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Officials: Pennsylvania Triple Homicide Suspect Now In Custody In New Jersey; Tonight: Trump Stumps In Ohio After Pence Refuses To Endorse; State Dept. Arranging Evacuation Flight For U.S. Citizens; Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY) Discusses About Co-Sponsoring A Bill Protecting Access To IVF And Getting Support In The House; Russian Voters Cast Ballots In Presidential Election. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired March 16, 2024 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

PAULA REID, CNN HOST: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I's Paula Reid in Washington.

Breaking News: The dramatic standoff between police and a man accused of killing three people has ended, and the suspect is now in custody. We will have an update straight ahead.

Plus, Donald Trump going off script at a rally tonight, repeating his election lies mocking Fulton County DA, Fani Willis and saying, Joe Biden won against Barack Obama, but what did not address? HI former vice president who just yesterday refused to endorse him.

And unpredictable and dangerous. That's how the US Embassy in Haiti describes the region under gang rule. It is now arranging evacuation flights for US citizens out of the country, but that's only if they can reach the airport.

CNN is on the ground for the live report.

And we start off with breaking news this hour. A tense, armed standoff with the suspect involved in a triple homicide has ended after sources tell CNN he managed to escape keep the perimeter setup in Trenton.

The suspect identified as 26-year-old Andre Gordon. He is alleged to have shot and killed three women today in a Philadelphia suburb. Police allege that Gordon killed his stepmother and sister in Bucks County, Pennsylvania before allegedly driving too another home where he shot and killed the mother of his two children and bludgeoned her mother with his assault rifle, then carjacked a vehicle and fled to Trenton, New Jersey, where he barricaded himself.

Our Polo Sandoval is just yards from the scene.

Polo, walk us through what we know right now.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was an absolutely tragic morning in neighboring Pennsylvania that then evolved into what was a fairly tense standoff when police officials here in Trenton, New Jersey had assumed that the suspect had barricaded himself inside the home that you see off in the distance and they were staged outside, the officers, that is, for hours and really negotiating with who they believe as the suspect inside, a man identified as Andre Gordon, a 26- year-old man, suspected in those killings that you just laid out.

And all of this really ending in a positive result, a peaceful one there when you hear from, from authorities, including from Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora, if you would like to join us here, Mayor, bring us and our viewers up to speed right now on how the situation ended.

Your officers with Trenton Police along with other law enforcement partners, staged out here trying to have the suspect come out. An unlikely, when he was discovered outside of the perimeter?

MAYOR REED GUSCIORA, TRENTON, NEW JERSEY: Yes, the people who were inside the house, they went upstairs. They still felt that he was still in the house. So when they got out of the house on the upstairs window, they told police that he was still downstairs.

We couldn't take any chances and it was still a great resolution by the area law enforcement. They found him two blocks away walking down the street.

SANDOVAL: Mayor, tell us what that was like for officers who actually spotted him. Did an officer simply see him, recognized him, and moved in?

GUSCIORA: Yes, he fit the description and they approached him. He had no weapon on him, and he cooperated and gave his identity to police themselves.

SANDOVAL: Can you tell us what police officers found inside that home?

GUSCIORA: Well, they are looking right now. They executed a search warrant. Obviously, we are looking for the weapon and any indicia of committing the crime in Pennsylvania. He is going to be in our lockup and awaiting extradition.

SANDOVAL: Have you been briefed by investigators regarding maybe any weapons that may have been found on him or in the vehicle that he suspected of actually stealing to make his way here.

GUSCIORA: That's what they're doing. They just executed the search warrant. So they are still searching the house and the vehicle.

SANDOVAL: As mayor, what comes next for you? What about the people who lived in the neighboring duplex? What comes after?

GUSCIORA: We want to make sure that they have accommodations tonight. Obviously, their whole lives have been turned upside down. There's teargas around the parameter of their home that has to be taken out. And we have find them a place to stay for now.

But we will be working with them. They're still residents of the city of Trenton and I am sure they are really relieved though that they got out along with their lives. SANDOVAL: We spoke to many onlookers that were watching very closely for the next development here. What is your message for them now that this seem to have come to a peaceful end, despite the tragedy that happened in neighboring Pennsylvania this morning.

GUSCIORA: Well, Trentonians stick together. It is one big family here. And there is a lot of camaraderie and they cooperated fully with the police and we are just really grateful for a safe and peaceful outcome.

SANDOVAL: Mayor, thank you so much for your time, sir.

GUSCIORA: Thank you.

SANDOVAL: Again, you just heard from the Trenton mayor saying what the next big challenge will be.

[18:05:10]

It is actually to find accommodations for the folks who actually live in the neighboring duplex, and this is again, an ideal end to what started just as an absolute tragedy.

This is now going to be a full-on homicide investigation as authorities look into the why they say this 26-year-old man allegedly shot and killed three of his relatives this morning, stole a car, then made his way to this Trenton neighborhood -- Paula.

REID: Polo Sandoval, thank you.

I want to bring in now former Philadelphia Police Commissioner and CNN senior law enforcement analyst, Charles Ramsey; CNN national security analyst, Juliette Kayyem, and CNN law enforcement contributor, Steve Moore.

Chief Ramsey, to you first. What do you make of the fact that the suspect was able to evade authorities, right before he was taken into custody.

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well I, mean, earlier, we were talking about whether or not, he was in that house. I mean, there is always a possibility that before that perimeter is established and you can really lock down that location that an individual can get out.

Now, we will have -- I am sure they'll have a press conference that will go in a little bit more detail, but you just heard from the mayor, I am sure he was at the command post. He has a lot of information that he just provided. I don't know how much more you will get from the Trenton Police.

But the good news is one, he is in custody; two, the police officers in that outer perimeter were alert and paid attention. They spotted him, they challenged them, they arrested him. You know, it is easy to get tunnel vision. Everybody is focused on the house, but the people on that outer perimeter were very alert and very aware apparently, and so it resulted in a good outcome.

Now they're in the process of executing search warrants, trying to find the weapon since in the house. I sure they are executing a warrant on the car that was carjacked as well. And then you have the homicide investigation that is still taking place in Pennsylvania.

So there is a lot that is still going on, but at least this guy is off the street and in custody.

REID: Juliette, officials did not realize the suspect was not inside the house until he was spotted outside the perimeter. What does that tell you?

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, I think that they got wrong, but credible intelligence from people in the house who rightfully believed that he might still be in the house. And so when people sneak out of the top floors, we heard from the mayor and say, he is still in here. You want all the focus to be there because you want this to resolve in a non-violent manner.

But as Chief Ramsey was saying, that's not -- the police can focus on two different places. So when we talk about an outer perimeter, that's common in any instance in which you are trying to fortify, say, a single home or a house.

In this case, it was a secondary perimeter, that's why they were created, found exactly what they were looking for. So in this way, it is actually more common because all the planning always envisions that you would have a primary focus and then secondary perimeters and sometimes even third or fourth just to make sure that you don't lose the guy.

This is a urban area, this is a city. You can't close it down all the way. You can't tell everyone to stay inside for a long period of time. So this unfolded even though it may look like it didn't unfold exactly as the planning always envisions, that there could be a need for a secondary perimeter.

REID: Steve, we just heard the mayor who said the suspect may have slipped from authorities while the hostages were being evacuated. What is your take on that?

STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think what you need to realize here is that when you arrive on a scene especially seeing where you've got somebody who you believe has committed three murders in the last few minutes, had carjacked two people, you are -- you have so many things going on.

You have the people trying to have the law enforcement trying to get the innocent people away from the guy. You have people trying to talk other people into the location. So what you get is a very harried scene.

And so it is not unusual that in the first few seconds of arriving at a location like this, somebody, it is possible in the confusion to get out, which is Juliette and the chief said, why you set up inner perimeters, outer perimeters, and sometimes third perimeter, and each perimeter actually as a different job.

They're looking different directions. The farthest outer perimeter is not looking in necessarily.

[18:10:10]

They're looking out to keep others from getting into the location. The inner and the outer perimeter besides the far outer perimeter, they're looking in trying to determine whether somebody else comes out, whether there are accomplices. There is so much going on.

But those first few minutes are always hectic. There's going to be confusion and things -- bad things can happen, especially when you're told something by witnesses that turns out not to be accurate.

REID: Chief Ramsey, what happens next?

RAMSEY: Well, I mean, obviously he is in custody, so detectives will be interrogating him to try to get at a motive if he is willing to cooperate and willing to talk. But as I mentioned before, now its processing scenes.

They have to process that house. They have to process the car, and then they've got two locations in Pennsylvania that they have to process where the murders took place.

So there is a lot going on right now, but he is in custody. He will be extradited back to Pennsylvania where he will face some very serious charges there in Bucks County.

REID: Juliette Kayyem, Charles Ramsey, Steve Moore, thank you so much for your insight.

Former President Trump is in Ohio tonight stumping for a Senate candidate, and he is using this stage once again to falsely blame at President Biden for his legal problems, and to attack Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:16:31]

REID: Tonight, former President Donald Trump, back on the campaign trail in Ohio, and frequently going off script. This of course comes a day after his former vice president refused to endorse him for president, let's get straight to CNN's Alayna Treene in Ohio.

Alayna, what did you hear?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, Paula, I think it is really interesting because this was his first formal events since he secured enough delegates earlier in the week to effectively make him the Republican oh -- excuse me, the presumptive nominee for the Republican nomination, but the interesting thing is that he didn't necessarily come to Ohio for his own campaign. Both Donald Trump and his team really expect him to do very well in this state in November. However, he gave her instead to boost one of his picks for the Republican primary for Senate, and that's businessman, Bernie Moreno, who is locked in a contested primary with two other challenger. It's really been a very messy primary so far.

And at the 11th hour, Donald Trump decided that he needed to come to the state to help get more support for him, but look, Donald Trump, even though this was more about Bernie Moreno and not him, he still gave a typical stump speech and really looked ahead to the general election.

And part of that, he actually made a comment, we haven't heard from him yet so far, which is that he predicted that if he were to lose the election in November, that it would be a blood bath.

Take a listen to how he put it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One hundred percent tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you're not going to be able to sell those cars -- if I get elected, now if I don't get elected, it is going to be a bloodbath for the whole -- that's going to be the least of it. It is going to be a bloodbath the country, that'll be the least of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So he predicted again, a bloodbath if you were to lose the election, some pretty violent rhetoric that was coming from the former president, also came as he used the start of his speech to praise those convicted for their role in January 6, arguing that they are hostages and that he would provide their freedom on day one if he becomes president once again.

But look, Donald Trump also spent a lot of time attacking Joe Biden. He blamed the president for the legal charges that he is facing, arguing that Biden has weaponized the Justice Department and the government against him. Things that we know just aren't true.

And we also heard him attack Fani Willis, the district attorney in Georgia, who we just learned is going to continue you to be prosecuting in that case. Donald Trump argued that she is not fit to continue prosecuting in that case and also attacked the lead prosecutor who recently resigned from that case in Georgia -- Paula.

REID: Alayna, thank you.

Joining me now is CNN senior political analyst and senior editor of "The Atlantic," Ron Brownstein.

All right, Ron, Trump again doubled down on his anti-immigrant language and vowed more mass deportations. Let's take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: There are so many people being hurt so badly and being killed, they're sending their prisoners to see us. They're sending -- and they are bringing them right to the border. And they're dropping them off and were allowing them to come in and these are tougher than anybody we've gotten in the country.

These are hardened criminals and we've got hundreds of thousands of them.

They are destroying our country. I'm telling you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: How do you expect that to play with the voters that Trump is still courting, not the base, but the hearts and minds that he needs to win ahead of November?

[18:20:06]

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, Paula, it is a fascinating dynamic, because if you look at polling today, Joe Biden is running very close to his numbers in 2020 among White voters, his winning numbers among White voters, both in national polls and in the key swing states.

The reason Trump is ahead in most polls falls is because he is running significantly better than he did in 2020, and in fact better than any Republican in the modern era among Black voters and especially among Hispanic voters where polls are often showing him in the 45 percent range.

Now, at the same time that he is counting on those votes, he is, as you no, running on a program of mass deportation and internment camps for an unprecedented number of migrants, and there is no doubt that public opinion has moved to the right on immigration since Trump left office out of discontent over Joe Biden's record on the issue, but that is another thing from saying that Trump will be able to maintain the support that he is now showing in polls among Hispanics when groups like the Culinary Workers Union, for example, begins in earnest, letting Hispanic voters in Las Vegas and Phoenix know that Trump is promising mass deportation as well as, as he signaled to Kaitlan Collins at the CNN Townhall a year ago, the resumption of his family separation policy.

So it will be interesting to see whether these two dynamics really can sustain all the way to November Trump polling better than any Republican ever among Hispanic voters and also promising the most aggressive deportation effort really dwarfing what Eisenhower did ever in American history.

REID: And Mike Pence says, he "cannot, in good conscience, endorse Trump," and it is not just because of what happened on January 6th, he says that Trump's agenda is counter to a conservative agenda.

What is your reaction to that? BROWNSTEIN: Yes, I don't know how many voters Mike Pence moves by himself, but the question is really is whether he is opening space for others to make the same declaration.

You know, as you noted, Pence's critique of trump was essentially that he has abandoned the Reagan era conservative principles of smaller government and robust American leadership in the world.

Well, who else ran on that argument? Nikki Haley ran on that -- precisely on that argument. And the question is whether Pence taking this step emboldens others, including Haley, including many of the national security figures from Trump's first term, like John Bolton or Mark Esper or his chief-of-staff, John Kelly, to come out and in any kind of coordinated way, make that case.

It is going to be important for Biden if they do, because as we were just saying, Trump is running better than any Republican has in polls among Black and Hispanic voters, even if he can hold all of the gains that he is holding now, that he is showing now, he is likely to run somewhat better than he did in 2020 with those voters, largely because of concern about inflation.

Where Biden can go most easily to make up those lost votes are with Independent Republican leaning white-collar voters who might be the audience that could be most moved by a message from Pence, Haley, Esper, Bolton, and Kelly, and so forth.

So this isn't potentially an important development. Not, I think usually significant on its own, but if it leads to more, we could look back at it as an important moment in this campaign.

REID: Okay, so if Nikki Haley declines to endorse Trump, how could that impact her political career going forward?

BROWNSTEIN: Yes, I mean, that is a huge step. I mean, Trump is the dominant figure in the Republican Party as these primaries demonstrate. You know, we saw somewhere between what -- two-thirds, the three-fourths of Republicans are comfortable with Trump's leadership and obviously we are seeing almost every elected official in the party, even Mitch McConnell, whose wife Trump has subjected to a regular stream of racist vitriol, bend the knee to Trump because they see no way either to, for their own advancement in the party, but also because they want to benefit from Trump's ability, which is enormous to mobilize this base.

Haley would be making a significant step if she did not endorse him, but if Trump loses in 2024, obviously Haley would be in position to say I told you so.

It is a big step. I mean, there is really nothing in her political career that would lead you to think that she would take such a drastic step, but the Haley we saw after New Hampshire, who is much more critical and sharper in her analysis of Trump, was a very different politician than we've seen really at any earlier point in her career. So I don't think you can rule it out.

Again, if Pence is opening the door for others, that could have a resounding impact.

REID: Ron Brownstein, thank you.

BROWNSTEIN: Thanks for having me.

[18:25:06]

REID: And millions in Haiti facing violence, chaos, and hunger as daily battles between police and gangs continue to consume the capital of Port-au-Prince.

And CNN's David Culver is on the ground there now, and we will talk to him, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

REID: The State Department is coordinating an evacuation flight for US citizens trapped in Haiti as gang violence wreaks havoc on the island nation.

Today, the agency released a bulletin from the US Embassy telling residents with valid American passports where to go, if they are able to get to the airport.

David Culver is in Port-au-Prince.

David, tell us, what is it like on the ground there?

[18:30:11]

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: An incredibly challenging situation, Paula. I want to pick up where - what you mentioned there with the U.S. Embassy arranging those flights for folks to leave. You said something that is key and that is if they can make it to the airport. Certainly not the Port-au-Prince airport where we are, they're talking about Cap-Haitien, which is in the north of Haiti, and the logistics of getting there next to impossible from Port-au-Prince.

You're talking about dozens of gangs that have occupied more than 80 percent of this capital city, and that's a U.N. estimate, and it may have even grown in recent days given how much aggressiveness the gangs have undertaken in taking more and more territory here.

So to travel up to Cap-Haitien, it's really just not a feasible option for these folks. The real focus here is trying to figure out how you can get the airport in Port-au-Prince reopened, how to get the port established again in a more cohesive manner so as to actually bring in food and bring in aid and bring in what is so badly needed. And then that leads to what we have been seeing on the ground.

Today, we were out just before a curfew kicked in about 30 minutes ago and we had a brief window to get a real sense of what some of these communities are experiencing. And to get into some of these communities, they're barricaded on many entrances and exits, and they're manned by members of those communities who, if they don't recognize you or know who you are or what you're doing here, it could end rather ugly. And so there could be a confrontation, a gunfire that would erupt, and that is something that is just their self-protective mechanism at this point to keep anyone out who could potentially be a threat to their community.

But they've taken that upon themselves. Sure, they have police within some of those communities, Paula, but it's interesting because one of the police commanders we spoke with today said he lived in an area that was taken over by gangs. His family was essentially forced out of their home. He had to relocate into one of these barricaded communities, into the police station there. He and several of his officers are living in that police station, and they're just trying to basically keep afloat until they feel like they'll have reinforcements, Paula, which at this point doesn't sound like it's going to come from the international community anytime soon.

REID: So help people understand, how did the situation start here? Obviously, we can't go back hundreds of years, but in the past few months, how did this happen?

CULVER: Right. So if you look back to February 7th, that was the date that the prime minister, Ariel Henry, was supposed to turn over power, essentially, to have elections here in this country. And if folks thought that maybe they'd have a voice in figuring out who their next leader would be. They haven't had elections here since 2016.

And the reason that the prime minister was in place and had this role to do that was because of the assassination of the president, Jovenel Moise, in 2021. And so it put this country in a very difficult situation starting on February 7th, where people were angry with the prime minister. When we were here just three weeks ago, they were shouting that they wanted Henry to go. And the gangs, obviously, at that time, were taking more and more control, and they were taking advantage of an opportunity of a weakened government, and they, too, wanted Henry to go.

Now, you look at these two groups, and you have everyday folks, and you have the gangs. And sure, they may have a common adversary and focus here, and that is the prime minister and wanting ousted, but they're not a unified front. The reason that the folks who live in Haiti wanted the prime minister to go is because they feel like they weren't getting the protection from the gangs. We're talking kidnappings and stores being looted and ransacked and medical workers targeted. I mean, it's chaos that they're having to live through.

And it's frustrating, Paula, not just for the people of Haiti. I mean, this is an island that - on the eastern side of the border is the Dominican Republic. We spent six days in the DR trying to figure out how logistically to get in. And we ended up figuring it out through the foreign ministry and the foreign minister himself of the Dominican Republic helping to facilitate that because, as he told me, he does want the world to see through the press what is happening here. But he also recognizes it can't just be the Dominican Republic that's carrying this weight. It has to be the international community.

Here's a little bit of what he had to say to me just a few minutes ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTO ALVAREZ, FOREIGN MINISTER OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: The situation is very dire. It's never been as bad as it is now in the conflict in Haiti.

CULVER: Are we beyond the point of being able to fix the situation here?

ALVAREZ: Well, I certainly hope not. I think that we're still, even though it's past midnight, we still have to try.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CULVER: And that trying is going to be relying on the international community and international security mission that would hopefully bring some stability here. The foreign minister, by the way, Paula, he, going back to January, was warning the U.N. Security Council and the world community at this point, we need to do something.

Haiti is on the edge of a precipice here and now here we are in a place that feels totally destabilized and broken.

[18:35:09]

REID: David Culver, thank you for being there and bringing us details on this incredibly important story.

And reproductive health is shaping up to be a top election issue, and the GOP still doesn't seem unified on how to handle it. Ahead, we're talking with Congressman Marc Molinaro, the first Republican to back a bill protecting IVF access.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:10]

REID: House Republicans came out to say they support in vitro fertilization at their annual policy retreat this week. But when it comes to doing something in terms of how to protect that within the law, they're divided. Speaker Mike Johnson dismissed the need for a federal law.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): It's not my belief that Congress needs to play a role here. I think this is being handled by the states. We need to do it ethically and well, and I think the states are handling that well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: Joining me now is New York Republican Congressman Marc Molinaro. He announced this week that he is co-sponsoring a bill protecting access to IVF, the first Republican to do so. Congressman, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. This bill was, of course, blocked by Republicans in the Senate last month and now your speaker says it's a state issue. So how will you be able to get the support needed from your party?

REP. MARC MOLINARO (R-NY): Yes, I think first and foremost, Alabama's court overstepped clearly and I think that women and families across America need to know that we support access to IVF. And so from my perspective, it's not lost on me that I'm the first Republican to co- sponsor this legislation with Congresswoman Wilde.

And I'm hopeful that by showing that there is consensus behind IVF, that women and families deserve to know they have access and will have that access statutorily protected. I'm hopeful others will follow and I do think that it's important that we take this step.

REID: Former President Trump says he supports IVF, but his campaign won't say if he backs a federal law protecting access. So are you concerned that his silence on this issue of a federal law could prevent others in the party from throwing their support behind this?

MOLINARO: Yes, I can't speak for anybody else. I can tell you that I've got my personal experience with IVF and I've listened to families and women throughout Upstate New York who want to be sure that they have access. And I think that it is important we take a meaningful step. And I'm hopeful that perhaps others will follow. I think they will.

But I do think that the legislation is sound. It's very basic. It establishes a statutory right to access. And I would say this as well, women and families who make this choice, first of all, it's a very deliberate, very earnest decision that ultimately takes a great deal of commitment and comes with a lot of heartache. And we ought to support families and women in this case. And again, I think others will follow.

And while I don't put words in other people's mouths, I think at the end of the day, it's not lost on me that there's consensus here and that maybe others will join me in supporting this effort.

REID: Now that Trump is the presumptive presidential nominee of your party, will you endorse him?

MOLINARO: Oh, I said this some weeks ago, I think, with a colleague of yours. I intended to support the nominee of the party. I support the former president, the nominee of the party. But I remain terribly focused on a part of the country, Upstate New York, that too often gets overlooked. So I don't want presidential politics to overlook the fact that I represent a part of the country that has limited access to quality health care. We live in a rural community where jobs are leaving. We certainly see the burden of inflation and are fearful of the lack of border security. And that, for me, is my primary focus.

REID: Well, we ask you this time, just as former Vice President Mike Pence is refusing to endorse Trump, saying that his agenda is at odds with the conservative agenda. What is your reaction to that? MOLINARO: Yes, again, I - everyone comes to their conclusions as they do. I represent a part of the country, Upstate New York, that is seeing employers leave for other countries, that have seen families torn apart, sent to other states because of high cost and frankly have watched the last four years under this administration with a great deal of concern.

And ultimately, my job has been and remains to speak up and out on behalf of the people I represent. And I come to the conclusion that what we need, quite frankly, is a real focus by this federal government on communities like the ones I represent.

REID: I want to get your take on something that happened on the other side of the Capitol this week, Sen. Chuck Schumer taking to the Senate floor to deliver a sharp rebuke of the Israeli government. Let's take a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): At this critical juncture, I believe a new election is the only way to allow for a healthy and open decision- making process about the future of Israel at a time when so many Israelis have lost their confidence in the vision and direction of their government.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: Your Senate Republican colleagues were quick to slam those remarks, but I want to get your take.

[18:45:03]

MOLINARO: Oh, I think that the senator was wrong. I think he was making a statement based on politics, not necessarily smart policy. And frankly, we would no sooner want some other country interfering in our elections or demanding a replacement of our government than we ought to be embracing the concept of impacting or imposing on another democracy. And by the way, a democracy that by far is one of, if not our greatest ally, certainly in the Middle East and certainly at this time of great peril.

REID: Congressman Marc Molinaro, thank you so much for joining us.

MOLINARO: A pleasure to be with you, thanks. Be well.

REID: Russian President Vladimir Putin is on his way to six more years in office as Russians head to the polls. But exactly how has he been able to hold on to power through so many elections? We'll explore that question next.

(ANNOUNCEMENTS)

[18:50:38]

REID: Russian voters will soon head back to the polls for the third and final day of voting in the presidential election. But with no genuine opposition candidates on the ballot, Russian President Vladimir Putin is widely expected to win his fifth term in office.

CNN's Brian Todd reports on just how Putin has been able to hold on to power for so long.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Foreign language).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): He's already the longest serving ruler of Russia since the dictator Joseph Stalin and he could easily eclipse Stalin's nearly 30 years in power.

Is there any intrigue over whether Vladimir Putin will manage to win yet another election?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EVELYN FARKAS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE MCCAIN INSTITUTE: A hundred percent certain that Vladimir Putin will remain the president of Russia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD (voice over): Analysts say the former KGB colonel has rigged the system, sometimes not so subtly, so that only he can emerge victorious. Starting with eliminating legitimate opposition like Boris Nemtsov who was gunned down at the foot of the Kremlin in 2015 and Alexei Navalny who recently died very mysteriously in an Arctic gulag though the Kremlin has denied any part in it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD LOURIE, AUTHOR, "PUTIN: HIS DOWNFALL": What Navalny decided to do was, he was going to set a template, set an example for the Russian opposition that if you're going to play this game, have no illusions. This is a game to the death.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD (voice over): One opposition candidate who did get approved later still got disqualified. Only three other candidates were ultimately allowed to appear on the ballot. Token opposition, analysts say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LOURIE: Their numbers and their fates have already been decided and their presence on the ballot is really to make it have the appearance of an actual election.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD (voice over): Yet the Kremlin is making great efforts to promote the vote. Ads for Putin running on TV, polling stations set up nationwide. There's even voting in parts of Ukraine occupied by Russia, which goes against international law.

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JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CONTRIBUTOR & FORMER MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: They're going around literally with ballot boxes to people's houses, in some places urging them to vote.

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TODD (voice over): The Kremlin may have little reason to worry with near total control of the media and the voting. But the turnout at the funeral for Navalny showed that there are still Russians willing to take great risks to support reform.

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FARKAS: Navalny, before he died, said that everyone should go at noon on that final day and just stand in front of the polling station. That will be interesting to see how many people do that in what parts of Russia.

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TODD (voice over): Analysts say Russian voter apathy from decades of being worn down by fraudulent elections helps Putin, as do his messages to the public appealing to their paranoia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGHERTY: He has to alternately say we are surrounded by enemies and they are external and they're internal in Vladimir Putin's mind. And that he is the person who can protect Russia.

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TODD (voice over): Even if some votes against him gain critical mass.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FARKAS: If he has maybe too few ballots, they'll create some votes for him. So it's a very corrupt system. And three days gives them the leeway to do that.

TODD (on camera): Given how heavily Putin has tipped the scales, what are the most likely ways his rule will end? Analysts say the more realistic scenarios include a popular uprising, which is less likely, a coup or Putin simply dying on the throne. The most unlikely scenario, they say, is Vladimir Putin actually being voted out of office.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

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REID: And on this week's episode of The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper, CNN Anchor and Chief Legal Analyst, Laura Coates investigates two missing persons cases, one with a mysterious connection. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's several details that appears that what Calkins accounted the events are not accurate. He didn't check out with Mr. Williams on the radio as he's supposed to. He didn't notify dispatch that he was transporting someone from one location to another. The timeline of when he said it occurred versus the independent witnesses, all of that appeared that he was not being truthful about the encounter between Terrance Williams and himself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA COATES, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST (voice over): Those inconsistencies surfaced during a months-long internal investigation. Cpl. Calkins took three polygraph tests during the probe. One of those tests indicated deception.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COATES (on camera): Marcia, there was a time when Calkins was interviewed. I want to play this for you in this meeting.

CPL. STEVEN CALKINS: I may have broken a couple rules, but I have broken no law. And I just feel that this agency needs to stand a little bit taller here. I'm not going to be dragged through the mud no more because a couple of scumbags are missing. Is this being recorded?

[18:55:08]

COATES: Scumbags.

MARCIA WILLIAMS: My son wasn't a scumbag. Maybe he's calling his own self a scumbag. Maybe he was a dirty cop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID: And be sure to tune in an all new episode of The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper, one whole hour, one whole story airs tomorrow at 8 PM Eastern and Pacific only on CNN.

And after a long standoff, the Pennsylvania man who police say killed his stepmother, sister and the mother of his children is now in custody. And we'll have the very latest coming up in the CNN Newsroom.

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