her exclusive interview with tahmoreesi will be on tomorrow, in the coming days, that is to say here on fox. in the meantime, after the show show starts right now. cory monteith good morning. it's a big week across america. new polling showing americans with an edge in some of these key races. good morning, everybody. i'm bill hemmer. welcome to america's newsroom. martha: nice to see you, too. i have seen and little bit too much of you. let's take a look at battle up ground kentucky. the senate minority leader is up over grimes.

a desmoine register poll has earnhas ernst over braley. first to shannon bream in des moines, iowa. >> we are here where they are counting early votes so we'll see how this trickles out for joni ernst. it's ending when you diefnt numbers to see how voters peel about these candidates. they give braley the edge when it comes to depth on the issues. but ernst has the lead on things

how she would deal with the national debt and the rise of the islamic state in the middle east. she has extensive experience in the military. that may be weighing in her favor on foreign policy issues as well. voters are convinced she is their stronger candidate. the real measure comes tomorrow when they head to the polls. bill: a little bit of controversy, too. report ror thi>> reporter: thist of retired democrat tom harkins. he got into trouble talking about ernst and the adds she has happened talking about growing up cuttin -- growing up castrats

and saying she could cut pork in washington. >> if she votes like any heal obamaman she i. she votes like michele bachmann, she is wrong for iowa. ernst said it sounded frankly sexist. she says if her name had been john ernst i'm sure he wouldn't have made those comments. martha: louisiana another race that's very close and likely going for a runoff in december. the republican challenger bill

cassidy ... both have not hit the 50% mark they would need to avoid a runoff. john, the rules a little bit different there. ex main that for us. >> reporter: in louisiana election day is primary day. jungle primary. anybody who wants to run for the office is on the ballot. there are 9 candidates, a couple from the same party on tomorrow's ballot for the senate. mary landrieu gets 44% compared to republican bill cassidy with 36%. and rob maness with 15%. what happens in that runoff? the numbers flip around and bill

cassidy would win that. marchy landriethat. that. mary landrieu has been here before. the same situation shaping up in georgia. the latest marist poll. it looks like purdue will not hit the 50% necessary to avoid a runoff in georgia. that runoff is january 6, two months from now in the new year. because there is two months and if the senate control is in the balance, there will be so much focus on georgia the normal rules may not apply there. martha: landrieu was

criticized for comments she made about race in the south. you talked to her. what is her reaction now? >> reporter: she was roundly criticized for something she said last week. one kft other big reasons he's not popular she says is because of lingering racism in louisiana. i asked her about it and when i did she didn't back down from it one bit. >> african-americans have had a difficult time in the south. it's not the only reason. women have had a difficult time showing the leaders we are. i don't think anyone would actually disagree with it that was honest with themselves. >> reporter: she says she doesn't care one wit about the criticism. she says if i cared about criticism i wouldn't be in

politics. bill: that's from a senator who won three times in that state. byron york, chief political corresponds yenlts for the washington examiner. byron, good morning to you. you can see the screen there. ' i want to focus on some of these closing poll numbers. the closing poll times. we have taken 16 different states and a tossed them up in the year. blue is democrat, red is republican. 55-45 democrats to republicans. the closing times 7:00 in kentucky and georgia. but i think 7:30 is more interesting. north carolina closes at 7:30. this is kay hagan holding on to a slim lead or thom tillis. if republicans are off to a good

night, tom til his beats kay hang. if hagan beats tillis at 7:30 tomorrow night, that's one way democrats can stop the republican surge. >> reporter: there are three races all on eastern time that's democrats have seen as their fire wall against a really bad night. as you say, kay hagan is barely ahead of tom til his but she has been ahead of him pretty much the whole way and that would be a huge disappointment if they were to lose. they poured tens of millions of dollars into that race. the same situation in new hampshire where the lead is less than 1 point. bill: we watched this race, too, between jeanne shaheen and scott brown. is it enough to' catch shaheen?

we don't know. you can put the average between these two and what is it about a point? the real clear average has 1 point to 2 points between shaheen and scott brown. i think the same is true, if republicans are off to a good night scott brown pulls scene upset. if not, that's one of the few ways republicans can tomorrowo stop democrats from taking the senate. >> reporter: if scott brown wins in north carolina, democrats will be beside themselves. they are look at a terribly long night. give what you are talking about already, substantial leads in iowa and looking good in louisiana, colorado, arkansas, they look good. republicans look good in a number of places. bill: 55-45 right now.

thanks to you. republicans need to get to 51. >> you better join us because we are going to be here all day tomorrow. and into the late hours of the evening. we have bret baier, megyn kelly anchoring our coverage. i'm going to take a look at the exit polls and take a look at why people are voting the way they are when they come out of the booth. we have even more surprise guests coming out of the woodwork tomorrow. bill: we have a big box.

martha: snacts for everybody. bill: what new details on what may have cause this test plane to go down. what happened and what it means for space tours. martha: andrew tahmooressi free after spending 214 days in a mexican jail. we'll talk to a congressman who helped get him on that plane with his mom. bill: that's greg orman making an apology to senator bob dole. why did he compare the former senator and warp hero to a clown. >> reporter: they are saying you insulted bob dole. did you mean to do that with the clown comment? >> i have nothing but respect for senator dole. [ narrator ] mama sherman and the legion of super fans.

wow! [ narrator ] on a mission to get richard to his campbell's chunky soup. it's new chunky beer-n-cheese with beef and bacon soup. i love it. and mama loves you. ♪ martha: we have new details on the fatal crash of the virgin galactic spacecraft. investigators i a safety device -- say a safety device meant to slow the spacecraft's dissent may have activated early. the pilot michael alsbury was killed in the crash.

he's a husband and father of two. the copilot survived. >> he's been in custody for 7 months now. i believe he received a little bit of time and space. bill: that's the spokesman for the family of sergeant tahmooressi who spent 7 months in a mexican jail after taking a wrong turn and taking guns across the mexican border. 214 days. why did this take so long? >> originally they were trying to charge 7 years to 21 years in prison for gun possession. at outseptember when they put

number in prison in tijuana he tried to escape. we moved to get him moved to the prison in tecati and began the process of convincing the attorney general that he has the ability to issue a find together judge that would allow a humanitarian release based on the fact that mexico cannot treat ptsd. we had the report which we gave the attorney general two weeks before when he had gone into the hospital, the veterans hospital there in san diego * and they thread this analysis. they had written up report and that's what we turned over. bill: you had a hearing in october. how did the administration react to the please you were making to get him released? >> i had spoke on the vice

president about this case and he did relate to the president -- my request was when the president of the united states spoke to the president. mexico would he bring this case up on the phone. i later found out that did not happen. but we were able to talk to the attorney general, the foreign minister, the ambassador from mexico who was the former attorney general and was very helpful. so by making a diplomatic push myself ... bill: was this a priority for the administration or not. it does not appear it was. >> i think the priority for the admin was in other places. we did see the exchange from guantanamo of five taliban terrorists for a serviceman there by i never understood. but we have an individual who did two tours in afghanistan.

was wounded in afghanistan. robert buchanan his commanding officer testified and said this was one of the bravest marines we ever fought alongside. bill: are you saying washington was too busy? that's what i hear in your answer. >> i will share with you the consulate, the u.s. consulate did their job and did what they were supposed to do. what my request had been to the vice president was would the president make a phone call to the president of mexico and bring it up during this call to the president of mexico. that did not happen. bill: you spoke to his family over the weekend. how was he doing? >> he was in great spirits. his mother was so relieved to see him because until that day we were there waiting at the air strip as he was brought across the border.

he was elated to see sergeant robert buchanan from orange county, california who served with, and they had a great time talking there. he was looking forward to go have some joe stone crab he likes back in florida. his mother was waiting on the plane for him. we did a great job testifying. bill: she has been very good to us talking to us the past 7 months. an ordeal that is now thankfully over. ed royce, thank you for the work you put into this as well. martha: less than 24 hours to go before the mid-terms are getting underway. president obama running into travel issues along the way making a last-minute pitch for a candidate.

bill: what are the odds of snow in it could be good. 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 america's favorite potatoes: heart healthy idaho potatoes and the american heart association's go red for women campaign. if you see it i hope you'll let us know. always look for the grown in idaho seal.

so i can reach ally bank 24/7, but there are24/7branches? it's just i'm a little reluctant to try new things. what's wrong with trying new things? feel that in your muscles? yeah... i do... try a new way to bank, where no branches equals great rates.

if aunder a microscope, put we can see all the bacteria that still exists. polident's unique micro clean formula works in just 3 minutes, killing 99.99% of odor causing bacteria. for a cleaner, fresher, brighter denture everyday. who works from the coffee shop and uses the free wi-fi. marie works from there too. she's an identity thief who used a small device to grab his wi-fi signal. then stole enough personal information to hijack and drain his bank accounts. every year, millions of americans learn all it may take to devastate your life is a little personal information in the wrong hands. this is identity theft, and no one helps stop it better than lifelock. lifelock's 24/7 proactive protection could have alerted carl in time to help him protect his money. lifelock has the most comprehensive identity theft protection available, guarding your social security number, your money,

your credit, even the equity in your home. don't wait until you become the next victim! call the number on your screen and use promo code wi-fi for 60 days of lifelock identity theft protection and get a document shredder free. call the number on your screen or go to lifelock.com/wi-fi. bill: president obama with a bit of a traveling snafu. he was forced to leave on a backup plane after and mechanical issue with one of the wing flaps. it he pared to be an arena that was just half full in p.a. martha: it many starting to look like winter in some unlikely areas. that's a snowstorm in north carolina. up to 8 inches of snow got hit

with some of the early snowfall on record. temperatures dropped overnight and a freeze watch was issued. >> this much snow this early ... >> i say to the locals, isn't this wonderful? and they are saying, you don't live here, do you. >> if you are going to be out, get your four-wheel drive. martha: it may be tough for some of those folks get out to the voting booth tomorrow. >> significant snowfall in tennessee and north carolina. it happens halloween night into saturday morning. we saw significant snowfall accumulations, more than 20 inches recorded across portions of tennessee and north carolina. what happened here is we had cold air move south from canada. you had a dmip -- a dip in the

jetstream. this is across portions of the higher elevations of tennessee and north carolina. so the mountains picking up some significant snowfall. this time of year you should be enjoying the foliage. i'm sure a lot of those leaves were knocked down from the snowfall. temperatures are also very cold across parts of the eastern united states. this morning in raleigh, north carolina. 29 degree. 37 degree in atlanta. it was colder in north carolina than it was in minneapolis or chicago. so a big shift here in the weather pattern for that part of the country but we are expecting a warpup the next few days so that should help the snow melt. martha: that's nutty, we had that happen here on halloween.

bill: comparing a former presidential republican candidate to a clown. greg orman with some questionable comments about bob dole. his oh own spent pat roberts is here to respond. martha: mitt romney is saying tomorrow's election is all about president obama. >> this is the last chance for america to pass judgment on the obama administration and on its policies. synchrony financial partners with over two hundred thousand businesses, from fashion retailers to healthcare providers, from jewelers to sporting good stores, to help their customers get what they want and need. banking. loyalty. analytics.

synchrony financial. engage with us.

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. what's 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. bill: republican senator pat roberts in a tough fight for reelection with the independent

candidate greg orman. here is what he said about world war ii hero bob dole. it seems like a washington establishment clown car. every day a new person comes out of that car. you broke this story of an apology that turned out to be not so much of an apology afterward? what's the truth? >> reporter: sometimes as close and hard fought races come down to the wire, the great issues of the day of war and peace or taxation and ocean welfare give way to controversies more i'd ohio seasocontroversies. bob dole came here to stump for pat roberts friday. it was a series of republicans

who came to stump for pat roberts. carl cameron quawpt orman and he asked about the clown car comment by dole said disappointed him. >> it was a metaphor of what we see of folks from washington coming here and it was not a criticism at all of senator dole. >> reporter: fox news obtained the lengthy email sent to dole that he claims is an apology he accepts. he said my reference to a clown car was the near endless number of political supporters of senator roberts piling out of washington to support him. i wasn't calling you or any of

the other supports of senator roberts a clown. orman's campaign has been piping in "stuck in the middle with you" with its famous refrain clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right. bill: senator dole had words about the campaign. >> kansas has only elected republicans to the u.s. senate since 1938 which has the republican party aghast to the fact that robert would find himself trailing greg orman. he got a huge boost when the democratic mom knee withdrew.

roberts painted his opponent as a shady individual with lawsuits. it make its heartland of america the epicenter of 2014. bill: right there you can find a beatles reference. martha: nicely put as else from james rosen. meanwhile, mitt romney telling americans a vote for senate democrats will only prolong president obama's quote failed policies. >> this is the last chance for america to pass judgment on the obama administration and its policies. as the president himself said he's not on the bat -- he's note ballot but his policies are. it leads to the fundamental promise of obamacare that

allowed people to keep their doctor if they wanted to keep it. martha: juan, talk to me about what mitt romney had to say. he believes this is the last opportunity to motor against president obama and his policies. >> i feel for him. can you imagine the trauma of running for a presidency, the stress, the family pressures and i think he still feels like he should have won the election. i wouldn't begrudge him that. but this is not anything more than flieght fact that he lost and he doesn't like it. and secondly for republicans the energizing factor in the race is president obama. he wants to give republicans a clear purpose for coming out and voting tuesday which is send a message to president obama that

you don't like his policies. martha: tucker, what do you think? >> the mid-terms in the 6th year are always about the president. i must say i wish the selection were more about issues. the democrats haven't run on issues. it's all identity politics. because you are a woman, because you are black. >> where is the republican agenda, tucker? >> i think republicans would be doing better if they actually stood for something. >> it has been defined by politics based on identity. birth control. that's not an issue. martha: you might be right at the 30,000 feet level because

this what is gets talked about in political circles. i'm going to be covering the exit polls tomorrow night and when i look at the questions people will be responding to, a lot of it comes down to the economy, how you feel about obamacare, how you feel about terrorism. has the president done enough about isis. i think people will be voting on pocketbook issues. we get caught up in all this stuff. the clown car and the rest. but if people vote their pocketbook and that's what they end up telling us when they walk out. that will be tied in many ways to president obama's legacy, is it not? >> when you see the president out on the stump in this mid-term, what he's been doing is saying look how good this economy is performing. martha: but for the middle class it doesn't feel that way.

>> i think people are anxious and nervous about the economy. if you are talking about a generalized anxiety. would i grant that. tomorrow night when you are looking at those numbers you will see people say, for example, oh, the country is going to nell hand basket 50% to 60 -- going to hell in a hand basket, 50-0%. 50-60%. >> i don't know how many obama speeches you watched. it was about pandering. women need birth control paid for and one in five men are out of work? when employment is the defining issue in detroit you don't pen mention it? >> he's appealing to young women. >> you are missing the point. martha: i don't see too many

women discussion that issue but i heard the president talk about that as well. he talked about women and the economy and whether policies that are good for women will be what turns the economy around. i don't know that women seem to think that specifically about thaim themselves but they do seem to be barking up that tree. good to see you both here today. bill: late last night daredevil nik wallenda walking across the river. he did it blindfold. it took 6.5 minutes to walk 554 feet. but just to be safe. a 10 second delay with that broadcast.

i was watching this after i got home. his family and his mother, she made the shoes for him because she wanted him to have just the right thickness to feel the wire blind folded. they say that's when -- if you get into trouble with the blindfold, that wraps you get disoriented. martha: it's hard to stand on one foot blindfolded. i can't imagine how he pulled this off. the technology of cameras head watching this kind of thing a completely interactive experience. bill: he gave a little bit of hint about his next stunt and it's a doozy. it harkens back to his great grandfather.

martha: all right. another high wire act as we go to the iowa race. joni ernst being compared to taylor swift and mr. rogers. would that fly if a republican said that. think about this. >> i see a trend in nascar, you run the race, the race is over, two drivers go at it. martha: they are going at it pretty hard. bill: did anybody hand a punch? who started this? and who is blaming whom next.

martha: they went from racing to

ultimate fighting at the texas 500. check it out. that's jeff gore common in the middle of that melee going after fellow driver brad keselowski. gordon was not happy. both pit crews were involved. here is what gordon had to say about what set him off. >> out of nowhere i got slammed with a tube and it cut my left rear tire. the way he races, i don't know how he has ever bon a championship. that's why everybody is fighting him and running him down. martha: some people think this was created but that sound pretty real to me. gordon not having any of that at all. bill: any time you clip my left rear quarter i'm coming after

you. retiring iowa senator tom harkin making cringe-worthy remarks about republican candidate joni ernst. >> i don't care if she is taylor swift or mr. rogers. but if she votes like any heal e bachmann she is wrong for the state of iowa. >> i was very offended senator hasenatorharkin believe that. he and his party believe you can't be a real woman if you are conservative and you are female. bill: ladies, how are you. good morning to both of you. she said if i were john ernst he would not talk like this.

is this a big deal? or should tom harkin hah watched his words. >> if a republican said this. they would be required to condemn the comments. the point is joni ernst is a beautiful candidate, an attractive candidate. her policy protions attractive to iowans, you can't say the same for he gaffe-prone opponen. she is an attractive candidate on the issues'. iowa voters see her life story as attractive. i think tom harkin went for the easy route. bill were if you read between this comments what you say is she may be an attractive woman but you can't trust her policies

and she wouldn't be a good candidate. >> i think tom harkin shouldn't have said it and i'm sure he regrets as he should. at the end of a tough cam opinion his comments are a dress i traction. but where he did have a point is joni ernst will vote like any hea -- votelike michele bachman. it's how she is going to vote. if joni ernst is elected to the senate from iowa she would vote the way michele bachmann would. that's what iowa will be voting for if they vote for joni ernst. >> joni ernst is going to vote the way she wants to vote. she talks about castrating hogs.

it was a big hit. it was a big risk to take. she is attractive to voters because of her conservative values. she made her campaign about president obama which is a smart thing do when he's unpopular. bill: is this offensive to women when they hear this? >> i would say why it' offensive but it's also petty and lazy. make a better argument. there are plenty of issues tom harkin could have taken joni ernst on but he's afraid to do that because she would could come back. they want to take cheap shots. but it's not going to work. bill: do women find that offensive? >> of course.

if he could have used the michele bachmann voting regard and gone off joni ernst. when she goes to washington, d.c. if she wins tomorrow night she'll vote just like michele bachmann. bill: hillary said sit many not good enough to be a woman, dot, dot, dot. martha: wall street placing their bets on which party will prevail. stuart varney joins with more on that coming up. ♪

♪ "here i am. rock you like a hurricane." ♪ fiber one now makes cookies. find them in the cookie aisle.

a remote that lives more wi-fi in more places. a movie library you can take wherever you go. internet speeds that have gotten faster 13 times in 12 years. the innovators and inventors at comcast labs are creating more possibilities for more people every day. comcast nbcuniversal. bringing media and technology together for you.

shyou see this right? it's 80% confidence and 64% knee brace. that's more... shh... i know that's more than 100%. but that's what winners give. now bicycle kick your old 401(k) into an ira. i know, i know. listen, just get td ameritrade's rollover consultants on the horn. they'll guide you through the whole process. it's simple. even she could do it. whatever, janet. for all the confidence you need. td ameritrade. you got this. martha: the mid-terms can have a

big impact on our money. friday the s & p hit and record high. we could receive another rally if the gop takes the senate or maybe them already absorbed that. what are they so happy about on wall street. >> reporter: investors think if the senate goes republican maybe we'll expand domestic energy production, build a pipeline. maybe we'll lower corporate tax rates and get money coming back into the economy. maybe we'll get less regulation and we can grow the economy 3% to 4%. that's a rosie outlook and to some degree that's baked into the stock market already. the dow has gained 1,000 points as it looks like the republicans

are more and more likely to take the senate. the s & p closed at an all-time record high. martha: when the fed turns off the spigot and stops the quantitative easing that will chill the economy. is that already factored? >> reporter: it's factored in. they say interest rates will stay low for a long time but they are not printing up a storp a storm like they were. martha: the president could veto everything they pass. he could. but is he going to veto everything that comes his way? that's a difficult position to hold for two years. don't forget you have got gas prices coming down down down. the national average today is below $3 a gallon for regular. i paid $2.69 and the keep inest

gas in the country at the phillips 66 station in spring, texas for $2.25. martha: you can afford to drive that because gas is cheap. >> reporter: the federal reserve says interest rates will stay near zero for a long time to come. gas is tumbling. a shot in the arm for the economy. martha: if you cut corporate taxes and regulation you will unleash a lot of activity. we haven't seen that in a long time. stuart, thank you very much. always a pleasure. bill: republicans making a final push to take control of the senate. who has the edge? all the big races covered in those important battleground states. martha: greg orman taking heat

for comparing former senator bob dole to a clown. pat roberts will be here to respond right after this.

that would make me a liar. no dude, you're on the jumbotron!

whoa. ah...yeah, pretty much walked into that one. geico anywhere anytime. just a tap away on the geico app. martha: republicans battle to take control of the united states senate and democrats fight to keep their grip. welcome. a brand-new hour of america's newsroom. bill: republicans need a net gain of 6 seats in the senate to shift the balance of power. one those states is kentucky. the lates latest marist poll shs mcconnell leading in the by 6 1/2 points or his democratic opponent.

martha: carl, grimes making a last-minute push. it's looking like a tougher race for her. >> reporter: it's always been a tough race and she has run a tough campaign. the weight and force of the democratic party has come here because mitch mcconnell is the one head they would love to post to the wall because they would be knock off the party leader. if allison lundgren grimes pulls off a comeback, it will be shown as an endorsement for president obama's policies'. rand paul said he was proud to support mitch mcconnell, and mitch mcconnell made it clear the one thing he's not going to

do is let allison lundgren grimes get any closer. take a look at the rally cry for mitch mcconnell. >> reporter: the slow growth, the threat to the next generation. these people need to be stopped and it starts tomorrow night. reporter: because of how much is at stake. $100 million is expected to have been spent. it sort of plays out with what we are seeing in the polls. the republicans and mitch mcconnell seem to have a lead heading into the final day. not so much that an undecided break could turn the race another way. so this will be a nail biter. >> martha: that's no doubt what grimes is hoping. what's her plan for next 24

hours? >> reporter: push, push and get out minority votes. this race has been charged with allegation ofration of both sides. alison grimes had a big rally and at one time she started waving a mcconnell flyer. she is accusing the republican senate leader of voter intimidation. we'll talk about the flyer in a minute. he wants to scare kentuckians into not showing up. sending out notices it will be an election violation if you show up and vote on election day. have you heard of such a low? i didn't think it could get any lower. this is rock bottom. this is desperation. this is a scare tactic. this is voter intimidation. >> reporter: when you look at that fliert's a typical republican opposition letter.

i talked with allison lundergan grimes about a flyer she is accused of distributing. each's one the that proposed goirvet youd i.d.s at the polls. >> reporter: the democratic party has put out a black and red and white flyer that's has a picture of an african-american family on the back, that mitch mcconnell is targeting our president and our community. there are a lot of people who think there is too much racial tension going on. but it's really about the president's agenda. bill: a new poll showing the

republican ahead in the senate race in georgia. david purdue 48%, democrat michelle nun, 44%. you need to get to fight to allowed a juneoff. what's the focus for these two candidates in. >> as you pointed out those polls are too closer to comfort at the last debate republican david purdue repeated the strategy of his campaign commercials linking his opponent michelle nunn to the president. >> in georgia the name of those policies are michelle nunn. >> let me remind you that if you

want more credit lock i think you go by the name of david per dupehdue right here in georgia. report report neither candidate exceeding that 50% thrus% threso avoid a runoff. martha: there is another race that's neck and neck. new hampshire in the race between jeanne shaheen and republican scott brown. down to the wire. 49% to 48%. a university of the new hampshire poll says that's where it stacked up. this will be one of the early ones we'll get to take a look at tomorrow night. it doesn't get better than that.

bill: is tops vote a vote against the president or a call for overall damage in washington. kentucky senator rand paul making his case from meet the press * sunday. >> this will and repudiation of the president's policies. the president is on the ballot in a way. this is a referendum to the president. this is a big message to the president. it's a message that the country is tired of a president not getting anything done. martha: where are we headed here? brit hume, fox news political analyst. so 24 hours to go until we start this coverage at 6:00. how is this look to you?

>> reporter: a little of the suspense anticipating tuesday has gone out of the race because of the poll results that came out starting with the des moines register poll that shows joni ernst is up 7. it looks like that race will go to the republicans. david perdue has a better chance of winning than we thought before. there is still a chance that the senate democrats could hold on, but it looks less likely than it did two or three days ago. martha: what does this say about the president? there is so much talk about the referendum on the president. there have been juicy articles talking about how bereft at his ability to change washington, and sullen resignation. when you look at long term, how long does that last after this?

>> reporter: a lot will depend on how he chooses to interpret the results. we have the most recent example of a president adjusting to a mid-term loss, bill clinton who was able to move to the center and find common ground with republicans and get things done. martha: a different man, many would say. >> reporter: and bill clinton was much more after centrist. he so loved ideas and was fascinated by them and welfare reform the best example that passed -- i think helped him a lot in his reelectioned by. i kind of doubt that president obama had a chance to do this very thing after he lost the house in 2010. he really didn't move at all. you read things -- the media like to talk about how the president went right and how he

reached out to republicans from the beginning of his term. that's written from a point of view that doesn't get what republicans are about, the kind of things they were interested in which he never offered them. this happens as we expect it will, but whether he will do it differently. martha: he has lost a lot of his close people. a lot of people wonder if there will be a shift cleaning house in the west wing. we'll definitely start that discussion as soon as this election is over. thank you see much. we'll -- thank you so much. make sure you joins on election night. bret baier, megyn kelly anchoring our coverage. bill will be working the board. i will be doing the exit polls. chris wallace and brit hume will be on pant with charles krauthammer, george will, dana perino and more. bill: the clown car comments in kansas. the man who wants to replace pat

roberts tried to explain his provocative remarks about republicans like senator bob dole. martha: getting out the vote. which party has the better ground game? bill: wait until you see what's next as the lava creeps closer to a small town. >> it's heart breaker and sad. we have had it since 1904. it's been a while. to see it go would change things in life.

bill: there has been a temporary sigh of relief for the residents on the big mild hawaii. the town of pahoa seems to have doodged built for now. the lava is 500 feet away from the main road. last week people were ready to run out of there. officials say the pace has slowed the past few days but it's still active. martha: independent senate canadian greg orman out of kansas trying to explain comments he made about high-profile republicans. orman says it seems like a washington establishment clown car. every day a new person comes out of that car.

former long-time kansas senator bob dole, the elder think states man seated on the stage, thought it was in very bad taste to say anything negative about him. orman apoll zwrietds bob dole saying he didn't mean to insult him. >> i have got nothing but the utmost respect for senator dole. i talked at length throughout this campaign about senator dole as an example of the kind of senator and kind of representation we need in rawsh, someone who can reach across the aisle and get things done for the american people. martha: senator pat roberts joins us now. good to have you with us today. bob dole says he accepted the apology. he said he got a lengthy apology from greg orman and this is a done, over situation. is he right?

>> i don't think that's right. gregg who areman is now saying he hasn't apologized. the whole incident has been an indication of how out of touch my opponent is. he insulted bob dole who is an american icon. a kansas icon. i don't know how he could say something like that. you call bob dole a clown then you have a lengthy statement that goes into a political diatribe. all he had to do is just apologize to bob. he didn't apologize to bob dole. martha: we are hearing the opposite and bob dole said he accepted it. >> i hope that's the case. because basically calling bob dole a clown then waiting to apologize for not apologize regardless of what the story is. that's going to follow him throughout his whole career

regard los of whether he's in politics which he won't be. here is greg orman the guy who insulted bob dolby calling him a clown. it's absolutely outrageous. he ought to clarify it if that's the case. martha: let's take a look at this latest poll in kansas. it looks like a tight race you are in. you at 41.8%. does this surprise you? obviously this is an independent cad. really he doesn't have the machine behind him that you would have or that a clear democrat would have in terms of the operations continued him. does it surprise you you are in as tight a race as you are, sir? >> not really. straight with the orman is people of kansas. he's not an independent web's a liberal democrat. the soros flame in hollywood,

they don't give money to independents. they give them to democrats. the same with the afl-cio. a vote for greg orman is a vote for obama. this election is about so much more than just me. we have had the full spectrum of the republican party coming in and endorsing me, they know me and trust me. they know the road to a republican majority runs through kansas. martha: let me ask you about that. you talked about that vote for you would basically be a vote to block the president's agenda about it seep the real group in kansas that's going decide this election is looking for somebody who can cross party lines and work with those in the middle. having a sort of -- how do you stop the president's agenda and cross party lines and work with those in the middle?

>> the president said this was a referendum on his policies and his program and legacy. what we can do as a republican majority is end the gridlock. restore the senate back to what we call regular order. open it back up to what it was for 25 years. you can pass a budget and pass appropriation bills. you can reach across the aisle. i would be fortunate enough to be a committee chairman. i always worked with the other side, and get things done. if you want to end the gridlock, do things for america, open up the pipeline, repeal and replace obamacare. there is a whole series of things we could do. real fox reform. we can do those things. we can't with harry reid act as a dictatorship. martha: we appreciate you spending time with us. thank you very much, senator.

>> thank you. bill: 20 minutes past the hour. a major blow to the u.s. strategy in iraq. has al qaeda route the fighters we were back? martha: this was suppose to be a halloween cruise ... [♪] so ally bank really has no hidden fees on savings accounts? that's right. it's just that i'm worried about you know "hidden things..." ok, why's that? no hidden fees, from the bank where no branches equals great rates.

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 america's favorite potatoes: heart healthy idaho potatoes and the american heart association's go red for women campaign. if you see it i hope you'll let us know. always look for the grown in idaho seal.

martha: there is some extreme weather blowing into northern utah. strong winds with gusts of up to

80 miles an hour. they knocked over several tractor-trailers. look at these pictures. one truck accident west of salt lake city tied up traffic there for hours. >> it was bad. it was windy. i almost bottom blown over once. the tires on my trailer on the passenger side. >> they lifted off the ground? >> sure did. not a good feeling. looking and you see the tires lift up and there is nothing you can do. martha: not a good feel something right. strong wind knocked out power to thousands of customers there over the weekend. bill: new concerns the u.s. could be fighting two wars in iris i can't. "the washington post" reported that u.s.-backed rebels are being routed by al qaeda backed fighters. kt mcfarland, former deputy secretary of defense in the reagan administration. good morning to you. the post said moderate rebels armed by u.s. surrendered or defected. moderate fight is on the run

headed for turkish borders as extremists closed in. jennifer griffin is trying to nail the story down from the pentagon. they're not accepting the reporting. what do you think? >> matter of time whether in libya, iraq, afghanistan, we pick sides. we get involved and train rebels we like or train moderates or train groups we think will win the fight. they don't win the fight. throw down the weapons and run away and bad guys get the weapons. while we have bonn in the last decade, we tried to topple dictators. we assume what happens afterwards is nation-building, good governance, pro-american democracy. what tends to happen is just the opposite. chaos. groups fighting each other. people seizing american weapons and ultimately using them against us. bill: to the east, reports of mass executions in isis in iraq. while this is happening the vice president was interviewed. here he is on cnn talking about isis, talking about the threat that it is or is not?

>> isis is not existential threat to the someone in the united states. it's a serious problem overseas and it is confusing and frightening and totally understandable. we have to figure it out, president and i have to figure out how to better communicate what is being done. that is part of the problem. that is part of the dilemma. bill: what about the whole threat issue in that comment? >> confusing part is what are we trying to do here? if you have a president of the united states comes out and says we have a goal and that is to defeat and degrade isis and vice president of the united states, not such a big problem. when you send american military forces to fight, when you send american men and women to risk their lives, when we commit to the fight we should commit to win it, what message are we sending, to the enemy and certainly to our allies and most importantly to the men and women who fight and bear the brunt of the battle. bill: think about this communication online too. tell canada that, after what they have been through over the past month. jeb bush was in new york last week. i will make this quick.

he is making the case we're proud of what we did in korea postwar. proud of what we did in japan postwar. proud of germany what we did postwar. what were we not that way in iraq? if we had been there in iraq we would fight to keep forces there and perhaps we're not dealing with this, kt? >> the past american foreign policy stops at waters edge, divisiveness of political partisanship of it. what did we do? we had a president so eager to came in that we had the war won and he snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. he was so eager to lead he was willing to lose. because we didn't give support to the new iraqi government. now what do we have? even worse than before. bill: election news is drowning a lot of this news out. therethere will be more. kt mcfarland. martha? martha: candidates have less than a day to spread their message to the voters and they're working hard to do just that. who has the better ground game out there? this is one of the big debates on this election.

will it turn out to be democrats or republicans at this time? communication directors of both national committees are here to explain how they're going about it. bill: richard branson responding after a deadly test flight crash. the ntsb out with its early findings what may have gone wrong in the desert. >> we do understand the risks involved and we're not going to push on blindly. to do so would be insult to all those affected by this tragedy. we're going to learn from what went wrong, discover how we can improve safety and performance, and then move forward together.

♪ (train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities.

bill: 10:32 in new york. let's cut through the spin. i want to introduce two men with their ear to ground. we have the a communications director for the democratic national committee. good morning. and sean spicer, communications director for the republican

national committee. hello to you. get -- here is what we'll do. we're not talking over each other. we'll have honest discussion. i will remind both of you that we're recording this and we can play it back come wednesday or month from now. here is wasserman-schultz and reince priebus going at it first. start. >> we have a ground game that know reince would take ours over theirs any day of the week. i mean, we've got early vote numbers that are up in the most competitive states and most competitive districts all across the country. >> do you worry the democrats will beat you on the ground? >> well, the problem they have is that their message isn't working and we're, our ground game is whipping their ground game. bill: all right. okay. put that to the side now. sean, where is the race now, for the u.s. senate? how do you see it? >> i feel very good. i look forward to seeing the tape on wednesday, me predicting we'll take over the senate. if he have one who feels they want change and doesn't see

things happening in washington who wants to see change gets out and votes we'll have a great night. with respect to the ground game, look, we're up in georgia, we're up in colorado, we're up in florida. we're tied in iowa. the one big takeaway people have to understand for years democrats have dominated the early vote. they have done a great job of getting a lot of voters out early and republicans, do a great job of getting out election day voters. this year we put all of our effort into low-propensity voters to get people who usually don't vote and out early and bank the votes and still dominate on election day. i think numbers speak for themselves. i feel very good what we've done on the ground. we have 30,000 volunteers working hand in hand with 2,000 staffers. we feel confident going into election day what the results will be. bill: mo, i know you're going to tell me democrats are going to win, just like sean will tell me republicans are going to win. what concerns you as you look at the map now?

maybe that is a better way to go at it? >> look, this is, talked about playing back this tape on wednesday. i'm not sure we'll know everything we need to know on wednesday. so many of these races are just nip-and-tuck. and frankly in a lot of them the momentum is shifting our way. we've seen six polls in the last week that show an iowa bruce braley either, pulling into a tie or narrowly ahead. we've seen momentum starting to move our way in colorado. in some states that the republicans are supposed to run away with months ago, we're now dead-even. so this is going to come down to the ground game. we actually feel very good about where we are in the early vote. we put a lot of effort into it and we've seen in a lot of states the democratic early vote is up from where it was in 2010. and the republican early vote is down from where it was in 2010. bill: which state is that? >> seeing that in alaska. seeing that in florida. seeing that the margin is

growing between democratic early vote and republican early vote. north carolina we have 16-point advantage. it was only nine points in 2010. that is encouraging for us. bill: okay. now, "wall street journal," you may have seen this, when you compare 2014 to the midterm of 2010, sean, this is what they're reporting. 18 to 29-year-olds are down 11%, off about eight points between 2010 and 2014. it also finds that of older voters, voters over the age of 65, they're up eight points at this point compared to 2010. so, younger voters down and older voters up. what does that mean, sean, if that is true? >> traditionally we do very well with older voters so i feel that is good sign for us that you see numbers going up for them. traditionally democrats have done well with younger voters. i think that portend not well for them. the interesting thing about younger voters, last couple

polls come out show republicans winning youth vote, winning millenials which is very positive. spea work we've been doing at rnc to reach out to young voters. they have a bigger problem, bill, with women. we saw in the case of the race in kentucky, mitch mcconnell, latest poll is up 6 points with women on alison lundergan grimes. i think overall the national poll comes out show them barely leading with women overall. that is demographic again they have traditionally won by double digits. republicans are speaking to issues of concern to women. i think you're seeing the gap close which will hurt democrats tomorrow. bill: we'll see whether or not you're right. mow, one last -- moe, last thought, republicans said if you can't beat them join them when it comes to early voting in the ground game, are you concerned republicans caught democrats in the ground game? >> i'm a nervous person by meat ture. i'm in this business. so i'm always concerned that they're catching up on us. i actually give them credit, i think they're building a pretty decent field program. i think ours is better.

i'm glad they're chasing us because we i think every cycle actually do a little better than we did before. if we ever get complacent they will catch up to us. we'll not let them do it. we're not seeing them do it yet this psychics that is why the vote, folks. mo, thank you. sean, thank you as well. we'll see you come wednesday or not who is right. thank you, guys. >> thank you. martha. talked about senate races but there are three dozen governors races on the ballot tomorrow. right now they're are slightly more republican governors than democratic ones. some analysts say historic number of incumbents could lose tomorrow, the impact could be felt in 2016 and well beyond. steve harrigan joins us from tampa. steve, what should we be watching in these governors races tomorrow night? >> martha, we could see some real drama in the 36 governors races chaos the country. 11 of them are within 5%age points. five of them are virtual dead heats. some of the toughest, closest

races are actually in states normally not in play. >> the two states i think are biggest surprise, are kansas and illinois. the fact that they're so close. illinois is traditionally blue state. you should not have a close race for governor. in kansas, romney won that state by 22 points. >> reporter: more than twice as many republican governorships are at risk in this election than democratic, martha. martha: what impact could the governors races have presidential election in 2016, steve? >> reporter: there could be direct impact on some governors running for re-election like scott walker, republican from which is, talked about as potential contender for 2016 for the presidency. he has a win a tough battle at home. there could be indirect votes. both parties are pouring money

in florida florida to control the statehouse in the key week state. charlie crist is running a very tight race against governor scott. they're really neck-and-neck and they have poured in more than $150 million in what has been a very bitter campaign here in florida, martha. martha: steve, lots to watch. thank you so much. bill: emotional day, in fact the world trade center opens again for business, 13 years after the terror attacks in 9/11. that is a beautiful building, folks. martha: really is. bill: publisher conde nast started moving into the skyscraper, the tallest building in america. the observation deck will open for public to see the view from above yet again. martha: it has taken a long time. it is moving day. putting in the phones and business and beautiful building and mark on the skyline to be sure. a long-time political watcher keeping close eye on these key senate races that

could shift the balance of power. joe trippi will join us. he has great insight. he will tell us what he thinks of latest numbers before election day. passengers get a bit of a scare on a halloween cruise. it was not part of the halloween program. we'll show you what happened. >> the lights blew out. we were all eating. it became total kay why is. nobody was able to manage what was going on.

bill: bit of chaos on the cruise ship, bahamas celebration, one night trip from florida and back, hitting something in the water on return trip to florida. this cell phone video showing conditions on board as the ship limped back to port. >> we're stranded on island for two days, no information. no food for 24 hours. for 24 hours no food. bill: the cruise line evacuating passengers when they got back to port, putting them up in local resorts and arranging

transportation to florida. martha: long time democratic strategist and fox news contributor joe trippi now saying that he believes republicans will quote, probably, take the senate when voters head to the polls tomorrow. he is with us to explain why. we love hearing from you. >> good to be with you. martha: as we get closer to this whole process and see what you're thinking as you're looking at this. across the board this morning people seem to be day saying well it looks like republicans will take it but you've been very cautious. >> this is a strange year. martha: it is. >> you have 10 races within the margin of error. anything can happen but when you look at it, when you look at south dakota, west virginia, and montana, those three states are end up in republican column. almost everybody agrees with that. arkansas is starting to look very, very tough for democrats. martha: yep. >> not saying it is gone yet but you have to bet that is one. martha: republicans get south dakota, get west virginia, they get montana. those three seem to be pretty locked in. >> throw arkansas in there.

martha: arkansas looks like that. iowa look like that. >> iowa, colorado, i mean, louisiana. martha: yeah. >> and alaska. and democrats got to win three of those four and we're behind in all four of them right now. so, i mean, just, yeah, is it possible? are we within striking distance in every single one of those states? yes. martha: right. >> we can argue about ground game and i do think that democratic ground game is still better, even though the republicans have caught, caught on and doing a better job. martha: comes down to getting people out in terms of what the message is, right? >> right. martha: motivating voters. you think you could have ground game and lot of people are showing up and you're working on them. do they in the end, or does it become about what they already have? colorado all mail-in, all mail-in they are done. >> you could turn votes that vote on election day anyway. it doesn't change the equation.

we don't know that yet. but with all those factors involved that's what makes it possible in colorado, maybe, maybe, udall can win. maybe in alaska begich can pull it off. it will, in my view, look, given the year, given the states we're fighting, democrats are fighting in, it would take a minor miracle to hold the senate. martha: all right. so tomorrow night when you're watching things coming across, start in new hampshire, georgia, some early states we'll hear from, right, what are you going to be watching in a place like new hampshire when it comes to particulars and how it is going? >> well two places to look real quick, north carolina, polls close there at 7:30. martha: yep. >> polls close in new hampshire at 8:00. both of those states the democratic incumbents are ahead, barely but ahead. if those, if early returns in some of the counties specifically in new hampshire, like kuds county, chess shire county, grafton county, you see the numbers come in and brown is

close to shaheen in those counties it is going to be really, really bad night for democrats. if there is a spread there and shaheen is ahead, says, now we start looking at later states. martha: one of the things that fascinates me is the role of the clintons in all of this because they came into new hampshire, tried to help jeanne shaheen. we'll see whether or not they were successful. tried to help kay hagan in north carolina as well. how much can we take away from that tomorrow, when you look at this on thursday i mean, the clinton brand, how powerful it is? very clear that bill clinton helped barack obama get across the finish line in 2012 for sure. >> if pryor is close in arkansas, it was clinton. we'll see results. a lot is building, potentially building chips for 2016. all these people whether win or lose will be grateful to the clintons for raising money, showing up, to campaign on their behalf. but look, bill clinton, the

clintons can reach the base, can turn out voters and they don't, they're among the most favorable democrats out there, much different than obama right now. who is a drag on most of these candidates because of his low approval ratings. he can raise money. he is doing those kinds of things but it is the clintons that are really out there in public every day and been pounding it. that helps them in 2016. martha: what their impact we will see of as you point out they're laying down markers for chips they can pull in down the line for having been there and helped out. joe, we'll watch what you're saying tomorrow night as we're here gathered tomorrow evening at 6:00 for our coverage. thanks very much. thanks, joe. bill: jon scott, coming up next, "happening now." how are you doing? except the broncos lost. get into that another time. bill: big game. >> tomorrow is the midtermses. 435 house seats, 36 statehouse,

polls are up for grabs. we have new. lynn sweet, tammy bruce, alan colmes all here with their analysis. bill: wasn't a good game if you're apron coast fan. >> no. it was very forgettable game. bill: sorry, my friend. see you later, buddy. >> all righty, the founder of virgin galactic vowing to move forward. it will not stop richard branson says. after last week's deadly crash a former astronaut will weigh in on what is next for space travel. >> we've always known commercial space travel is an incredibly hard project. we've been undertaking a comprehensive testing program for many years and safety has always been our number one priority. when it comes to medicare, everyone talks about what happens when you turn sixty-five. but, really, it's what you do before that counts. see, medicare doesn't 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 out-of-pocket 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. sixty-five 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™.

everyone is looking for ways while to cut expenses.s unique, about how you want things to be. and that's where pg&e's online business energy checkup tool can really help. you can use it to track your actual energy use. find rebates that make equipment upgrades more affordable. even develop a customized energy plan for your company. think of it as a way to take more control over your operating costs. and yet another energy saving opportunity from pg&e. find new ways to save energy and money with pg&e's business energy check-up.

bill: richard branson vows to continue pursuing commercial space travel as we await an explanation for this crash that happened on friday. a pilot last week killed. another seriously injured. mike massimino, friend of the show, former nasa astronaut, engineering professor at columbia university. nice to see you again. you've been to space with so many times with such great experience. the idea that branson is trying to do is send two crafts up in the air at the same time. then you get a sketch race. the second one goes off into space. there is a new rocket fuel formula that was used for this test flight that worked on the ground but it never had been tested in the air. i don't know, mike, do you start there for possible cause? >> i think you might but i think the thing we've got to watch out for here, bill, and what investigators will look out for is jumping to conclusions. you never really know what the cause is. it is human nature to say this was different, first time they used this, this must be what it was but you don't really know.

if you start jumping to conclusions you just look foolish. they really need to investigate this. bill: how long would it take to figure out an answer leak this. >> i think they are probably start getting some clues over the next couple days, next couple weeks, next couple months. they will do some testings, reenactments. it was a test flight. hey have going for them. reading what i've been able to read on it, i think, what they were saying about a year to really know exactly. it will take a while to figure this out. bill: they might have a clue. >> they might have a clue and may already have a clue. they may get many clues. it probably will not be one thing. it es usually combination. at columbia we talk about accidents. there is a technical cause. there are other causes too. sometimes outside pressure. culture or something slipped by safety. and that's is just the nature of it. it is usually a bunch of things that happen. it is not just one thing. bill: i was watching richard branson on saturday, again this morning make a round of

interviews. i did not expect him to say we're giving up. i expected him to say we're going forward which is basically what he said. as a pilot, as an astronaut, how then do you accept and understand the risk of experimental flight? >> risk is always there. even, what was interesting, even after the columbia accident happened, i was astronaut i had flown that once. columbia happened. was i going to fly again? yeah, spoke with my family and yeah. doesn't change anything. test pilots know they are taking a risk. even passengers going up eventually once they figure this out, hopefully they will find what the problem is and it will be safer and so on but there will always be that risk. we have risk inside after car. we have a risk inside of an airplane. we certainly have a risk going inside of a rocket ship. you want to keep going and not stop. that is the attitude to have. bill: nice to talk with you, mike. martha? martha: months and months of campaigning it all comes to an end tomorrow.

voters decide who will take control of the united states senate. brand new pole numbers who has the edge. we'll look at battleground states coming up. if you're suffering from constipation or irregularity, powders may take days to work. for gentle overnight relief, try dulcolax laxative tablets. ducolax provides gentle overnight relief, unlike miralax that can take up to 3 days. dulcolax, for relief you can count on.

♪ dulcolax, for relief you can count on. i remember when i wouldn't give a little cut a second thought. when i didn't worry about the hepatitis c in my blood. when i didn't think twice about where i left my razor. hep c is a serious disease. take action now. go to hepc.com or call 1-844-444-hepc to find out how you and your doctor can take the next step towards a cure.

because the answers you need, may be closer than they appear. ♪ martha: we have no answers for anyone today on anything. they know the answers out there. bill: they got us. martha: we'll start having some as we head through the next 24, 48, right? bill: got to scoot. "happening now." martha: see you tomorrow. jon: 24 hours from now polls across the country will be open and americans will make their voices heard about the direction of our country and who they want running things in washington. good monday morning to you. i'm jon scott. heather: i'm heather nauert in for jenna lee today. months of hard-fought campaigning all comes down to tomorrow. races in several states remain very tight with control of the senate on the line. jon: right now "the new york times" gives the gop a 70% chance of winning back the