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THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER

Virgin's Spaceship Suffers Catastrophic Crash; Democrats In Danger Of Losing Senate; Fugitive Arrested In Cuffs Of Slain Officer

Aired October 31, 2014 - 16:30   ET

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


JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Welcome back to THE LEAD. And our continuing coverage of the tragic explosion of a Virgin Galactic spaceship, a rocket plane during a test flight over the Mojave Desert in California.

Let's go right to CNN correspondent, Rachel Crain. Rachel, you recently got a chance to check out this fleet up close. What can you tell us about the history of these rocket planes, these spaceships?

RACHEL CRAIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes, you know, I was actually recently inside the spaceship two a couple of months ago in Mojave. But I want to point out that this is actually not the first death that the Virgin Galactic Team has had to incur.

Actually three people died back in 2007 in an explosion that was testing the rocket system. All of those employees were employees of Scaled Composites, which is the company that actually built Spaceship Two. So this is not the first time.

Of course, this was the first time that someone has perished in an actual test flight. But this is not the first time that Virgin Galactic has had to deal with a death of part of their team, unfortunately.

TAPPER: How many spaceships are in this fleet?

CRAIN: They were in the process of building out several versions of Spaceship Two. At the time that I was there, they had one nearly complete, which I'm assuming is the one that was flying right now. They were working on another model of it.

They said that he hoped to have, you know, five or six completed in the next couple of years. But at the time, they were just really focusing on finishing one and doing another because they do have two versions of their mothership, the White Knight Two.

TAPPER: All right, Rachel Crain, thank you so much. I want to go right now to the president of X Prize, Bob Weiss. He's been involved with Virgin Galactic projects dating back to their genesis. Bob, tell us the importance of commercial space travel and also what potential setback you think this might cause?

BOB WEISS, PRESIDENT, X PRIZE (via telephone): Thank you, Jake. Before I address that, I just want to say that our hearts and prayers go out to the family of this crew. Our deepest sympathies are extended to them at this tragic time. And I think people need to understand that this was not only about starting a business, but they were pioneering a whole new aspect of human endeavor.

And the commercialization of space flight involves taking what is something that is at its root inherently risky and finding a safe, operational way to do it. And that's what this whole flight test sequence was about, was debugging the spacecraft systems, finding the potential risks and mitigating them.

Why is this important? It's important not just to be able to offer a new service, to offer people a chance to go to space. By the way, the one thing that's consistent that you hear from every single person that has gone to space is they report that trip.

Being able to look down at the earth has forever changed the way they think about themselves, the planet and their future, the so-called overview effect and this was about bringing that experience to more and more people and then ultimately doing it at a price where not just hundreds of people can afford it but many thousands of people.

So there was that aspect of developing the business. But there was also the aspect of making space flight and exploitation of space a way that we can solve many of the issues we face here on the planet by opening up the system, to be able to live and work in space. You have to find ways to reduce the risk and the cost.

So there's a very large goal here, part of which was the development of business. And I should note that Virgin Galactic is just one of many, many companies who have endeavors in this area.

TAPPER: All right, Bob Weiss, thank you so much. We appreciate your time.

Coming up, captured alive, hauled away in cuffs, the very cuffs of the cop he allegedly killed in cold blood. The seven-week-long manhunt for a man who melted into the Pennsylvania wilderness finally comes to an end in very dramatic fashion, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD. Now it's time for the Politics Lead. As you can tell by that jazzy CNN election night music, no pumpkins on set today, but Halloween does mean those midterm elections are coming up. Just four days away if you're counting.

Our CNN pollsters have been working in their lab. While there are no monsters rising from the slabs, we have a slew of cross tabs from a pair of brand-new polls breaking right now in two of the most competitive Senate races in the country.

Remember the fate of the Senate is up for grabs. These two are out of Iowa and North Carolina. From his laboratory in the studio east, a.k.a., the magic wall, chief national correspondent, John King, is breaking it all down for us -- John. JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Jake, these are two states that are as close as you can get. They are two of eight or ten states that are as close as you can get heading into the final weekend. This is the 2014 map. I'm going to bring up to add a little color the 2012 map.

Let's start in North Carolina. You mentioned North Carolina. Kay Hagan is the key right here. Kay Hagan is the Democratic incumbent running against Republican Tom Tillis. Sean Hall, the pizza delivery man at 4 percent.

Remember the libertarian at 48 to 46. Kay Hagan probably ran the best campaign of the vulnerable Democratic incumbents. This is a statistical, but she has stayed narrowly ahead, Jake, since the very beginning in this race.

By no means a short of victory, but she's close. One quick look at what matters in this state turnout, if she can run up African-American votes in the urban areas, she can win this race.

Tom Tillis though winning in the suburbs in the rural areas so it's not just how high as turnout and where they live.

TAPPER: And then of course there's the question of the negative ads in North Carolina. How much of an effect have they had?

KING: More outside money spent on this state than any other state across the country at least as of a few days ago. Tom Tillis is way under water, 43 percent approval rating, a favorable rating, 50 percent of the voters say they disapprove of him.

It's hard to move when 50 percent of the voters disapprove you in the final week. Kay Hagan fares a little bit better. Voters are evenly divided on her.

Let's just move quickly to that other state you mentioned. Iowa is another one, one of the blue states. Remember President Obama won it twice. You would think that would be one of the ones Democrats could hold. But look at this one, Jake.

Republicans think this is their way to get to 51 because they think Joni Ernst even though this is the narrow 2-point lead, again, a statistical tie. She's had that narrow lead for a long time. And one more point on that as we finish up on the polling.

This is the same kind of thing. Not just who votes but where do they live. If Bruce Braley can get the people in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids and Dubuque to turn out, he wins in the urban areas.

What's key for Joni Ernst? Like for Mitt Romney, who came up a little short, you see the red in the rural areas. That's a run the Obama race. Joni Ernst has to run up out here to offset Bruce Braley's likely wins. (Inaudible) Michelle Obama there in the urban areas.

TAPPER: Still very tight in both competitive states. John King, thank you so much. Despite the ultra-close margins in key races across the country, are Democrats destined for a dismal day come Tuesday?

Joining me now is Democratic senator from Minnesota, Amy Klobuchar. Senator, good to see you. You've been ping-ponging from battleground state to battleground state in support of your fellow Democrats this year.

I do want to ask you about something, your fellow Democratic senator, Mary Landrieu said. She is facing a tough reelection bid. She told NBC's Chuck Todd, she was asked about why some voters in her state in the south are maybe voting Republican. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SENATOR MARY LANDRIEU (D), LOUISIANA: To be very, very honest with you, in the south, it's not always been the friendliest place for African-Americans. It's been a difficult time for the president to present himself in a very positive light as a leader. It's not always been a good place for women to be able to present ourselves. It's more of a conservative place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Is she suggesting that the voters of Louisiana are racists and sexists?

SENATOR AMY KLOBUCHAR (D), SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: I don't think so at all, Jake. I think first of all as you know, the first part of that interview when she was asked, what is the reason that the president isn't doing well in Louisiana, she made very clear she thought the major reason was a difference with people of Louisiana on his energy policy.

That that is her major belief of why there is a problem for the president in Louisiana. I think when you listen to her language there. She was talking about the past. She was talking about the fact, not just in the south, but the United States, given that African-Americans and women couldn't even vote in the past, that it wasn't always friendly.

So I really think that this is something where you look at Mary as a whole. This is a woman that has represented her state to the nth degree. She's done everything for her state, whether it's Katrina, whether it's redo, whether it is the work that she did to make sure that people were compensated after the BP oil spill.

Whether it's fighting against the administration many times on oil and on the policy down there on energy, and so I believe that Mary Landrieu is strong. All of the polls there show that in this many-way race, there are nine candidates. John can tell you. She's still ahead.

TAPPER: She's still ahead but not over 50 percent and she is going to need to do that in order to avoid a run-off. On our show last week, former White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said it looked as though Democrats were doomed to have a bad night on Tuesday. Robert Gibbs, his predecessor as White House press secretary, previously had predicted that Republicans will take the Senate. Why do you think it is that it looks, at least according to former Obama press secretaries, like you're going to have a bad Tuesday?

KLOBUCHAR: You know what? I don't think that anyone can predict these races at this point. On nearly all of these top races are within the margin of error. You're talking to someone from the state of Minnesota where Al Franken won by 312 votes last time. Now he's doing a lot better this time.

We elected a governor named Jesse Ventura. A lot of things happen. It's down to the wire and very I'm heartened by what you see in the early turnout in states like Georgia. I was just there. Michelle Nunn, the energy is everywhere in that state.

They are so excited about her race. She's defying all expectations doing so well in the debates. Early turnout there is higher than they can believe 212,000 people that they have registered early. You have North Carolina, which you just discussed, they have outpaced 2012 for who has voted early.

These are good signs. So I would never predict exactly what's going to happen in this election with the strong candidates we have running all over the country.

TAPPER: This is the third election year in a row where Democrats have keyed in on women's issues, the so-called war on women by Republicans according to Democrats, but I wonder if it's working this year.

In the new "Washington Post"/ABC News poll out this week, Democrats only have a five-point lead among single women on the generic ballot. This is obviously a key part of a Democratic victory is having a much larger margin of victory among women.

And yet the margin of victory among men for Republicans is something like 17 percent. Is it possible that this war on women thing tripling down on it wasn't a good idea for this cycle?

KLOBUCHAR: Well, I think this is all about the economy, Jake. I think you have a fact that women are overwhelmingly affected by minimum wage policy, when you have candidates out there on the Republican side that say they're against doing anything on minimum wage, that actually hurts women more than men because two-thirds of the minimum wage earners are women.

So I think that again looking into a crystal ball at this moment when these races are so down to the wire and so close, I don't think we can make those kinds of vast predictions yet.

You've also seen a number of candidates who are focused on the economy, focused on especially the economies in their states from North Carolina to Georgia to Virginia to New Hampshire with Jeanne Shaheen, to Al Franken in Minnesota, to Bruce Braley in Ohio to Mark Begich in Alaska, you see that these candidates are strong candidates and they are people that know their states. TAPPER: Senator Amy Klobuchar, thank you so much. For a moment there, I thought you're going to name every Democrat up for reelection. Thank you so much.

KLOBUCHAR: Bruce Braley, I got Bruce Braley --

TAPPER: I know you got more. We're going to lose your satellite. Thank you so much.

Coming up, he led cops on a wild chase across woods and mountains leaving a trail of pipe bombs in his wake. But now this survivalist is thankfully in custody. We'll have the dramatic new details of how cops finally got their man.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: Welcome back to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. More national news now for 48 days, an alleged cop killer taunted and dared authorities to come and get him. He left a trail of pipe bombs and journal entries through the thick terrain of the Pennsylvania wilderness.

Finally thankfully the manhunt for alleged murderer, Eric Frein, is over and the long arm of the law brought him in alive, if a little battered and bruised.

Just hours ago, Frein was arraigned on capital murder charges in Pennsylvania after officers in a symbolic and powerful move hauled him away in the very handcuffs that once belonged to the state trooper he allegedly shot and killed seven weeks ago.

Our Miguel Marquez has the details of the dramatic final moments of the search. He's live outside the courthouse in Milford, Pennsylvania. Miguel, how did this finally end?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, without a bang, amazingly enough, this is a guy who kept authorities on the run and one step behind them for 48 days. When they finally caught up with him, special ops team from the U.S. Marshall Service, he literally went to his knees and just gave up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have stated that early on we would not rest until his capture was made. Tonight, we have made that major step down the path to justice.

MARQUEZ (voice-over): After nearly seven weeks on the run, suspected cop killer, Eric Matthew Frein, now in custody facing a murder charge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is my intention to file notice to seek the death penalty for Eric Frein.

MARQUEZ: The 31-year-old self-taught survivalist was caught hiding in an abandoned airport in the Pocono Mountains. A U.S. Marshals special operations team was clearing the area near a hangar, spotted Frein walking across the airstrip and surrounded him.

According to law enforcement, Frein caught by surprise, surrendered hands up, identifying himself, he was apprehended and unarmed, but had two guns and knives in a hideout.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If he got out of those woods, we were concerned he would then kill other law enforcement and if not them, civilians.

MARQUEZ: The search for the now captured fugitive began 48 days ago on September 12 when Frein ambushes the Pennsylvania State Police barracks in Blooming Grove, shooting and killing Corporal Bryon Dickson and injuring Trooper Alex Douglass.

Police investigate numerous possible sightings discovering personal effects in various hideouts from pipe bombs to cigarettes to supplies, clues to Frein's whereabouts, but under the cover of dense woods, he evades capture.

An enormous sense of relief for the community with Frein now behind bars, arrested in the very handcuffs that belonged to the officer he gunned down and driven back to Blooming Grove in his police cruiser.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of us in the state police and Governor Corbett just thought if we had that opportunity, that would be a very fitting tribute to Corporal Dickson and a message to all of law enforcement that we would never rest until this fugitive was apprehended.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARQUEZ: Now to be in court today and to see this man that had been built into this monster here, pale, thin, his face beat up on the left side, it was a shock. He was fully in control of his emotions certainly. He didn't express any and he answered the judge very forthrightly. The prosecution and the police here say they have an absolutely airtight case -- Jake.

TAPPER: Miguel Marquez, thank you so much.

Joining me now is Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan. Commissioner Noonan, congratulations. Guys like this sometimes disappear and are never found. How did you get him?

FRANK NOONAN, PENNSYLVANIA STATE POLICE COMMISSIONER: Well, basically it was the sustained effort of all the agencies that were working with us in the woods. Our plan was to search every square inch of this expansive wooded area that he was familiar with. And eventually we kept moving him and moving him and eventually we were able to catch up with him.

TAPPER: And how was he able to escape capture for seven weeks?

NOONAN: Well, understand this, he has been planning some activity like this for several years. He's been stashing food. He's been staying out in the woods. He had a lot of locations he knew how to hide in. And also he had been preparing himself by participating in these re-enactments, especially from the Vietnam era where he specifically trained himself and trained with other people to hide in the woods and avoid detection.

TAPPER: Were you worried that you might never get him?

NOONAN: I worried about that every night, yes. But the most important thing that I was worried about is I was sending a lot of great people, good friends of mine into the woods and he had a sniper rifle and we knew that he may have explosive devices, too.

And that he was very familiar with the area. So that was my biggest concern. That's why we had to be methodical in this search. It's not like you could line up people shoulder to shoulder and march them through the woods. It had to be a tactical search.

TAPPER: There wasn't a single shot fired in the final moments of this manhunt. Were you expecting him to go down shooting?

NOONAN: Well, it was always a possibility. But I did not personally think that that would be the case because I've had hundreds and hundreds of men in the woods and he could have had a physical confrontation with them at any time he wanted. So it was obvious to me that he was trying to avoid detection and trying to outlast us in the woods. So I wasn't that surprised that he gave up once he was confronted.

TAPPER: Frein appears to have fresh wounds on his face, at least from what we can tell from the photographs during the perp walk and the mug shot. Do you know how he got them?

NOONAN: I believe he got them before he came into contact with law enforcement. He's been running in the woods for over 40-some days. So I don't know how he got the wounds. But I can tell you that none of them are serious.

TAPPER: The surrounding community of course was paralyzed by the manhunt. In fact, his capture saved Halloween for many kids in the area. How is the community there feeling?

NOONAN: They are terrific. They are awesome. There was a big sign they put across from our Blooming Grove barracks on a sheet that said, way to go, PSP. They have been so supportive and friendly throughout this entire ordeal that that's been a great plus for us.

TAPPER: Police Commissioner Frank Noonan, thank you so much. Congratulations, again on the great work you and your men did.

NOONAN: Thank you so much.

TAPPER: Make sure to follow me on Twitter. Check out our show page if you want, cnn.com/thelead. We have video, blogs, extras. That's it for "the lead" this week. I'm Jake Tapper.

I now turn you over into the able hands of one Mr. Wolf Blitzer who's next door in "THE SITUATION ROOM."