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State Department Arranging Evacuation Flight From Haiti For U.S. Citizens; Pennsylvania Triple Homicide Suspect Now In Custody In New Jersey; White House Deflects On Question About Netanyahu's Political Future; Judge Rules Fani Willis Can Stay On Georgia Election Case; Russian Voters Cast Ballots In Presidential Elections; United Airlines Plane Found Missing A Panel After Landing; Conspiracy Theory Leaves Arizona County With $200K Problem. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired March 16, 2024 - 19:00   ET

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

[19:00:31]

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

Right now a man accused of killing three women in Pennsylvania is in custody after a dramatic hours-long standoff with police. We'll have an update on the full situation and hear from the mayor of Trenton about what's next.

Plus breaking right now. Take a look at these dramatic images just in to CNN of a volcano in Iceland erupting yet again, spewing fountains of lava. We'll have an update.

But first Haiti is in chaos tonight as gang violence wreaks havoc on the island nation. Today, the State Department coordinating an evacuation flight for U.S. citizens trapped there. The agency releasing a bulletin calling the situation, quote, "unpredictable and dangerous," and telling residents with valid American passports where to go if they're able to get to the airport.

CNN's David Culver is in Port-au-Prince.

David, you heard gunshots shortly after arriving. Tell us, what are you seeing on the ground?

DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And just a few minutes ago, Paula, we were hearing gunshots just probably a few miles from where we are and it's almost become routine. And I think, you know, for folks who are living here, they don't even flinch. I mean, it's surprising to us, but it shows you just how constant these confrontations are between the police and gangs, and even sometimes between the community members and the gangs directly.

The situation, as you said, it is dire. I mean, we got a sense driving out before curfew set in around 6:00 Eastern Time. And in the window that we're able to get into one of the communities it gives you a reality check on what they're dealing with, given how supply lines are essentially severed and how they're relying on each other to stay afloat. I mean, even us getting into a community like that relied on conversations with a local who then had further conversation so as to make sure that they knew when we were coming.

We weren't anyone nefarious and who could potentially cause issues. That's how dangerous it can be if you come into some of these communities and they're not expecting you. And they have barricades set up in several different routes that they have become traffic cops essentially themselves, redirecting folks to try to maintain a flow that they're comfortable with and know, again, who's coming in and out of their neighborhoods.

Also really interesting that they keep watch themselves 24/7. Now they have police within some of these communities. But the police are stretched and they themselves are essentially out of resources at times and relying heavily on these community members to fortify their neighborhoods from these gangs that are trying to encroach. Interesting, though, to sustain some of these community members who are at the front lines and working to barricades in the middle of the night you've got some folks who will go around into the community.

And essentially like tax collectors, though it's not required, they'll ask for handouts, they will be given anything from some spare change to a Coke, you know, just whatever it can take to, you know, essentially keep these folks on the front lines going. The overall sensation that you get going through, I mean, there is something that just sits in you that's an uneasiness, right? You get that just driving through the streets and knowing that at any moment something could change.

But also the desperation that you see in the eyes of the folks that we've talked to realizing that with every passing hour, Paula, they don't know where the next meal might come because if they can't secure more supplies coming in, especially when you think that 90 percent of the food consumed in this country is imported and the ports aren't operating and the airports closed, there is going to be chaos here beyond what we have already seen. And that is a very dramatic situation.

REID: Now, the Haitian National Police, David said that they killed several, quote, "bandits" yesterday in the neighborhood of a well- known gang leader. Is that something that might lessen some of the violence?

CULVER: Yes, we heard that actually as well last night where we wonder what is going on, what's kicking off there, and you're right, that was a confrontation between police and gangs and ultimately ended with several of those bandits losing their lives. Those gang members, though, will continue to push forward. And that's I think the big concern is that the police are feeling like they're so stretched, they're not sure how they're going to be able to counter that. And that's why they've turned to the community in many respects.

But it also just shows you that if that's an area, for example, that is now gang-controlled, there's also within that area mass looting and ransacking. I was just looking at some video that showed within that territory, a Toyota dealership that was being totally looted and folks going in and taking everything they could get in and getting out.

[19:05:09]

And the gang members get what they need that tend to be the higher priced items and then the community members will go through and pick up what's leftover. It just feels lawless at this point and if you're in with within one of those communities that is barricaded and itself sustaining, you feel a bit safer and a bit more comforted but if you're outside of that it's anyone's guess what could happen.

REID: David Culver, thank you.

An hours-long armed standoff with the suspect involved in a triple homicide has ended. The suspect managed to slip through a police perimeter but was apprehended not far from the home where police say he had barricaded himself. The suspect identified as 26-year-old Andre Gordon is alleged to have shot and killed three women today in Bucks County, north of Philadelphia. Police alleged that Gordon killed his stepmother and sister before driving to another home where he shot and killed the mother of his two children before fleeing to the Trenton, New Jersey.

Our Polo Sandoval has been on the scene.

Polo, walk us through what has happened today.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, it was a peaceful but very much an unexpected conclusion to what initially was worked as a barricaded subject in a home in this Trenton, New Jersey, neighborhood. That's because initially police were led to a duplex that you see behind me where one of the investigators is actually in the process of walking inside to begin processing the scene.

Police initially led here to reports that 26-year-old, Andre Gordon, a suspect in a triple homicide just from the other side of the New Jersey-Pennsylvania state line, not far from here, had committed those murders and then stolen a vehicle, made his way to this neighborhood. The residents in that duplex quickly fled upstairs, called police telling them that he was likely still downstairs.

Police responding to those reports, establishing a perimeter. It turns out that Gordon had actually left that holding before police had arrived. I want you to hear from Trenton's mayor as he broke down exactly how the arrest of Gordon took place as it was one of those officers who was guarding the perimeter that first noticed him approached them and then positively identified him as a man they thought was in that home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR REED GUSCIORA, TRENTON, NEW JERSEY: 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 them, 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're looking right now, they executed a search warrant. Obviously, we're looking for the weapon and any indicia of committing the crime in Pennsylvania. He's going to be in our lockup and waiting extradition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANDOVAL: What ended peacefully started as just a tragic ordeal as Gordon is still the prime suspect in the killing of his stepmother, Karen Gordon, his own 13-year-old sister, Kera Gordon, and then police believe that he subsequently then made a short drive to shoot and kill Taylor Daniel, with whom Gordon shares two children. But again, the situation now a full-on homicide investigation here, Paula, as they try to piece this together. This is one of three crime scenes that are still very active tonight.

REID: Polo Sandoval, thank you.

A source tells CNN that ceasefire talks between Israel, Qatar, and Egypt are expected to resume on Monday. And this comes amid fraying relations between President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Yesterday, the president embraced Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's speech calling for a new election in Israel. The White House attempted to clarify those comments, refusing to say though whether Biden believes Netanyahu should resign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Does President Biden want to see new elections in Israel and for Prime Minister Netanyahu to no longer remain in power?

JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER: That's going to be for the Israeli people to decide. What the president spoke about the passion with which Leader Schumer made that speech, and the person said that he knows that those remarks, they resonate with many Americans out there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

REID: CNN's Kevin Liptak is live at the White House.

Kevin, what is administration saying about these reported negotiations?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, they do say that they're cautiously optimistic at the direction of these talks, and certainly they've seen the proposals on the table and are very hopeful that eventually a deal could be reached that would include the release of the hostages, but also a temporary ceasefire.

[19:10:01] But at the same time, Paula, the White House had once hoped for a hostage deal by the start of Ramadan, that deadline has come and gone and certainly they're very realistic. The very sticky issues that remain at play in these talks. And of course, this is coming against the backdrop of this deepening rift between President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu. That was best illustrated in that speech last week from Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, one of President Biden's top allies in Washington.

And it was interesting, President Biden did not explicitly endorse this call for new elections in Israel, but he also didn't condemn it, and it just gives you a sense of where things stand in this very complicated relationship between these two men. And I can tell you there has been mounting frustration inside the White House from President Biden on down on what they see as these rebuffed calls for things like protecting civilians in Gaza, for allowing more humanitarian aid.

They have seen him reject calls for an eventual Palestinian state. And it really does cause a lot of frustration. And to best illustrate that, I think you can look at how much these men have been talking at the onset of this war. We were speaking on a daily, even weekly basis. Now, it's been more than a month since the two men have talked by phone. So certainly a very complicated and fraying relationship there -- Paula.

REID: Kevin Liptak, thank you.

And let's discuss this with Aaron David Miller, former Middle East negotiator at the State Department.

Aaron, what do you make of the White House sort of clarifying the president's support for Senator Schumer's remarks?

AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR: You know, anything much of what the majority leader said probably resonates with the White House and certainly the president a lot of anger, a lot of frustration. I think the president understands now he's not dealing with the risk averse Benjamin Netanyahu, who's one step forward one step back and one to the side.

He's now dealing with a desperate risk ready prime minister, whose conflated I think his own political and legal travails with what he regards as the best interests of the country. And that's leading to decisions that frankly are not consistent let alone advancing American interests.

REID: In your new op-ed in "The New York Times," you write, "The president's words and the vice president's meeting were more likely part of the now familiar passive aggressive approach the administration has deployed against the most extreme right-wing government in Israel's history." So do you expect more of this posturing or an actual shift in policy?

MILLER: I don't think, Paula, we're on the cusp of a breach. Joe Biden is -- his commitment, emotional, political commitment to the idea of Israel, the people of Israel, the security of Israel is really quite extraordinary, but there's another reason as well, and that is in order to advance the president's objectives, which is to change the pictures in Gaza, de-escalate the situation, create some sort of break in the Israeli ground campaign, so that it can surge humanitarian assistance into Gaza, he actually needs the cooperation and coordination with this Israeli government.

And on the cusp of what could be a breakthrough on hostages, I doubt if you're going to see in a demonstrable sense an effort on the part of the president, figuratively speaking, to go to war with Benjamin Netanyahu. He's not going to renounce him. You'll continue this what I consider to be this passive-aggressive policy, which signals how annoyed and angry he is. But so far, the president has refused to impose any series cost or consequence on Mr. Netanyahu's actions.

REID: But considering the political heat he's faced from Democratic voters, discontent with his handling of the war, why hasn't he shifted his policy position at this point?

MILLER: Well, that's a fascinating question. I think it shows that the president in many respects is in an investment trip. He's treading a very fine line between a Republican Party that is literally the Israel can do no wrong party and a deeply divided Democratic Party. Not just progressives but mainstream Democrats, moderate Democrats like Leader Schumer, prepared to give the sort of speech that he gave.

I don't think the president is going to allow his policy be driven mainly by electoral considerations. The reality is for American policy to succeed. He's got to find a way to bring Israel and Hamas into hostage for prisoner exchange. So you can get an extended temporary ceasefire and begin to think about whether there's a phase two or whether there's a way to de-escalate that war.

And for that to happen I'm not entirely persuaded that bringing more pressure against this Israeli government is going to have that impact.

[19:15:07]

I think he's working with the government of Israel in an effort to see whether or not he can succeed. Another month of this with no results, he may in fact be willing to impose some costs and consequences and he's had these options all along, but has chosen not to exercise them.

REID: A source tells CNN that ceasefire talks between Israel, Qatar, and Egypt are expected to resume on Monday. So is anything different this time?

MILLER: Good question. You know, I've been around Middle East negotiations for quite a while. And they seem to have two speeds, slow and slower. I think the cruel and inconvenient irony here, Paula, is that the party that is in a hurry here is the Biden administration. It's not clear to me yet that Hamas has reached the point where it believes that a phase two hostage for prisoner exchange is in its interest. And that's certainly the case for Benjamin Netanyahu, but the reality

is the more the Israelis and Hamas tangling Gaza, reality is I suspect over time there will be another deal. It's just very difficult to predict exactly when that's going to take place.

One additional point. Remember, these are strange negotiations that principal decision-maker, Yahya Sinwar, the military head of Hamas, is making decisions 10, 20, 30 meters below ground in a tunnel under Khan Younis or Rafah. These are indirect negotiations between two parties who want to destroy one another. So it's not surprising at all that they're taking this long to come to fruition.

REID: Aaron David Miller, thank you.

MILLER: Thank you, Paula.

REID: And still ahead, the lead prosecutor on the Georgia election subversion case against former President Trump now off the job after a romantic relationship with his boss. Will the image issues, though, hurt the case in the long run?

Plus look at this lava oozing from a volcano in Iceland. Evacuations now underway. Details ahead.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:21:53]

REID: It was another big and important week for the trials against former president Trump. But a judge kept Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on the Georgia election subversion case but at the cost of jettison her top prosecutor after a scathing ruling that called into question her conduct.

Joining me now is former U.S. attorney Michael Moore.

I'm in the anchor seat today but during the week, you and I cover this case and others quite a bit. Look, yesterday, this ruling calls into question Fani Willis' judgment, her professionalism and her honesty. The same judge that's going to oversee the trial. How do you walk into the courtroom and try a case in front of someone who just said all that about you?

MICHAEL MOORE, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, I'm glad to be with you and glad to have you in the anchor seat today. Yes, you're exactly right. And anybody who's tried a case, who's actually been in a courtroom in front of a judge knows that this is not the way that you want to start a case. You certainly don't want to have a question of your credibility in play because everything that you say as a lawyer is then read through the lens of skepticism.

So if you asked for a continuance, if you have a problem with a witness, if you have an objection to be made, if you have a legal case that could go either way in an argument and you're trying to give your position, you might have already lost ground with the court. Now I think this judge has handled himself well, and I think he's going to try to call things down the middle, but this is never the way that a lawyer wants to start and go into a case.

REID: I was surprised as we had people on our air who said, oh, potential jurors won't remember any of this. Are you kidding me? This case has everything.

MOORE: Yes.

REID: I mean, it has sex, money, stacks of cash, disgruntled employees. I mean, how do you think this could impact potential jurors when this case goes forward?

MOORE: The reality of this case is that it's not going to be just played out in a courtroom, but this will now be talked about not just during the campaign, but it's going to be talked about by people like the Georgia legislature who have these investigative committees that are now sort of keeping this fire burning and this fire is going to continue to burn.

And every time there's a newspaper story, and I'm in Georgia so I see the Atlanta paper that drops out and there's a story about what happened, all of that is getting in front of jurors. So it's not like suddenly because Miss Willis decided that Mr. Wade would leave and she would stay on the case, that now everything is cleaned up and we're starting with a fresh slate and bringing people out of a hole who've never heard anything about this to use as jurors, that's just not going to happen.

And so it's -- I know she could try to keep things quiet and I would encourage her to. I think that things like the speech at the church and these public statements and public appearances where there's any mention of the case and interviews, you know, I think right now the best move she could make would be to keep her head down to dive into the case, to make sure that things stay on track, and to pay less attention to the press and more attention to the perception that she's got to clean-up about this case.

REID: Well, you didn't mention someone else who's going to keep it in the headlines.

[19:25:02]

Just a short time ago, we heard former president Trump on the campaign trail talking about D.A. Fani Willis, who's making fun of how she says her name, not really talking about the disqualification proceedings, but I'm sure it's coming. I mean, your opinion, do you think that the district attorney should step aside even though it was found that she did not have an actual conflict, that she did not corruptly benefit from this investigation? Do you think for appearances, for optics, she too should step aside?

MOORE: You know, I really do. And the judge basically said, look, my hands are tied. But if somebody like the state bar, the state ethics commission, the Georgia legislature wants to take a look at this, they may very well delve back into this. So that means that things are going to keep rolling as we go forward. No case is bigger than the prosecutor. No prosecutor is bigger than the case, I guess is a better way to say that, because this case is not Fani Willis versus Donald Trump, and somehow at some time that's sort of gotten mixed up.

This case is the state of Georgia and the people of Fulton County versus Donald Trump. And so sometimes for the good of the case, remember that a prosecutor's ultimately job is to maintain the integrity of the investigation, the integrity of the case, and ultimately the integrity of the conviction on appeal if you're able to get a conviction. Those have to be -- that's the priority and so with that in mind, you can see how this could have been resolved months ago once this motion was made and they knew they'd been in this relationship to say, look, I'm going to recuse myself from this.

This case is bigger than me. I'm going to let somebody else step in. I've got plenty of good lawyers in my office who can come in and serve as acting district attorney for this case. I'm going to move myself, you know, away from it. That would have been an easy way to do it as opposed to sort of this long, drawn-out circus that we watched about who spent the night where and whose cell phone ping where during what hours, and who said what their lawyer when.

We've been talking about that as opposed to really having our nose to the ground and working on the case, and being ready to try the case. So she -- I believe it would be better. And we sort of start with a clean slate to have somebody come in. Ultimately she is elected. The voters have placed her as district attorney, but sometimes then you use your independent judgment to think and to say, you know, I do think that what's important here is that the public has the pursuit of justice and we believe that law has been violated in the state of Georgia. I'm going to step back so that nothing clouds the case and we remove the stole from the hands of those people that want to throw it.

REID: Michael Moore, thank you.

MOORE: Great.

REID: And still ahead, Vladimir Putin is all but assured a win in this weekend's Russian presidential elections, but some Russians aren't accepting the forgone conclusion. We're in Moscow with what we know about dozens of acts of civil disobedience by voters including setting fires at polling stations.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:32:21]

REID: Russian President Vladimir Putin set to secure a fifth term. A victory, could help him stay in power through 2030. So far there have been some acts of defiance over the vote.

CNN's Matthew Chance is in Moscow with more. MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, after a second day of voting in this Russian presidential election, officials say turnout has already been over 50 percent and there is still another day of voting left. A high turnout is key for the Kremlin, which wants to claim that Vladimir Putin, who is certain to win has a strong public mandate for a fifth presidential term, amid a tightening of Kremlin control.

Most significant opposition candidates have been barred from standing, but a spate of disruptive incidents at polling stations across the country point to the degree of frustration with the election process. Election officials say, more than 29 polling stations across 20 regions of Russia have been affected mainly by individuals pouring green dye, ink, or paint into ballot boxes to spoil votes that have already been cast.

There's also been a number of arson attacks at voting centers with election officials saying at least 214 ballot boxes have so far been ruined.

Well attention on the final day of voting will focus undoubtedly on the protest calls from the widow of the late Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny who has been telling supporters to gather at polling stations, at midday local time in their various Russian regions and spoil their votes or to vote for somebody other than Vladimir Putin.

It is not yet clear what that will look like, but the Russian authorities have issued a stern warning that anyone engaged in unauthorized election protests will be dealt with severely by the law.

Back to you Paula.

REID: Still ahead, another incident aboard a Boeing plane, a panel discovered missing after a United Airlines flight landed in Oregon.

Details ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:39:05]

REID: First, there was a missing door. Now, another Boeing plane is missing a part, a panel. United Airlines Flight 433 flew from San Francisco to Medford, Oregon on Friday. After the Boeing 737 800 landed safely, someone on the ground, notice the panel missing from underneath a wing.

CNN national corresponded, Camila Bernal joins us now.

Camila, what does the crew say?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Paula, what's interesting here is that nobody noticed that this external panel was missing. So the crew did not have an emergency. They did not alert an emergency or say there was any sort of damage while they were in the air.

This was all discovered after when the plane was already parked at the gate. This was 737 Boeing, but it was a previous models. So not the Max that has been in the news recently and what authorities are saying is that they are trying to figure out exactly how this all happened. United saying that they are conducting a thorough investigation trying to figure out why this happened.

[19:40:10]

But it does come as United is already facing scrutiny over a number of other issues on other aircrafts. We also -- the videos of this airplane that the engine ingested the bubble wrap, went up in flames midair. We also saw the video of the other plane where attire fell off after takeoff, and those are just two of a number of incidents that United is dealing with.

Now, on the other hand, you have a very separate issue, a separate airline, but also a Boeing aircraft. That was Monday when a LATAM Airlines essentially dropped midair and 50 or so passengers were injured.

And so now, Boeing issuing sort of an alert and telling pilots to check the switches on the pilot seats because they believe that's what caused that midair drop. American Airlines saying that they have identified that potential hazard.

So again, it is just very concerning because these are issues that ended up injuring a lot of passengers -- Paula.

REID: Concerning indeed.

Camila Bernal. thank you.

And still ahead, how election lies have left an Arizona County with a $200,000.00 problem.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:45:59]

REID: President Biden will make a campaign swing through Phoenix next week as he tries to energize voters in battleground states. Biden one Arizona by less than half a percentage point in 2020. But as CNN's Donie O'Sullivan reports, election lies have been persistent in the state and for one county, quite costly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONIE O'SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is a story about paper lots and lots of paper. Americans have been voting on paper for most of the country's history, but back in 2020, bizarre conspiracy theories about paper started to spread.

REPORTER: -- is looking for bamboo-laced ballots.

REPORTER: Fraudulent ballots were unloaded from a South Korean plane.

REPORTER: -- into Arizona, and it was stuffed into the box.

O'SULLIVAN (voice over): All of that led to this -- five tons worth nearly $200,000.00 of supposedly fraud-proof ballot paper. It's currently lying on the floor of this warehouse in Phoenix and no one is quite sure what to do with this.

O'SULLIVAN (on camera): Had there ever been a problem with the paper before?

JEFF ELLINGTON, CEO, RUNBECK ELECTION SERVICES INC.: No. No one's ever questioned the paper.

O'SULLIVAN: And then what happened?

ELLINGTON: We get into 2020. There's rumor of bamboo in the paper, and paper from China, and a lot of different stories that circulated. And so it just kind of went from there and people started questioning it.

O'SULLIVAN: As you were seeing that play out what were you thinking?

ELLINGTON: That it was nuts.

O'SULLIVAN (voice over): Enter David Stevens. He ordered the paper.

O'SULLIVAN: The paper itself --

DAVID STEVENS, (R) COCHISE COUNTY, ARIZONA RECORDER: Um-hum.

O'SULLIVAN: -- ballot paper. People have concerns about that.

STEVENS: There were concerns, yes.

O'SULLIVAN: And what were those concerns?

STEVENS: That people were making their own ballots and then interjecting them into the system. They were coming from foreign countries. And maybe we can make our paper more secure so we would know quicker or easier if it really is a ballot -- Arizona ballot or if it is not.

O'SULLIVAN: Do you personally believe the bamboo paper thing?

STEVENS: I don't know much about it other than they think it came from wherever.

O'SULLIVAN (voice over): Stevens is a top election official in Arizona's Cochise County. Cochise is home to Tombstone, but it's a place where election conspiracy theories won't seem to die. In 2022, election skeptics delayed certification of the midterm elections here.

Stevens' opponent in an upcoming election says he is part of the problem in Cochise. O'SULLIVAN: Cochise has been in the headlines a lot the last few years because of elections, and mostly for bad reason.

ANNE CARL, (D) CANDIDATE FOR COCHISE COUNTY, ARIZONA RECORDER: It's an uphill battle because there are people who spread disinformation about our elections. This theory that there's a problem with our paper. So it was a -- it was a solution in search of a problem because we've never had a problem with our ballot paper.

There are all kinds of safeguards and on top of other safeguards to make sure that the wrong ballot paper doesn't cause any problems.

O'SULLIVAN: Yeah.

O'SULLIVAN (voice over): Runbeck Election Services takes these huge rolls of paper and turns them into millions of ballots that are used across the country. But not these two rolls of special ballot-guard paper ordered by David Stevens using a state grant.

STEVENS: So this is a sample of the ballot-guard paper. So when you shine on a blacklight you get these --

O'SULLIVAN: Oh.

STEVENS: -- UV fibers that now become apparent. Additionally, there's what's called an IR tag in, and it's a chemical in there that when you hold a scanner over it, it'll --

O'SULLIVAN: Oh, wow.

O'SULLIVAN (voice over): A missed deadline and other bureaucratic snafus has put a halt to the so-called secure paper experiment.

O'SULLIVAN (on camera): So, I mean, it's essentially $200,000.00 gone to waste.

ELLINGTON: A little less than that but, yes.

O'SULLIVAN: So this sounds like a bit of a nightmare.

ELLINGTON: Pretty much, yes. I want it to be over.

O'SULLIVAN (voice over): But Adrian Fontes, Arizona's top election official, says Stevens' experiment shouldn't have started in the first place.

[19:50:03]

ADRIAN FONTES, (D) ARIZONA SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, the economic costs of the conspiracy theories in Arizona are real dollars. Now, the paper that was purchased by this one county based on these conspiracy theories, that is absolutely useless and we can't even use it. They can't use it. This is taxpayer dollars down the drain based on lies.

O'SULLIVAN (voice over): Stevens said he is not a conspiracy theorist, but in our conversation, he didn't refute any. O'SULLIVAN (on camera): Do you accept Biden won the last election?

STEVENS: The election in Cochise County was fair and balanced and Trump won Cochise County, so --

O'SULLIVAN: But, nationally?

STEVENS: That's the way the numbers came out. So there were a lot of issues but maybe there was an explanation for them. I don't know. To be fair, there's a lot of people who think 2016 was rigged. Hillary Clinton still thinks she won the election. Are they election deniers?

O'SULLIVAN: Democrats would say well, look, our side didn't go attack the US Capitol.

STEVENS: I wasn't there. I didn't go. We actually had some people here that went. I think they claim it was peaceful.

O'SULLIVAN (voice over): But the facts are clear. January 6 was not peaceful. Hillary Clinton formally conceded to Donald Trump the morning after the election. And Arizona is stuck with tons of seemingly useless paper.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID: Our thanks to Donie for that report.

Still ahead, people around the world are asking how Kate Middleton is doing after not being seen for months. What we know, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:56:13]

REID: Evacuations are underway after the most powerful eruption so far from Iceland's volcano. Bright orange lava sprouting from the ground, nearly two miles long and it is oozing its way towards a nearby fishing town. Amazing pictures.

The public scrutiny of Princess Kate is not slowing down after an edited photo of the princess and her three children was released last week.

CNN's Isa Soares is in London with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A new business venture and a social media comeback for the Duchess of Sussex.

After a six-year absence from Instagram, Meghan has launched American Riviera Orchard. Little is known about the brand but the timing of the announcement is raising eyebrows here in the UK.

Across the Atlantic, on the very same day, Prince William honored the legacy of his mother, Princess Diana at an awards ceremony. His brother and Meghan's husband, Prince Harry, joined live via video link and thanked those working for keeping her memory alive.

Despite the warm messages, the event was overshadowed by the relentless saga surrounding the Princess of Wales.

REPORTER: It's the question that has taken over the internet. Where is Kate Middleton?

REPORTER: Everyone is still talking about this picture.

PIERS MORGAN, FOX NATION HOST: Wherever you stand on Katespiracy, there's no doubting its impact on the reputation of the British Royal family.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They really, really messed up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They really have messed up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have messed up, yes.

SOARES (voice over): Which has been swirling in the media and amid the public for nearly a week. It all started with this photo to mark Mother's Day in the UK meant to calm fevered speculation over her health but in the end, only made things worse.

The image, put out by Kensington Palace, is the first glimpse of Princess Catherine since her last public appearance on Christmas Day.

The only problem, it had been edited.

By the end of the day, major international news agencies had withdrawn the image, citing manipulation concerns, including the French-based AFP, where Eric Baradat is a photo director.

ERIC BARADAT, AFP PHOTO DIRECTOR: Everybody started at, you know, enlarging, zooming in the picture and noticing straight away that something was wrong. And after a few hours, all agencies in London decided to pull the pictures together.

SOARES (voice over): With the palace in damage control, the princess issued an apology on social media saying, "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused."

She was spotted briefly on Monday alongside her husband, William, in the car leaving Windsor for a private appointment. But AFP's photo director, says her doctored photo raises serious questions about trust and transparency.

SOARES (on camera): You thought you were tricked. Did you feel you were tricked?

BARADAT: Yes. Our position now will be that every image -- still image coming out of Kensington Palace will clearly be scrutinized very thoroughly before we decide to put it out to our subscribers around the world. SOARES: It's often said that the royal family has to be seen to be believed. But when you don't believe what you see, then a whole host of conspiracy theories start swirling online.

I did a search for Kate Middleton photos you can see here and there are so many just circling right now on social media from the insensitive to the outright outlandish.

SOARES (voice over): Still, some in the British public believe Kate has a right to privacy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lot bigger issues to worry about in the world, really, people just leave her alone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's blown out of all proportion. She did a little couple of tweaks at home. End of story.

SOARES (voice over): Blown out of proportion or not, one thing is clear, with King Charles' ongoing cancer treatment and the mystery around Kate's health, the Royal family is dealing with a PR battle on several fronts.

Isa Soares, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

REID: Thanks for joining us. I'm Paula Reid.

See you tomorrow night starting at five Eastern.

"United States of Scandal" is next.

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