Transcripts For CNNW The Situation Room 20141031

Im wolf blitzer. Youre in the situation room. Breaking news, just days after the catastrophic launch failure of an unmanned rocket, Virgin Galactics spaceshiptwo has crashed in a california desert, killing one, injuring another. Its the same spaceship thats supposed to take paying customers on brief rides into space. The former astronaut mark kelly is standing by with our correspondents, our analysts, our newsmakers and others. Lets begin with cnns tom foreman who has the latest. Reporter the ntsb and faa are investigating what happened at here and the catastrophic failure far up in the air. Something went wrong inflight. And that is a very big deal right now. Ground control lost contact with the experimental spacecraft around 10 00 pacific time. The 500 million rocketpowered craft could seat six passengers. But during this test flight, only two pilots were on board. The spaceship is carried into flight beneath an airplane. That launch vehicle returned to the ground safely, but not the spacecraft. What went wrong is anyones guess. The ship is 60 feet long and designed to fly 62 miles above the earth. And the wreckage in the Mojave Desert attests to the ferocity of the explosion, a crumpled parachute could be seen on the ground. Authorities say one pilot was killed and the other seriously injured. Its a far cry from the ambitious hopes Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson expressed earlier this year. 200 of the best engineers and technicians building them. Now were beginning the final stages of test flights inflight. By the end of this year, we will have actually gone into space. Reporter instead, it is another blow to the idea of privatized space travel. It comes only days after a spectacular launchpad explosion in virginia, a blast that involved a spacecraft once again manufactured by a private company. Huge risks but 800 people have already put down deposits or paid to ride on this plane. Lets go to mojave, california, right now. A News Conference on what happened has just started. The president of Scaled Composites, just briefly, our day began about 2 00 this morning with the evolution of a spaceshiptwo white knight two power flight 4 was the name of this particular test. Takeoff occurred at 9 20 this morning. My team and i were present for the entire evolution and release of spaceshiptwo occurred at approximately 10 10 a. M. At approximately 10 12, we became aware of an inflight anomaly and implemented our preplanned response plan. My team was dispatched to the nor north. The chief will discuss that and the sheriff will discuss his involvement. I had confirmation of a mishap just a few moments later. Approximately 25 miles north of the airport and we were given a latitude longitude of potential site. At times like these, those of us in the Aerospace Valley recognize we engage in our craft freely, ive been in it for 45 years. We recognize that the contribution we make to a nation, the traveling public and the general contribution to an amazing industry that provides transportation to the entire world, but when we have a mishap from the Test Community, we find the Test Community is very small. And we are human and it hurts. And our hearts, thoughts, prayers absolutely with the families of the victims. We do know that one of the crew members was met by emergency responders, treated on the scene and transported to Antelope Valley hospital. We also know that we had one fatality. I want to also acknowledge the artisans, the craftsmen, the engineers, the emergency responders, the technicians, the janitors, everybody in this industry that gives it their all every single day. These parking lots are filled seven days a week. No one is forcing these people to do this. I cant speculate at this time on the cause. I know george is going to address that. Again, chief and donnie, i want to say thanks to the emergency responders. You guys have been with us and you will be with us every step of the way for years and to your team personally, we say thanks. At this time, i turn it over to george sheriff donnie youngblood. Thanks to the involvement of the sheriffs involvement in this, well be the lead. I got the call this morning that there had been an anomaly and a mishap. I flew out, flew around the crash site. Its 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 a. V. Hospital. I do not have the condition. When he left here, it appeared to be major injuries but we dont know if really what that means yet. But our thoughts and prayers are with the family. We hope the survivor will be just fine. Sir . Hello. Mike cody, deputy fire chief, kern county fire department, our environment, it goes for about ten years working with mojave air and spaceport. Weve attended many briefings to get ready for a potential mishap. Its not why we want to stand here today. Weve been here an assisting mojave air and spaceport, put together plans, if theres a plan to take on the facility, our role is rescue. We had a helicopter on standby, which responded. I believe the Sheriffs Department had a vehicle on the ground and the civilian Flight Test Center had a helicopter on the ground prior to our arrival, administering care to the surviv survivor. We arrived on scene, took over patient care, transferred the patient for transport to Antelope Valley hospital. We continue to support mojave air and spaceport in any way possible. Thank you. Next up, kevin mickey, kevins the president of Scaled Composites. Kevin . Afternoon, everybody. Thanks to all the support we get from the mojave air and spaceport. Id like to say our job continues, immediately after locating the crash site, we set out with our partners to secure the crash site. That will continue to be the case overnight. We expect the ntsb will arrive approximately 7 30 tomorrow morning. Well spend a couple of hours putting together a game plan for moving forward as we continue the investigation which we expect would take several days. [ inaudible question ]. Wed like to get the statements and then well take some of your questions, if you dont mind, with all due respect. Ladies and gentlemen, George Whiteside is the chief executive of Virgin Galactic. George . Hello. Our primary thoughts at this moment are with the crew and family. And were doing everything we can for them now. Id like to recognize the work of the First Responders who we work with in the Antelope Valley for their efforts on behalf of the team. Were also thinking of the team members that we have at the companies that have been working on this program. I can say that Richard Branson is on his way. Hes flying now to mojave. And we expect hell be here by tomorrow morning. Space is hard, and today was a tough day. We are going to be supporting the investigation as we figure out what happened today. And were going to get through it. The future rests in many ways on hard, hard days like this. But we believe we owe it to the folks who were flying these vehicles as well as the folks who have been working so hard on them to you think so this and to move forward, which is what well do. Thank you. If you wouldnt mind joining me, supervisors, i see you in the room. Nice to see you. Id like to take some questions from the press corps. And if you wouldnt mind, well give you some time stand up, state your name so well know who you are, and your affiliation, please. From what i understand of this particular test flight, this spaceshiptwo, was using formulated fuel and maybe the engine [ inaudible ] ive got to turn that over to kevin. Kevin, care to take that question . We were flying a rocket motor today that had been thoroughly tested on the ground and had been through a qualification series. We expected no anomalies with the motor today. Was this the first time that you [ inaudible ] a small nuance to the rocket motor design is the fuel of the motor. So this motor configuration had flown a few times in the past. This was our fourth powered flight. You were using a different mixture of fuel, correct, for the first time . This was a new fuel formulation that had been proven and tested on the ground many times. Can you give us your best narrative of what happened during this flight during the two minutes after separation before the anomaly happened . Sir, im going to take that one. I was standing at the base of the tower. We always convene, we are always knee each other. This was a pure test. This was not a public event. So i will tell you from my eyes and my ears, i detected nothing that appeared abnormal. I was briefed that the plume would look different this time than it had in the past. And it did. But i couldnt detect anything. In fact, there was a pause of about 90 seconds when your colleagues have been calling all morning wanting to know when i knew. And i will tell you that i knew when other things werent happening. It wasnt because of something did happen. It was a, what i was not hearing and not seeing. And so it was if there was a huge explosion that occurred, i didnt see it. Ive already read that in the press. [ inaudible question ]. No. Theres a few seconds before ignition occurs and is initiated. Was the line of communication from the cockpit during that twominute period i heard a pardon us. I dont know the answer to that. Can you explain briefly how the process works this vehicle, like the spaceshipone that we flew in 2004 is a mated pair. It carries the spaceship to 45,000 feet. The spaceship separates from the larger vehicle, at which point it is a glider, the rocket is lit and youre on your way. Can you tell us about the condition of the surviving pilot or any information about this pilot . The only news i have currently is that he was transported and is doing as well as can be expected. Do you have the pilots ages, how much experience they had, can you give us a little bit more background about them . Scaled composites employs teams of test pilots that have gone through significant training for these types of events. These were both Scaled Composites test pilots. [ inaudible question ]. Yes. You talked a little bit about the resolve and this community thats been built here with all the activity of this happening here. Folks involved with building this and the testing that goes on, your message to them tonight is that you guys will come back from this let me retreat a little bit. Like i said, ive been in this business a long time. And the industry that has chosen to invest at this phase of our career and the new generation that is joining us, your age, extremely motivated, highly motivated, challenging, inquisitive people. And even though we have a preponderance of this new evidence, this is sprinkled around the globe. Its a global border industry interested in much greater access to space. My message to them is, stay the course. This business is worthy business. This is not easy. If it were easy, it wouldnt be interesting to me or any of my colleagues standing with us. And to the new people involved with this, get involved. Be inquisitive, challenge. Dont be afraid to ask the tough questions. Were doing this for you and for your generation. Its worthy, good business. And its a cause far greater than any one of us singularly. I equate it to the magellan mission. [ inaudible question ]. Were going to continue to monitor this News Conference. But the very sad news, tragic situation unfolding in the Mojave Desert. You just heard what they confirmed, one of the crew members is dead, the other suffering major injuries right now, doing about as well as can be expected. We were just told over at the Antelope Valley hospital. The spaceship actually took off at around 9 20 a. M. Pacific time. It was released effectively from the rocket at 10 10. At 10 12 a. M. , pacific time, all of a sudden there was what they call an inflight anomaly. And we see the aftermath, the wreckage there on the desert floor. The astronaut, mark kelly, is standing by. Miles obrien is standing by. Full analysis of what happened. This is the second space disaster in the United States in three days. Earlier in the week in virginia. Much more on whats going on right after this. When it comes to medicare, everyone talks about what happens when you turn sixtyfive. But, really, its what you do before that counts. See, medicare doesnt cover everything. Only about eighty percent of part b medical costs. The rest is on you. [ male announcer ] consider an aarp Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan insured by unitedhealthcare Insurance Company. Like all standardized Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans, it could really save you in outofpocket medical costs. So, call now and request this free decision guide. Discover how an aarp Medicare Supplement plan could go long™ for you. Do you want to choose your doctors . Avoid networks . What about referrals . [ male announcer ] all plans like these let you visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients, with no networks and virtually no referrals needed. So, call now, request your free guide, and explore the range of aarp Medicare Supplement plans. Sixtyfive may get all the attention, but now is a good time to start thinking about how you want things to be. [ male announcer ] go long™. One person is dead, another in the hospital after a Virgin Galactic spacecraft disintegrated during a test flight. The pieces fell to the ground in californias Mojave Desert. You see the wreckage on the screen. Officials say the spacecraft was flying with a new fuel formulation. Joining us, former astronaut mark kelly along with our cnn aviation analyst miles obrien. Mark, what do you make of this, what we just heard at the News Conference. We heard the Virgin Galactic say, space is hard, today is a tough day. Thats putting it mildly. I was out there about six months ago and i saw George Whitesides, the ceo of Virgin Galactic. And theyve been executing their plan for a while now and doing their test flights very successfully. We talked a little bit about how challenging this is. Space flight is a difficult thing to do. To get an aircraft moving at that speed through the atmosphere and then in a very unforgiving environment of space is a challenge. Thats why its not there arent a lot of companies that take that on as a challenge. So its a risky business. And accidents do happen. And this clearly is an accident. Miles, this is the second space disaster in three days in the United States. On wednesday, there was a horrible situation, a rocket exploded basically in virginia. Now this. This is a major setback for the entire space program, i suspect. It is. Its heartbreaking. Theres no real connection between the two except for that one point, space is hard. Its a reminder it doesnt take much of a plumbing problem to cause a difficulty on a rocket. The coincidence of that is stark. But it is a huge blow and the commercial space industry is on its heels today. Explain, mark, what they meant when they said the takeoff was at 9 20 a. M. Pacific time this afternoon. And the release was at 10 10 a. M. And the inflight anomaly occurred at 10 12 a. M. Pacific time. Walk us through what potentially happened. Well, spaceshiptwo, which is the vehicle thats going to go into space, has this hybrid rocket motor. But for takeoff, it takes off on the runway underneath an aircraft called white knight two, which is a bigger airplane. They both go up to about 45,000, 50,000 feet or so. So spaceshiptwo is underneath white knight. So they took off at 9 20. And at 10 10 in the morning, about 50 minutes later, spaceshiptwo was released. After its released, it will fire that rocket motor. And on a flight thats going to take passengers up to 63 miles or so, after the rocket motor firing, they would point straight up. In this case, i think the plan was to go up to about 73,000 feet. But within two minutes, they knew something was wrong. And the executive i dont think it was george. But the executive at scaled composite said it was when they didnt see the next thing that was supposed to happen that they knew there was an anomaly. Its similar to what happened with ccolumbia. They knew there was a problem. Takes time to figure out what that problem is. One of the crew members is dead. The other is alive but obviously not in good shape in a hospital. They have parachutes, they can eject from this kind of aircraft . Is that what happened . Its not a clkassic ejection seat. But if they have the ability to get out, they have a panel that breaks away. They obviously had parachutes. One of them was able to at least survive to the ground. Pashlt the other was unable to get out from the ejection not wearing full pressure suits. Is that your analysis as well, mark . Well, ill take miles word for it that they werent wearing pressure suits. If youre exposed to the environment of 50,000 feet without a pressure suit, youre in a lot of trouble. Just that exposure to that very low pressure, if youre there for very long, just a short period of time in that environment, the nitrogen in your blood starts to come out of solution and you essentially get what is the equivalent of the benz from scuba diving when you come up to the surface. Thats a hazard just in itself. But to also climb out and try to get out of a vehicle, assuming theres a catastrophic failure, is a difficult thing to do. When its going at that pretty high rate of speed at that altitude, its a major challenge. I can understand without an ejection seat why one of the crew members was unable to get out. Mark kelly, i want you to stand by. Miles obrien, please stand by as well. Well have much more on this story. The breaking news, coming up, including, we just heard that sir Richard Branson of virgin is on his way, should be there in the Mojave Desert by tomorrow morning. They said, space is hard and today is a tough day. I spoke with sir Richard Branson about this new program, this project he had, a few years ago. Well have that later in the situation room. Were also getting news on other important stories were following including new details on an attack on a Police Officer with an ax right here in washington, d. C. And the suspect in the Hannah Graham case facing a judge but its for a different case entirely, including a charge of attempted murder. Lots of news going on today right here in the situation room. Decay. Its the opposite of evolution. The absence of improvement. And the enemy of perfection. Which is why you can never stop moving forward. Never stop inventing. Introducing the mercedesbenz gla. A breakthrough in design, aerodynamics and engineering. Because the only way to triumph over decay. Is to leave it in its own dust. Big day . Ah, the usual. Moved some new cars. Hauled a bunch of steel. Kept the supermarket shelves stocked. Made sure everyone got their latest gadgets. Whats up for the next shift . Ah, nothing much. Just keeping the lights on. laugh nice. Doing the big things that move an economy. See you tomorrow, mac. See you tomorrow, sam. Just another day at norfolk southern. 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Call Liberty Mutual for a free quote today at see Car Insurance in a whole new light. Liberty mutual insurance. Its a fresh approach on education superintendent of public instruction Tom Torlaksons blueprint for great schools. Torlaksons blueprint outlines how investing in our schools will reduce class sizes, bring back music and art, and provide a wellrounded education. And torlaksons plan calls for more parental involvement. Spending decisions about our education dollars should be made by parents and teachers, not by politicians. Tell Tom Torlakson to keep fighting for a plan that invests in our public schools. It was sudden and shattering and came without warning in the middle of the night. A new ax attack at a Police Officer. This one right here in the Nations Capital of washington, d. C. It comes a week after a frightening and bloody hatchet attack on four Police Officers in new york city and how security is being stepped up for police in both cities. Cnns rene marsh is joining us with the latest details. Reporter this attacker is still on the loose tonight. And these attacks have prompted an immediate increase in security for officers in new york and now d. C. Is on high alert. But the question remains, was this latest ax attack a copycat incident or is there a terror connection . A large ax lodged inches from a d. C. Police officers head as he sat in the drivers seat. It was another attack on a uniformed officer. This time it happened overnight in a residential d. C. Neighborhood. He was ambushed. He did not see the person coming. He was ambushed by the ax. He was able to get out of the car and actually chase and tackle the suspect. Reporter the ax missed the officer. But he dislocated his shoulder in a scuffle with the suspect who is still on the run. Its the Second Attack on an officer in a matter of days. Just last week in new york city, an axwielding man was caught on camera charging towards Police Officers striking one in the arm, the other in the head before being shot and killed. The bloody weapon left behind. Nypd called it an act of terrorism. Certainly is alarming. Its hard to say at this point whether its a trend. Obviously theres been two incidents and two incidents is even too many in any situation where were having people take the liberty to attack Police Officers. Reporter this comes at a time when radical jihadists have threatened attacks against uniformed officers in the west. A man in canada with jihadist connections shot and killed a guard at canadas national war memorial. Before opening fire in Parliament Just two days after a canadian soldier was run over and killed by a man police say had been radicalized. This week, Homeland Security secretary jeh johnson ordered increased security at more than 9,500 federal buildings across the u. S. Anytime you have these things happen, it makes it very easy for the environment to produce copycats. Hopefully the one today was a random act and the police will have this person in custody very soon. Reporter police in the Nations Capital dont have a motive for this mornings ax attack. But at this point, nothings been ruled out. Now, when we talk about high alert as it relates to these police departments, in new york city, officers have been told they must travel in pairs. A buddy system. Here in d. C. , the police chief says shes been sending two to three messages a day to officers reminding them to remain on alert. That picture of that ax in that Police Vehicle window, that is so, so devastating. Lets hope they catch this guy and catch him quickly. Thanks so much. Up next, the main suspect in the kidnapping of the university of virginia student Hannah Graham goes before a judge today. We get our first hint his attorneys may be looking at an insanity defense. 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But his arraignment was Long Distance by video. And it was for another case. The 2005 sex assault in which Jesse Matthew is accused of attempted murder. Our brian todd is joining us live from the courthouse in fairfax, virginia. Thats just near washington, d. C. What happened, brian . Reporter this turned out to be a pretty Dramatic Court Appearance for Jesse Matthew. There was a dispute over who would be representing him in this fairfax case and there was a surprise request for a psychiatric evaluation. Wearing a blackandwhite striped prisonen jumpsuit, Jesse Matthew faced the charge against him in fairfax, virginia. You did willfully, deliberately, intentionally and with premeditation attempt to kill r. G. Reporter attempted capital murder, abduction, sexual assault. Matthew was arraigned on those charges Via Video Conference from a jail in charlottesville. He didnt enter a plea. But we heard from the man accused of the assault in fairfax and also of the abduction of university of virginia student Hannah Graham. Yes, sir, i would prefer mr. Karmanos to be my attorney, if its possible, because ive built a relationship with dealing with cases down in charlottesville, sir. Reporter matthew appealed for his attorney whos handling the uva case to be his only lawyer. He appealed to be the only lawyer. The judge rejected both requests appointing a public defender. His lawyer, visibly upset in court. I know mr. Mousse. Reporter what does that mean for Jesse Matthews defense if theres that much tension from the getgo . Its always tough to start out with that kind of tension. Sooner rather than later he will benefit theres a benefit to having a local practitioner whos skilled, an extra set of eyes. Reporter the surprise in the courtroom, he requested an evaluation of matthew. The Prosecutor Says thats to determine matthews sanity at the time of the vicious fairfax assault. He has some sort of concerns about where his client was, whether he knew right from wrong at the time that this offense happened. Reporter but attorney michael chik says its not likely he will enter a sanity defense. The Prosecutor Says the victim will travel from outside the u. S. To testify against Jesse Matthew. She is relieved, i think i dont want to say happy because theres no joy in any of this for any of us. But shes satisfied that maybe well get some resolution. Reporter when i asked the prosecutor if the victim was scared to testify, he said, quote, not to my knowledge. Experts believe prosecutors in charlottesville will have a much better case against Jesse Matthew if prosecutors here in fairfax get that first crucial conviction. Brian, thank you. Joining us is jeffrey toobin, coy barefoot and tom fen tuesday. Several major developments as we just heard at the Court Appearance in fairfax, virginia. What can you tell us about this psychiatric evaluation that was requested by his attorney . That evaluation request, wolf, was one of the big takeaways from this morning. It was a time of high drama during that entire hearing. As i was watching it, i was just thinking, holy cow, a very polite battle of wills of who will represent Jesse Matthew. The psychiatric evaluation coming now, my read on that is that its sort of setting up a mitigation of guilt. Thats not about guilt or innocence. Thats about lessening the penalty of an expected guilty verdict coming this early in the process. Mr. Camblos named cocounsel, second chair, those of us who know jim know he doesnt play second fiddle very well. So it will be interesting to see if he accepts that arrangement long term. Jeffrey, i want to pick up on that point. The judge asked that a public defender in fairfax serve as cocounsel. Explain why this might have been done . This is looking like a very complicated situation with two major cases potentially pending around the same time. It would certainly be a rational choice given the stakes involved. Even potentially including the Death Penalty down the road, that more than one attorney would be involved. Its really not all that unusual for multiple attorneys to be appointed in serious cases. Nor is it unusual to have tension between those attorneys. But ultimately it usually sorts itself out. Tom, talk about matthews demeanor during this appearance. I think hes pretty much sitting there taking it in. But i thought what was interesting here was the judge taking command of the courtroom and the situation and basically my takeaway is that its taken nine years for this young lady to be able to be in a position to testify against her attacker. The judge isnt going to allow the prosecution to take another nine years. He wants this to move on and doesnt wan camblos to say hes overwhelmed with other situations. Coy, whats going on behind the scenes . If you think about it, mr. Camblos can do what the judge is asking, play second fiddle to the fairfax Public Defenders Office, take that second chair and be quiet and follow the lead of the public defenders, he can wash his hands of the case in fairfax and focus on the cases here in charlottesville where mr. Matthew is likely to face more charges. And he could also turn to Jesse Matthew tomorrow, and he could say, ill make the Public Defenders Office go away. If he senses the Defenders Office is looking at this case for exposure, publicity and for experience for their team, then i think thats going to rub him the wrong way, given the relationship hes developed with Jesse Matthew. And he would want to stand in the way of that happening. Jeffrey, quickly, are we seeing the beginning of an insanity defense . Thats very unlikely. We talk a lot about the insanity defense. But it is rarely raised. And even more rarely successful. The insanity defense requires that an individual literally not know what hes doing. He has to think that he is hitting a watermelon, not a human being. If he knows hes killing a human being, even for irrational, horrible reasons, thats guilt. Thats not insane. And its a very substantial burden for defendants to climb and they almost never try it and it almost never works. Jeffrey toobin, tom fuentes, coy barefoot, thanks very much. Still ahead, more of the breaking news were following as investigators are trying to determine why Virgin Atlantics new commercial spacecraft crashed during a test flight today. Plus, the pentagons plans to send u. S. Military advisers to one of the most dangerous places in iraq, a place overrun by isis militants. Shes still the one for you. And cialis for daily use helps you be Ready Anytime the moment is right. 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And start bidding today were following breaking news. The crash of a commercial spacecraft in california. Were also watching the final weekend of campaigning ahead of the midterm elections in the United States. No matter where you live, you know the power brokers that will decide the winners. Heres Breanna Keeler who is watching this election closely. Were watching a key demographic, which is women. Democrats normally have a tremendous lead with women, but thats not necessarily the case here. Many races youre seeing that race diminished. Republicans trailing democrats with women by just Single Digits in some races and then exceeding democrats with men. President obama making a closing pitch to an allimportant voting bloc women. When women succeed, America Succeeds and we need leaders who understand that. Reporter in a heated and Bitter Campaign season, both sides say female voters may be the key to the senate majority. Democrats hoping to hold onto their traditional edge with women are targeting them with ads. A vote for tom cotton is a vote against arkansas women. A vote for tom tillis is a vote against families. Reporter and appealing from the stump. Were for respecting womens reproductive freedoms. Reporter but republicans are pushing back, and polls show theyre narrowing democrats lead. An unrelenting focus on womens issues earned mark udall the nickname mark uterus. His republican challenger, cory gardner, has touted moderate positions. Gaining control of the United States senate. Reporter in iowa, joanie ernst is a republican, and leading with men in a tight battle against the incumbent. Republicans are also turning democrat attacks against them in ads of their own. Theres a war on women in america, and its being waged by the democrats. Reporter in previous cycles, some republican candidates hurt the brand with inflammatory comments like this. If its a legitimate rape, the female body has ways the try to shut that whole thing down. Reporter this year, theyve largely avoided those damaging moments. Women are really open to republican candidates in a way that perhaps they werent in 2012. Reporter while democrats are working to turn out many of the women who pushed barack obama to victory in 2012. Its about turnout, its about getting to the polls right now. Reporter its also about the find of issues that candidates are emphasizing with women, wolf. Its not just social issues, but also combining them in a way with an economic message. For instance, you look at georgia, democrat Michelle Nunn has a lead over david purdue to the tune of about 18 in the polls. Shes emphasizing Workplace Fairness and its really resonating with women there. Well see what happens tuesday. Well have coverage throughout the day and the evening. Thank you very much. Coming up, back to the breaking news. Another catastrophic failure of a spacecraft. This time its virgin spaceship that goes down in the mohave desert. Days after an isis massacre, is the u. S. Now preparing to send military ald visors into the heart of the isis held territory . The lightest or nothing. The smartest or nothing. The quietest or nothing. The sleekest. Sexiest,. Baddest,. Safest,. Tightest,. Quickest,. Harshest. Or nothing. At mercedesbenz, we do things one way or we dont do them at all. Introducing the allnew cclass. The best or nothing. Big day . Ah, the usual. Moved some new cars. Hauled a bunch of steel. Kept the supermarket shelves stocked. Made sure everyone got their latest gadgets. Whats up for the next shift . Ah, nothing much. Just keeping the lights on. laugh nice. Doing the big things that move an economy. See you tomorrow, mac. See you tomorrow, sam. Just another day at norfolk southern. Creeping up on you. Fight back with relief so smooth. Its fast. Tums smoothies starts dissolving the instant it touches your tongue. And neutralizes stomach acid at the source. Tum, tum tum tum. Smoothies only from tums. Its a fresh approach on education superintendent of public instruction Tom Torlaksons blueprint for great schools. Torlaksons blueprint outlines how investing in our schools will reduce class sizes, bring back music and art, and provide a wellrounded education. And torlaksons plan calls for more parental involvement. Spending decisions about our education dollars should be made by parents and teachers, not by politicians. Tell Tom Torlakson to keep fighting for a plan that invests in our public schools. Iraq. Will American Military personnel come facetoface . North korean nightmare. An american man held captive by the kim jongun regime speaks out. What prompted kim jongun to set him free . Uncertain future. The ferguson, Missouri Police chief is said to be rethinking remarks he made to cnn 24 hours ago when he insisted he will not step down. Is he now ready to resign over the fallout from the Michael Brown shooting . We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. Im wolf blitzer. Youre in the situation room. This is cnn breaking news. Were following the break news, the deadly clash of a Virgin Galactic spaceship in the california desert. And following developments at the pentagon where plans are being drawn up to possibly end u. S. Military advisers into iraq es unmarked province. 80 of which is under isis control right now. Were covering those stories and much more this hour with our correspondents and our guests, including the state Department Deputy spokeswoman marie hearth. Lets begin with cnns tom foreman with details of that spaceship disaster. Reporter wolf, this spacecraft is able to with stand extraordinary forces to do the things it does as it flies at supersonic speeds. Yet right now, the National Transportation safety board are trying to figure out what went wrong. Ground control lost contact around 10 00 pacific time. The 500 million craft could seat six passengers. But during this test flight, only two were on board. The spaceship is carried into flight beneath an airplane. That launch vehicle returned to the ground safely, but not the spacecraft. There was a huge explosion. Reporter the company says the mission was going as planned, until the massive failure. Were flying a rocket motor today that had been thoroughly tested on the ground and had been through a qualification series. Of course, we expected no anomalies with the motor. Reporter what went wrong is anyones guest. The ship is designed to fly 62 miles above the earth. And the wreckage a test to the ferocity of the explosion. Authorities say one pilot was killed and the other seriously injured. Its a large area. The aircraft is in several different pieces. We found one person who had obviously deceased immediately. The other was transported to the hospital. I the not have the condition. When left here, appeared to be major injuries, but we dont know what that means yet. Reporter its a far cry from the ambitious hopes the founder expressed earlier this year. 200 of the best engineers and technicians building them. Now were beginning the time stages of test flights in flight. By the end of the year we will have gone into space. Reporter instead, its another blow to the idea of privatized space travel and comes only days after a launch pad explosion in virginia, a blast that involved a spacecraft, once again, manufactured by a private company. Richard branson tweeted his thoughts to all the people at the Company Working on this, who knew the people involved. Thanks for all your support, he said. Im fly thing immediately to be with the team. This is an enormous, enormous event and a very, very bad week for the private space travel industry, wolf. What a setback this is. Thank you very much, tom foreman. Lets get more now. Joining us our cnn aviation correspondent richard quest. Our cnn aviation analyst miles obrien. Its amazing when you think about it. On wednesday, this disaster, this rocket explosion in virginia. Now whats going on in california with this Virgin Galactic disaster. What a huge setback for the private space program. Yeah, as i said all week since this previous accident, this is not routine. It remains on the edge of our capabilities, and it is very intolerant of even the smallest mistakes or errors or problems. Thats what were seeing right now. This is a test program that had been troubled by a motor that wasnt delivering the goods. They switched the fuel and some of the numbing along with that. Virgin galactic had been hoping to offer these commercial space flights by the end of the coming year. By the end of 2015, they were hoping to get some celebrities on board. Does an accident of this magnitude seriously set all of that back . Absolutely, without any shadow of doubt. I dont think it will put them out of business. I think if you listen to what the ceo of Virgin Galactic said today, he said space is hard. Following up on what miles was saying, the future rests on hard days like this. But Richard Branson, who is in charge, who started it all up, has had setbacks before when he was trying to fly around the world on a balloon. So wolf, yes, it will certainly put it back. Investors, those people who bought tickets of 250,000, some of them may want their money back. But i dont for a moment think that it ends the race. It ends the goal. But it certainly turns the clock back. As you know, a lot of celebrities, tom hanks, justin bieber, katy perry, they already paid in and wanted to go on this space junket, if you will. But a lot of them are going to say its not safe. There are 700 people on the list. Its an impressive list, and if i had the scratch, i would be on it myself. Some people will say maybe not, but this is all about pushing the envelope quite literally, and there is risk inherent and theres no secret this is a risky endeavor and going to space remains not easy. Two major disasters with the private Space Business if you will. Richard, in three days, this is awful, isnt it . It is awful. And it will cause a rethink about the various not so much the regulation, because youve got to look for systemic reasons why these things go wrong. You have to look at was it a failure of regulation and the authorities to monitor all the companies or whatever. You cant just take them in total isolation. Wolf, it will not bring an end to the private space industry. Thats where the money is. Thats where, to some extent, governments cant find it like they used to. So the private industry is here to stay when it comes to space. The question is how its monitored, regulated, and then enforced. I would like to say this, wolf. We just celebrated the 10th anniversary of the xprize. This has been a long delayed program and theres been increasing pressure on spaceship two, on Virgin Galactic to deliver a paying flight. When you see these clenaccident whether its columbia or challenger, you have to ask was there too much scheduling pressure . I interviewed sir Richard Branson about this program in 2009. He was so hopeful. Listen to this little clip. The spaceship will start its test in december, and will go and those test also carry on over the next 18 months. Then well start taking people into space, and its the start of a whole new space era. How much is this going to cost somebody who wants to go for a ride say two, three years in space . Initially 200,000. How long will the ride be . The whole experience will be three hours. He was so hopeful at that time, but clearly not anticipating a disaster that occurred in the past few hours, richard. No, not at all. Over the years, ive interviewed sir richard dozens of times. There is ann eirreplaceable o optimism about him. To some extent, to get Virgin Galactic in the position its in today. Miles raises a good point, which is, were there too many commercial pressures to move forward . But in terms of Richard Branson, a man who has lost friends through aviation accidents, whos nearly killed himself several times, he said hold go up on the first flight with his family. Ive known richard and interviewed him many times. Hes not a fool. He will be having cause for pause for thought about the way forward with Virgin Galactic tonight. Hes a very creative and courageous kind of guy, no doubt about that, but are people going to pay to go on this aircraft, if you will, this spacecraft, given what happened today . A lot depends on what comes out of this, and whether we find the team was pressured to move quickly. Was there a fundamental design problem. And the fact of the matter is, after almost ten years of trying to perfect one type of motor, theyre moving into a different motor, different fuel, different design, maybe the can needs to be pikicked way down the road here. The Virgin Galactic ceo said space is hard. Today is a tough day. Guys, thank you very much. Just ahead, u. S. Military advisers possibly being deployed to isis territory in iraq. Learning new details of planning under way right now over at the pentagon. Well talk about that and a whole lot more. The state Department Deputy spokeswoman is walking into the situation room right now. Marie, thank you very much for coming in. Happy to be here. Could save you fifteen percent or more on Car Insurance. Everybody knows that. Well, did you know you that former pro Football Player ickey woods will celebrate almost anything . Unhuh. Number 44. Whoooo fortyfour, thats me get some cold cuts. Get some cold cuts. Get some cold cuts whooo gimme some geico. 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Still, the impetus for this is to give iraqi forces muchneeded help to do something they havent done enough of yet, and that is stand up and confront isis. [ gunfire ] anbar is one of the most volatile provinces in iraq. Powerful base for isis just west of baghdad. And scene of some of the fiercest fighting, including the isis massacre of 400 sunni tribesmen in just two days this week. Now the pentagon is developing a plan to end u. S. Military advisers to anbar. A senior u. S. Military official says, this will better enable the Iraqi Security forces to protech themselves and to take the fight to isis. We need to expand the train, ald vise and assist mission into the al Anbar Province. But the precondition is that the government of iraq is willing to arm the tribes. By the way, we have positive indications that they are. But we havent begun to do it yet. Reporter the plan, if implemented, would expand the militarys socalled train and assist mission beyond baghdad and irbil, two cities that are relatively safe from isis, to Anbar Province, which isis now controls some 80 . And iraqi forces clearly need their help. This week, as hundreds of sunni tribesman were slaughtered, iraqi forces were confined to defensive positions. Local tribal leaders complain theyre desperate for the Iraqi Militarys help. Translator i contacted them and they did not say no to me. I was promised air strikes by the iraqi air force, but it did not happen. Reporter sending u. S. Advisers to anbar would say military officials open the door to an establishment of an Iraqi National guard, including sunni tribes to undermining isis support to iraqs embattled sunni minority. Its important the Iraqi Security forces reach out to the sunni tribes on their own and to bring them into the fold. Reporter now, where u. S. Advisers in anbar would be deployed has. Been determined yet. There are still cities under Iraqi Military control there, and the advisers would be deployed as they are in baghdad and irbil to the command headquarters of iraqi units on the ground, not on the front lines, but much closer to where the fighting is, and outside of those relative bubbles of security in baghdad and irbil. If the president and joint chief, it sounds like mission creep, it sounds like the u. S. Is getting closer and closer. Military adviser also be on the ground and a lot of them have a lot of combat experience. If its not mission creep, its an expansion of the mission. U. S. Military officials repeat they will not be in combat roles, but physically theyll be in a much more dangerous part of the landscape. Thank you very much, jim sciutto. Were learning of another disturbing development, extaliban fighters from afghanistan being paid by iran to take up weapons in syria. Nick paton walsh is joining us. He has an exclusive report. Tell our viewers what youre finding out. Reporter quite remarkably, Syrian Rebels fighting for the see city of aleppo have discovered that the Syrian Regime has been bringing in, amongst the national fighters, all fighting in the chaos is syria, discovered a troubling new recruit to assist the Syrian Regime. [ gunfire ] the regime is fast advancing around aleppo, trying to encircle rebels there. This building was blown up in that fight. And now rebels dig. As this rescue operation is different. They know the mouth they can just see belongs to a regime fighter. Where are your friends, they ask him . They want him alive. Asking, is he from yemen . No. In fact, this is something they just havent encountered before. Bandaged up, on a drip, he cant speak their arabic. That is because hes afghan. Valuable enough to keep, they feed him and film this footage, which we cant verify. My name is ahmed, he says, the iranians pay people like me to come here and fight. I am from afghanistan, and an immigrant in iran. The iranians brought us to syria to fight to defend the shrine. I dont want to fight anymore. He said he was paid about 500 a month to fight. It is a long journey between two lands brutalized by war, but in eastern afghanistan, we found the other end of this story. In this tiny village, men who used to fight with the taliban are off to fight for the Syrian Regime. They had come home briefly after training in iran to say goodbye to their families and asked their fathers if they could go to war. They think they can fight america in syria. We want to go there for two reasons, he says. One is to fight against those who are being assisted by americans in syria. And secondly, because iran pays us to fight in syria. Before this, we used to be part of the taliban in afghanistan. But after our disagreements caused tensions among us, we left the taliban and went to iran. They say they were driven to a base blind folded for 15 days training with infantry weapons and will be paid into these iranian banks. But they know little about syrias war. For now, we dont have a lot of information about isis, he says. But if we see them in syria, well sit them, talk with them, and if our thoughts are similar, we could become friends. Americas old enemy, the taliban, now fighting in a new war. Yet more alien furies piling into syria. People keep saying when could there be a political solution for the syrian war. Its so hard when neither side is exhausted enough to want to talk because of getting new recruits. But weve been following for weeks the fight for kobani. As darkness fell on the border, we heard from activists and fighters inside that longawaited convoy have finally crossed the border into kobani. Those Syrian Kurdish fighters inside, who had long awaited those reinforcements, expressing joy that they have fellow kurds fighting with them. The syrian and iraqi kurds separated by geography but not ethnicity. Certainly residents, activists, all agreeing a lot of manpower moving in. That could definitely change the balance on the ground. And the turkish government giving per fission to the peshmerga to come through turkey into syria. That was significant, wasnt it . Absolutely, yes. This has been turkeys they have been perhaps reticent. They wanted the iraqi kurds to go in to try and dilute that victory for the syrian kurds. They also pushed Syrian Rebels to try and assist, as well. Certainly tonights syrian kurds breathing more easily because the kurdish brothers are alongside. One fighter saying he didnt know whether to laugh outside or cry. Nick paton walsh, be careful over there. Lets get more now with the state department depp ty spokeswoman marie hearth. First, i want your reaction from that exclusive report. Iran is paying Afghan Taliban fighters to leave afghanistan and go join the fight in syria, who is supporting the government of bashar al assad. Thats pretty shocking that the iranians are getting that deeply involved in helping bashar al assad, moving fighters from afghanistan to syria. We know iran has been supporting the assad regime for a very long time. Weve spoken very pubically how thats led to a destabilizing situation in syria. Iran continuing to send fighters to support the assad regime. I cant confirm whether or not that report is accurate about them finding taliban fighters and moving into syria. But i do know there are a number of foreign fighters from other countries, jihadis from around the world, who have flocked to syria to fight with the regime or fight with isil. The u. S. Meets with iran, and youre going with the secretary of state next week to oman to have direct talks. We are talking with them only about the nuclear issue. At the same time, weve made very clear we have huge disagreements over whats happening in syria, over their support for the assad regime, over the americans that remain detained in iran. One is going to be on a cnn show this weekend before he was detained in iran. We raise all of those other issues very publicly, but these talks arent the nuclear issue. See if thats a deal to eliminate Irans Nuclear weapons potential. The other breaking news we had is pentagon now seriously considering deploying military advisers to the Anbar Province in iraq. It sounds like mission creep. It sounds like there could be u. S. Combat forces on the ground. Because this is an area, the Anbar Province, fallujah, ramadi, areas controlled by isis. There are no plans at this point to put the military advisers into Anbar Province. We have 12 teams on the ground right now in baghdad and irbil. Theres a possibility we could do this, but the mission is a core part of what were doing in iraq, helping the Security Forces get back on their feet. No plans at this point, but always a possibility. Let me pick your brain on north korea. Jeffy powell left a bible at a club in pyongyang. Listen to what he said. Why do you think you were released and the others werent . I dont know. Ive asked that question every day. My wife is from russia. Theres a russian connection to it. She wrote a letter to vladamir putin asking for help, and he had i guess answered back. Dprk and russia have good relations. You think that might have helped . It didnt hurt. Do you think the russians did help get this guy out of there . A u. S. Air force plane flew into pyongyang to pick him up and bring him back to the United States. We certainly worked very hard to get our citizens home. Theres two remaining. Were not sure why they chose to let him return home. Its hard to determine sometimes what their motivations are. All right. Lets leave it there. The good news is, hes home. Absolutely. Marie, thanks for coming in. Just ahead, the ferguson, Missouri Police chief said to be rethinking his future only 24 hours after he told cnn hes not stepping down. Has something changed joseph night . We have details. Stay with us. Wouldnt it be great if hiring plumbers, carpenters shopping online is as easy as it gets. And even piano tuners were just as simple . Thanks to angies list, now it is. Weve made hiring anyone from a handyman to a dog walker as simple as a few clicks. Buy their services directly at angieslist. Com no more calling around. No more hassles. Start shopping from a list of toprated providers today. Angies list is revolutionizing local service again. Visit angieslist. Com today. Hi, Credit Report site andour i have a problem. I need to speak with your fraud resolution department. Ugh, we dont have that. What should i tell him . 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Well, this is nothing unusual when it comes to his actions and the Ferguson Police departments actions. They appear to be very disorganized in terms of their messaging. Many people in the community, as i have spoken with protesters and Community Leaders today, feel as though when he made those statements yesterday in your interview, theres a good possibility he was in denial regarding the future of the police department, regarding his future with the Ferguson Police department. But many people in the community feel as though his resignation or departure is coming very soon, and thats simply what the word is on the street within st. Louis right now. Its interesting, tom, because the st. Louis county police chief said they had considered contingency plans for the city of ferguson as a result of all the tumultuous developments over the past many weeks. Does it sound like the county, st. Louis county is getting ready to take charge over there . I think probably they are. With all the talk thats going on, it wouldnt be surprising. I think its interesting that you have a state investigation into the shooting, a federal investigation into the shooting, a federal investigation into police practices, and before any of the results are done, you have the attorney general saying wholesale change is needed. I think thats inappropriate. I think it doesnt help whether its not fair to chief jackson, one way or the other. He might be the worst chief there is and needs to be removed, but at least the studies ought to be completed before they announce that hes being fired. If st. Louis county took charge of ferguson, would that calm down the community over there . Everyone is getting ready for some announcement from the grand jury whether to indict the Police Officer or not indict. I dont know how much calming it will do, but it will be a step in a different direction. As i mentioned before, many people within the community, especially within ferguson, do not trust law enforcement, whether it is the st. Louis county police department, the highway patrol, or the Ferguson Police department. Their really is a void there between that relationship between the community and law enforcement, and to be honest with you, i dont think that will make a difference in terms of a level of trust or security in terms of how they feel about those in leadership. Tom, thats depressing when you hear that kind of analysis, that theres no trust between the community there in ferguson and the area and law enforcement, whether county, state, or whatever. Right. What john is saying no police, no change, no matter who comes in, they wont be trusted, they wont be respected by the community. Theres going to be trouble, and how many decades would it take if the best police come in there, how long would it take before they got trust of the community . Its a horrible situation were watching. John, thank you very much. Tom fuentes, thanks to you, as well. Just ahead, why an alligator wrestler could hold the future of the United States congress in his hands. receptionist gunderman group. Gunderman group is growing. Getting in a groove. Growth is gratifying. Goal is to grow. Gotta get greater growth. I just talked to ups. They got expert advise, special discounts, new technologies. Like smart pick ups. Theyll only show up when you print a label and its automatic. We save time and money. Time . Money . Time and money. Awesome. Awesome awesome awesome awesome all awesome i love logistics. I can. Order safety goggles. Play music for seedlings. Post science fair projects. Schedule guinea pig feedings. Video chemical reactions. Take pics of mr. Bones. Time the next launch. Calm down principal jones. I can do all that with my android from tracfone. 90day plans start as low as 20. Unbeatable nationwide coverage. No contract. 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So you know the politics are going to be anything but dull in that state, but in this senate race, get this, theres a vulnerable democrat, establishment republican, and a Tea Party Candidate who wrestled an alligator. You cant make this stuff up. In louisiana, they love their gators. Here. Even here. Or in another twist, here. Louisiana needs a senator that will stand up to the career politicians and the alligators. Reporter no doubt about it, louisiana politics is only for the thick skinned. And this election season, its getting really rough. He was eight feet long and 240 pounds. Reporter because of this man. I get that, youre that gator guy, all the time. Some said it was a stunt, you know, and you could look at it in that way from a cynical perspective. But it was a very good way to communicate visually with the people of louisiana. That our flag was still there reporter hes a retired air force colonel running for the senate with the sarah palin seal of approval, taking on the republican establishment candidate and the democrat incumbent. Hes not just the underdog. His long shot bid could keep the entire country guessing about who controls the senate, thanks to louisianas quirky election rules. We call it a jungle primary system. We let all the candidates get into one room and go at it and see who makes the runoff. Reporter every candidate of every party is thrown together on election day. If no one gets more than half the vote, the top two go at it again, a month later. And this year, thats almost a sure bet. Down in louisiana in the bright sunshine we do a little boogie woogy all the time if the u. S. Senate, the partisan makeup is hanging in the balance, our runoff is going to be in december. If that happens, were expecting a complete circus down here. Reporter thats why louisiana republicans are seething at manes, who they think is keeping their man, bill cassidy, from an outright victory over Mary Landrieu. The party, its about power. The back room got together and decided that so and so is going to be the guy or the gal. Reporter are you getting calls from the back room saying, dont run . Yeah, i would say thats a good way to put it. Reporter hes resisted and not apologizing. Arent you the spoiler . Absolutely not. There is no taking votes away from so and so. Its all, people will vote for who they believe and best serve us here in louisiana. Reporter chef isaac tubes family has lived in louisiana for five generations. I am not anthony bourdain. Im not emeril lagassee. Reporter he cooks cajun at his new orleans restaurant and welcomes the hot politics of the open primary system and the diverse politics of the state with the distinct northsouth divide. You can be a lot more liberal, you can have a purple mohawk and someone next to you is going to be twice as crazy. It can be very conservative. Our politics are lively and unique. Reporter but this year, not that unique. In the key states of North Carolina and alaska, Third Party Candidates could throw the race. And in georgia, a libertarian could send that race into runoff. In january, one month later than louisiana. Its a nightmare for the establishment. But for manes, its the american dream. I believe this is the United States of america and the voters should get the choice. How crazy would a runoff be . In many ways, theyve moved past the election, which they havent had, into the runoff, which they know theyre going to have in december. Theyve already got 10 million worth of ad times booked on television, so the tv stations are going to make some money off this down there. You can be sure theres going to be a lot of activists on the ground there, and the lawyers, i guaranty you, will be out there making sure there are no election irregularities. So as the piece says, it is going to be kind of crazy. Could take a month in louisiana to let the dust settle and two months in georgia if there are runoffs. Stand by, gloria. And lit be interesting to see if president obama actually heads to louisiana to campaign for Mary Landrieu in a runoff. But not before. Stand by. Well have much more coming up right after this. If yand youre talking toevere rheumyour rheumatologiste me, about a biologic. This is humira. This is humira helping to relieve my pain and protect my joints from further damage. This is humira giving me new perspective. Doctors have been prescribing humira for ten years. Humira works for many adults. It targets and helps to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. 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Common side effects include urinary tract infections, changes in urination, and runny nose. Do the walk of life yeah, you do the walk of life need to lower your blood sugar . Ask your doctor about farxiga and visit our website to learn how you may be able to get every month free. But parallel parking isnt one you do a lof them. Ings great. Youre either too far from the curb. Or too close to other cars. Its just a matter of time until you rip some guys bumper off. So, here are your choices take the bus. Or get Liberty Mutual insurance. For drivers with accident forgiveness, Liberty Mutual wont raise your rates due to your first accident. See Car Insurance in a whole new light. Call Liberty Mutual insurance. As we head into the final weekend before the crucial midterm elections on tuesday, with control of the u. S. Senate up for grabs, were seeing surprisingly tight races in state after state. And it is looking like Election Night will be a nailbiter for both parties. A look at the latest cnn polling in two key states in, iowa, joni ernst leading raily 49 to 47 . And the sampling error is a dead heat. And in North Carolina, where kay hagen leads tom tillis, 48 to 46 . For a look at other close races, lets bring in john king at the magic wall. Eight or ten races like that within two to fourpoints heading into the weekend, it will be a wild Election Night. Well start with 55 democrats and 45 republicans in the United States senate. The 55 ds is two independents. We have 36 senate races in all. But we know how most of them will go. Democrats will win in oregon, republicans will win in texas. And weve assigned those. But now let me get rid of three more. Even most democrats concede and well watch south dakota, but most democrats concede montana, and south dakota, and that would get republicans up to 4545. And then ten left. All in singledigits. All from alaska to New Hampshire in singledigits into the final weekend. Where do we go from there. One scenario, they are worried about the states ill call the blues, but in this scenario i gave the democrats iowa, and New Hampshire where jean shaheen is ahead of scott brown. In this scenario, colorado, president obama caried twice, im giving to democrats. And this is a hypothetical. They are you are at 4647 and you have seven left. Republicans are confident they will get alaska. And democrats still say it is in play, for the sake of the scenario, i give it over. Down to arkansas, again well watch on election day but the republican candidate has been consistently ahead. And moving that over here. And North Carolina for the sake of this conversation, kay hagen has been up and lets say she holds on in North Carolina. Now were looking at kentucky. Mitch mcconnell, in line to be majority leader if republicans get there. And 4948, three states left. Talking with gloria, a possible of a runoff in december. And the one left on the table, kansas. Increasingly because of the governors race, republicans are nervous about this one in the final days. A couple of republicans told me today they will not be surprised if the independent greg orman wins. He has not told us who he will caucus with yet. And then two states in play in december and january, we might not know it tuesday night or wednesday morning. It is conceivable we might not know it until the first week of january and how long will mr. Orman sit there and say he hasnt decided yet. Because he wont decide if he is with the caucus of democrats or republicans. I want to bring in Gloria Borger and Koren Belcher who worked for president obama. So late in this conference. Happy new year, guys. Why are the races so tight still . Look, the voters are holding their noses and voting this time. This is an election about anger, about fear, about disappointment. It is close because you have a lot of democrats running in the red states. Mitt romney and unpopular president and unpopular congress. You throw it all in together and it is this mixture which makes it very unpredictable and any wild card could upset. It weve seen Foreign Policy upset the apple card here, so we dont know. But here is the problem. Look at the map and go back a couple of months ago and republicans were saying they would run up the score here. This was a map made for them. And rand paul is on to smsh. And the Republican Party bashed him for what he said. When i was a pollster under howard dean, i knew we would have a seat change because i saw the lineup and also democrats had a better brand than republicans did. You cant make that same argument right now and if they dont even the score it is because their brand got in the way. They do have a brand problem. If all of the races that are close and break late, republicans could get as high as 55, some think 53. But if they are one plus, 54. But forget the states, West Virginia an even divided country. We have polarized politics and the parties are even and more people describing themselves as independents but they vote d. Or r. But i could say to cornells point that the democrats have a brand problem, they have an unpopular president and constituencies to try to appeal to, trying to appeal to women, but they dont have an overall message, they havent been running on the economy, im not sure what they are running on. They are running away from the president. You are preaching to the choir. And how successful is that when you try to run away from the top rated ticket. Midterm elections are almost always about the president but we dont know how much the republican brand will hurt them and how much will voters process what the government is pointing to. On the president s brand, he is 20 more popular than republicans. He may be unpopular but they are even more unpopular. Terrain is the red states. You cant look at the president s numbers. Lets talk about louisiana. Your report, gloria, in louisiana was great. Mary landrieu said something to nbc news that is generating a lot of commotion. Ill play the clip. To be very, very honest with you, the south has not always been the friendliest place for africanamericans and it is a difficult time for the president to present himself in a positive light as a leader. Is this part of a new strategy that shes doing . What is she talking about . Are we going to play another clip because im waiting for the controversy. I dont know how that is controversial. And the continued patterns of what is what is racial politics throughout the south. I dont think it is a controversial statement at all. Truth of the matter is when you look at the Economic Growth that weve had in this country, 3. 5 Economic Growth and unemployment low that europe would love to have, Health Care Costs leveling off, peace and prosperity, one could argue why isnt the president s job approval it has generated controversy. Landrieu had to issue another statement saying the reason the president struggled in louisiana because his Energy Policies are not in line. Quickly john. It is higher in North Carolina, georgia, louisiana where there are more africanamerican but none of the vulnerable democrats will invite him in. But she does in the runoff. Hes the best came campaign campaigner we got. Follow us on twitter. Tweet me at wolf blitzer. Tweet the show at cnn sit room. And join us on monday sand watch us live or dvr the show so you wont miss a moment. That is it for me. Thanks for watching. Im wolf blitzer in the situation room. Erin Burnett Outfront starts right now. Outfront tonight, breaking news. 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