclusions based on the preponderance of the evidence acquired at that point in the case. The attorney general's office decided in a very bold and very humane -- humanitarian, I should say, move to basically move towards dismissal of the case. And we believe he made a right decision. We believe the evidence supports it 100 percent. Some folks might not agree totally with it. But I am just ecstatic. I'm glad we could get this young man back home. And I'm glad I got to participate in some small way at least.

VALENCIA: And Mr. Benitez, how complicated of a case was this for you to handle? We know that the Mexican nationalists were very aggressive about their opinion of what they felt Andrew Tahmooressi did that day. They felt it wasn't an accident. It sort of complicated things for the Mexican government. What's your take on it? Are you happy with the outcome?

BENITEZ: I'll tell you what. In any country, there will be some very specific sectors of society that will be a little extreme in their views. Mexico's not an exception. However, most people that really got to know the workings of the case agreed that this young man has to come back home. And I feel most people are happy for him. We are certainly happy for him. We are proud that our government took the decision that they did. You know, it was a complicated case, but it wasn't -- never felt we couldn't win it. I still feel if we had to go to a judgment, we would have prevailed. I'm so glad we got a chance to end this sooner rather than later and have him back home and have him hopefully soon back on the treatment he needs.

VALENCIA: And Mr. Benitez, I want you to help take us there. Take us to that reaction that Andrew Tahmooressi had when he heard the news. Take us through how you learned it. I'd like to know how it all played out.

BENITEZ: OK. Thursday afternoon, we were served notice that the attorney general decided to file non-accusatory conclusions. So that is -- that is very notable. Upon learning that, we suspected that the judge would have a motion the following day ordering the attorney general to ratify those non-accusatory conclusions.

So the first thing I did was take the earliest plane to Mexico City. And along with my partner who tried the case alongside me, we wept went to Mexico City first thing in the morning, touched down, and we were expecting a motion to come from court ordering the attorney general to ratify those conclusions. But to our surprise, and it was a very surprise, I must say, at around 3:45 p.m. the court issued a notice that they would take the attorney general's submission from Thursday and predicate it on that. They felt no need to do any further bureaucratic paperwork. So they ordered the immediate release.

So what we have to do was basically drive back to the airport immediately and jump on a plane back. I have some staff ready and waiting at the prison to accompany Andrew to the immigration authority where he was processed for around 20 or 30 minutes just to sign his exit from the country. And then he was delivered to the diplomatic officials of the United States consulate general in Tijuana, who took care of him.

VALENCIA: Fernando, is this the end of it? Is this it, charges dropped, the sergeant, Andrew Tahmooressi, now gets to move on with his life? Is this the end?

BENITEZ: I'm sorry, I didn't hear that last part.

VALENCIA: Is this the end of the case now that the charges have been dropped?

BENITEZ: Well, actually, dismissal of the case due to the non- accusatory conclusion poses a new set of challenges for us because on the one side, as a person, he is no longer subject to procedure. He is innocent as if he were acquitted. Well, actually, it's even better because it's exactly as if he had never been charged, OK? But for us, we're going to rest over the weekend, but bright and early Monday morning, I'll tell you what, Nick, we're going to move to get the retrieval of the truck and the gun. And we're going to try to get his vehicle and his firearms back to him.

VALENCIA: Those contents still in Mexico.

BENITEZ: It is now proven that he did no wrong, he intended no wrong. The Mexican state decided not to prosecute him anymore, so we believe he needs to get his property back.

VALENCIA: That's the attorney for U.S. Marine Sergeant Andrew Tahmooressi joining CNN exclusively. Fred, as you know, we've been on this since the beginning, that exclusive interview. No one has spoken to the attorney just yet. We got some updates just there about what happens next, and knowing that that car and those contents still in Mexico, they're going to try to retrieve those.

WHITFIELD: It's fascinating, and it's fascinating to hear how quickly things, how the wheels got into motion. It will be fascinating to know what preceded some of those things, what preceded the dismissal of those charges of that case. Nick Valencia, thanks so much.

Let's bring in now the chairman of the House foreign affairs committee Congressman Ed Royce, because Congressman Royce was one of the lawmakers who advocated for Sergeant Tahmooressi's release. So good to see you. This is an incredible victory. And just hearing from the attorney there brought to us by Nick Valencia here, to hear that things happened very quickly. We learned from the attorney general this dismissal of the case, this non-accusatory conclusion has been reached. Can you tell us, congressman, what you know about just what preceded that? What provoked the Mexican authorities to do this?

REP. ED ROYCE (R), CALIFORNIA: Well, let me just say that originally the Mexican authorities were looking at maybe seven years, 21 years.

WHITFIELD: Right.

ROYCE: That was the filing. I had a conversation with the attorney general of Mexico asking him if he would not look at this situation where 10 days before the incident we had the -- Sergeant Tahmooressi checking into the hospital in San Diego, and the finding at that point was that he had PTSD. So clearly the attorney general had the ability to issue this particular statement, non-accusatory statement, to the judge making this recommendation.

And then we held a hearing on this. I had visited Sergeant Tahmooressi in the prison. We followed up with various officials in Mexico. And the bottom line was that the decision was made by the attorney general to issue this order to the judge.

WHITFIELD: So am I hearing you correctly in that you said this -- your belief is that this discovery made by Mexican authorities to see some real verification about his mental, his psychological state is what was needed is the linchpin that helped win his release? And they just made this discovery, even though this documentation was available, was accessible to Mexican authorities for a very long time, but in the course of the past few days, they made this discovery, and thereabout brought this release? ROYCE: When I discussed this with the attorney general, the next day

I sent the diagnosis to him from the hospital in San Diego. And I think that that gave them the rationale to move forward and ask for a humanitarian release.

WHITFIELD: Now, you heard from the attorney who says now, you know, in his view, case not completely closed until there's a retrieval of his personal property, his truck and his guns. Is it worthy of pursuing that? Should it just be dropped? And what do you believe the next step should be besides Tahmooressi's healing, you know, him reuniting with his family, them enjoying their private time?

ROYCE: Well, I think the main issue is his chance to be with his family. I was there last night along with Congressman Matt Salmon. And I could see the elation, not just on the part of his mother and his former commanding officer, Sergeant Buchanan, but also in this case he was so excited, you know, to be back on U.S. soil and express that. But at the same time, I think they'll make the move to get the property back to get it returned, because after all, this was never intended. And since then, we have made changes, working with the Department of Transportation at the border, so that now there is a turnaround. There is signage that explains that if you get off on that road, you're not going to be able to turn back. So those steps have been taken for the future.

WHITFIELD: And despite this seven to 21 years in prison that Tahmooressi was facing, did you remain confident that there was going to be an opening for him to be released, or did you feel like it was, you know, a pipe dream? What was it about his case that elicited this interest by you to want to back him, support him, and see that he would win his freedom?

ROYCE: Well, as Sergeant Buchanan said, this was the bravest marine he had served with. He testified at our committee. And at the same time in meeting with this young marine, Leah Campos and I went down to meet with him along with Matt Salmon. And you could just see what a good man he is. And, frankly, you know, he soldiered through this experience, but after two tours of duty in Afghanistan and being wounded there, he really needs to be back in the United States, not just for treatment but to be with friends and family. And now that's been done.

WHITFIELD: Representative Ed Royce, thanks so much for your time. Appreciate it.

ROYCE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, another big story we're following, Virgin Airlines' CEO and founder of Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson is now talking to the workers, 400 or so workers near that spaceship accident site. A live report from the ground in the Mojave Desert next.

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WHITFIELD: The founder of the space flight that failed in California defended his company's space program just a short time ago. Virgin Galactic CEO Richard Branson vowed to find out why the spacecraft fell apart, killing one pilot and injuring another.

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RICHARD BRANSON, FOUNDER, VIRGIN GALACTIC: We do understand the risks involved, and we're not going to push on blindly. To do so would be an insult to all those affected by this tragedy. We're going to learn from what we went wrong.

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WHITFIELD: Let's bring in CNN's Stephanie Elam who was there. She was at that press conference. So Stephanie, you asked Branson about the criticism of the project, and he had a pretty terse response, didn't he?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very true, Fred. You know, he did say that because of the NTSB investigation into this crash that he could not comment. But he did make it clear that he thinks it's too early for anyone to speak on this at all. Take a listen to what he had to say.

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BRANSON: The NTSB will be doing regular press conferences over the next month. I'm not allowed to comment at all on any aspect of the spacecraft, the rockets and anything to do with it. It's the NTSB that will be commenting. And to be honest, I find it slightly irresponsible that people who know nothing about what they're saying can be saying things before the NTSB makes their comments.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM: He also made it clear that he has seen throughout the history of aviation that there were a lot of challenges in the beginning, but now it is one of the safest modes of transportation to fly. And he's saying that it's not going to be easy, but he implied that the exploration into this project will continue. He also says that he believed the 400 engineers that he was on his way to meet with who work here at Virgin Galactic would also like to see the project continue on, Fred.

WHITFIELD: And then that nothing is being said thus far about the pilots, one who died and the other who parachuted but is still being hospitalized. What does that mean that they're very tight-lipped about the circumstances of them, who they are, et cetera?

ELAM: It's interesting to note out here, Fred, that this community out here in the Mojave Desert, we are definitely in a remote part of California where we are. But a lot of what you see happening in aviation, in aerospace, space travel, a lot of it is done out here in the desert for just the reason that it is open space, and it's dry, and they can test these vehicles out. So a lot of people here do know a lot of other people within the space community, and they do know each other. But you do get the impression that they're just not ready to say who this person is that has died and also this other pilot and his condition. But we know he was seriously injured when he landed. We just don't know anything more about him, still unknown at this point.

WHITFIELD: All right, Stephanie Elam, thanks so much for bringing us information as you get it. Appreciate it.

And in just a few minutes we'll hear reaction from retired NASA astronaut and shuttle commander Captain Mark Kelly.

Time is running out for political candidates across the U.S. They have just three days to campaign before Election Day. The potentially dramatic impact of this election and some rather bizarre moments on the campaign trail next.

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WHITFIELD: -- CNN political commentator Reihan Salam, and CNN political commentator analyst Hilary Rosen. Good to see all of you.

HILARY ROSEN, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Hey, Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK, so let's talk first about Kentucky senator Rand Paul blasting the GOP's brand. So, Ron, what's the strategy here and the meaning?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: You know, it's interesting. Rand Paul is running more explicitly toward 2016 more than any other Republican on the argument the party has to expand its reach, has to bring in new constituencies. He has made a serious effort to reach out to African-American and other minority communities around criminal justice issues, really unlike anything we've seen in the GOP since Jack Kemp.

But in a way, this is as much about the primary as it is about the general election, because Rand Paul is someone that needs to change the parameters of who votes in the Republican primaries. He has to bring in more young people than traditionally run, and he's basically trying to say as clearly as he can, I am not your father or maybe even my father's Republican.

WHITFIELD: Is this effective, do you think, Reihan?

REIHAN SALAM, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: That remains to be seen, because Rand Paul ultimately is a creature of the Tea Party movement. And this is a movement that, you know, certainly enjoyed wide influence of the party and still does, yet he is an idiosyncratic figure. There are many people in the party who, for example, are very skeptical of his foreign policy views. And so there are a lot of big barriers to overcome, and I think Ron is exactly right. He's hoping he can expand that Republican pie to win over new people because a lot of traditional Republicans, a lot of insiders, are very hostile to what he represents. So I think it's a long shot, but I certainly think he'll be very influential.

WHITFIELD: And then Hilary, this would-be Kentucky Senator Alison Lundergan Grimes refusing a few weeks back to say whether she voted for President Obama. I mean, what kind of strategy is that? Or is it really strategy, or was it just a moment, or what are the fears or reservations about her decision?

ROSEN: You know, the Kentucky Senate race is so interesting for a lot of reasons. Obviously, Alison Grimes, that may prove to be an important moment in her campaign. Yet even after that moment, she is still running neck and neck with Mitch McConnell. And his -- McConnell's Senate Republican colleagues -- this is what I find so interesting -- they're all furious at him, because his race is costing millions and millions of dollars more than it should for a senator who's not just been in the Senate as long as he has, but who's the Republican leader. So if he isn't popular enough at home to be able to spend those resources in other Senate races across the country, you know, it definitely weakens him.

I think Alison Grimes has actually turned out to be a stronger candidate than people think, and I think, you know, the blips haven't effected on her just as much as people had hoped.

WHITFIELD: So Ron, do you think this is an indicator that the tide might be changing?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, I think it's interesting, because, you know, you see candidates go through these gyrations all of the time. But the reality is you can run, but you can't hide. Whether or not she says she voted for President Obama, attitudes toward the president are increasingly shaping the way Senate races turn out. I mean, the reality is 26 states voted both times for President Obama. Democrats now have 43 of their 52 Senate seats. And 22 states voted both times against him. After this election, Republicans could have 39 or 40 of their 44.

Yes, there are always exceptions. And, you know, whether Democrats can sustain a few of those exceptions may decide which side controls the Senate. But the reality is that our elections are becoming more parliamentary and the party matters relatively more and the individual matters relatively less. And her attempts to kind of separate herself from the president really aren't going to amount to all that much because the vast majority of the people who disapprove of the president are going to vote against her.

WHITFIELD: OK, Reihan, let's talk about this so-called fan-gate. You know, Florida's governors debate upstaged by a fight over a fan. What was this all about, and was it worth the risk?

SALAM: Well, the particular details of it are pretty picayune. It was about, you know, a sense of unfairness on the part of Rick Scott because, you know, they were concerned about their presentation. That's always been the case in televised debates. Rick Scott was concerned that his opponent, Charlie Crist, had an advantage that he didn't have. I think it was pretty minor. It was certainly something that people laughed a lot about.

But to Ron's earlier point, look, ultimately which is what it comes down to how Florida voters feel about Republicans and Democrats, ironically enough, given that Charlie Crist was, until not so long ago, a Republican himself. So I don't think that -- these little blips are stimulating. They're amusing, maybe, but they're not ultimately going to have a huge impact on the race itself.

WHITFIELD: A distraction, Ron?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, no, I'm amused, the story, of course, Charlie Crist was a Republican at the end of the 2006 race, he would not appear with George W. Bush. Now he's a Democrat and he won't appear with President Obama, which goes to show that, you know, historically presidents have a hard time in midterms, especially the sixth year midterm. Almost all of them through the turn of the 20th century have been bad for the president's party really with only a couple of exceptions. This is likely to be another one of them.

And the issue is really whether there are enough Democrats who can swim against what is both an historic tide that is against them, the sixth year, geography, they're running -- you know, they had to defend a lot of red states this year in the Senate which makes it tough. And the reality is the president is looking at diminished approval in the second half of his second term, which is not unusual for presidents. The real question is can Republicans build enough of a cushion in the Senate so that by 2016 when they have to defend seven seats in states that voted both times for Obama they can sustain what is likely to be a tide in the other direction. We have volatile politics these days.

WHITFIELD: Hilary?

ROSEN: You know, it's not over yet. I think given all of the things that Ron just said, the Republicans should be running away with these races, and they're not. They are still neck and neck in virtually every state. And I think much will be made after the fact about the impact of the president, but I think it is -- it's also accurate that in many of these states, in Alaska, in Colorado, in Arkansas, in Louisiana, you know, unfortunately, these Democratic senators started out these races with a less than majority approval.

So, you know, this is not really just on the president's hands. This is really on whether we have a Washington that's functioning, whether people believe in their incumbents. And, you know, this might end up being just as much of an anti-incumbent election as anything else. And that's going to affect some Republicans and Republican governors, for instance. So, you know, we'll see.

WHITFIELD: All right, in three days, we indeed will see. Hilary Rosen, Reihan Salaam, Ron Brownstein, good to see all of you. Thanks so much. Of course, be sure to tune in for all of your election night coverage starting at 5:00 p.m. eastern Tuesday night.

A spaceship breaking up during a test flight, and it could bring the excitement for commercial space travel to a screeching halt. The reaction from former astronaut Mark Kelly next.

And a live look over the big island in Hawaii where lava continues to threaten dozens of homes. Our own Martin Savidge joining us live from a helicopter straight ahead.

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WHITFIELD: All right, a look now at some of the top stories we're following. A U.S. marine reservist is free and back with his family today after seven months in a Mexican prison. Sergeant Andrew Tahmooressi was released late last night. He was arrested in March after crossing the border with three guns in his truck. Now he is back in his home state of Florida. And earlier today family spokesman Jonathan Frank said the family is relishing some private time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN FRANKS, TAHMOORESSI FAMILY SPOKESMAN: They're now together as a family. And I think they'll remain so for some time. And, you know, I think at the appropriate time and place he will speak for himself. And I don't want to -- I think there's been far too much projecting opinions and whether you want to call it ideological predispositions upon him. And, you know, he's perfectly capable of speaking for himself. And after he has some time, I think he will speak for himself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Sergeant Tahmooressi was released on psychological grounds according to Mexican court documents. The Afghanistan War veteran is said to be suffering from PTSD.

Investigators are working this hour to find out what caused Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo to break apart. It happened during a test flight over the Mojave Desert yesterday. One pilot died, another was injured. Might this impact the future of commercial space travel? A short time ago I spoke to former NASA astronaut Mark Kelly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. MARK KELLY, RETIRED NASA ASTRONAUT AND SHUTTLE COMMANDER: I don't think it should discourage anybody for the future. You know, of this industry. Obviously, with Virgin Galactic, with this accident, I mane, they're going to have to regroup and do a thorough investigation. It's great that they have the NTSB involved in this. You know, you mentioned the data recorders earlier. I imagine there's some kind of data being recorded on board, probably not your typical black box. There might be telemetry as well. So they'll have a lot of data. They have the tools available to find out the root cause of this accident.

WHITFIELD: Is it your understanding that there are a lot of former NASA folks involved or devoted to this project? And, you know, are you able to tell me kind of the level of expertise that goes into this kind of team to get this type of space flight in the air?

KELLY: Yes, absolutely. I mean, one individual, a guy named Mike Moses, used to be on my last shuttle flight as the commander of the final flight of space shuttle Endeavour. Mike Moses was basically the operations guy, the guy that ran the entire team. And this is a huge team of thousands of people to get the space shuttle, you know, ready for launch and get it launched into space. He's now the head of operations for Virgin Galactic.

They also have a former shuttle -- space shuttle commander as one of the pilots at Virgin Galactic. So they have great expertise there. They have the right people involved. But like I said earlier, you know, this stuff is not easy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Space exploration certainly is not easy. I want to discuss that with CNN aviation analyst Miles O'Brien. He joins me now via Skype from Washington. So, Miles, you heard Richard Branson earlier, you know, saying that we do understand the risks involved, and we will proceed. But we will not do so blindly. So, you know, this is a very courageous venture. And I guess everyone particularly, you know, Captain Kelly you heard there who are applauding the courage of this kind of exploration, but because it does come with great risks, how much of a setback is it an accident like this?

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Well, Fred, I think you have to ask yourself the question, is it courageous, or is it foolhardy? Has it been an honest venture thus far? It's been highly touted. There's been a lot of public relations. We haven't really seen inside the hangar doors, though. The development has occurred in secret, as is the prerogative of a private entity. We really don't know what's been going on, what sorts of schedule pressures there have been, what sorts of compromises have been made along the way in order to try to deliver on a really audacious promise.

And that's why the idea of having an NTSB investigation is welcome at this point, because this will lay bare the reality and give us an objective view what's real here.

Sir Richard Branson is an excellent promoter. Today I saw a different Richard Branson. I saw someone who was taken aback, was saddened and shocked and was speaking in much more realistic terms about space flight, that it's going to take patience, that we're in it for the long run, and we will do it if we can solve the problems, not when. Up to this point, it's been a lot more swagger from him. A lot of statements about -- that made it seem like it was a lot easier than it really is. And those of us in the space world who know how hard it is have wondered when the shoe would drop. And it did.

WHITFIELD: Wow, all great words to describe his demeanor. He did say he was determined to find out what went wrong. But he underscored that they have always known that it's difficult but that safety was always the number one priority. So as NTSB officials there are on the ground, and as they are welcomed into this investigation, how will they go about trying to piece things together? Because even when we heard from the chairman earlier, he said we don't know if there's a black box. We do know that usually in test flights there are copious notes, detailed documentation. But what will be perhaps the first, you know, I guess approach to investigating?

O'BRIEN: It's a test flight, Fredericka, and so it is a heavily instrumented venture. Everything that's happening, systems on board, information about those systems, is beamed back to the ground. And so for all intents and purposes, all the data you would put in a black box is already on the ground. So that information is there. It will be available.

There are eyewitness accounts nearby from the WhiteKnightTwo, the mother ship, which carries the SpaceShipTwo to the altitude of about 40,000 or 45,000 feet before it separates and heads off into space. So I'm certain that they'll come up with some answers here fairly quickly. One of the things very simply, too, beyond all of that is, what's the first piece you find on the desert floor? You know, you sort of walk the path of the craft, and you look on the ground, and you see what fell off first. This is clearly a break-up in flight. And when you go to that spot and you see what's lying there, there's a very good chance that's what broke away, and that will give you some indication as to what failure we're dealing with here.

WHITFIELD: Wow. That's going to be a painstaking investigation to say the very least. Miles O'Brien, always good to see you. Thank you so much.

O'BRIEN: You're welcome, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Meantime, lava inching closer and closer to homes in Hawaii. Our own Martin Savidge is getting a bird's-eye view. Martin?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredericka, take a look. We'll show you the monster that's headed for Main Street. We're hovering over it right now. This is the lava flow headed towards Kehoa, steaming away on its way to town. More after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: People in Hawaii remain on edge as this lava continues to flow out of a volcanic crater. The threat so close it's now less than 100 yards away from some homes. Our Martin Savidge is on the Big Island of Hawaii, or rather he's flying over the Big Island of Hawaii where those lava flows, Martin, I was looking in some of your, you know, pre-air shots, they look like rivers. I mean, it's so expansive.

SAVIDGE: They do.

WHITFIELD: It's extraordinary.

SAVIDGE: It is, Fredericka. This really is an extraordinary event. Let John pan off and show you what we're looking at. This is, as we put it, the monster headed towards Main Street. We can sort of start heading towards town here.

Look at how the steam is just -- we had some rain that just came by a little bit ago, so that steam is the water that has hit the molten lava below. But we're going to follow this path here. Just take a look at that tree line. There you can see, this is forest and the lava pushed into that, Fredericka. And of course, it not only knocks it all down, it pulverizes it.

One of the good things about the fact that there is so much rain in this area is that this would be a raging forest fire right now were it not for the fact that you've got a heavy amount of rain that continually sort of falls. And that is preventing another natural disaster.

But we're now continuing to follow the path as it moves along towards town. You can see the fires that are all burning here. This is all people's property now. We're still edging ever closer. And one of the things we can worry about is the fact that there are breakups. We talked about there is lava in town. It is about 150 feet wide, but it's stalled for the moment.

You are just seeing what was the rest that is coming their way. Much of it is underground. It's a lava tube about 100 feet wide. It's moving at about maybe 10 miles an hour at its source. It's slower down here. But see, here's one of the roads. In fact, this was the first road that was taken out by the lava, gone right over the road here. The next road that's in the site of the lava, that's Main Street. Once the lava goes over, you're not going to use that road again for quite some time. You can see that there.

And then the next thing would be the power lines. Power lines are crucial. They're for communication. Of course, keeping the lights on. They, too, can be taken out. They're trying to protect them and redirect them. There you can see, this is a breakout that's happening. It's pushing off in an opposite direction. Fire down below. Now we're getting into people's properties, and here we are. We're right at the town.

And this shows you the furthest extent. It's cooler here. You can see the front line has stopped, but it's burning just off in the distance. There's a lot more to come. And then if you look back, it is all headed in this direction. So it's taken a lot of time, but it is eventually coming this way. Fredericka?

WHITFIELD: Wow, that is extraordinary. And what a way of showing and telling us what is happening there. And as people look at this lava, sometimes they think, why can't a barrier or something be put up to divert? You just can't. It's just too much. It's heavy. It's hot, clearly. So it's letting nature take its course.

Martin Savidge, thank you so much for that bird's-eye view over the Big Island -- incredible. We'll check back with you later.

Meantime, on the mainland here, a court order in Maine releasing a nurse from her Ebola quarantine. But there are some rules that she still has to follow as part of the compromise. Her reaction to that next.

But first CNN's Richard Quest looks into the future of communications. How will we all connect? Here's our series "Tomorrow Transformed."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It all started with one call as the way we communicate turned to technology.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hear my voice.

QUEST: Then, we cut the cord, moving from wired to wireless. Yet in South Korea, one of the most connected countries in the world, messaging apps rule the roost, especially Kakao Talk.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (via translator): When you use Kakao Talk, it's easy to send messages, group chatting, or gift icons.

QUEST: Today we can tell the world our needs and emotions through our technology. There's no need to speak to anyone. But is this communicating, or is it just noise?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (via translator): Personally, I think the best way of communicating is to meet in person and talk. But Kakao Talk means being connected 24 hours a day. So I think it's a vital supplement to face-to-face communication.

QUEST: Today we are more connected than ever. The challenge is handling the impact it will have on our world tomorrow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (via translator): So far users communicate person to person by sending gifts or playing games with each other. In the future, that connection will expand from not only person to person but also person to object, person to information, and online to offline.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's had a massive impact for the positive. Wherever people are, family or friends around the globe, we can now just pull out our phones, so it really has opened up the world.

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WHITFIELD: All right, if you are planning to head outside for some college football, you'd better bundle up. Many parts of the country woke up to freezing temperatures this morning. And in the south, there was a rare Halloween snowfall in parts of north Georgia and east Tennessee. Snow also fell on California's Sierra Nevada Mountains. You can see it blowing sideways there. And wind also in California. Heavy rain slammed Ventura County, leading to dangerous mudslides early this morning. Police evacuated residents from 11 homes as a precaution. A man was briefly trapped in one of those homes but was later found safe. No reports of any injuries.

And a woman in Portland, Oregon, who recently traveled from West Africa is now hospitalized and quarantined. She had been self- monitoring for Ebola symptoms and discovered that she had a fever Friday morning. According to affiliate KOIN, she is 21-years-old and moved from Liberia to Portland Tuesday. Oregon health officials say she did not have any known exposure to Ebola.

And then there's Maine, where a nurse who had treated Ebola patients abroad and refused to quarantine herself back in the U.S. has reached a deal with a judge. He ruled, the judge, ruled that Kasi Hickox does not need to quarantine herself as long as she submits to direct active monitoring. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KACI HICKOX, NURSE: I am very happy with the decision the judge made. We're on the right track. I think now we're discussing as a nation and individual communities about this disease that's been wreaking havoc in West Africa for months now. And no longer can we ignore this outbreak.

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WHITFIELD: She must let officials know if she wants to travel or if she shows any kind of symptoms.

You probably remember a dog named Bentley, right? The spaniel that was quarantined while his owner, Nina Pham, the nurse in Dallas was being treated for Ebola. Well, after she was released from a hospital in Maryland at the NIH, her dog had to stay in quarantine in Texas. Well, now after three negative tests for the disease, Bentley the dog was reunited with Pham this morning. Pham contracted the disease, you'll recall, after treating a patient who later died at a Dallas hospital.

Thanks so much for watching. I'm Fredericka Whitfield. We'll be back tomorrow to do this all over again, 2:00 Eastern time. For now, more NEWSROOM with Deborah Feyerick right after this.

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