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Increased Security Underway For Trump's Historic Arraignment Tuesday; Trump To Give Speech At Mar-a-Lago Tuesday Night After Arraignment; U.S. Calls For Immediate Release Of Journalist Arrested In Moscow; Interview With Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO); Pope Francis Leads Palm Sunday Mass After Leaving Hospital; Russian Military Blogger Killed In St. Petersburg Blast; March Madness Championship Game Set. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired April 02, 2023 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:29]

JIM ACOSTA, CNN HOST: You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington.

Right now New York City is preparing for something never seen before in American history. The arraignment of an indicted former president. Donald Trump is expected to voluntarily surrender and appear in court on Tuesday afternoon. He reportedly faces more than 30 charges related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

It is impossible to imagine all the scenarios Manhattan law enforcement officials are gaming out right now, given what happened on January 6th, given that Trump has again called for protests this coming Tuesday, and given that supporters like Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene are tweeting things like this. "New York, put your MAGA hats on. Under our constitutional rights, we will support President Trump and protest the tyrants. I'll see you on Tuesday."

CNN's Polo Sandoval joins us now with more on the extraordinary measures going on outside the New York City courthouse in Lower Manhattan.

Polo, that's a cocktail of a lot of different things coming together on Tuesday. You're going to be busy following all of this. What are you seeing right now?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly all eyes will be on the building that's to my left, Jim. The security presence that we are seeing right now, that we have been seeing for quite some time, will certainly pale compared to what we are likely to see on Tuesday. That is when we certainly will see an increased police presence of more people, certainly on the ground here.

And it's important to remind the viewers about why we've seen that significant police presence increased, not just because the defendant in this case happens to be the former president of the United States but which obviously comes with some Secret Service concerns, but also as we walk this way, it also is the concern, of course, that we could see an increase in protest and the potential for some of those protests to evolve into something that ends up a bit violent.

So it just gives you an idea of what we're seeing downtown, and it's not just what's happening there. But of course we're seeing press from all over the world here, and this will also continue to increase as we get closer to Tuesday.

Jim, let's send it back to you.

ACOSTA: Polo Sandoval, thank you very much. You can already hear some of the commotion down there in Manhattan at the criminal courthouse. Polo, thanks.

CNN is now learning that Trump will deliver remarks on Tuesday night from Mar-a-Lago following his arraignment. This as his attorney has already previewing the defense strategy that they're going to be laying out.

CNN's Katelyn Polantz is here with me now.

Katelyn, what more are we learning about how this will play out? We don't know what the indictment says. We have to keep cautioning folks. We don't have a full understanding of what's in that indictment. So I suppose the defense team doesn't completely understand what they may want to do in response to it. They're going to be reading this all in real time with us, I suppose.

KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Right. They don't know what it is yet either.

ACOSTA: Yes. Yes.

POLANTZ: And we know that there are likely charges numbering 30 or more, and that there's very likely almost certainly felony counts in there, but the Trump legal defense team, they're already out, saying we're going to do this, we're going to do that. But we do need to see and wait what is in that indictment.

ACOSTA: Yes.

POLANTZ: So some of the things that they're already saying that they may be looking at potentially doing is challenging the law. Maybe the law they don't believe was used appropriately in the state system when this was also investigated by federal investigators. They also are hinting that they may want to challenge timing, that maybe some of these actions from 2016 are so old that the law, the statute of limitations is done. And maybe those are the sorts of things that they could get a leg up in court.

Here's what Joe Tacopina, one of Donald Trump's defense attorneys, was saying this morning to Dana Bash here on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE TACOPINA, TRUMP'S ATTORNEY: We will take the indictment. We will dissect it. The team will look at every, every potential issue that we will be able to challenge and we will challenge, and of course I very much anticipate a motion to dismiss coming because there's no law that fits this.

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR, STATE OF THE UNION: Are you going to ask for a different judge?

TACOPINA: We are going to take the indictment, evaluate all our legal options and pursue everyone most vigorously. This is a case of political persecution. I have no reason to believe this judge is biased. I've not been before him on this matter. So we have to let this process play out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

POLANTZ: So one of the things Dana asked there is, are you going to try and move it to a different judge. Donald Trump has already been out there publicly attacking the judge, and so we do need to see if that is something that's going to come up in this hearing on Tuesday, when Trump is formally read the charges he faces enters his not guilty plea. We're trying to see if we can get that unsealed before then even.

[18:05:02]

We know that there are members of the press including CNN that have gone to court and trying to see that -- those charges early.

ACOSTA: Yes.

POLANTZ: But even if the charges are unsealed on Tuesday, we don't know how explicit they're going to be about what the district attorney found. There might even be evidence here that doesn't even get revealed until trial.

ACOSTA: Interesting. OK, and Katelyn, the "Washington Post" is now reporting more about the Department of Justice's investigation into the classified document probe. Some interesting new details that they're reporting. What can you tell us?

POLANTZ: Right. Really underlying just how mature this investigation is that the special counsel in Washington, D.C., Jack Smith is conducting around classified documents kept Mar-a-Lago after the presidency, but crucially, not just that the obstruction of justice angle.

ACOSTA: Right.

POLANTZ: We've known that has been going on. What the "Washington Post" says is that the Justice Department is gathering and has gathered fresh evidence pointing to possible obstruction by Donald Trump himself in this investigation. One of the details that they served us is that people have been telling them or people have provided evidence to show that Trump looked through contents of some of the boxes in his home, potentially to keep things in his possession.

I mean, that's significant in that there are so many stories that Trump may have had a folder on his nightstand. There were documents in a box that moved out of a storage room into the office, the bridal suite at Mar-a-Lago that's now his office. But this is the Justice Department trying to put things together, nail it down with the grand jury.

ACOSTA: It does sound like that part of the investigation is proceeding.

All right, Katelyn Polantz, thank you very much.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is demanding the immediate release of two Americans being held in Russian prisons. "Wall Street Journal" reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested last week, and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan is already serving a 16-year prison sentence. Both are separately charged with espionage.

White House reporter Arlette Saenz joins us now to talk about this.

Arlette, tell us about what the secretary of state had to say with his Russian counterpart earlier today? I guess they had a phone call? What can you tell us?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jim, Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his counterpart, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, where he expressed deep concern over the detainment of that "Wall Street Journal" reporter Evan Gershkovich, and urged Russia to release him immediately.

It is very rare that these two men ever speak. It's only the third time that they have spoken since Russia launched its war against Ukraine and each of those times the secretary of state has pushed Russia and talked to them about the detainment of Americans.

Now in this call, he not only focused on Gershkovich but also on that other American who has been detained, Paul Whelan. I want to read you a bit of the readout from the State Department, which, says, quote, "Secretary Blinken conveyed the United States' grave concern over Russia's unacceptable detention of a U.S. citizen journalist. The secretary called for his immediate release." They added, "Secretary Blinken further urged the Kremlin to immediately release wrongfully detained U.S. citizen Paul Whelan."

Now the Russian side says that this phone call was done at the request of the U.S. and they said that Lavrov told Blinken that ultimately Gershkovich's fate will be determined by a Russian court. Now the White House and the "Wall Street Journal," his employer, have pushed back on these charges relating to espionage, saying that they are simply not accurate. But it certainly comes at a very high point of tension between the United States and Russia, not just about the detention of these Americans, but also that war in Ukraine.

One thing that officials are really working towards in these coming days is trying to gain consular access to Gershkovich so they can evaluate exactly what his condition is, so that officials have an idea of that. And so that they are also able to relay that to the family. But the White House has been trying to stress that this is a top priority for the president at this moment. ACOSTA: All right. Our White House correspondent, Arlette Saenz, thank

you very much for that report.

And joining us now with more on this, Democratic representative from Colorado, Jason Crow. He's a member of the House Foreign Affairs and Intelligence Committees.

Congressman, thanks for being with us on this busy Sunday. We appreciate it. Let me ask you first about the arrest of "Wall Street Journal" reporter Evan Gershkovich. President Biden has said it's not the plan right now of the administration to expel Russian diplomats or journalists in retaliation.

But what should the administration be considering at this point? And do we have a situation where, like Brittney Griner, we have an American trapped in Russia right now who is for all intents and purposes a hostage right now?

REP. JASON CROW (D-CO): Well, Jim, first of all, I don't think we can understate the level of escalation this is by Vladimir Putin. This is the first time since the Cold War that a U.S. journalist has been wrongfully detained on his false allegations of espionage and spying. So clearly this is showing Putin's desperation.

[18:10:02]

It's showing his weakness as more and more options get cut off for him as he continues to struggle in Ukraine. He's grasping at any straw he can, in this case, innocent folks continue to get pulled into his net because of the games that he's playing.

So this administration is doing exactly what it should be doing right now, engaging on diplomacy, starting discussions, but you know, what needs to be said, and what has been said by this administration and I'll repeat it right now, U.S. citizens traveling to Russia should be extremely, extremely careful.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. You're right about that. And let me ask you, Congressman, on Trump's indictment. You were part of Donald Trump's first impeachment trial as an impeachment manager. I guess what are your thoughts on his indictment by the Manhattan D.A.? And legal experts have said this is not -- some legal experts have said this is not the strongest case that the president is -- former president is facing when you compare those being investigated by the special counsel Jack Smith, the Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis.

Would you have preferred perhaps an election-related offense to go first, that kind of a case, or January 6th related case to go first? What are your thoughts?

CROW: Well, first of all, this is a somber moment. This isn't a moment for celebration. It's not a moment for incitement either. What we have to do is actually let the process play out. This is the criminal justice system in America. When it's at its best justice is blind. That's the aspiration here. You know, in every courthouse in America almost you have justice, the statue, holding the scales, weighing the evidence. And justice is always wearing the blindfold.

So it shouldn't matter whether this is a president or not. That actually should be irrelevant to the order of charges, to the types of charges. You know, there are different folks. There's the D.A.'s, there's attorney generals, there's a special investigator, and the District of Columbia that has an investigation going on. These are all independent investigations.

The D.A.'s, the A.G., the special investigator, they're doing their own thing. There's no coordination here, so it really doesn't matter which one should go first. Which one should go first is the one that's ready. And if it's a strong enough case is presented to a grand jury. And then that's the last point. That's extremely important here. D.A.'s don't indict people. Grand juries indict people. So when we get those jury notices in the mail, everybody gets some, we show up for jury duty and a certain number of folks get pulled away to serve on a grand jury.

ACOSTA: Yes.

CROW: Just like any other jury, they hear evidence, and they alone make that decision.

ACOSTA: Yes. And Congressman, you were also at the Capitol on January 6th. We all remember some of the photos of you taking cover with other members when all of that was unfolding. Do you have concerns that the protests that are planned on Tuesday could get out of hand in Manhattan or elsewhere? One of your House colleagues, Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, has said she plans on going to Lower Manhattan to be outside the courthouse on Tuesday, that I guess demonstrate against what's going on there.

Are you worried this might get out of hand?

CROW: Well, of course, Jim. Of course I am because the people that are calling for political protests, they're not calling for just protests, and there's no dog whistle here. They're very clear with the language they use what they're looking for. They're looking to incite violence. They're looking for people to usurp the criminal justice system due process. They have no concern for democracy in America, so it's extremely dangerous time.

We continue to have people that hold leadership positions in America that will weaponize their platforms to stay and do dangerous things. So we have to be vigilant. We should support our law enforcement. We should support our criminal justice system, doing what it needs to be doing, and everybody should do everything they need to do to stay safe.

ACOSTA: And what do you make of Marjorie Taylor Greene being there on Tuesday, her plans to be there on Tuesday?

CROW: Well, I mean, I can't speak to Marjorie Taylor Green. I don't spend any time inside of her head. That's not a place where I want to go. So I try to avoid that. But you know, she has a long history of inciting violence, of saying crazy things, and she's a conspiracy theorist. She's a QAnon conspiracy person. You know, she has, you know, meddled in very dangerous rhetoric. So I think we just have to be very vigilant and make sure that we're pushing back against that incitement.

And, frankly, Republicans and Democrats alike. This should not be a partisan issue. Nobody in America should tolerate incitement of violence, period. We settle our differences at the ballot box. That's America. That's what democracies do. We should not resort to violence and tolerate those who do.

ACOSTA: All right, Congressman Jason Crowe, thank you very much for your time. We appreciate it on this busy Sunday evening. Thanks for joining us.

CROW: Thank you.

ACOSTA: All right. Now to the extreme weather slamming parts of the U.S. This hour the threat shifts to the southern plains, including the Dallas-Fort Worth area. That tornado watch that you're seeing on your screen right now, it is in effect for that entire area.

[18:15:03]

Thirteen million people face the risk of severe weather. And meanwhile the death toll is inching up again in this week's devastating tornado outbreak. 32 people are now confirmed killed from the storms that hammered the south and the Midwest, and an update from the deadly roof collapse during a concert in Belvedere, Illinois, that we told you about yesterday.

Governor JB Pritzker toured the site today and announced that of the 48 people hospitalized, five remain in critical condition.

Just a devastating round of tornadoes across this country this past weekend. We'll stay on top of it for you.

Coming up, the world's worst April Fool's joke. That is how Ukraine is reacting as Russia now heads the U.N. Security Council. We'll discuss with former Russian chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov. Plus Pope Francis is back to performing his duties on the first day of Holy Week, just one day after being released from the hospital.

And later, this has been a March Madness like no other else. LSU's women's team was just crowned champions, making history in the process. As for the men, the two final teams are gearing up for one more game. That's coming up. San Diego State versus UConn. Who you got? We'll talk about that, coming up.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:20:19]

ACOSTA: Watch for higher gas prices after a surprise announcement today from OPEC. Saudi Arabia, Iraq and several Gulf states say they will be cutting production of crude oil in an effort to stabilize they say the oil market. The reduction will amount to a cut of more than a million barrels per day. A barrel of oil is currently selling for around $75. Analysts say the cut in crude production could boost the price of oil between $3 and $10 a barrel, so keep an eye on those gas prices.

Pope Francis is back and presiding over the Holy Week one day after being discharged from the hospital. The Pope led Palm Sunday services in Vatican Square this morning, delivering a prayer in front of a crowd of tens of thousands of worshippers, and he thanked those who prayed for him during his illness.

CNN's Delia Gallagher is in Rome for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Pope Francis seemed to be in good spirits on Sunday for Palm Sunday mass in St. Peter's Square. You could hear his voice was a bit hoarse, seemed a bit more tired than usual, but that's to be expected from an 86-year-old who has just been released yesterday from the hospital for bronchitis.

The Pope gave his homily in which he spoke about some of those themes that are closest to his heart, about people who society abandons, the sick, the elderly, migrants, people in prison. Pope Francis will go in fact to a juvenile jail here in Rome on Thursday for the traditional washing of the feet. He also thanked people who had given him prayers and well-wishes during his time in the hospital.

And he was able to go around in his Pope mobile amongst some 60,000 people gathered in the square, according to the Vatican, waving and giving them a thumbs up. It begins a very busy week for the Pope. In addition to Thursday, on Friday, he's expected to be in front of Rome's colosseum in the evening for the Way of the Cross. On Saturday evening an Easter vigil and on Sunday Easter Sunday mass.

Delia Gallagher, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: All right. And we have a winner in the women's tournament in the NCAA. March Madness tournament. LSU just took down Iowa, 102 to 85, to claim the program's first ever women's basketball title. That 102 points is the most in women's title game. History, just unbelievable. It's an unfortunate end for Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark. She captured the headlines all tournament long with her unbelievable three-point shooting.

Congrats to both teams, but to LSU defeating Iowa there to claim the title. Congratulations to them.

Up next, we'll dive into how Trump's indictment will shake up the political landscape as another candidate throws his hat into the ring to take on the former president.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:27:22]

ACOSTA: Former President Donald Trump is already planning a post- arraignment speech to be delivered Tuesday night from Mar-a-Lago. This as his attorney is calling the indictment political persecution and previews what they consider to be a robust defense.

Lots to talk about with "Vanity Fair" special correspondent Molly Jong-Fast and former adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, Olivia Troye.

Molly, I guess it would be unusual if Trump were not giving a speech after his arraignment on Tuesday.

MOLLY JONG-FAST, VANITY FAIR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this indictment has been Trump's way back onto FOX News and back into the national spotlight, and he is taking full advantage with lots and lots of fundraising letters and lots and lots of planned speeches. And I think Trump thinks that this is his moment. And look, the base is, you know, doubling down on Trump and I think this is going to help him a lot in the primary contest.

ACOSTA: Yes. And Olivia, your former boss also invoked the political persecution theme when he appeared this past week with our very own Wolf Blitzer. Let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: The unprecedented indictment of a former president of the United States on a campaign finance issue is an outrage. And it appears for millions of Americans, to be nothing more than a political prosecution that's driven by a prosecutor who literally ran for office on a pledge to indict the former president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Olivia, it was just a couple of weeks ago when Pence was calling Trump's actions reckless and a disgrace. He has been up until recently ramping up his rhetoric going after Trump. What do you make of all this? What's going on?

OLIVIA TROYE, FORMER ADVISER TO MIKE PENCE: Look, it's amazing what blind political ambition and desire for that Oval Office will do to people and I think part of it is also fear. Fear of losing where the Republican base of the party is and right now it is Trump's Republican Party. Whether people, you know, want to accept it or not, whether people like myself who have been lifelong Republicans want to accept that, but that is where it is. And I think Pence is trying to figure out how he walks this fine line, but there's no walking a fine line.

These are the same people that showed up at the Capitol that day and tried to kill him. So I think, you know, I don't see what kind of path he thinks he's carving by following in lockstep with everyone who's falling in line behind Trump. ACOSTA: Yes, Molly, to that point even Jeb Bush, who was dubbed low

energy Jeb by Trump during the 2016 campaign, came out this weekend and called Bragg's case political, not a matter of justice.

[18:30:01]

What do you think is going on with -- I mean, there's so many top Republicans rallying behind Donald Trump. It's almost like he's gotten the nomination.

JONG-FAST: That was so depressing. I have to say Jeb Bush has been sort of one of the last voices and you'll remember his mother was one of the few people to actually speak out against Trump. And she said, you know this guy, you know, there's a -- you know, she really criticized him, and she even said, you know, she was a woman and that there -- you know, she didn't understand how women could support him. This is Jeb's mother.

I mean, so, look, I think that Jeb has made the calculus that -- has made the calculation that the only way in this party is through Trump and remember his son tried to run for A.G. in Texas and lost. So I do think that there is a sense here where these people have just decided Trump is the only way to get, you know, any kind of power or stop in the Republican Party, and it's depressing.

And I also think that eventually there is going to be a break and they're going to be no never Trump Republicans to go with.

ACOSTA: Yes, well, and that dovetails into my next question, Olivia. Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson says he's in for the 2024 fight for the GOP nomination. A formal announcement expected in a couple of weeks. I mean, what do you make of Asa Hutchinson? And do you think he perhaps sees -- maybe because he, you know, has been in law enforcement, you know, does he see Trump's political demise on the horizon somehow? And he's making that kind of a bet? Because he has been pretty consistently critical of the former president.

TROYE: He has been. And to be honest, I was glad to see him announced that he will be running because I just I hope that he will maintain the lane of a traditional Republican conservative, and I hope that he will speak, you know, just honestly about actual policies and governance and what he plans to do in his platform. And I think, you know, he has been critical of Trump in the past. And to be honest, he's the only one I think right now out of the people that are running or potentially running, that has not been out there undermining the judicial process.

He has not attacked the district attorney's office. He's not attacked the grand jury and undermine their process. He has said let's wait for the process to play out and I give him credit for that. I think more Republicans should be doing that because the more they do this disinformation campaign, the more undermining and dangerous it is for our country.

ACOSTA: And Molly, and Olivia, both, I'd like to have you weigh in on this, both of you. I want to mention the deeply personal comments Senator John Fetterman made about his depression and his battle with depression in an emotional interview with CBS. Let's listen to a bit of that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): You know, you just won the biggest, you know, race in the country and the whole thing about depression is, is that objectively you may have won, but depression can actually convince you that you actually lost. And that's exactly what happened. And that was the start of a downward spiral.

I had stopped leaving my bed. I've stopped eating. I was dropping weight. I stopped engaging some of the most things that I love in my life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Molly, this happened right after he won that bruising campaign for the Senate against Mehmet Oz. And, you know, it's just not fashionable in Washington. A lot of politicians won't do this. They won't talk about something like a bout with depression publicly in the way that John Fetterman has. What do you make of this?

JONG-FAST: So I think it's really, you know, I got sober when I was 19, and I try always to talk about that and be honest about it, because I do think, and obviously I'm not a politician, but I'm just -- I do believe that when you share your experience, it helps people and when you share your hardship, it helps people, and I think when it comes to depression and politicians, there tends to be a kind of, you know, there's a whole sort of world of Washington, of people hiding things, and, you know, only letting people see what they, you know, letting voters see what they want them to see.

And so I think this is incredible, and it's a great change and hopefully it leads more people to get treatment for depression because they, you know, de-stigmatizes the mental illness and it helps their society and it helps. You know, we are a country with like, you know, a real mental illness problems, so this could be -- this kind of thing is quite good.

ACOSTA: Yes, Olivia, what do you think? I mean, might this I guess get the conversation going a bit more on this very important topic?

TROYE: I hope so. And I think we need more leaders like him in office. We need more leaders that are willing to speak honestly about the challenges that they're facing. I think a lot of leaders out there and elected officials sort of try to play this game where they pretend that they're no longer human. At the end of the day, we all are. We all are actually just human trying to get through day by day.

[18:35:04]

And I give him credit for speaking about this issue. I give him credit for being just so raw and honest and open. And look, it makes me think back to his campaign because it was a brutal campaign for many across the Republican Party and you know, and if I miss trolls on social media, we're constantly making comments about his health and how he was doing and I commend him for coming forward and speaking about this because I haven't forgotten what all those people did when he was on the campaign, and so I think he should be, you know, it's important and he should be commended for the fact that he's willing to step up and talk about this.

ACOSTA: Absolutely. No question about it. And we wish him the best in the recovery process because it's not over yet. I imagine it's going to be a long process for him. But kudos to him for coming out and talking about it.

Molly Jong-Fast, Olivia Troye, thanks so much. Great talking to both. Appreciate it.

Up next, Russia is now in charge of the U.N. Security Council. What does this mean for the war in Ukraine? We'll ask chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov. There he is. He has been so outspoken on the Russia issue. We'll talk about that in just a few moments, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:17]

ACOSTA: An explosion today in downtown St. Petersburg, Russia killed a well-known Russian military blogger who supported the war in Ukraine. More than 30 other people were injured in the explosion. It's not known yet if the blogger was the intended target of the blast, but there are reports the woman presented him with a figurine that may have held an explosive device. CNN cannot independently confirm those reports.

Garry Kasparov joins us now. He's a chess grandmaster and chairman of Human Rights Foundation and Renewed Democracy Initiative.

Garry, great to see you again. Thanks for coming on. We always appreciate your insights. What do you think about this explosion in St. Petersburg? What do you think is going on there?

GARRY KASPAROV, CHAIRMAN, HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION AND RENEWED DEMOCRACY INITIATIVE: I don't have anything to add to what you just said. It wasn't an attack. What it was Russian in-house fighting or Ukrainian sponsored attack remains to be seen. I'm not sure we'll know the truth considering the equality of investigations in Russia. Obviously they're pointing their fingers at Ukrainians but again nothing can be proven decisively.

What I can say that this so-called blogger was a criminal from Ukraine, actually, and he was convicted for 12 years for armed robbery, and he rose to prominence in the last few years supporting Russian occupation of Ukraine and again became prominent bragging about crimes committed by Russian troops on Ukrainian soil.

ACOSTA: And the Secretary of State Tony Blinken spoke with his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov today. Blinken called for the immediate release of reporter Evan Gershkovich of the "Wall Street Journal," former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan as well. Both are charged separately with spying.

Setting aside whether any of that has any credibility, what are the chances that both will be released in some sort of deal? And Garry, what do you think about a journalist being detained on espionage charges? The first time this has happened since the Cold War, an American journalist being held.

KASPAROV: Well, many things happened first time since the end of the Cold War. What's the difference between journalists and a basketball player?

ACOSTA: That's true.

KASPAROV: That female basketball player arrested on this laughing case of what few grams of a substance.

ACOSTA: Right.

KASPAROV: Same story. Russia is a terrorist state and what terrorists do? Take hostages. You just said he might be released on some kind of a deal. That's exactly what Putin was looking for. And I think, you know, this is the all-American newspapers and other media outlets they should be aware of the threat. So anybody who is there, you know, is a potential target.

ACOSTA: And does Putin want these deals because it plays well domestically for domestic political audience? Because he looks like he's striking deals with the Americans and that -- why does that? Why do they want that?

KASPAROV: The question dictators always ask us is why not? So why not taking hostages if it works for him? So far, you know, he was not punished for any of these actions, and he believes that, you know, he can violate the international rules again after all the crimes they committed in Ukraine and keep committing in Ukraine, killing people as we speak. So what's the problem of taking an American journalist as a hostage?

And again, every day we could see new violations of what we believe are norms. But for Putin is just, you know, another way to demonstrate. As you correctly stated, both for domestic audience. You know, that he is above the law, and you can just hurt America where it hurts with no consequences.

ACOSTA: And Garry, Ukraine's President Zelenskyy is calling Russia's leadership, they're the new head, rotating head of the U.N. Security Council. Zelenskyy is calling that, quote, "absurd and destructive." We know it's a rotating position. But how bizarre is it to see Russia heading the U.N. Security Council whilst waging this war in Ukraine and taking people hostage essentially, which is what's happening now with this "Wall Street Journal" reporter?

KASPAROV: Look, it's not just bizarre. It's horrible. It's, you know, whatever credibility left in the United Nations, I mean, it was lost with Russia -- when Russia was allowed to chair. You're right. It's just -- it's rotation. But this is the country that violate all U.N. norm, and violated so many rules of the organization. And I'm shocked that neither American or Britain or France that have veto rights did absolutely nothing to stop it.

[18:45:07]

ACOSTA: Yes. All right. Well, Garry Kasparov, great as always to talk to you. Thanks so much. Appreciate the time.

KASPAROV: Thank you very much.

ACOSTA: All right. Thank you.

Up next, the game is set. San Diego State versus UConn to cut down the nets in Houston for the NCAA Men's College Basketball championship. A preview of the finale from a March Madness like no other. That's next.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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[18:50:12]

ACOSTA: All right. Take a look at this from last night. San Diego State bringing it down the court with about 0.6 seconds left, nailing the jump shot to win over Florida Atlantic. Just an amazing buzzer beater right there in the last second of that game, sending San Diego State, the Aztecs, advancing to the first championship game in team history. Just unbelievable stuff in this final four.

Of course, that's how this entire March Madness has been. Take a look at legendary basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley. Sir Charles could not believe it himself. He was at the game. It was just unbelievable. I'm sure people were jumping up in their living rooms as well.

On Monday, they'll take on UConn for the title. The Huskies dismantled the University of Miami Hurricanes last night. Not only that UConn has won every tournament game by double digits. I hope I have that right, but I think that is right given what we've seen from UConn so far.

Sports analyst and reporter Andy Katz joins us now.

Andy, do I have that right? Has UConn been that dominant the entire time throughout this March Madness? And have we been sleeping on UConn this entire time? How did they end up getting into the final? I think they're like a four seed, right, or something like that. And what do you make of this final game against San Diego State? I mean, this is going to be quite the clash here. It's going to be a fun game.

ANDY KATZ, WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY SPORTS ANALYST: Yes, you're right, Jim. I mean, first off, UConn has beaten all its opponents in the NCAA tournament by double figures, and in by far the most unpredictable tournament maybe ever, they've been the most predictable team by the way they've played. Certainly in the second half as Dan Hurley told me over the last couple of days. I just talked to him again earlier today. You know, this team has not faced second half adversity, and he's been

a little bit surprised by it. And the crazy thing is UConn went 14 in a row, so they started 14 in a row, they got the number two in the country. And yet in January, they went a little sideways. They got away from who they were, which is much more of a defensive team. They're kind of like Noah's ark. They've got two of everything, two big, which is not the case with a lot of these teams in this tournament.

And then they got back to who they were, and because of what happened in January with them when they finished in the middle of the pack in the big east, that's why even though they played and had the talent to be a one or two-seed they were seeded four.

ACOSTA: Wow.

KATZ: And yet they're playing certainly like they are and have been the favorites going into this game, which is a bit of a clash of two different types of teams because senior state like the low possession game, even though they scored in the seventies. There are physical team that struggles offensively at times, but they're an older group, a real veteran team getting to their first ever national championship game on Monday night in unbelievable fashion.

ACOSTA: Yes.

KATZ: I was on the court last night for Westwood One Radio doing sideline.

ACOSTA: What was that like?

KATZ: Talking to Lamont Butler after he hit that shot. I mean, it was unbelievable. And it's crazy, Jim, because that was the same arena, I'll never forget our late great colleague Craig Sager, I was next to him in 2016 when Chris Jenkins in that same building hit the shot to beat going over -- for the championship going over North Carolina and we couldn't believe it, sitting next to each other. And then same building in the semifinal San Diego State down 14. We all think it's over, and here comes San Diego State in the final second, Lamont Butler hits that shot.

I was right there. I mean, literally right in front of me. Hits it to beat Florida Atlantic, and it was unbelievable atmosphere for them to get that kind of win in that kind of dramatic fashion.

ACOSTA: And who's your MVP of the tournament at this point? I mean, we have one game to go, but there have been some standouts.

KATZ: Yes, I think it has to be Adama Sanogo if UConn wins. They're big and has been dominant at his position. He can even make threes. He just does something that no one else has. I mean, maybe earlier in the tournament, you would say, maybe Zack Edey from Purdue. They were one seed. They got beat shockingly by FDU. But since then it has been Sanogo. He was a preseason big East player of the year.

Tyler Kolek from Marquette ended up getting that because they won the league. But Sanogo has been by far the toughest matchup for any other team in this tournament. And really, it would be remarkable. The Hurley name everyone knows that in the sport, his brother Bobby Hurley, wins multiple championships for Duke.

ACOSTA: Right.

KATZ: And as a player there in the early '90s, his dad, Bob Hurley, Senior, Hall of Fame high school coach, and here could be Dan Hurley who could end up winning the holy grail.

ACOSTA: Wow.

KATZ: The national championship with UConn, it would be there -- be there fourth, excuse me, their fifth national championship, three by Jim Calhoun, one by Kevin Ollie. So this will be the fifth title at school, third different coach to win it, if they can get it done Monday night.

[18:55:00]

ACOSTA: And is this the greatest March Madness of all time? The weirdest? What do you think?

KATZ: Yes, it's certainly the weirdest and it's funny, I was talking to our colleagues at WBD and CBS, like, you know, everyone was like a little shaky on the match-up. But all you want is drama.

ACOSTA: Yes.

KATZ: And we got it on Saturday night.

ACOSTA: Right.

KATZ: And so I think that's what everyone's hoping for. We've got I think a blue blood in UConn because they won so many championships since '99 and obviously a team that's got good history but hasn't been here before. If we get a close game, that's all we want. March Madness has clearly been mad this month.

Last year we had all blue bloods, as we know, Jim. This year it's been unpredictable. But UConn has been the most dominant. We'll see if they can get it done Monday night.

ACOSTA: It makes me feel better about my bracket being so terrible this time around. So I do feel better about that bracket.

KATZ: Everyone's bracket is terrible.

ACOSTA: No, exactly. I know. Misery loves company in that regard, unless I guess you're a UConn or a San Diego State fan. Maybe your bracket is OK there.

But, Andy, thanks so much. Appreciate it. All right.

KATZ: Thanks, Jim. ACOSTA: In the meantime, we've got other news to talk about on this

Sunday night. An explosion tore through a cafe in St. Petersburg, Russia, killing a prominent Russian military blogger. What we're learning about the investigation and who could be behind the attack.

And a quick programming note, what started off with the disappearance of 20 people from a small town in Oregon ended with the largest suicide on U.S. soil and changed the face of new age religion forever. "HEAVEN'S GATE: THE CULT OF CULTS" airs tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on CNN.

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