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Lava Continues to Threaten Dozens of Homes in Hawaii; Republicans Could Take Majority in U.S. Senate; Military Personnel Returning from Ebola Stricken Nations must Undergo a 21-Day Quarantine; The 35th Anniversary of the Iran Hostage Crisis; U.S. Coast Guard Seeing a Record Number of Migrants; Hillary Clinton Barnstorming for Vulnerable Democrats

Aired November 2, 2014 - 15:00   ET

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


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we got much more ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM and it all starts right now.

Straight ahead on CNN, candidates are running out of time before voters headed to the polls. Midterm madness is in full swing and we have you covered across the country.

Then, someone who has had contact with Ebola patient Craig Spencer, Dr. Craig Spencer in New York, is being asked to step up monitoring.

Plus, lava continues to threaten dozens of homes in Hawaii destroying everything in its path. We are live on the ground there.

All right. Hello, again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Just two days to go now before Americans determine the balance of powering Congress and elect governors in 36 states. Candidates are putting in overtime on the campaign trails and make use of every minute before Tuesday's vote.

It's an election with a lot at stake. Republicans could become the majority party in the U.S. Senate for the first time in nearly a decade. They need just six seats to win a majority and three of those seats are considered sure wins at this point. That leaves just three competitive races for the GOP to win to take control of the U.S. Senate.

NBC/Marist poll shows Republicans making gains in three key southern states. Here's the picture.

In Georgia, David Perdue leading Democrat Michelle Nunn 48 percent to 44 percent. In Kentucky, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell has a nine-point lead over Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes. And in Louisiana, the NBC/Marist poll shows Democratic senator Mary Landrieu leading but with just 44 percent of the vote and that is not enough to avoid a December runoff against Republican Bill Cassidy.

All right. So, will we see the balance of power shift in the U.S. Senate come Tuesday? Well, by most accounts, a handful of races will determine if Republicans take control there. Georgia is one of those states. A new NBC/Marist poll indicates

republican David Perdue leading Michelle Nunn, again, in that race for the Senate by just four points. That's within the margin of error.

OK. So Nick Valencia in Atlanta this afternoon.

So Nick, you have been following the Georgia Senate and the governor's race. So does any familiarity with these names, Nunn, Perdue, Carter, all big political family names, are these names resonating with voters?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we talked about that to parishioners here at the Grady Pine Baptist Church where there is a big voter outreach among thee parishioners. More on that in just a minute.

But as you know, these names might be popular with Georgians and beyond. You have Jason Carter, the grandson of Jimmy Carter, the former president, as well as Michelle Nunn on the Senate side, a democratic candidate who is the daughter of former Georgia Senator Sam Nunn.

And they recognized the names. They know who they are. But that name recognition doesn't necessarily equate to knowing exactly who the candidates are or what they stand for. Really, all eyes among the parishioner are on the Senate race. All right, eyes are on the Senate race here in Georgia and beyond, because it has implications beyond Georgia, Fred.

When you are looking at this race between Nunn and Republican candidate David Perdue, you're seeing a chance for -- there are Democrats to hold on to power in the Senate. A win by Michelle Nunn could keep that control of the Senate in the hands of the Democrats. And that's very important for the last two years of President Obama's administration with the House in control of Republicans. This really has larger implications on whether or not Michelle Nunn wins here.

Now, with both races, both the gubernatorial race and the Senate race, the real number is 50 plus one. That threshold of getting 50 percent plus one of the voters could, that's the important issue at hand right now. And so far, no candidate, none of those four names that I mentioned have that 50 percent which could lead to a runoff and that could extend this midterm election to January 6th and really hold up whether or not that power of the Senate will stay in the hands of the Democrats or go towards the Republicans, Fred.

WHITFIELD: And so, it really could go in their way. Any guesses by some f the experts out there, what could swing either one, whether it is a Democratic or the Gubernatorial or rather, the Senate or gubernatorial race swing in either direction?

VALENCIA: Well, it's voter outreach. And that has been the big message here in churches across the state especially at this one. It's so-called soul to the polls campaign which really is that a nationwide initiated. Early voting, and if you are on Friday, and we talked to parishioners here. The pastor here who is the messenger of this early voting message

asked him how he has been successful in trying to get his parishioners to vote.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM FLIPPIN, PASTOR, EMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH: Eighty percent of our members have voted already which is unprecedented. And we are excited with the slate of officers -- candidates, of course, a church cannot endorse Democrat or Republican, but it's no secret that most of us are indeed supporting people that will benefit the African-American agenda lifestyle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: And it is areas like this here in DeKalb county that the democratic base is really counting on. This, you know, speaks to their message. They're going after the young vote. They are going out to the single mother vote. They are going after the minority vote. And these Democratic candidates in the Senate race and the gubernatorial race, they are competitive. Why? Because there is a growing number of minorities in the state of Georgia. The Democrats are hoping that that means victory for them come Tuesday, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Nick Valencia. Appreciate it. Thanks so much.

All right, one of the fiercest Senate battles is taking place in New Hampshire. The state Democratic incumbent Jean Shaheen fighting to keep her seat from former Massachusetts senator Scott Brown.

CNN senior political correspondent Brianna Keilar in Nashua, New Hampshire.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Fred, Hillary Clinton has been barn storming for vulnerable Democrats. She was in Louisiana and Kentucky yesterday. She was in and Iowa earlier this week. And in New Hampshire today, she urge voters to cast their ballots for the Democratic incumbent Senator Jean Shaheen. She's facing off against Scott Brown in a top race. You may recognized his name. He is a former Massachusetts senator who has moved up here to New Hampshire trying to win a seat in the Senate in this neighboring state.

Hillary Clinton urging voters not to cast a protest ballots against Washington dysfunctions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: You know, it's really hard to express how grateful I am on behalf of my husband and myself to the people of New Hampshire starting way back in 1991, you opened your homes and your hearts to us.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KEILAR: Clinton emphasized issues that have been resonating more with women, not hot buttons social issues so much, but economic issues. She talked about equal pay and women are so key to Democrats, not just here in New Hampshire but across the country.

Polls show that although they normally give Democrats an edge, they have been tuning out politics during this midterm cycle. And New Hampshire is a state that you really want to watch come Tuesday. President Obama won, was initially elected here in 2008, won reelection in 2012. So if you start see the ballots being counted and Democrats are really underperforming, that is the sign that they are facing a really tough environment across the country -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Brianna Keilar there in Nashua, New Hampshire.

So Remember, tune in to CNN on election night for all your results. Our coverage starts 5:00 p.m. eastern time.

All right, an accused cop killer is in custody after 48 days on the run, but why was he so cut up and bloodied when he was arrested? The reason, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, new details in that take down of an accused cop-killer in Pennsylvania. Eric Frein had been on the run for 48 days after allegedly shooting two state troopers, killing one. But the image of his arrests raised a few eyebrows. The bridge of his nose was cut and bloody. And his face scratched up.

Well now, we have learned some of the reasons why.

CNN's Alexandria Field is joining me now with details.

So Alexandra, what went down during this capture according to officials?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred. There was so much trepidation about what would happen when authorities finally confronted Frein. They were searching for him for nearly seven weeks and they were very concerned that he has been preparing for confrontation with law enforcement officers. It was fortunate here that no law enforcement officers were hurt when he was finally captured.

What we are hearing now is that Frein was forced down to the ground but that he was chest down looking up at them. That was against law enforcement protocol. They don't want a suspect to have eyes on them or anticipate their next move, so a little bit of the blood and cuts you are seeing in the photo, we were told, that happened when he was forced to put his face down on the ground.

We are also hearing from one of the U.S. marshals who closed in on him about the moments leading up to this very long awaited capture.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MALKOWSKI, U.S. MARSHAL: I caught movement in this area. It was high grass, weeds. When I first saw him, I was like, what is this guy doing in the field by himself? For a split second, I didn't think it was him but then we had a sixth sense, I guess. I knew it was him. He turned towards me. I identified myself as law enforcement and told him to get on the grown. He prone out. He kept a distance of five feet away. I said, who are you and what is your name? And he said Eric Frein.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FIELD: Frein is accused of the September 12th ambush at the (INAUDIBLE) police barracks. In that ambush, corporal Brian Dixon was killed and law enforcement officers tells us that when they captured Frein and took him into custody, they used Dixon's handcuffs and that Frein was brought back in (INAUDIBLE) barracks IN Dixon's squad car -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Alexandra Field, thanks so much.

All right, still to come, our midterm coverage rolls on. Next, we ask our two political experts to call what they believe are the three most important races.

But first, CNN's Richard Quest looks into the future of communications. How will we all connect? Here's our series "Tomorrow Transformed."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It all started with one call as the way we communicate turned to technology.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hear my voice.

QUEST: Then we cut the cord moving from wire to wireless. Then in South Korea one of the most connected countries in the world messaging apps rule the roost especially track out for. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): When you use Kakao talk, it

is easy to send messages, group chatting or gift icons.

QUEST: Today we can tell the world on these and emotions through technology. There's no need to speak to anyone, but is this communicating? Or is it just noise?

TOREA YOUN, KAKAO (through translator): Personally, I think the best way of communicating is to meet in person and talk. But Kakao talk means being connected 24 hours a day. So I think it's a vital supplement to face-to-face communication.

QUEST: Today we are more connected than ever. The challenging is handling the impact it will have on our world tomorrow.

YOUN (through translator): So far, users communicate person to person by sending gifts or playing games with each other. In the future, that connection will expand from not only person to person but also person to object, person to information and online to offline.

ALEX SMITH, MOBILE PRODUCT: It's had a massive impact for the positive. Wherever people are, family and friends around the globe, we can now just pull out our phones, so it really has opened up the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, in the midterm elections Iowa is critical. That's the word from Senate majority leader Harry Reid. And some new numbers must have the Democrat a little worried right now.

The latest "Des Moines Register" poll shows Republican Joni Ernst charging to a seven-point lead over the Democrat Bruce Braley.

And joining me is our political analysts, Ron Brownstein and Larry Sabato.

So good to see both of you, gentlemen.

Larry, you first. How devastating would a democratic loss be in this Iowa Senate race?

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Yes, Larry first.

LARRY SABATO, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, Fredricka, I thought this was one seat they would be able to save, but it doesn't look that way now. For several weeks my sight, the crystal ball had that race leaning to Republican Joni Ernst. I'm not sure she's ahead seven points. I think it's probably closer than that, you know, a couple points perhaps, but she does have the edge and it would certainly hurt democratic prospects of holding on to the Senate.

WHITFIELD: And Ron?

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, well, I agree with Larry. This is the widest lead we have seen in polling but it is consistent with polling showing her consistently ahead.

Look, this is a kind -- this is one of the states where President Obama's weakness has allowed Republicans to expand the playing field. With or without a deterioration in his approval, Republicans -- Democrats are going to have a hard time in some of the red states that are on the ballot this year, but the fact is, is that low approval numbers for the president have allowed the Republicans to expand the playing field into places like Iowa, Colorado, New Hampshire. The Democrats did not initially expect they would have to defend and that make the task of holding the Senate much more complex.

WHITFIELD: And then we asked both of you to give your three most important midterm elections in your view, which are they? So Ron, what are the three? BROWNSTEIN: Well, I pick three, for me, Colorado is a state I've had

my eye on all year. Not only because like Iowa, it is very hard to imagine Democrats holding the Senate if they lose it. But also because it is probably the most revealing state for 2016 that has a Senate race this year. If Republicans can't win in Iowa in 2014 with all the advantages they have in the off-year election, it's very hard to imagine them winning a Colorado -- excuse me, they can't win in Colorado in 2014 with all the advantages they have. It is hard to imagine them winning it in 2016. And if they can't win it in 2016, it is very hard to imagine in getting the 270 electoral college votes. So it would be important positive sign for the Republicans if they can break through in Colorado.

The other two I have real quick are Kansas, because I think as we're seeing in the other polling today, most of the democratic takeaway opportunities in red states like Georgia and Kansas look very -- Georgia and Kentucky look very tough down the stretch. Kansas with this independent run, it may be their best way to take away the red seat that Republicans hold and thus give themselves margin to offset some of their own losses.

Finally, on the governor side, I would pick Florida. Florida is not only the most significant state that is on the ballot for the governors I think this year with the real race, partially because of the question of whether we'll accept the expansion of Medicaid which could affect hundreds of thousands of people in that state. But also, because again, it's a state the Republicans have to win back in 2016 if they have to have any hope of winning back the White House. And if Democrats aren't able to win it this year, it would be a sign the changing demography of the state could make that tougher Republicans two years from now.

WHITFIELD: Larry, the top three races you have your eye on?

SABATO: Well, actually, Ron and I overlapped almost precisely. So let me for variety sake just add a few others in.

I would say that North Carolina's Senate race is critical because here's a place the Democrats have a chance to hold the line. Senator Kay Hagan, a freshman Democrat, is in a very tight race with the state House speaker Thom Tillis. This is southern state. It is a purple state. They voted for President Obama in 2008. They voted for Mitt Romney in 2012. So far Hagan has been able to hold off whatever Republicans surge is affecting the rest of the south. Will that hold on Tuesday night? If it does, Democrats won't have as disastrous a night as they would have. If they end up losing North Carolina and even New Hampshire, then the Republicans will be much more secure in the Senate.

Just to mention one key governor's race I would pick, Florida. Florida is awfully important, not just for presidential races but for everything else. And there you have incumbent Republican governor Rick Scott, a freshman in a tie with former Republican governor now Democratic nominee Charlie Crist. Of anything, Crist has a tiny edge there which is going to be most interesting if he wins. They will be dealing with a Republican legislature. Do you think Washington gridlock is bad? Wait until you see the hall has zee kind (ph).

WHITFIELD: All right, Larry Sabato, Ron Brownstein, good to see both of you. Thanks so much. Appreciate your predictions.

All right. Our midterm election coverage continues. A live look at Bridge Port, Connecticut where President Obama is on the campaign trail and due to take the stage at any moment. But will his low approval rating actually, I don't know, impact his chances at the polls for any of the candidates? We'll discuss.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In just two days the balance of power in Washington could shift if the GOP takes their first Senate majority in nearly a decade. Today, President Obama is stumping for Democratic candidates in Connecticut and Pennsylvania. But with Obama's low approval rating, Senator Rand Paul is just one of a growing chorus who says the president's up popular policies could hurt Democrats.

Here's what he told CNN's Candy Crowley.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: I think this election is going to be a referendum on the president. Even he acknowledged his policies will be on the ballot and he will be indirectly on the ballot. And there's a great deal of unhappiness that feels in our country that he promised to even beyond things. That he was going to be a uniter, not a divider.

But you know, I called him a month ago and I said, Mr. President, I'll work with you on criminal justice. What I want you to try to help me bring American profit home so we can create jobs here. He voted for this in 2005. Lower the tax rate, bring money home, create jobs, it's a win/win for everybody, both parties, but I was disappointed that he chose to attack American corporations, attack American business instead of saying, you know what, I will help you bring jobs home and we'll do it together.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: You are right, certainly there are a lot of circumstances that if you're a democrat you're looking at and thinking, you know, an unpopular president. History is generally against the party that has a president in a midterm that holds the oval office. We're seeing these individual polls. We also see that the Democrats had much tougher territory to defend than Republicans did.

But you feel this is a referendum on the president. What does it say about Republicans because a lot of these races, about ten of them, are still pretty darn close, which means those Democrats have been able to survive in the worst of environments.

PAUL: Well, I think it shows our country is evenly divided and tilts a little bit one way and a little bit the other way. But I think that when you have a president and then you have Hillary Clinton saying the same thing, saying that businesses don't create jobs, a lot of Americans are scratching their heads and saying, who do these people think create jobs and business don't? Do they thing government creates job and that that's how American became great?

And I think there's a fundamental philosophical debate in our country that I sense a lot of people saying to themselves, you know what, I think if we don't understand businesses create jobs or we don't understand that we want American money in businesses to come home and we want to do something constructive, then maybe we need new leadership in the country. So I think people are ready for new leadership.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk more about this with CNN's Erin McPike who is at the White House.

So Erin, the president is not campaigning in virtually any real competitive races. He is spending a lot of times in the state where is the democratic candidates like today in Connecticut and Pennsylvania where they are in pretty good shape. Explain the strategy here.

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN GENERAL ASSIGNMENT CORRESPONDENT: Fred, that's right. We are seeing him about to begin there in Connecticut and he campaigned in Michigan yesterday. He's campaigning in a lot of these deeply blue states that generally should be slam dunks for Democrats, at least at this point in time. But what we have been hearing from him on the campaign trail and a few rallies he has done in the past week or so he is really making a push for female voters.

And as the races get closer, that's what the key is there. But by the end of today, we'll have done just seven campaign rallies in this entire election season. And you know that over the last decade he's been a campaign king. Well, simply because a lot of these tight Senate races are in states that are generally more favorable to Republicans and his presence there on the campaign trail could simply help to galvanize Republicans to come out to vote, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Erin McPike at the White House. Thanks so much.

All right, the nurse who escaped quarantine in two states who now says she's sorry for what she has put her community through.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KACI HICKOX, NURSE: I understand that the community has been through a lot in the past week and that I do, you know, apologize to them for that. I will not go into town and go into crowded public places. You know, I have had a few friends come to visit me in my home and that's absolutely fantastic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: After returning from aide work in Sierra Leone, Kaci Hickox was placed into quarantine at a Newark, New Jersey, at a hospital there and then she was put in a tent with only a port-a-potty and sink. And then after Kaci went public, the governor of New Jersey changed his mind and let her go home to Maine. But Maine health officials mandate she go into quarantine and order Kaci defied. A judge, a Maine judge has since overturned that order on Friday. And now she's free to move about just as she pleases.

Maine nurse, Kaci Hickox's quarantine fight has brought up questions about why there are different quarantine rules for our troops, U.S. troops than civilians. Members of the U.S. military returning from Ebola stricken nations must undergo a 21-day quarantine.

Let's bring in now Dr. Jerry Jaax.

So, how different are we talking about the circumstances for U.S. military when they return even though there's going to be apparently no direct contact with Ebola patients. They will have to be quarantined and then civilians, it's at the discretion of a state as to whether they should be quarantined.

DR. JERRY JAAX, EBOLA EXPERT: Well, it's my sense that certainly with military, I think we are going to have an awful lot of military folks there. They are primarily not going to be involved in direct patient care, but I think that they are coming back to communities that are very closely knit. There are not going to be a lot of people there serving in the military in West Africa who are involved in patient care or in taking care of people that they would have expertise in being able to understand very well their quarantine.

And I think that the military has a very different culture than civilians. Certainly. they would understand command and control. And I think that as far as the 21 days, I think it will be added on to their tour of duty. So that if they are going to be there for six- and-a-half months, they are going to add the those three weeks on. And so, I think it will be a criteria that they understand when they go.

WHITFIELD: And any difference, these U.S. military personnel, it would be paid. There has been an argument from many of the aid workers or those in the medical community who feel like imposing a mandatory quarantined would mean many people would not -- would be returning to the states and not be able to do their jobs. They would be going without pay.

So, is the military culture more likely to accept these kinds of conditions given that many of them are being put in hardship locations and in various tours of duty, even though this isn't necessarily considered more duty by going to West Africa to help set up these clinics. But there is sort of an understood risk factor and they feel like they have been taking care of, so to speak, by being put into quarantine.

JAAX: Yes, I think that is right. I mean, I think that majority of folks who joined the military recognized that they are serving for the public good. I think they want to make a contribution. I think they would completely understand the dynamics of just the scatter effect when they would come back from West Africa. They are going to be paid, which is certainly a big piece of it.

Yes, so I think that -- and, you know, my sense would be that most of these folks are going to be, you know, are going to be excited to go, at least a lot of them. And the ones that might not be so excited will certainly understand that, you know, this is part of what they sign up for and not necessarily more duty but this is a certainly humanitarian crisis and I think most of these guys and girls are going to be very excited to participate in something that they feel very strongly about.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dr. Jerry Jaax, thanks so much for your time. Appreciate it.

JAAX: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: A town in Hawaii is on edge. We'll go live to the big island for the latest on the lava flow that is threatening so many people's homes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In Hawaii residents are keeping a close eye on a river of lava flowing from a volcano. The eruption began back in June but lately the lava crept closer to a group of homes. Authorities say residents need to stay on alert.

Our Martin Savidge is on the big island of Hawaii. OK. So what do they are considering the threat level to be right now?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right now, they are sort of saying the front of the lava flow, it's about 150 feet wide, stalled. You can imagine that, you know, lava also cools and crusts over so it becomes kind of a rock front. The problem is it can build up like a dam and that causes the hot lava that's still coming down to break out, push out from other parts of the lava flow. And that's their real concern right now. They are watching those areas very carefully because they could move around or come from a different direction, not necessarily head-on.

You got the national guards that is here in town. You also got these road blocks that have been set up and directly behind us where we are standing, that area that is now inaccessible, but only to local residents. That's where the lava path is now projected to be.

So those people, some have left, some are staying, it moves slow. They are watching it day by day, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: So can you explain, if you can Martin, you know, how this volcano kind of burps, you know, how suddenly, there will be a lot of flow and them sometimes it stops. And like you said, may cool and then it diverts into other directions.

SAVIDGE: This is, you know, I have learned a lot about volcanoes in the past week. And for instance, there are two types of lava that you can find here in island of Hawaii. One is the Pahoehoe and the other 'a'a. IT is the pahoehoe that is actually coming down in the direction of this town. That is more of the smoother take better (ph) kind of ropey kind as opposed to the 'a'a which looks like a crushed Oreo cookie.

But anyway, one of the symptoms of pahoehoe is the fact that it will flows and it stops and it flows again it. You go through periods of where it is they called inflation and deflation. We are now one of those period where it serves has slowed down. However, it can very quickly pick up again and the volume of lava could easily become much greater.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So there could be kind of a false sense of security. But then I wonder if the people who lived there are maybe they used to the, you know, the culture of living with active volcano. Are they still, you know, trying to prepare themselves or prepare their homes or they have an escape route? What do they do in situations like this?

SAVIDGE: Yes. Well, they are. And the community is trying to keep people aware. But look, you don't have to be terrified, but you do need to be cognizant that the threat is still there.

Meanwhile, the community itself is trying to do things to get ready families have done their won evacuation. But take a look down this road here and you can see just off in the distance, and let me get out of the shot, I suppose. You will see those telephone poles, and look how this earth (ph) has been filled up against it. This is something the power company is doing to try to protect those poles.

You got search layers of earth. And on top of that, you got some corrugated metal, more earth and then finally about a third of the way up there. You see it wrapped with some kind -- it looks like heat- resistant material.

The idea while this 2,000 grief (ph) plus to delay and amount of (INAUDIBLE) against that wood pole. Do that, you spare the pole. It has actually worked in other areas where the lava has passed through.

Again, the slow advance lets you have time. In some other communities in the past, they have actually moved entire buildings. That's how much time the lava can sometime giddy (ph), not always. And you are right that false sense of security is the biggest problem city officials here.

WHITFIELD: I imagine.

All right, that is incredible. Very intense situation there.

Martin Savidge, appreciate it from the big island in Hawaii.

All right, 35 years ago, a group of Iranian protesters attacked the U.S. embassy in Iran. Well, those hostages were interrogations, beaten and tortured. So became of the embassy, that's just might surprise you coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: This week marks the 35th anniversary of what many consider as the first brush the United States had with political Islam. The Iran hostage crisis. It ignited on November 4th, 1979, when students who followed the Aetolia Hominy stormed the U.S. embassy in Iran taking 52 American hostages.

But joining me right now is CNN's Azadeh Ansari.

So Azadeh, the embassy itself still stands the U.S. embassy but it has a new purpose.

AZADEH ANSARI, CNN INTERNATIONAL DESK EDITOR: It does, Fred. And once this complex was looked at as a symbol of the close relationship the U.S. had with the then Shaw Reza palace, but now the complex itself which is the two-storey building serves as part Malaysia base for the siege and also it is a part of Iranian culture of museum of sorts. So it has a dual purposes.

But still hardliners in Iran looked at this and they still say that it is the then spies because the personnel working there at the time were accused of being CIA spies and also trying to overthrow the movement, the revolutionary movement that was taking place in the country in the 1979 and 1980. So there's a lot of history there but it still serves as a symbol more or less of victory for many older Iranians who are -- of that generation who fought this cause as a symbol against what they considered to be U.S. imperialism. So it's still there.

WHITFIELD: Yes, that is fascinating because the elder generation there probably looks at it with disdain, but probably a lot of the patrons are the younger people and when they go, what are their feelings? Do they feel the same way that, you know, their parents and grandparents felt about what happened in that embassy?

ANSARI: Well, growing up, they obviously this in the history books, and hearing the stories of their parents had as they march through the square. You know, this is a part of their history and part of their tradition, but it is not necessarily part of their daily fabric because again, we're talking about a generation that you have 80 million people in Iran of which 70 percent is under the age of 35.

So many of these, this younger generation was born after the hostage crisis. So for them, they want to enjoy what kids all around the world want to enjoy, and they have the same interests. They have the same likes. They are internet savvy. They are very worldly despite the fact we feel they are isolated due to a lot of geopolitical conversations that are taking place.

WHITFIELD: So instead, this is almost like a little history book for them.

ANSARI: Absolutely. And they can go, they can tour. They can go to the museum, they can see it. But again, it's not on the social level. And I think that one of the things that we see in this time of history is the slogans that you say death to America. And just to be clear, it's never been against the American people. It's always been against the policy that America has had toward the Iranians. So just, you know, it's the people want to enjoy the same kinds of freedoms that people elsewhere -- everywhere do.

WHITFIELD: It is fascinating. Incredible and that it still stands, but you know, I guess it's being received in so many different ways as you just kind of spell out.

Azadeh, thanks so much. Appreciate that.

CNN's Anthony Bourdain made some discoveries of his own while in Iran recently. It's actually a place that he's been trying to get access to for a very long time and then finally, he got in.

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ANTHONY BOURDAIN, CNN HOST, PARTS UNKNOWN: I am so confused. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Of all the places, of all the countries, all the years of traveling, it's here in Iran that I'm greeted most warmly by total strangers. The other stuff is there, the Iran we've read about, heard about, seen in the news. But this, this I wasn't prepared for.

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WHITFIELD: Lots of incredible discoveries in Iran. See the entire episode, "PARTS UNKNOWN" tonight 9:00 eastern right here on CNN.

All right, coming up next, CNN exclusive look at the record number of migrants trying to make it to the U.S. Don't miss this rare look at the crisis.

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WHITFIELD: The U.S. Coast Guard is seeing a record number of migrants trying to make it to the U.S. They found about 640 migrants last month off Miami. At least four of them had died. In a CNN exclusive, our Alina Machado went along with the Coast Guard to get a firsthand look at the crisis.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got eyes on them.

ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A dramatic scene plays out in the Florida straits.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You for to press.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I got them.

MACHADO: A United States Coast Guard plane spots this small boat packed with 29 Cubans, including several women and at least one young boy. The boat is taking on water.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So the Norvell is coming on scene.

MACHADO: Yet when the Coast Guard cutter Margaret Norvell arrives to help, the group's leader refuses to cooperate. Eventually, the group gives up and gives in.

Joining the growing number of migrants rescued while making this dangerous and sometimes deadly journey to the U.S.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've been seeing the highest migration levels that we've seen from Cuba and Haiti the past five years.

MACHADO: Roughly 10,000 migrants have been found in this area just this year. That's more than 3,000 than the year before. The biggest spike, Cubans who's numbers have doubled since the Castro government lifted travel restrictions in 2012.

You have to be pretty desperate to jump, you know, to go into open water and just try to make it, no?

LT. KIRK FISTICK, NORVELL COMMANDING OFFICER: Yes, it is.

MACHADO: I mean, it is dangerous. It's very dangerous.

FISTICK: Most of it is economic, you know. They are looking for a better way of life.

MACHADO: Lieutenant Kirk Fistick is the commanding officer of the Norvell, one of the agency's newest high tech ships in the Coast Guard seventh district.

FISTICK: This is the front line of Coast Guard operations. This is where the action happens.

MACHADO: We wanted to get a firsthand look at the action. We spent a few days on board at Norvell and what we saw was sobering. A few hours into our journey, the boat takes on ten migrants. The lights of the U.S. shine in the distance. This is the closest this group will get.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One more.

MACHADO: A doctor is concerned that the last one may be suicidal, refusing to eat after telling the Coast Guard this was his ninth attempt to reach America.

So you see, they have put the man on the stretcher, on the cutter safely. It doesn't appear that he's responding at this point. It's unclear what they are going to do with him. We know that the remaining nine migrants are all in the same area on this boat and they will probably be here until the process runs its course.

In the early morning hours, another group of Cuban migrants is found barely moving, idling in what appears to be the middle of nowhere. Each one is given a life vest before being transferred to the cutter. Their small boat is then filled with gasoline and shot up with a 50 caliber machine gun. A fire sinks the tiny boat.

On the cutter, the migrants wear Tyvec suits to stay dry. They are given red beans and rice to eat twice a day and a rubber mat to sleep on. Some interact with Coast Guard members like Ronald Garcia, a Cuban American himself.

RONALD GARCIA, U.S. COAST GUARD: It's difficult to see the situation that they are in.

MACHADO: In all, we saw about 80 Cuban migrants in just four days with the Coast Guard, all of them with desperation in their eyes. For most, their search for a new life over at least for now.

Of the 80 migrants we saw, 29 Cubans who were found on a U.S. territory were actually allowed to stay in the U.S. because of a long- standing policy that only applies to Cubans. Most migrants who are found at sea, regardless of their country of origin, are usually sent back.

Alina Machado, CNN, Miami Beach.

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