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New Day Saturday

Freed U.S. Marine Reservist Arrives In Florida; Pilot Killed In Spacecraft Disaster; Woman Being Monitored For Ebola In Oregon; Inside The Manhunt For An Accused Cop Killer; Sergeant Andrew Tahmooressi Freed from Mexican Prison; More Chances for Democrats in Georgia and Other States; CNN Hero Elimelech Goldberg; Pahoa Waiting for Lava Flow

Aired November 01, 2014 - 06:00   ET

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

ANA CABRERA, CNN ANCHOR: We made it to the weekend. Good morning and thanks for being here. I'm Ana Cabrera in for Christi.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. We begin with breaking news, a long awaited freedom for U.S. Marine reservist after seven months in a Mexican jail. Within the hour, we're expecting Sergeant Andrew Tahmooressi to arrive in Miami not from his hometown of Westin.

Now early this morning, he flew out of San Diego, you see him here, boarding the plane. This is the new video in to CNN. He's also being driven here we see last night to the border post in Tijuana, getting out of that white SUV and then going out toward the customs building, before crossing back to the U.S. into California.

Tahmooressi was jailed, you may remember, after entering Tijuana with three guns in his truck. The veteran insisted he took a wrong turn and accidentally crossed the border.

National reporter, Nick Valencia, has been following this story from the beginning. Why was he released at this time? Why now?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN NATIONAL REPORTER: It's a months' long ordeal for the family. They had a congressional hearing last month October 1st pleading to the Mexican government to release him on humanitarian grounds. He suffers PTSD, that's what he was doing in California.

He left Florida to get treatment in California that's when he says he accidentally crossed the border. We know from my reporting a couple weeks ago that there was wheels-in-motion at very high levels in the Mexican government to try to find a way out.

Mexican nationalists on the Mexican side of the border, they don't believe his story. There's a lot of doubt that adds up on their side of the border, some of the U.S. State Department also cast some doubt over his story.

So there was wheels-in-motion to try to get him out on humanitarian grounds because of this PTSD. Mexico doesn't officially have resources in their prison system for people who had PTSD.

CABRERA: Is that what did it pinched it or it turned the table?

VALENCIA: That's what did it. It was never guaranteed. This was a lot of meetings behind closed doors. The family was a little bit caught off guard that Mexican government would put out the information. They wanted to release it themselves. The Mexican government, though, is officially withdrawing their accusation against the Marine. He was facing weapons charges more than 20 years in prison if he was convicted.

BLACKWELL: What are we hearing from his family?

VALENCIA: Well, his family has not made a public statement, but they did release a statement to us last night. I want to read part of that. Obviously very emotional, overjoyed they said if we can get the full screen up so we can get that statement from the family.

Just in some -- here we go. "It is with an overwhelming and humbling feeling the relief they've confirmed that Andrew was released today after spending 214 days in a Mexican jail.

He was actually released seven months to the day he was arrested. The family goes on to say he is back on American soil and will shortly resume his treatment for both his pre-existing combat related PTSD.

And the residual effects of months of incarceration, which has taken a toll on him far worse than his two tours in Afghanistan.

CABRERA: How was he faring? I mean, do we know anything more about his condition?

VALENCIA: You know, I spoke to him a handful of times over the months that he was in prison and each time I spoke to him, it was as if he was in even more dire straits.

The last time I spoke to him he was emotionally distant. You know, you can tell that being in the Mexican prison system for months had really gotten to him, taking a toll, at one point.

He tried to take his own life with a crushed light bulb, allegations of torture, that he was shackled by all fours naked in his prison cell.

You know, he suffered a lot according to his family during his time. In fact, I interviewed him. Take a listen to what he told me a few months back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. ANDREW TAHMOORESSI, JAILED IN MEXICO FOR SEVEN MONTHS (via telephone): I'm very good in the beginning for like the first month, things were not that -- not that good at all. I wasn't treated very fairly or nicely. I'm not guilty and I'm confident that the judge is going to realize that I'm not a guilty man.

(END VIDEO CLIP) VALENCIA: Now we're just hearing from our producers Andrew Tahmooressi is now in Florida in the Miami area. So he's back on U.S. soil, according to our reporting. This is really like I said, guys, months and months of work by a variety of people.

Montel Williams got on board, a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Coast Guard retired. So he got on board and does a lot of work with PTSD treatment, mental health issues.

Bill Richardson, the former governor of New Mexico, also very instrumental in this release and, of course, the family, tireless efforts from Jill Tahmooressi. Her husband, his father, really stayed out of the limelight throughout all of this.

Jill has really been carrying the torch to try to get her son released and a very happy day for the Tahmooressi family. They are all smiles. Andrew Tahmooressi is back on U.S. soil.

BLACKWELL: And hopefully, we'll get more from the Mexican government and from U.S. government as well about how this happened and was brought to fruition. Nick Valencia, he's been following from the very beginning, thank you so much.

VALENCIA: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: And of course, CNN is keeping up with Sergeant Tahmooressi's journey back home. We now know that he is in the Miami area. We'll bring you the very latest throughout the morning.

CABRERA: We're also staying on top of another big story. It was supposed to be the next generation of space exploration, perhaps the beginning of space tourism. Virgin Galactic's $500 million Spaceship Two.

BLACKWELL: Well, this morning, investigators are trying to figure out what went horribly wrong during a test flight over the Mojave Desert.

CABRERA: Right. The accident that happened yesterday left one pilot dead, a second seriously injured after parachuting to the ground

BLACKWELL: So look at this, incredible eyewitness photos show the moments the space plane detached from the jet powered -- the mothership it's called, some are calling it. Seconds later, you see it there, break apart.

CABRERA: Here's where we are today. We know Virgin Galactic founder, Richard Branson, is on his way to the Mojave Desert. He tweeted this earlier, quote, "Space is hard, but worth it. We will persevere and move forward together."

BLACKWELL: This morning, there are still so many unanswered questions about what went wrong in those moments during the test flight. CNN's Tom Foreman has more for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ground control lost contact with the experimental spacecraft around 10:00 Pacific Time. The half billion dollar rocket powered craft could seat six passengers, but during the test flight only two pilots were on board.

The spaceship is carried into flight beneath an airplane and that launch vehicle returned to the ground safely but not the spacecraft.

STUART WITT, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, MOJAVE AIR AND SPACE PORT: There was a huge explosion. It didn't occur, I didn't see it.

FOREMAN: The company says the mission was going as planned and even though they were trying a new rocket fuel mix, they had no signs of trouble until the apparently massive failure.

KEVIN MICKEY, PRESIDENT, SCALED COMPOSITES: We're flying a rocket motor today that had been thoroughly tested on the ground and had been through a qualification series and of course, we expected no anomalies with the motor.

FOREMAN: What went wrong is anyone's guess. The ship is 60 feet long and designed to fly 62 miles above the earth and the wreckage in the Mojave Desert, a test to the ferocity of the explosion.

A crumpled parachute could be seen on the ground, but still authorities say one pilot was killed and another seriously injured.

SHERIFF DONNY YOUNGBLOOD, KERN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: It's a large area. The aircraft is in several different pieces. We found one person who had, obviously, was deceased immediately.

The other was transported to the hospital and I do not have the condition. When we left here it appeared to be major injuries, but we don't know what that means yet.

FOREMAN: It's a far cry from the ambitious hopes Virgin Galactic founder, Richard Branson, expressed earlier this year.

RICHARD BRANSON, FOUNDER, VIRGIN GROUP (via telephone): Two hundred of the best engineers and technicians building them. Now we're beginning the final stages of test flights in flight. By the end of this year, we will have actually gone into space.

FOREMAN: Instead, it is another blow to the idea of privatized space travel and it comes only days after a spectacular launch pad explosion in Virginia, a blast that involved a spacecraft once again manufactured by a private company.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOREMAN: All in, it was a very tough week for the private space industry, which has been growing and in so many ways looking up. Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

CABRERA: Our thanks to Tom. Joining us now for more is former NASA astronaut, Michael Massimino, he is a veteran of two space flights, four spacewalks and he's logged more than 571 hours in space.

He knows a lot about this industry and he's live in Cooperstown, New York. Michael, I know this must hit close to home for you. What was your reaction when you first heard about the recent disaster?

MICHAEL MASSIMINO, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT (via telephone): Well, you know, these things happen. Interestingly enough I was on the phone with another CNN program yesterday afternoon when the news came in that people were actually hurt and my heart just sunk.

It's terrible. We had the -- the scientists had the cargo ship problem earlier this week, but I kept saying the good news there is that we didn't lose anybody.

In this case it's a bit different and the reason it hits close to home is because we've had space flight accidents before with NASA where we've lost people and that puts a completely different tone to the whole thing. It's just a nightmare for the friends and family of the people who were lost.

CABRERA: You know firsthand how risky or how dangerous space exploration can be and for those like yourself who dare to go anyway, what is your mindset before a mission? It has to be a little bit scary?

MASSIMINO: It's a little bit. I mean, you know that there's a risk, but it's kind of interesting, after the -- after the "Columbia" accident, I became an astronaut in '96, flew one space flight and the "Columbia" happened.

It was a tragedy, but it really didn't change the mindset of wanting to go. That's your job, that's your desire to go, and we knew that could happen.

You know, it's -- you kind of known in the back of your mind that things are going to -- like this can happen. It hasn't happened with any of the commercial companies yet testing. This is the first time it's happened here.

But, you know, this is kind of the nature of the business. I think it will be interesting, too, to see the mindset of the people who have signed up for those flights.

My guess is they're still going to want to go. Richard Branson, you just read, he plans to continue to pursue the opportunity of flying people into space so these things do happen.

But they're going to need to figure out what happened and do an investigation before they continue. You still need to go. This is just -- these unfortunately, this is the nature of the business.

CABRERA: It is very unfortunate, but we do appreciate your time, your insight, and your thoughts this morning. Michael Massimino, thanks again. And of course, make sure --

MASSIMINO: My pleasure. CABRERA: -- stay with us all morning as we wait for Sir Richard Branson to arrive at the crash site in the Mojave Desert. We're going to stay on top of this story.

BLACKWELL: A heartbreaking update out of Washington state his morning, a third teenager has now died after being shot by a friend in Marysville at the school shooting last week. Her family is speaking out, releasing a statement now. We'll tell you what they're saying.

CABRERA: Also we're on top of Ebola this morning and the controversy in Maine. This nurse rejecting quarantine says she doesn't want to make people uncomfortable.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Welcome back to NEW DAY. Lots of news to tell you about so here's your "Morning Read."

BLACKWELL: Let's get to it. A third victim of last week's school shooting in Washington State has now died. The parents of 14-year-old girl, her name is Shay, released this statement last night.

"Our hearts are broken at the passing of our beautiful daughter. Shay means everything to us." The shooter took his own life in the school's cafeteria. Two other students are recovering.

CABRERA: In Ferguson, Missouri, "The Washington Post" now reporting federal civil rights charges probably will not be brought against a white police officer who shot and killed this unarmed African-American teen.

Now at issue here is whether Officer Darren Wilson had reason to believe his life was in danger in his confrontation with the 18-year- old Michael Brown in August.

An anonymous source who has been briefed on the investigation we're told apparently told "The Post" federal investigators lack evidence to support civil rights charges.

BLACKWELL: In business the answer to your question, is this really the best I can get? Compared to other countries, Americans are paying more for a slower internet. Consider this, in Asia, ultrafast connections are roughly 1,000 megabytes per second.

It costs about 40 bucks a month. Well, you can get half that speed in the U.S., but it will cost you $300 a month for it. The average U.S. speed is 9.98 megabytes per second.

CABRERA: And in sports this morning, Michael Jordan never shy about talking smack, he says he has never played golf with the president, but he would.

Now the comments that are getting some attention come in an online interview where he critiqued President Obama's golf game, saying he doesn't think much of it. So let the games begin. BLACKWELL: Weather parts of the country are getting an early taste of winter this first day of November. Snow already, snow in Northern Georgia. Snow here in Georgia. I had to say it three times.

CABRERA: Laugh, I'm from Colorado, I'm used to this.

BLACKWELL: I know. CNN'S Jennifer Gray joins us. Snow in Northern Georgia?

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: The thought of snow in Georgia and more importantly Atlanta gives me nightmares at night. It just does. We have seen incredible chill across much of the country.

In fact, winds also playing a factor so it's going to feel a lot colder this morning than it actually is. Winds right now in Chicago have died down. Wind speeds right now at 13.

We had a wind gust yesterday recorded of almost 60 miles per hour, and that's the second highest wind gust recorded since 1981. Cold out there, freeze warnings in effect including those southern states as far south as Mississippi, Alabama and yes, Northern Georgia.

Here are your high temperatures today, 43 in Milwaukee. Average high is 53. It's about 10 degrees below. Chicago your high temperature today will be in the mid-40s. You are below normal as well.

Yes, we have been talking about snow. Outside of Knoxville some of those higher elevations could get up to a foot of snow and then just outside of Kingsport about 4 to 8 inches, guys.

BLACKWELL: Well, that's just lovely.

CABRERA: Yes.

BLACKWELL: Thank you, Jennifer Gray.

GRAY: All right.

CABRERA: Well, Portland, Oregon, is now the latest U.S. city dealing with a potential Ebola case. A woman who recently arrived in Portland from West Africa was whisked away to Providence Milwaukee Hospital yesterday after developing a fever of more than 102 degrees. Now public health officials there in Portland held a news conference hoping to calm fears.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE UNDERMINER, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, PROVIDENCE HEALTH AND SERVICES: We are fully staffed. We actually have 500 -- about 550 employees trained and prepared and those folks voluntarily agreed to be trained and prepared to serve a potential patient in this case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: And they say she poses no risk right now. She's being held in isolation. Now "The Oregonian" newspaper reports that this woman is from Liberia and arrived in Portland this past Tuesday. Doctors treating her say they still can't be sure if she has Ebola or another infection. They're awaiting some test results.

BLACKWELL: All right. Now to Maine where a nurse who rejected an Ebola quarantine is claiming a major victory.

CABRERA: A judge sided with Kaci Hickox listing most of those restrictions the state was trying to impose on her, but the fears still persist as Hickox leaves her Maine home and is now moving about.

Alexandria Field is continuing to follow developments from Fort Kent, Maine.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ana, Victor, Kaci Hickox has argued that politicians need to make decisions that are based on fact and science instead of fear when formulating policies for people who are returning from West Africa's Ebola hot zone.

Finally a judge here in Maine has issued an order, which she believes is fair.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD (voice-over): Kaci Hickox, the nurse who took on the policies of two governors claims a major victory.

KACI HICKOX, NURSE WHO FOUGHT MANDATORY QUARANTINE: I am humbled today by the judge's decision.

FIELD: Put in an isolation tent at Newark University Hospital in New Jersey and sent to Maine where she was told to quarantine at home, she's become the flashpoint in a fiery debate over how to handle the threat of Ebola.

Now a judge has ordered almost all restrictions on Hickox lifted. She'll still undergo direct active health monitoring, which means a daily visit from a CDC health official.

She'll have to coordinate travel with health officials and immediately notify them if she develops symptoms.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he took a risk, which I would not have taken.

FIELD: Maine's Governor Paul LePage called the ruling unfortunate, but added the state will abide by the law. In his order the judge addressed concerns about the spread of the Ebola virus saying, quote, "Whether that fear is rationale or not, it is present and it is real." He added, kaci Hickox should guide herself accordingly.

NORMAN SIEGEL, LAWYER FOR KACI HICKOX: She can go to the pizza place and get as slice of pizza. She can go to the movie theater tonight. She can go to the public square and dance and celebrate.

FIELD: A previous order barred Hickox from going to work, going to restaurants, getting within 3 feet of people among other restrictions.

HICKOX: I've never take an walk with this many people before.

FIELD: She successfully fought for more freedom, but she hasn't decided what she'll do with it yet.

HICKOX: I am taking things minute by minute. I completely understand that and I am sensitive. This is the one of the reasons I'm saying this battle isn't over. We still need to continue this discussion. We still need to continue educating ourselves and I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FIELD: Because the judge has imposed some limited restrictions on Kaci Hickox, she does have the right to a hearing, which has been scheduled for Tuesday morning. Her attorneys say they have no reason to challenge the order.

They consider all of this a victory. Her attorneys also say, however, it's unclear if the state would have a right to challenge this order given the fact that the state initially requested a judge issue an order against Hickox. Hickox's attorneys say it's unclear if the state would even want to challenge this order -- Ana, Victor.

CABRERA: All right. We'll have to see. Alexandria Field, thank you.

BLACKWELL: Well, he was one of the FBI's most wanted. He spent nearly seven weeks on the run. But this morning, Eric Frein is in jail facing murder charges and the U.S. Marshals who caught him will tell us how it all went down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: It's 25 minutes after the hour now. This morning we're learning more details about how U.S. Marshals captured the accused cop killer, Eric Frein.

CABRERA: This morning, he is behind bars, facing nearly a dozen charges including first-degree murder. He could even face the death penalty. CNN's Miguel Marquez tells us how one of the FBI's most wanted was taken into custody without a shot being fired.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An extraordinary display of murder suspect, Eric Matthew Frein, officials here clearly eager to show the world the alleged killer is now fully in their control.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You wouldn't make it in military.

MARQUEZ: Catching him no easy task. For 48 days, Frein hid in the thick Eastern Pennsylvania woods, as law enforcement spent day and night searching on foot and by air. LT. COL. GEORGE BIVENS, PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE: He was able to get into cabins, into other -- or other unoccupied structures, find food. In other cases he had things hidden, but he was able to get shelter and get in and out of the weather much as we suspected was occurring.

MARQUEZ: A skilled sharp shooter and self-professed survivalist, authorities say Frein prepared for years to kill then stay on the run.

COMMISSIONER FRANK NOONAN, PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE: We would find like small camp fires. Now there's no way to identify who is doing that, but we would think that who else is in the woods at this time and during this manhunt trying to light very small camp fires.

MARQUEZ: For the search, no let up. The entire massive force area was divided into grids, search and then searched again, law enforcement always a step or two behind Frein until they caught a break.

NOONAN: You make your own luck. It's basically just keep pushing him and then the reason that was so important, from his statements and what we believe, Eric Frein was going to kill again.

MARQUEZ: But a highly trained and equipped team of U.S. Marshals discovered Frein. He was in the open, no weapons on him, unaware he was being watched.

(on camera): How much time are we talking from the time that they identified him to the time that arrest was made?

NOONAN: It's a short period of time. I don't have the exact amount of time.

MARQUEZ: But quick?

NOONAN: It was quick.

MARQUEZ: The abandoned airport where Eric Frein was finally found is buried deep in the woods behind me. Police still going through it trying to gather every scrap of evidence they can to build their case against him. But you can see by how thick these woods are how Eric Frein was able to evade capture for weeks.

(voice-over): Searchers also concerned about booby-traps, possible pipe bombs set to explode when a wire was tripped. Officials discovered just such a device at a Frein hideout.

SAM ROBADI, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE FOR ATF PHILADELPHIA DIVISION: Having a guy out there, an alleged cop killer was a rifle scope, booby-trapped explosives. It's very difficult to just run in there after somebody.

MARQUEZ: When arrested, Frein was put in the handcuffs of Corporal Bryon Dickson, the state trooper he killed. Frein was even transported in the trooper's vehicle.

(on camera): Why was it so important to cuff him with Corporal Dickson's handcuffs and put him in Corporal Dickson's squad car?

NOONAN: It wasn't important except to us. We thought it was fitting. All of us thought if we had that opportunity it would be a fitting tribute to Corporal Dickson and a message to all the law enforcement, but especially to Pennsylvania State Police that we're a brotherhood and that we would never rest until this fugitive was apprehended.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ: Authorities say they have an extremely strong case against Mr. Frein, saying that the casings that they found at other locations where he operated match the ammunition and the casings used in the rifle that killed Trooper Dickson -- Ana, Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right, Miguel Marquez, reporting for us. Miguel, thank you.

CABRERA: How lucky is it that he did not have his guns with him --

BLACKWELL: Yes.

CABRERA: -- when they found him.

BLACKWELL: They say that they knew he was ready to kill again.

CABRERA: Unbelievable.

Well, he always said he was innocent and now a Marine reservist has been freed from jail in Mexico. Andrew Tahmooressi just landed in Florida and we'll have more on his return.

BLACKWELL: We're awaiting Richard Branson's arrival in the Mojave after a test flight of his Virgin Galactic space flight goes horribly wrong. The question is, what happened here, the follow-up. What does it mean for the future of space tourism?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Ana Cabrera.

BLACKWELL: Good to have you with us. I'm Victor Blackwell.

CABRERA: Our top stories this morning: a U.S. Marine reservist is back in his home state of Florida after spending - get this - 214 days in jail in Mexico. Now Sergeant Andrew Tahmooressi, he just landed minutes ago we know in Florida. The Miami Dade County area.

BLACKWELL: Two video, just in the CNN shows Tahmooressi being driven last night to the border post in Tijuana. You see him getting out of his white SUV, then going in and out of the customs building before arriving back in the U.S. there in California.

CABRERA: Tahmooressi has been detained after he crossed into Mexico with three guns in his truck, which is against the law there. National reporter Nick Valencia, I know you have been on this from the very beginning following this story for months now. It all began back in March. Why this release now?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's actually seven months to the day that he was arrested there on that border, March 31st. Right now we know that weeks ago the wheels were in motion, high levels of the Mexican government, to try to work out a release. PTSD is what he's suffering from. We know that the family has tried for months now to try to get him released on humanitarian grounds. The Mexican government finally withdrawing their accusations against the U.S. Marine reservist saying that they simply don't have the resources to treat him for his post-traumatic stress.

CABRERA: Refresh all the memories of our viewers and us about exactly what led up to where he ended up in the jail? What is he saying?

VALENCIA: Well, that day, Ana, what he claims, is that he was at an establishment on the Tijuana side of the border after parking his car on the U.S. side. He walks across into Tijuana, spends the day there with friends, other Marines with Camp Pendleton only to walk back later across that night into the United States gets in his car and he says that's when things go awry. He gets confused, he says, he accidentally makes a wrong turn and he has all these worldly possessions in his car because he's living in San Diego with a friend, living out of his car, which is why he has all his clothes and his guns and that's 400 rounds of ammunition.

Now, on the Mexican side of the border there are those that maintain his story just simply doesn't add up. There's a lot of doubt in his story. According to Mexican nationalists, even some of the U.S. State Department that I've spoken to, they say that there's really no way that he could accidentally have crossed. Still Tahmooressi claims it was simply an accident, he was confused, he was unfamiliar with the border and now he's back home on U.S. soil.

CABRERA: And you mentioned the PTSD and perhaps he wasn't mentally completely there or maybe emotionally he was going through a lot at the time which may explain some of the discrepancies in perhaps the stories.

VALENCIA: Right.

CABRERA: Now that he's been released are we hearing anything more from him or his family?

VALENCIA: We saw a tweet just a little while ago, actually from his attorney, Fernando Benites, and one reporter that says out of respect for my client no statement shall be issued by his legal counsel until after he's home and ready to do the same. Now, we know that he's just landed a little while ago in Florida and we're expecting to hear from his family spokesman in the 7:00 hour. We'll have our viewers tune in for that hopefully to stick around.

CABRERA: Great news for him and his family. Thank you so much.

VALENCIA: Thanks.

CABRERA: Good to see you. BLACKWELL: There are just three days left until Tuesday's midterm

elections. Candidates are out in full swing. Today all their supporters as well. And this outcome could tip the balance of power in Capitol Hill fully to the Republicans. Of course, they already have the House, maybe they take the Senate. They need just six additional seats to win control of the Senate. So, let's talk about what's going on and what could happen on Tuesday. We've got Jason Johnson, professor of political science at Hiram College and politics editor for "Source" magazine. Also, joining us, Blitz PAC chairwoman Amy Kremer. I want to start with both of you. Good to have you in studio. I love having you together and here. But I want to start with Senator Mary Landrieu in Louisiana and what she said about the president's poor ratings in Louisiana. She said this to NBC. Let's listen and talk on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MARY LANDRIEU, (D) LOUISIANA: To be very, very honest with you, in the South, it's not always been the friendliest place for African- Americans. It's been a difficult time for the president to present himself in a very positive light as a leader.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Jason, she says she's being very, very honest. Is it a gaffe?

JASON JOHNSON, POLITICS EDITOR, SOURCE MAGAZINE: No. It's just the truth. And plus, you know most honest people in the world are people who know they are about to lose their job. So --

(LAUGHTER)

JOHNSON: You know, apparently, she knows she's going to lose so she can just be really candid about what's going on. I mean everyone knows that about the South. And also, you know, 50 percent of the people who say they're enthusiastic about voting, they are people who say they're voting against the president. So, you know, there's a racial component, there's a policy component.

BLACKWELL: There's also in a policy energy and so forth in Louisiana. Governor Bobby Jindal tweeted out that maybe she's living in the wrong century. Maybe this -- it's not timely, but the wrong century, that seems like a stretch.

AMY KREMER, CHAIRWOMAN, BLITZ PCABRERA: Well, I mean, it is a stretch but the fact is that many people are unhappy with the president and not just the president, but Democrats in -- because of Harry Reid. I mean what has the Senate done for how many years? Nothing. One of the senators run, a Democratic candidate, just started a petition to fire Harry Reid. I mean he's running for the Senate, this Democrat, and he started the petition to get rid of Harry Reid. So, they're staying as far away from Harry Reid and Barack Obama as they possibly can.

BLACKWELL: There is no question that there -- I mean we saw that the president campaigning yesterday up in the far northeast where you really don't need the president to come out for a Democrat to win.

JOHNSON: Right, right. Well, see here's the thing, Obama is going to campaign where he can go and where it's going to make a difference. He's --

KREMER: Where they want it.

JOHNSON: Yeah, and where people want him. But he's been calling local radio stations here in Atlanta, he's been calling local radio stations in certain places. So, he's calling the constituencies that he knows that he can galvanize at the last minute. I think in general - I don't care if you're a Republican or Democrat you can't run away from the sitting president. The Democrats who have been running away from Barack Obama, it's not going to end up helping them, they need to be honest about what they support and if the voters like it, great, if not they suffer the consequences.

KREMER: He said it himself, too, that his policies are on the ballot. He may not be on the ballot but his policies are and that speaks volumes. I mean that says it right there.

BLACKWELL: But there are some surprising challenges for Republicans here in Georgia. You've got David Perdue and Michelle Nunn, closer than anyone it would expect, senatorial race in Georgia to be - and the gubernatorial race between Diehl and Carter. Why is it so difficult in Georgia for Republicans?

KREMER: Well, you know, I think that Michelle Nunn has the name identity because of her father being a former senator, but Diehl, I mean look at our unemployment rate. It's the highest in the nation. That's a huge problem. So -- but all these races are close. They all are.

BLACKWELL: Do you think Diehl deserves to lose?

KREMER: Well --

BLACKWELL: That's a tough one.

(CROSSTALK)

JOHNSON: Come on.

KREMER: I mean --

JOHNSON: I'm going to bail Amy out, I'm going to say when you have the lowest unemployment that's usually time where the voters are going to want a change. And I'll say this, I think anyone can agree, Republican or Democrat, Michelle Nunn has run an excellent campaign. And there's been a lot of money in this particular race. I think Georgia is the one rare place where Democrats might get a pick-up. I think it's going to be a runoff.

KREMER: I think too.

JOHNSON: But at this one place they think they can get a pick-up. KREMER: But I think that Perdue will win in the end.

BLACKWELL: So, you're pulling for it - you think he will.

KREMER: Look, it was a primary how many candidates, you know, conservatives and it was a hard fought primary. I do think we'll go to a runoff and I do think he'll win in the end.

BLACKWELL: You know, we are awaiting a decision by the grand jury in Missouri and we're wondering what the impact of the decision relating to the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson will be. There is -- these fliers that are going out across the country, do we have some of the fliers we can put out tying the shooting in Ferguson to the midterm elections. What will be the impact, do you think, Jason, of what happens there?

JOHNSON: I can tell you, Victor, we were there. You know, I saw what people were talking about in Ferguson. We may not see that on the Senate level, we may not see that on the gubernatorial level. I know people on the ground are voting locally because of what they saw with Mike Brown, not just Mike Brown, but Trayvon Martin. You've got people who are like, I'm going to vote for sheriff this time, I'm going to vote for state senator, I'm going to find out who the local state's attorney is. So, I think the bigger impact for a lot of these shootings and the activism from it is people voting on the ground are recognizing that down ballot races are just important as the big ones at the top.

BLACKWELL: Any impact do you think outside of that area?

KREMER: No. I mean, I think that people are going to vote what affects them and from the most part it's the economy. I mean that's what people are focused on. And that's how they vote. I mean that's what drives them to the polls. So -- but I agree with Jason, not only are people voting on a local level, but that's where we should be voting.

BLACKWELL: Exactly.

KREMER: I mean we focus so much on a federal level, really where it's at is on a local and state level.

BLACKWELL: All right. Amy, Jason, thank you very much.

JOHNSON: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Hoping maybe even off-line I get the answer to that Diehl question. Our program, we remind to get all your election night coverage on CNN this Tuesday beginning at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Ana?

CABRERA: All right. When you live on an island formed by a volcano, you might expect some setbacks, potential hazards, but it could still be very hard waiting to find out if your town will simply be wiped out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 25 years after winning the U.S. Open Boris Becker is back on the ATP tour. I caught up with him in Cincinnati where Becker was preparing the world number one Novak Djokovic. Serbian star hired Becker to be his head coach at the start of the season.

Then somebody that's won so much already, being number one, and much of (INAUDIBLE), a very rich man, he really wants to learn. He wants to get better. He wants to be in the history books of tennis. Yet he's very hard-headed and very convinced about his way, he should be, so some of the conversations weren't that easy, were not easy, but sometimes I have a different point of view, so it's up to my magic to find a way to convince him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've had such a great tennis career, haven't you, and you are such a competitor. How does it feel now to be right back in it and to wake up every day coaching the man who's the world number one?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It feels like something I haven't felt in a while.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Each week we're shining a spotlight on the top ten CNN heroes of 2014. And remember, you can vote for the one who inspires you the most. Just go to cnnheros.com.

CABRERA: Now, this week's honoree is giving sick kids a strong weapon to fight the pain and the fear that maybe is gripping them. This is Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: I really hate when it hurts. It's a really sharp pain. I get all teary. The shots really scared me a lot and they still scare me now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come one.

ELIMELECH GOLDBERG: When children get a diagnosis like cancer or any major disease, they lose any sense of feeling that they're controlling their lives. They're prodded and poked and touched and they're often so afraid. Our daughter Sarah Basya was diagnosed with leukemia. She was such an incredible little soul who taught me about the power that's inside of ourselves.

(on camera): Are you ready?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILDREN: (INAUDIBLE)

GOLDBERG: OK. Begin.

(voice over): After our daughter passed away, I started a program that provides classes to children who are sick, to teach them the martial arts. GOLDBERG (on camera): Good.

(voice over): To make them feel powerful.

(on camera): Every single type of martial arts uses the breath to take control.

(voice over): I'm a black belt in Taekwando (ph).

(on camera): Hold it. And then release.

(voice over): We use the martial arts as a platform for meditation, for relaxation, to allow children to gain these tools.

(on camera): You're totally in control.

(voice over): To really face down so much of the fear and the anger that accompanies pain.

(on camera): Breathe in.

(voice over): And you could see that light on their face. I feel like their souls are shining.

(on camera): You did it.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: I do have the power to make the pain go away. And nothing is impossible. Nothing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: To vote for Rabbi Goldberg go to cnnheros.com. Again, that's the Web address. Cnnheroes.com. You can vote once a day every day if you'd like. All ten heroes will be honored at "CNN Heroes and All-Star Tribute" hosted by our very own Anderson Cooper. That's Sunday December 7th. But only one will be named CNN hero of the year.

CABRERA: How do you choose just one?

Well, some Hawaii residents this morning have been waiting to see whether or not lava is going to destroy their homes and just when it appeared their time had come, things ground to a halt.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Families of Pahoa on Hawaii's Big Island, they are really feeling the frustration right now because imagine, it's hard enough being ready to evacuate at a moment's notice, as this hot flowing lava approaches your home.

CABRERA: Can you imagine? But now just when it appeared that the time had come for them to flee for good, and perhaps say good-bye to their homes, the lava has stalled once again. CNN's Martin Savidge has more on what this town is going through.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Victor. Good morning, Ana. You know, ever since the eruption that is sending the lava down towards this town began, and by the way that began back in June, that lava has been flowing in this direction and kind of fits and starts. It stops and it goes. And the authorities here admit for a town that's waiting, for the people that have been evacuated, that is painfully frustrating.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: In the town of Pahoa it's another day of worrying about what the lava will do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The evacuation advisory for those residents down slowed by the flow will continue.

SAVIDGE: But if residents really want a glimpse of their possible future, they only need to go about nine miles to the end of the road.

This is where the road ends and I brought you here because there's something to see just up this way. This was the town of Kalapana, hundreds of people lived here. Between 1986 and 1991, lava from the Kilauea volcano ran over Kalapana, burning and then burying it. In his kitchen as his grandson made dinner 75-year-old Uncle Robert as he's known counted the number of homes spared.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two, three, four, five, house.

SAVIDGE (on camera): You are the only survivors.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. From this area.

SAVIDGE (voice over): Just as in Pahoa now, in Kalapana then he says when the lava first came, many thought it would miss them. They were wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No place you see. No place you see.

SAVIDGE: Before the lava stopped more than 150 homes were destroyed.

This is a postcard of the Kalapana Beach back then. Absolutely gorgeous. No wonder people lived here. And where I'm standing now is where the water line used to be.

The lava pushed the beach a quarter of a mile away. So is Pahoa now doomed of the same fate?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it would be premature for us to say that right now, because things can happen up with the magma supply, maybe to starve this.

SAVIDGE: But if the worst does happen, Uncle Robert offers this advice.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would say just accept. Be open. Understanding that we have no control.

SAVIDGE: Back in Kalapana, there are signs of life. As new residents have begun building new homes, on the old town that lies buried under 85 feet of lava.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: By the way, it may interest you to know that there are really two types of lava to be found here in Hawaii. One is called pahoehoe and the other is called aa. The lava that's flowing towards this town is the pahoehoe, which geologists will tell you has that habit of flowing and then stopping and flowing again. Victor and Ana, back to you.

CABRERA: What a story. Thank you, to Martin Savidge.

BLACKWELL: All right, we're pushing forward on the breaking news this morning, a Marine Corps reservist finally back on American soil. Sergeant Andrew Tahmooressi, he spent seven months in a Mexican jail. We'll try to find out why he was finally released and what is next for this war veteran.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)