so, are these ballot initiatives important? well, does a bear get shot in the woods? in many case, these initiatives have brought in millions of dollars, whether they get people turning out at the polls, we'll soon find out. that's it for me. i'm jake tapper. i turn you over to wolf blitzer in "the situation room" right now. happening now, election countdown, just hours to go until the first polls open. control of the u.s. senate up for grabs in this crucial midterm vote. and we're tracking all the key races. dangerous new weapon. north korea has a new submarine. how long before it's armed with nuclear-tip missiles that can threaten the united states? and navy s.e.a.l. investigated. he was part of the bin laden raid and wrote a book about it. but if secrets were spilled, could the federal government soon throw the book at him? i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." we're tracking several major

stories. chief among them, the midterm elections. we've transformed "the situation room" into cnn's election center. there's a final whirl of campaigning with the first polls opening just seven hours from now. the entire house of representatives is up for grabs, along with three dozen governorships and a huge array of state and local posts. but all eyes right now are on the u.s. senate. 36 seats are being contested but just a handful will determine whether the senate stays democratic or if republicans gain control. the gop needs to pick up six seats. the latest poll suggest that goal is certainly within reach. our correspondents and our analysts are standing by. we'll go live to the key battlegrounds and hear gloria borger's exclusive interview with the still optimistic vice president joe biden. but let's begin in kentucky where the senate minority leader mitch mcconnell has a chance to become the senate majority leader if he can hold onto his own seat. let's go live to our senior political correspondent brianna keilar. she's got the latest from there.

brianna? >> reporter: hi, wolf. mitch mcconnell in polls has a comfortable lead of several points here in kentucky in what has been a very hard-fought battle against alison lundergan grimes. but the interesting political dynamics of this race include the fact that while it's difficult to be a doctor emocra this cycle, it's also difficult to be a incumbent. and kentuckians first elected mcconnell to the senate back in 1984. he just wrapped up his seventh and final event of the day today. grimes has nine of them today. both of them going all out on this final day of campaigning. >> all right, brianna keilar. the senate race in louisiana looks to be very close. tomorrow's vote could lead to a december run-off. let's go to suzanne malveaux who joins us from new orleans. suzanne? >> reporter: wolf, this is called a jungle primary.

louisianans like to do things differently here. all the candidates run against each other on tuesday night. if they don't get the 50% plus one, the top two run against each other. that's why the incumbent senator, mary landrieu, is desperately looking for that 50% plus one. she needs african-american voters to come out. she needs the base of the party to come out. we saw over the weekend she was campaigning with hillary clinton trying to bring out those women. but the problem she is having, she has to distance herself from the very unpopular president, here in louisiana, his approval rating hovering in the 30s. the opponent most likely she's going to have to beat if it goes into a run-off is going to be congressman bill cassidy who's been emphasizing that she votes for the policies of the president 97% of the time. she's been trying to distance herself saying, look, particularly when it comes to energy policy, she is different than this president. so very likely what we're going to see is a very late, late

night on election night early into the morning and potentially coming back six weeks later to see who's going to get this in a run-off. >> suzanne in new orleans, thank you. one fascinating race to watch is kansas where veteran republican senator pat roberts is in the fight of his right now against an independent, greg orman. jim sciutto is on the scene for us with more on that. jim? >> reporter: wolf, kansas is a rare state where the democrats can steal one from the gop, despite the fact that they don't have a democrat in the race. first of all, the independent, greg orman, a millionaire businessman, has to win. the latest polls put them about a percentage point apart. so razor thin. way too close to call. then he has to decide to caucus with the democrats, something he's been very coy about. orman spent the day at get out the vote rallies. roberts spent the day at gop rallies and will spend tonight

at a kansas men's basketball game. he got an endorsement over the weekend, bill snyder. like a good football game, this one's going to go right down to the wire. >> thanks very much, jim sciutto, in kansas. another crucial senate race, iowa, where the seat of retiring democrat tom harkin is up for grabs. pamela brown is in des moines for us with more on this race. pamela? >> reporter: wolf, this race is so crucial because whoever wins the senate race could tip the balance of power in the senate. it's an extremely tight race, neck and neck and a record number of iowans have voted early this year, more than 400,000 iowans. democrats have a slight advantage over the republicans in early voting but not the kind of advantage that they want heading into tomorrow. they're up 7,000 early votes. but just to put it in perspective, in 2010, they had triple the number of early votes. so there's a last-minute push today to get more people, get

more outstanding ballots, get more people to vote tomorrow as well. and look at the polls here. the polls paint two different pictures. there's a quinnipiac poll today showing the race in a deed het. a few days ago, joni ernst, the republican candidate, was shown up by seven points. as one political operative i spoke to here said, i don't think anyone knows really what's going to happen tomorrow. it is truly a toss-up. today both candidates criss-crossing iowa trying to pull in those last-minute votes. >> we'll see what happens when they count real votes. pamela, thank you. one of the biggest wild cards out there, alaska, polling is notoriously unreliable, 20-year marine veteran is challenging a first-term democratic senator who spent much of the year trying to run away from president obama. cnn's drew griffin joins us from anchorage with more on this race. drew? >> reporter: so what did they

do? the dan sullivan campaign, the republican, to remind people that mark begich voted with president obama, they're doing a get out the vote rally. it was romney who defeated obama by a big margin here in 2012. that's why they wanted to come in and finish off this sullivan campaign. the sullivan people believe they have this race. it is a turnout race. they think they've got it. to talk about what they believe is the most important thing is to get the senate in control of republicans. on stage today they had the other senator on stage here today, lisa murkowski. if republicans take over the senate, will become that all-important chairman of the energy and national resources committee here in alaska. that comes down to just one phrase we've heard from other elections, that means "drill, baby, drill."

a lot of people supporting dan sullivan are pushing for that empbt. but it's a turnout race. >> we'll see happens. polls close in alaska, 1:00 a.m. eastern time. republicans, as i pointed out, need a net gain of six seats to take control of the u.s. senate. but so many races in doubt right now. tomorrow could be a very exciting and suspenseful night. let's get a closer look right now. john king is with me over here at the magic wall. you're going to be busy with this wall tomorrow night. >> you bring the coffee, i'll bring the late-night pizza. here's where we start. the 55 democrats includes two independents who work with the democrats. let's look. we know how most of the races are going to go. the democrats will win oregon. the republicans will win texas. even most democrats concede montana, south dakota and west

virginia. if republicans sweep the rest, they could get as high as 55. is that likely? no. is it inconceivable? no. all of these races, everything left on the board, all in single digits in the final days. that's what makes it such an exciting and unpredictable year. can the democrats keep the majority? that's the big question. the vice president told gloria he thinks, yes. how would they do it? the easiest path, keep the blues. colorado, iowa, new hampshire and north carolina. i call them the blues because the president won three of them twice, north carolina, once. that's the easiest path but it's not easy. the polling suggests republicans are ahead in iowa and in colorado. if they don't hold those states, if they don't hold those, if colorado and iowa go, can the democrats win the majority? yes. but it would be 47/47. if the democrats win north carolina and new hampshire. republicans say north carolina and new hampshire have gotten that close in the last 48 hours.

but let's say they win two but lose two, you're at 47/47. there are six states left. democrats democratses would need three -- alaska, kansas, arkansas, louisiana, kentucky, georgia. president obama lost all of them twice, all red states. is it possible, yes? jim sciutto noted the independent might win here. you have to say going in republicans have the momentum. the path overwhelmingly favors the republicans but democrats do have a chance, which is why we're going to be up late counting them. >> in kansas, greg orman, say he beats pat roberts and wins that race. i assume he would want to be a majority member of the senate as opposed to a minority remember, right? >> let me play out this scenario. assume mitch mcconnell wins and dan sullivan wins up in alaska. assume for the sake of argument that mark pryor pulls out a win in arkansas.

imagine if we're in this scenario and greg orman wins in kansas, it doesn't change the math because we don't know who he's going to side with. you could conceivably, december runoff, january runoff, be at 48/49. if republicans win one, hypothetical, landrieu wins in louisiana and the republican wins in georgia. you could flip the scenario and have the other way around. in this scenario here, if greg orman decided to go with the democrats, it would be a 50/50 tie. joe biden was break it. but he could be the most influential for a brief pooerd period of time, determining the balance of power in the senate. >> and the vice president of the senate is president of the senate. he would break that 50/50 tie. the republicans really need 51. >> the net gain of six. we say that because of the possibility. you still have georgia, kansas and some democrats say kentucky. most republicans think

kentucky's moved mcconnell's way. but we'll see. >> be an exciting night tomorrow night. we'll watch every step of the way. up next, while republicans are energized over a chance to recapture the senate, one top democrat is always energized. that's the vice president of the united states, joe biden. he's going to tell us why he's optimistic. and north korea has a new submarine. will it soon be armed with newark-tipped missiles that can directly threaten the united states? she's still the one for you. and cialis for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment is right. cialis is also the only daily ed tablet approved to treat symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure.

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only hours away from the

first polls opening in this year's crucial midterm elections. with control of the senate up for grabs, at least one high-profile democrat predicts his party will keep control of the senate. that would be the vice president, joe biden. he was on a campaign swing in florida when our chief political analyst, gloria borger, caught up with him for an exclusive interview. she asked the vice president what happens if she is wrong and republicans end up controlling both houses of congress? >> we know we have to get done the last two years. and quite frankly, going into 2016, the republicans have to make a decision whether they're in control or not in control. are they going to begin to allow things to happen or are they going to continue to be obstructionists? i think they're going to choose to get things done. >> reporter: would the white house have to change the way it does business? >> no, i don't think so. i think we have to be more direct and clear about exactly what it is we're looking to do.

and, look, we're ready to compromise. i think they're going to be inclined because the message from the people -- and i'm getting it all over the country -- is they're tired of washington not being able to do anything. >> reporter: the president has stayed mostly back in d.c. largely because democrats in red states wanted him to stay in d.c. was that the right strategy? >> i ran for the senate six times. and one of the things i know about senate races, off years and on years, the same as governors races, is that it's all local. it all gets down to what the specific issues in that district are, that state is. each senator makes a judgment about whether or not he thinks it's helpful or hurtful -- >> reporter: but this is the president of the united states. you have a lot of democrats up for reelection. normally the president would be out there -- >> there are lots of places where -- first term, second term, george bush didn't show up, the older bush. reagan. every state is different. here's the deal.

if you look at every single major issue in this campaign, the american public agree with our position, from federal support for infrastructure to minimum wage to marriage equality, every single -- >> reporter: wait a minute. our polls show voters are angry. they're fearful, they're frustrated. >> the public is concerned and frightened because it's a frightening world. a lot has happened. and what happens, gloria, is in every one of these crises, there's all kinds of attention, understandably, from twitter to major programs like yours. but what happens is when follow-up occurs, there's not much follow-up -- >> reporter: so the public shouldn't be anxious about ebola or isis -- >> there is no existential threat to the u.s. right now. there are fewer than five cases of ebola in the united states right now. isis is not an xexistential threat to the united states.

it's frightening but totally understandable. we have to figure out how to better communicate exactly what's being done. >> reporter: for biden, another part of the problem, his own verbal missteps. he offers no apologies, even for the time he publicly called out the foreign policy of an ally or two. have you learned anything? >> what i learned is i'm not changing my brand. what i've said, there's nothing i've said that i haven't said that was truthful. so sometimes everybody says they're looking for authenticity. but it's not often rewarded. >> reporter: but you have to make apologies -- >> well, i haven't apologized. what i've done is -- if there's been a genuine misunderstanding, let's take the comments -- i was told -- i apologized to president erdogan. i never apologized to him. i called him and said, what was reported was not accurate, what i said. here's what i said.

>> reporter: and there's something else biden is not apologizing for, his boss' management style. what about the rap on him as an incompetent manager? >> oh, i think that rap is so unfair. like i said, you take a look at -- this is the guy who got great credit is couple of years ago for wanting to know the facts. it's amazing how we shift. we had the former president who was all about instinct. then we said, we want a guy who really wants to know the facts and hear all the information and make an informed decision. and now it's, well, why isn't the guy moving on instinct more? >> as for biden's own instinct about whether to run in 2016, not so fast. where's your head right now on a race? >> it's my job. there's plenty of time to make that decision. >> reporter: there is? >> there really is. everybody talks about how --

everything's talking about how it's going to be gone by the summer -- i don't see that at all. i'm confident. and if i decide -- >> reporter: where is it 50/50, 60/40? >> i haven't made up my mind what i'm going to do. >> reporter: not about hillary? >> well, it really is not. you know me too well. if i run, i'm confident i will be able to mount a campaign that can be financed, will be credible and serious. >> reporter: would you run if she runs? >> absolutely. that's not the reason not to run or to run. the question is, am i convinced i am best positioned of anyone else to lead the country the next four years? >> reporter: are you? >> that's a decision i have to make. >> reporter: it's something he clearly thinks about. you ever give the thought that this might be your last big campaign here? >> yeah, sometimes. but it's hard to think in those terms. since i've been a kid, i've been doing this. my dad used to have an expression. he said, it's a lucky person who gets up in the morning and puts

his feet on the floor and knows he's doing something that really still matters. this stuff really still matters. >> you get a sense they must be frustrated at the white house, disappointed the president hasn't been invited to go out there on the campaign trail with these embattled democratic senators. >> well, biden puts the best face on it. when i asked him about it, he said, it's all up to the states, all politics is local. he talked about george bush not campaigning in 2006. but i think privately when i talk to people over at the white house, i think they're asking themselves that question, whether the president could have been out there more getting the base together. they have to run this election, gather president obama's base without president obama. that's not easy. joe biden's been out there. he's done 73 events. he's been out there more than the president. >> does the vice president believe it's simply a matter of communications? >> he said the white house has to learn to communicate better. what he said was on the major issues the country cares about, minimum wage, et cetera, that the public is with them.

i think the question they're asking at the white house is, why aren't our candidates, i.e., their democratic candidates, campaigning on the economy? why aren't they campaigning on those issues more because the white house believes it has a story to tell on the economy? that's not what you're hearing in these campaigns because candidates in red states don't want to be tied directly to president obama who's so unpopular. >> as he said to you, he's certainly leaving open the possibility he will run for president of the united states whether or not hillary clinton runs. >> yeah, he said that's not a factor. what's a factor is if he believes he's the best person for the job. when i asked him whether he was, he didn't answer the question. >> he's going to have to make up his mind pretty quickly. all these other candidates are going to be doing that pretty quickly as well, as soon as these elections are over. thanks, gloria. much more politics coming up. we're also following other major stories including new fears north korea's

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the first polls in the midterm elections open at midnight in new hampshire, one of the states where republicans hope to take away a u.s. senate seat currently held by a democrat. the battle for the senate is just one of the huge election stories we're following. we've transformed "the situation room" into cnn's election

center. i'm joined now by our chief national correspondent john king, also joining us again, our chief political analyst, gloria borger, and our cnn political commentator, ryan lizza. he told you the -- how the democrats, vice president biden, will handle a republican takeover of the senate. did he suggest how the democrats, though, in general will pivot if that happens? >> it was sort of a prebuttal. he didn't want to concede that. but he said, if they do, we're going to compromise. and that's what you would expect him to say because he said, it's up to the republicans. if the republicans control one branch of the government, they're going to have to learn to govern. so we are ready to govern if they are ready to govern. so he wants to pivot. so they're on the spot. >> he becomes more relevant if the republicans take control of the senate. harry reid has pushed joe biden away saying, stop trying to negotiate deals. but the president has a

nonexistent relationship with mitch mcconnell. joe biden has a pretty good relationship with mitch mcconnell. >> the most important legislation that has gotten done in the last couple of years was a deal between mcconnell and biden. so they have a history of de dealmaking. >> and years in the senate, too. >> and deals on corporate tax reform, maybe repairing roads and bridges -- >> they disagree on just about everything. but if they give each other their word, they trust it. >> these democratic senate candidates who are in trouble not to embrace the president. the president only campaigned for one democratic senate candidate, that's gary peters, in michigan, carl levin's seat which is open. >> we'll see what happens wednesday morning and beyond. the peters race never got close. it was a relatively safe one.

if mary burke wins against scott walker because of african-american turnout in milwaukee and then you see someone like hagan just lose in north carolina and nunn have to go to a runoff -- more importantly, when i was in colorado, the democratic congressm congressmanmen all bloouf that mark udall made a mistake. but if you have runoffs in louisiana and georgia, republicans will be favored in both of those races. strategists will tell you the only way to have democrats win is to have african-american turnout off the charts. the best weapon? the president. >> remember when we were saying al gore should have had bill clinton campaign for him more -- it's the same discussion going on right now. >> i couldn't tell you how many democrats have said to me that they are irritated with their fellow democrats who ran away

from the president -- they taught service unseemly that some of these democratic senate candidates wouldn't want the president of the united states coming to their states, going on a platform together with them and speaking about what's happened over the past six years. >> it's not really personal, it's just a question of math. the average senate race tomorrow in 2012 voted for obama at 46%. that's the average. obama's approval rating -- average is even lower in these states. >> in the 30s. >> the president himself has told some of these candidates, do what you need to do to get elected. if that means i don't campaign for you, fine. >> but they take his money -- >> i was in lexington and louisville, kentucky, where grimes needs a huge african-american turnout if she's going to win. the african-american pastors and statesmen get it. they said they don't like it that she pushed the president away but they get it as a

strategy. but when you talk to the average joe, they didn't like it. they say, why should i vote for her? but there's a lot of effort to get them to turn out -- >> same in georgia. michelle nunn didn't want the president showing up there. >> no. and you could have the same problem. how does a democratic party -- which is a question going forward -- how does the democratic party keep president obama's coalition together without president obama there at the top of the ticket or campaigning for candidates? so far, the democratic party seems to be a bunch of constituencies in search of a message which they haven't had in this campaign. >> in 2016, hillary clinton, whoever the democratic nominee is, they're not going to be campaigning in the states that we're talking about. arkansas could be the exception. but we're talking about a lot of red states. >> florida, florida, florida, right? they're going to be campaigning there. >> florida and ohio, i believe. >> but it's a presidential year. different coalition where a lot of these things don't apply.

>> remind our viewers what happened in 2006, the sixth year of president bush's midterm -- he was not exactly welcomed on a lot of those republican campaigns either. >> he didn't go and he got it. president obama, just like president bush, has been around the business long enough, they understand it. they raise money, they go when they're asked to go. you got this from president bush and even more so from president obama. if you look at direct mail pieces, robo-calls, the president is more of a presence in the campaign that we see at the national level. people are getting phone calls from the president. in 2006 and in 2010, 6:00 was the huge democratic year. we got nancy pelosi. 2010 was a huge republican year, it was the tea party year and john boehner became speaker. when you travel, you don't feel it. it feels nothing like either one of those two years. you don't feel a big democratic or republican year. that's the democrats' best hope. you can't feel a wave on the streets out there. their hope is it's only a ripple

and you can play chess and use the mechanics of elections. early voting and trnout. >> you feel the anti-incumbent wave. people are angry. they don't like anybody. so you're probably going to have low turnout. people are holding their noses voting for the least worst candidate. if you're an incumbent, the odds may be stacked against you -- >> but there's this tension between what you're talking about which is a lot of anger, the economy's not doing that well. people say they hate washington. and yet it doesn't look like we're going to have a wave year like 2006 and 2010. >> you don't think it would be a wave if the republicans become a majority in the senate? >> no. if the republicans win west virginia and montana and a series of red states and maybe pick off a couple of purpose seats, that's not a wave. that's the republicans with a really good playing field because this class, these 36 senators, are disproportionately in red states. right now, this election looks like red states getting redder,

blue states getting bluer. >> if we look at jeanne shaheen's race in new hampshire, very popular democrat, former governor. if she loses to scott brown, i think something's going on. >> if they win those four purple states, iowa, new hampshire, colorado, north carolina, then we're into wave conversation territory. >> you wrote a great article on rand paul, the senator from kentucky. i assume he's going to announce sooner rather than later, for all practical purposes, he's in in the 2016 race, right? >> it seems like. he's not that coy about it. one of his strategists told me as long as rand's wife doesn't put the brakes on it, rand is running. rand paul is having a big strategy meeting right after the election with all his senior advisers. i think everyone would be shocked if he doesn't run. >> and the incentive is to

announce sooner rather than later. the first republican presidential debate is not that far away. >> chris christie's worked really hard to redeem himself in this midterm election. rand paul has worked hard. ted cruz has been out there. maybe they're leaning towards you right now. give them a few months, somebody else might pick them off. the earlier you get in, the earlier you ride them up. >> joe biden, however, isn't in a rush. >> he's waiting on that woman, what's her name? >> yeah. >> i'm sure it will be sooner rather than later. just ahead, north korea unveils a new weapon that could one day pose a very dangerous threat to the united states. and a former u.s. navy s.e.a.l. is being investigated after writing a book about the bin laden raid. if secrets were spilled, could the government soon throw the book at him? but first, this preview of

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his regime has stunned the world with nuclear tests and long-range missile tests. can it combine those tests with a new one, by putting newark-tip missiles on a submarine? elise labott is here in "the situation room" looking into the latest reporting. what are you hearing? >> they're not there yet, wolf, but they certainly are trying to get there. with the progress the regime has been making on expanding other areas of its program, it raises new concerns that north korea could have another means of launching a nuclear weapon. north korea leader kim jong-un aboard what experts fear could become his regime's next devastating weapon. new satellite images show north korea is developing a submarine capable of launching long-range ballistic missiles. >> if they can develop a submari submarine-launched ballistic missile and their nuclear program is able to miniaturize a

nuclear warhead, it would allow the north koreans to mount a nuclear warhead on a submarine. >> reporter: it comes on the heels of recent warnings by the top u.s. commander of forces in korea. the north is making worrisome advances capable of miniaturizing a nuclear warhead on a long-range missile with a launcher to deliver it, though they haven't tested it. >> they've had the right connections. and so i believe they have the capable to have miniaturized a device at this point. and they have the technology to potentially actually deliver what they say they have. >> reporter: u.s. and south korean officials first warned about north korea's submarine missile development last summer. north korea is believed to have more submarines than south korea, but most are outdated soviet-era vessels. questions whether north korea can move beyond the research and development phase. >> there are no indications that they're actually there yet.

it's going to take them several years to actually implement this capability. >> reporter: in the meantime, mixed messages from the north koreans. diplomats said the north has gone on the charm offensive, reaching out to other countries. but at the same time reinforcing the message that the leader is in charge with regime photos of kim jong-un inspecting air force drills. now, that charm offensive, an effort to blunt a scathing new u.n. report calling for the regime to be hauled before the international criminal court. the pentagon has acknowledged the north koreans have been trying to modernize their submarines. today, the state department said any development of north korea's ballistic missile program is in violation of u.n. security council resolutions and that the north needs to suspend all activity, that would include efforts to launch a missile from a submarine. >> very disturbing development. i know you're staying on top of the story for us. thanks very much. up next, why a u.s. navy

s.e.a.l. who was on the raid that killed osama bin laden now is answering questions in a criminal probe. also ahead, we have new evidence of isis atrocities. we're just learning of another mass execution, including women and children. [car revving] [car revving] ♪ ♪ [car revving] introducing the first ever 306 horsepower lexus rc coupe. once driven, there's no going back.

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former u.s. navy s.e.a.l. part of the bin laden raid and rote a book about it is being investigated for possibly spilling secrets about that extraordinary mission. brian todd has been looking into this mission for us. >> reporter: this man says he was in the room when osama bin laden was killed, but tonight he finds himself under criminal investigation. he and his lawyers say he's

being treated differently from others who were higher in the chain of command. he says he was right behind the navy s.e.a.l. who took the first shot at osama bin laden. now his lawyer tells us he's the subject of a criminal investigation and was questioned for ten hours. government officials say the pentagon and the justice department are looking into whether he revealed classified information in paid public appearances he made since publishing the book "no easy day" about the bin laden raid. in an interview with "60 minutes," he was asked whether he disclosed secret information? >> did i disclose anything that would have put anybody in harm's way? that's not what i intended to do. these are my brothers that i served alongside for years. >> reporter: his lawyer says they're not aware of any specific information that

anything sensitive was leaked. he says he doesn't mind being held accountable but wonders why the former cia director isn't getting that kind of scrutiny. we've asked leon panetta for comment. we have not gotten it. the government had already been trying to cease profits from his book because he didn't clear it through government sensors. former s.e.a.l. john mcgwire says he loves bisonett's service. >> sevening our country is great, but people want to know what we do and how we do it, but so does our enemy. >> reporter: he said he tried to contact his former s.e.a.l. commander to explain why he wrote the book. his commander responded saying, delete me. others involved in the bin laden raid have revealed detail ils at

it. arthur mark bowden got information for his book from sources involved in the raid, and there were the details given to the makers of "zero dark thirty," but so far he's the only one under investigation that we know of. >> and he's about to come out with another book? >> that's right. he's publishing a book called "no hero," but for that one, he didn't submit his manuscript for pentagon review. probably no investigation on that one. >> he's saying he got bad legal advice for the first back. >> that's right, he is apologizing. he was told by his former lawyer he didn't need pentagon review for the first book. >> brian, thanks very much. we'll stay on top of this story. coming up, u.s. air strikes are not stopping the flow of foreign fighters into iraq and syria. and the u.s. senate up for

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but parallel parking isn't one you do a lof them.ings great. you're either too far from the curb. or too close to other cars... it's just a matter of time until you rip some guy's bumper off. so, here are your choices: take the bus. or get liberty mutual insurance. for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident. see car insurance in a whole new light. call liberty mutual insurance. happening now. candidates making their closing arguments just hours before the first polls open. can democrats overcome the odds and keep control of the u.s. senate? isis massacre. hundreds of iraqis slaughtered by the terrorists, including women and children. how is isis brainwashing a new

generation? no-fly zone in ferguson, missouri. was it an attempt to block the news media and coverage of the protest? we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." situation room" into cnn's election center. this is where we're counting down to the volts that will decide whether republicans take over the u.s. senate and gain full control of congress in tomorrow's midterm election. the first polls open at midnight eastern in several locations in new hampshire, where one of the many closely watched contests is unfolding. we're covering all the key races this hour and we're following a fresh wave of hundreds of foreigners, including americans rushing to fight alongside isis terrorists. we have our correspondents, our guests, our cnn global

resources. they're on these stories and more. that's coming up this hour. let's begin with our chief congressional correspondent dana bash. what are you seeing? >> reporter: a slew of republican candidates feeling cautiously optimistic, democrats feeling jittery. ground troops from both parties. >> got it? next house. 2154. >> reporter: with high tech apps looking for every possible voter. >> victory is in the air! >> reporter: as candidates launch their closing arguments in nearly a dozen intense senate races. for republicans, it's all about president obama and distrust of government here in georgia. >> do you trust president obama and the washington politicians to deal with the problems we face? >> reporter: democrats who understand voter disgust are trying to keep it local and

personal. like senator jeanne shaheen in new hampshire. >> it's the 1200 people in their homes because we worked for them. >> reporter: some democrats are attempting a last-minute course correction. colorado's mark udall is finally talking of his own appeal. an almost singular focus on women's issues. in iowa, democrat bruce brailly said the same about his gop opponent. >> she introduced a constitutional amendment to ban all abortions. >> reporter: republican joanie ernst said -- >> more government, more spending, more taxing. >> reporter: appealing to undecided independents, as they look to fill the seat of tom harken, who went very often

script. >> she's really attractive, and she sounds nice. >> reporter: she was offended but joked like taylor swift, she would shake it off. and in kentucky, a sign of exhaustion at the end of a hard-fought campaign. >> you are the mention that mitch mcconnell can't buy. he can buy the airwaves but he can't buy the hearts and minds of each of you. this strong, independent kentucky woman, i've got kick still left in me. >> reporter: grimes is down in the polls in kentucky. she's given mitch mcconnell the toughest fight in decades, but republicans say he's feeling much more confident that he will get the job that he's wanted for decades, that is senate majority leader. >> he's first got to get re-elected, then we'll see if

the republicans become the majority. >> more than likely. >> he'll get his dream come true. any reaction from taylor swift? >> no. i'm going to text her after this. >> thank you very much. let's get more now on the kentucky senate race that could determine who will be the next majority leader. breanna keeler is in lexington for us. what's the latest there? >> reporter: hi there, wolf. mitch mcconnell has a comfortable lead in the polls here as you heard dana say by several points. certainly very comfortable by the standards of others in close races. he is in a very tough race. it has been a tough race with alison grimes. but he's not taking anything for granted. it's a tough environment for incumbents, and mitch mcconnell is a washington mainstay. he was first elected to the senate in 1984. today he had seven events. grimes had nine events.

both of them really going all out on this last day of campaigning. >> not taking any chances at all. breanna, thank you. we're watching the race in kansas why democrats certainly have a shot at taking a senate seat from republicans, even though there's no democrat on the ballot. jim sciutto is in kansas city for us. what are you seeing over there, jim? >> reporter: wolf, i'll tell you, greg orman, the independent has a message that has a lot of resonance for voters. that is d.c. is broken and the people of kansas want problem solvers, not partisans. the competing message from his opponent, senator pat roberts is that orman is a closet democrat, that he's going to back obama's policies. those competing messages have created a virtual dead heat, polls showing orman ahead by one percentage point. the big question is, if orman pulls this off, which party will he caucus with? he says being saying he will

caucus most likely with the majority party. but that question is likely to go down to the wire tomorrow. wolf? >> we'll watch it together with you, jim. one very tight race has just been rocked by a bombshell poll. we're talking about iowa. our justice correspondent pamela brown is in des moines for us. what is the latest there, pamela? >> reporter: we just got off the phone with the auditor from iowa's largest county. he says people have been coming in all day to cast ballots. early voting has produced record turnout. right now the polls are closing, and he says they're having to hustle people through because the lines are so long. more than 400,000 iowans have cast ballots this year. that's a reflection both camps have been focused on their ground game this election, and iowans realize how high the stakes are. this is the first open senate

seat in iowa in four decades and whoever wins the senate could determine who controls the senate. so there's a lot at stake here. it's down to the wire. election officials say that they're preparing for a recount, because they expect it to be so tight come tomorrow night. wolf? >> pamela, thank you very much. we haven't seen much of president obama in these final campaign days. that's exactly the way many of his fellow democrats want it. let's go to michelle kaczynski. so what is the president up to? >> reporter: the white house says we will continue to hear from him leading up to the election, but it will likely be local races, things like robocalls. even in places like blue states, certainly not the hot contests where we've seen democrats put on the defensive for growing with the president's policies. making for some awkward moments out there. the first lady on the campaign

trail, while the president supported democrats out of the public eye. the white house says there are robocalls and radio enter vows sti -- enter views still to come. >> this is the last election cycle in which i'm involved as president. you know, it makes you a little wishful. because i do like campaigning. it's fun. >> reporter: less so though when vulnerable democrats don't exactly invite you. >> i'm not barack obama. >> the administration's policies are simply wrong. >> there's no question that democrats are running away, more than anything else in this cacophony of an election, the issue of the president's unpopularity has become a drag in key senate races. >> reporter: in new hampshire, jeanne shaheen was asked why obama wasn't coming.

her answer -- >> he's busy. he's dealing with the ebola threat. he's dealing with isis. he's where he needs to be. >> reporter: and adding to the discomfort when the president said this. >> i'm not on the ballot. these policies are on the ballot. >> reporter: which republicans jumped all over. >> on issue after issue, senator sheheen votes with president obama 99% of the time. >> the issue is trust. do you trust president obama and the washington politicians to deal with the problems we face? >> reporter: some analysts feel the strongest message the white house could send is that the american economy is doing well, better than virtually any other country affected by the recession. but they say that hasn't been registering, that many voters have tuned out. the campaign cold shoulders with also turned on george w. bush during the 2006 midterms. >> what's striking is that

president obama and george w. stand out as the two weakest presidents going into the midterms in over 30 years. >> reporter: today the white house said they feel democrat also hold the senate. if that doesn't happen, the white house says that would be a big deal, but the president would simply continue to work with anyone who supports policies that help middle class families. >> michelle, where is the president planning on spending election day? >> reporter: here at the white house. the white house said they don't anticipate any additional appearances, but there are these robocalls that haven't gone out yet. different pockets of the country we'll be hearing from him, we just don't know where exactly or when. >> thank you very much, michelle. let's bring in john king. he's here with me at the magic wall. the president of the united states effectively being shunned by a lot of fellow democrats. >> it is awkward, we've seen it

before with george w. bush. this is the 2014 map. let's address this question looking at the 201 presidential maps. let's look at where he has been. this is the state of michigan. this is the only senate race he has campaigned in this year, michigan. that one we expect to go for the democrats. new york, maine, maryland, nowhere in the big senate battlegrounds have you seen the president of the united states. he's mostly been in very safe, very blue territory. out here inn colorado, the president's approval rating just 39%. that's why i was out here, some of the democratic congressman say this is where you need to turn out. the president is still popular out here. but see all this red? the president is unpopular out there. that was the calculation.

north carolina is another one. kay hagan, in a very close race, the president carried in 2008, narrowly lost in 2012. here is where it gets interesting. in states with a higher african-american population, the president's approval numbers are actually better. if kay hagan wins, this will be forgotten. if she loses a narrow race and african-american turnout is down, they might have been asking would it have helped to bring in the president of the united states? in georgia, the president is popular where you see the blue, unpopular where you see the red. one last one, georgia, 44-53. michelle nunn has not invited the president down. if she ends up in a runoff here in georgia or in louisiana, i do think we'll revisit this question. in louisiana, the president 37%. if there are runoffs in those states, the republicans will be favored. the democrats' only hope will be

high african-american turnout. who better to turn them out than the president? >> almost everyone think there is will be a runoff, at least in louisiana. >> at least in louisiana. it's sort of on the cusp in georgia. mary landrieu will face a question, if you pull this out, you see the red here. in most of the states, the president is very unpopular. but in december in a runoff election, all the polls have shown her losing in a one on one race against republican bill cassidy. >> i'm sure they'll bring in bill clinton. he's still popular in a lot of parts of louisiana. but louisiana and georgia, they have a unique feature that you need 50% plus one of the vote in order to avoid that runoff. if that's a runoff, the two top candidates may have that runoff. >> a bill clinton-barack obama bus tour for georgia and

louisiana. >> it looks in this multicandidate race, no one is going to get 50% presumably right now. but we've done some polling suggesting if it's just mary landrieu against cassidy, she's in trouble potentially. >> right. >> right now you have greg manes who wouldn't drop out. he's polling somewhere in the ballpark of 10%. so all the polls have shown that neither candidate is likely. it looks like she'll end up in a runoff against bill cassidy. i have not even one poll that shows her winning that runoff. so we'll have to watch and see how that plays out. that's what makes it interesting. we've taken the state yellow, these are the two opponents there. and over in georgia, you have the same question. you have a third party candidate. there are a couple of them, late polls show david purdue surging a little bit.

republicans are hoping they get 50% plus one. if not, either one of these candidates can be on top. this one is january 6. imagine if that is to control the united states senate. >> she's the daughter of sam nunn, very popular in his day. so she's hoping people, older voters will remember sam nunn. >> familiarity. >> thank you very much, john. we'll be obviously spending a lot of time here at this magic wall. we're going to dig deeper on all of this. our political commentators are standing by live. and also, we're getting in some gruesome new details of an isis massacre. hundreds of people slaughtered, including women and children, possibly targeted in revenge. nineteen years ago, we thought, "wow, how is there no way to tell the good from the bad?" so we gave people the power of the review. and now angie's list is revolutionizing local service again. you can easily buy and schedule services

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given this map in gop controlled areas, the gop is not running up the score anywhere in a way that expands the map. that's the fundamental problem. so we go to election day with all these races being a toss-up, and democrats like their chances. >> do you agree with that assessment? >> well, look, they're going to be tight races. it's not going to be a landslide election for republicans. they're going to be close. but in an off year when conservative and republican turnout is going to be higher any way, early voting looks to favor republicans, surprisingly in some states. and incumbents, by virtue of being incumbents, should be in a better position. it's not looking good for democrats. it there's a path, but it's improbable for democrats. >> in 2010, the midterm elections, the president acknowledged there was a shellacking. do you participate a shellacking two? >> look, there's not a way.

if you look at the generic from 2010, republicans had an eight-point advantage. right now it's tied. if you look at these races, we're going into an election talking about georgia maybe in a runoff. georgia? no, there's not a wave out there. and i think senator rand paul was out there. everything is set, you all should have a fantastic night. but your brand has been such a problem that i think it's getting in the way. this is the same party that shut down the government. >> rand paul says the republican brand is not very good right now. >> i think it's going to be pretty good tomorrow. i think the brand is going to be better than the president's brand, where you have democrats literally running away, candidates refusing to say whether they voted for the president. michelle nunn in georgia running for senate there, is invoking her experience with george h.w.

bush to convince voters that he's not like the president. you're just not seeing the brand obama or the brand democrat being effective this year. so republicans maybe need to work on a few things, but tomorrow they're going to be fine. >> given the map, given these are states that no national democrat typically does well in, it would be asinine for democrats to do well in. it would be dropping the national head of the party into these solidly republican states and playing into the narrative. if we nationalize the election, it would be disastrous for democrats. >> what about places like colorado and north carolina, new hampshire, what happened there? >> last time we didn't win north carolina. but look, if you want to say democrats are going to lose because of the president, what happens tomorrow night if we win new hampshire? what happens if we win north carolina? is it because of the in the >> it will be because democrats have run so far away from obama

that they were able to win. >> you know what? if you want to blame the president, you have to give him credit, both things are equal. if one is wrong, they're both wrong. >> let's move on to tom harken, the outgoing senator from iowa. he's caused quite a bit of stir. he said that the republican candidate for the united states senate, a war veteran, he said she's attractive, even as good looking as taylor swift. he's apologized for that. he said he was wrong. what did you make of that? it's generating a lot of commotion out there in iowa and beyond. >> i don't find it outrageous, but there are two truisms here. one, he would not have said that about a man, that's just a fact. he would not be talking about what a man looked like. and two, it would need the very low liberal threshold for outrage if she had a d next to her name instead of an r.

then the liberals would be talking about a war on women and sexism. i'm not going to do that, because i don't think it's all that outrageous. it's just unfortunate. >> it's true that women are treated differently in our political system. hopefully we'll get to the day where that's not true. >> yeah. >> what mistakes do you think, if the democrats had some do-overs, what mistakes do you think they made this cycle? >> 3.5 growth, unemployment back to where it was prerecession. stock market looking good. manufacturing jobs growing in a way you haven't seen since the '90s. >> the majority of people think the country is going in the wrong direction. >> if we can't sell this, that's our fault. >> democrats have spent a lot of time, too much time narrowly focused on women's issues and a war on women.

and their deficits with men far outpace the deficits with women. they're going to pay a price for overselling tomorrow. >> i'm going to agree here, i think both parties have -- if i were a republican, i would be talking about what you just said, wolf. americans are still anxious about the economy. double down on the economy instead of making all the focus about president obama. >> the republicans could lose some incumbent republican governors right now, including some who have presidential ambitions. scott walker of wisconsin, he's in trouble. tom corbin in pennsylvania, he's in trouble. rick scott of florida, he's in trouble. so the democrats have problems in the senate, but a lot of these governor races, the republicans have some serious problems. >> pennsylvania was never going to happen for republicans, but wisconsin would be a significant blow. not just scott walker is a darling, i think rightly so, of

the conservative movement. as you said, a potential 2016 contender. but also because he's won already twice in really hard-fought elections in that state. it would be a real shame if it came down to a couple hundred or couple thousand votes if th s t around. >> she was not afraid to invite him to come to wisconsin. >> listen, two things. kansas is a perfect example. it's one thing for senators to be talking all the time, but when you put that ideology in place, you see what's happening in kansas with the creating of the deficit there, creating of the government there. the real problem, florida. here you have florida going twice blue in a presidential year. if they go blue again in an off year, republicans have real problems. there's not a lot of maps where republicans can win nationally.

>> florida will be interesting. colorado is the same but flipped, right? colorado was flipped by the democrats in 2008. much heralded, read the book "the blueprint" if you want the behind the scenes on that. six years later, if republicans flip that state back -- >> on the senate side, but hickenlooper, the democratic governor, could have a little problem, but he seems to be in better shape than udall. >> we'll see. hickenlooper has had to walk back on a number of the legislative things he's accomplished. so it's a really interesting state, for the same reasons florida is interesting for republicans, colorado is interesting for the democrats. >> all politicians are in trouble, all of them. >> on that note, we've leave it. our special election coverage begins tomorrow afternoon 5:00 p.m. eastern in "the situation room." hope you'll stay with us throughout the night. just ahead, how isis is

brainwashing children trying to get a new generation to carry on their brutality. did officials try to block the news media from covering ferguson, missouri after the shooting death of michael brown? >> first, a look at one of tomorrow's key races. >> in louisiana, multiple candidates square off in the general election. this year, they include senator mary landrieu, three other democrats and three republicans. if no one gets 50% plus one of the vote, the top two finishers have a runoff december 6. hello... i'm an idaho potato farmer and our big idaho potato truck is still missing. so my buddy here is going to help me find it. here we go. woo who, woah, woah, woah. it's out there somewhere spreading the word about americas favorite potatoes: heart healthy idaho potatoes

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we're following disturbing breaking news out of iraq right now. the country's health ministry says isis forces have now killed at least 322 members of a sunni tribe, including women and children as bodies were recovered in a mass grave. the slaughter is believed to be retaliation for the tribe's resistance to the sunni led isis. there are now more troubling developments at the same time. our pentagon correspondent barbara starr has details. what are you picking up? >> reporter: foreign fighters are now pouring, pouring into syria and iraq and that means trouble here at home. the intensity of the fighting in kobani grabs attention. but behind the scenes, a huge new worry for the u.s. in the last six weeks, 1,000 new foreign fighters streamed into syria and iraq.

there are now 16,000 there, nearly 3,000 are westerners. >> i suspect that the air strikes are an additional motivating factor for some who want to fight. >> reporter: today, the fbi director warned it's extremely difficult to identify americans trying to join isis. >> the challenge of the phenomena is, it's -- there's no typical profile. >> reporter: nato's top commander worries the fighters will return home and launch attacks. >> lone wolves don't plug into networks, so it's tougher problem. you've seen some increased security across many of the european nations. >> reporter: it piece a war getting more complicated every day. the syrian al qaeda affiliate has taken key areas of northern syria according to activists. pushing out u.s.-backed rebels. now a u.s. military training

program for the rebels may be a long shot. >> it's really hard for me to conceive of, you know, the so-called moderate opposition coming back and becoming a real force on the battlefield. >> reporter: in iraq, force there is are making some progress, but it's not enough. a senior u.s. military official tells cnn u.s. military advisers are pressing the iraqi army to prepare for major offensives in the coming weeks and months. with at least three critical targets. retaking the city of mosul, bringing the oil refinery back under iraqi control and winning back al anbar approach, the critical western approaches to baghdad which the u.s. has vowed to keep safe. but even a modest effort will require thousands of iraqi troops, trained, equipped and motivated to fight, something

that has not yet fully happened. the department of homeland security is so concerned about this lone wolf attack scenario that once again today they announced they are stepping up screening measures for passports and visas for people coming into this country. wolf? >> barbara, very much. the terrorists are working to ensure that their brutality lives on with a new generation. nick paton walsh has more on how isis is brainwashing children. nick, tell us what you're finding out. >> reporter: wolf, we know that daily the damage done to syrian society is visible in those videos you see. but quietly behind the scenes, isis are working. we've seen some shocking video of how this comes into play, working to indoctrinate the very youngest in the areas they

control. dark they sit in makes the light from the projector all the more captivating. children gathered. this is movie night, but it's an isis production. and it comes with a pep talk. so don't be afraid, we're your brothers, he says. if anyone assaults you, a top chief, unimportant soldier, just complain about him and your right also be restored to you by allah's will. an activist secretly filmed these pictures as the main event gets under way, an isis execution video. running in their underwear in their last moments, some 250 syrian regime soldiers, executed by isis in august. they keep watching. what's the first movie you remember? we don't know if they were shown

the moment of death, but this is how that propaganda video continued. a syrian psychologist specializes in the impact of war and isis on children examined this footage. what we see in these videos, he says, is isis taking steps to make it normal for the children to see such things. they hope that all or at least some will go on to do the same things. not just be silent or accept it, but do it. of course, when a child is owing up, it's a special time in his life when you can work on planting specific why wouideas r minds. indoctrination comes with pageantry and study. this is a graduation ceremony for the isis cubs. they're not playing masked super heroes but real-life jihad.

after years of sectarian bloodshed, hear what they have these children sing. [ singing in foreign language ] minds molded to their fit. schooled to remember huge texts. yet there is nothing staged about the vigor in these eyes as they chant. god is our leader and backer. america is their leader. they talk about a lost generation in syria's war. here, the dogma and horror is lost, too. now, key obviously to resolving syria's crisis is what we do

with the millions of refugees around syria's boarders trying to seek solace. you just heard barbara talking about the fear of a lone wolf. with these children, even if the caliphate is broken up, one has to wonder while the ideology falls upon them would do to them in their adult lives and would they be willing to undertake, wolf. >> what a chilling report. that is nick. among everything else, we're hearing that el nisra has taken some ground in syria's 2340r9. what does that mean for u.s. policy moving ahead? >> reporter: well, nisra's success on the battlefield, they have been pushing out from key areas in the northwest of the country. moderate groups who get a lot of backing from the united states, even claiming they've taken some of the weapons which some say the u.s. or u.s.-arab allies

have been supplying to them. but it's a key issue certainly. it seems like they're tired of sharing that territory with more moderate groups and frankly, the losses these groups have suffered in terms of prestige and possibly weaponry as well, that's a severe problem for u.s. policy. they're always weaker than nusra. the key syrian rebel ally the u.s. needs to bolster on their book foot. >> nick paton walsh, thank you very much. just ahead, a no-fly zone to keep the u.s. media from getting a view of the ferguson, missouri protests. and sir richard branson speaking to cnn about the crash of his company's spaceship and the future of private space flights. ase. but there's a new card in town.

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see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance. ferguson, missouri is already on edge over grand jury deliberations. now a new report that the federal government restricted air space to block news media coverage is sparking fresh criticism. let's discuss what's going on. joining us, don lemon. jeffrey toobin, and the community activist john gaskin. john, what's been the reaction to this a.p. report that the news media was intentionally kept away, not allowed to fly over ferguson, missouri during those initial hours and days after the disturbances following the death of that young teenager?

>> well, as i have spoken with many community leaders, many are very concerned, because as you know, it was the press that was able to capture many of those frightening images of the heavy artillery, the military-like weapons that were being used on citizens there in ferguson. they were able to capture the images of the journalists that were arrested in the mcdonald's that afternoon during that period of unrest. so it's very concerning to see that there could have possibly been efforts to keep the media from being able to cover the unrest from a certain angle to allow the world to see what was taking place there in ferguson. >> don, you were there, you covered what was going on there from almost day one. police said that flight restriction was put in place because they were concerned about safety. you've looked into this. what is your thought?

>> they say they were concerned about flares and other possible projectiles targeting either helicopters or airplanes in the area. but the interesting thing is, it was a limited restriction that the media didn't really know about. because one of the helicopters actually flew during the time because they knew about the limited restriction, which had to do with 3800 feet into the air. so that helicopter, it wasn't optimal for shooting news footage, but helicopters were allowed to go in the air if they knew the law. but i don't know what's in the minds of police officers. it seems a little sketchy to me that they would do it and not to allow the media in the zone, because we should be about transparency. they should allow the media in. if they're doing the right thing, police officers have nothing to worry about it. >> have police officers allowed to block news media? >> they are allowed to block access, but they are supposed to

do so by telling the truth about why they're doing it. it is certainly legal to keep air space safe if you really believe there are projectiles. if you simply want to protect good -- get good publicity, that's not a legitimate reason. i don't think the legal system is going to be involved with this at all. you can't really sue about it is yet another example of why the ferguson police department has a credibility problem in the community. because they weren't straight with people during these crisis days. >> there is this report that you have the hacking group anonymous who supporters wear those masks. popularized in the mountains. they have supposedly outed police officers. apparently, taking control of the ferguson checking account. explain this.

this is pretty disturbing. >> we've sustaeen the masks. they tried to burn down the house of commons in 1605. it was a real character. and he was the leader, the fictional leader so people wear these masks. november 5, i believe it is. they are saying they are planning some sort of protest and there's the movie there that detickets that him that way. but yeah. since the very beginning they've been tweeting information about the mayor. they've been getting information about their checking account, their personal informing, they have been buying thing, and taking the identity of people in the community including police officers, members of the council, community leaders. they have been getting, taking their identity and buying things with it. and this is the second round. but anonymous is saying this round is not theirs. they're not claiming responsibility for it. they did it for the first round

right after the killing of making brown. for this one they're saying it's not them. regardless of which side you're original anyone should be a bit fwhevs nervous about anonymous. >> as we get closer, what's the mood over there right now? >> well, as i've said before, many people are certainly hoping the peace will be kept. people will continue to protest peacefully. and that the police in the area will use an incredible amount of restraint when dealing with protesters, and dealing with individuals that may be exercising their rights. so we'll hope the piece is kept. people act accordingly and obey the laws and the rule within the area. >> and jeffrey, we are getting closer and closer. all of the estimates are by mid-november, this grand jury should reach a decision whether to indict or not indict.

>> yeah. that's extra. of course the community reaction is a source of worry for everyone. i imagine that the grand jury and the prosecutors supervising it will let the authorities know when the decision is coming in advance so people can prepare. but certainly, they will not tell what that decision is. and that will lead to a great deal of tension. i think it is better to have people being prepared for a decision, rather than it being sprung out of nowhere. >> all right. we'll continue to watch what's going on there in ferguson, missouri. i hope everyone will keep calm and try to avoid violence. that would be bad. this important note. don will be back later tonight anchoring a two-hour cnn tonight. 10:00 p.m. eastern. tune in for that. just ahead, richard branson talks to cnn about the deadly

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snl billionaire richard branson says space travel is worth the risk despite the deadly space flight accident. investigators for the national transportation safety board has been combing through the

wreckage and studying data that hasn't been made public yet and finding important clues, we're will. they said the co-pilot unlocked the device. it opened even though a second handle wasn't touched and it disspeaking with raxtd while it will be before the ntsb can say exactly what went wrong, sir richard branson isn't giving up. >> we have to go through difficult testing stage of creating a space line in order to make it safe for travel here's want to travel on that space line in the years ahead. >> branson says virgin galactic will continue to test a second spacecraft and he still intends to be the first passenger. good luck with that. this important programming note. tomorrow night be sure to join us for a special night, election night in america. we'll begin at 5:00 p.m. eastern.

we'll be here for you until every vote is counted. remember, you can always follow us on twitter. go ahead and tweet me. ate wolff blitzer. please be sure to join us tomorrow. watch us live or dvr the show. that's it for me. thanks for watching. i'm wolf blitzer in washington. erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. >> breaking news, the day before americans go to the polls. several key races are too close to call. will democrats lose the senate? plus new video showing isis brainwashing children. this as chicago teens are stopped at the airport on the way to join isis. and brittany maynard, 29 years old, ended her life after a very public battle with brain cancer. her story ahead. let's go "outfront."