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Putin Leads In Russia's Presidential Election; Alexei Navalny's Widow Casts Ballot Remotely In Russian Election; Gun Violence Hits Several Cities Across The U.S. This Holiday Weekend; Biden Campaign Raises $53 Million In February; Trump Doubles Down On Dark Rhetoric At Ohio Rally; Pence Not Supporting Trump; Netanyahu Hits Schumer, Putin Speaks. Aired 4-5p ET

Aired March 17, 2024 - 16:00   ET

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

[16:01:21]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello, again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Sunday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield and we begin with this breaking news.

Polls are now closed in Russia following a three-day presidential election. And with no genuine opposition candidates appearing on the ballot, the outcome was never in doubt. Vladimir Putin is expected to win the vote that will keep his grip on power through 2030. He has already Russia's longest-serving ruler since Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

We've got full coverage for you. CNN's Matthew Chance is in Moscow. Fred Pleitgen in Berlin. And also with us CNN contributor and former Moscow bureau chief Jill Dougherty.

So, Matthew, you first. What is the significance of the election results that are coming in?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it's pretty significant in the sense that we've had 50 percent of the vote counted so far, more or less according to the Central Election Commission. And Vladimir Putin has, one, an astonishing 88 percent nearly of that vote, which is extraordinarily high. And the highest result that he's had in the five times that he's been elected president.

And so that's something that's significance, and undoubtedly that's going to be used by the Kremlin as a way of saying -- a way of claiming that they have a strong mandate, well, Putin has a strong mandate to, for instance, continue his war in Ukraine, what Russia calls its special military operation. But of course we also have to bear in mind that this is an election that's been carefully choreographed.

Opposition figures, for example, were not allowed to take part. And so it's an incomplete view of the political landscape, if you like, inside Russia -- Fredricka. WHITFIELD: And then, Matthew, yes, I mean, despite the lack of

opposition, there were acts of defiance. How significant was that?

CHANCE: Yes, I think pretty significant. You know, the level of defiance as it points to that degree of frustration with the lack of political choice in the country. I mean, look, you've seen, we've seen over the course of the past three days of voting polling stations being attacked with Molotov cocktails, with firebombs. We've seen individuals go into polling centers and pour green dye or blue ink all over the sort of paper votes that have been cast, trying to ruin those votes that have been cast as well.

And there have been various other sort of acts of defiance. Earlier today the opposition group associated with Alexei Navalny, the late Russian opposition leader who died last month in an Arctic penal colony, called for Russians to come out at 12:00 local time all over the country, across the time zones in a sort of rolling act of defiance, and come and vote at that point. And I was at a polling station at 12:00, at midday in Moscow and suddenly about 150 or 200 people suddenly arrived there and went to cast their votes.

And so that gives you an indication of just how much sympathy there is for that opposition cause, at least in Moscow and other places around the country as well. Take a listen to one of the people we spoke to there about why they'd come at that time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: Why do you come now to cast your vote?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because they come, too.

CHANCE: And you wanted to see all these people?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we wanted to come together and see each other in person.

CHANCE: OK. Fair enough. Thank you very much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: A bit cryptic. They wanted to see each other in person because, you know, it's illegal to engage in an unauthorized protest inside Russia. And so these people wanted to make sure that they didn't protest, but they wanted to sort of be at these polling stations with like-minded people who shared their political views -- Fredricka.

[16:05:10]

WHITFIELD: OK. Matthew Chance, thank you so much.

All right. Fred, let's go to you in Berlin. So the widow of the late opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, was among the large crowds of Russians who voted remotely there in Germany.

What did she have to say?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it was so interesting here in Berlin, Fredricka, because it was very different than what Matthew was seeing there on the ground in Moscow because of course while showing public dissent in Russia, of course, is something that's illegal, you can get into a lot of trouble, it was very much on display here in Berlin with the many people who turned up to vote at the Russian embassy here in Berlin, which course had the polling station inside it.

There were literally thousands of people who lined up. And what we saw there is there were some people who were actually publicly displaying that they were for Vladimir Putin. They had Russian flags on them, but there were also a lot of people who apparently had followed that call from the opposition that midday against Putin to show up at the Russian embassy here in Berlin. Some of them with posters against Vladimir Putin, posters against the war in Ukraine.

There was even one woman with a blue coat with yellow writing that said stand with Ukraine, who was Russian and went into the embassy to vote there. But of course, no one more prominent than Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Alexei Navalny. She came there, she thanked the people for the support. She waited six hours in line to be able to get inside the embassy and inside the polling station.

She then also said that when she did get to vote, that she just wrote the name Navalny on the ballot because she obviously feels that her late husband, Alexei Navalny, was the main opponent of Vladimir Putin and obviously died in prison before the election took place. She got quite aggravated actually when she was asked if she had a message for Vladimir Putin. This is what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YULIA NAVALNAYA, WIFE OF ALEXEI NAVALNY (through text translation): You are probably wondering what I wrote on the ballot papers, who I voted for. Of course I wrote Navalny's surname because it just can't so that a month before the election and already during the presidential campaign, Putin's main opponent, already imprisoned, was murdered.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: And Yulia Navalnaya also called Vladimir Putin a gangster and a killer when she was asked, and then walked off. So you could see a lot of people here in Berlin today voicing their dissent. There was also a pretty big demonstration that also happened where a lot of people called for support for Ukraine as it's trying to fend off Russia in the war that is going on there. And then also called on Western governments to not legitimize Vladimir Putin -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Fred Pleitgen, thanks so much.

Jill Dougherty with us now. You were a CNN Moscow bureau chief for a very long time. You know Russia well. So what did you make at those acts of protest inside Russia that we saw during the elections?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're a little unclear, I have to say to me, exactly who was doing that or maybe why they were doing that. Obviously it was taking a very big chance and they probably will be punished for that, no question. But I do think that the people who showed up for the Navalny events at noon, those are very interesting because, you know, if you did it in Russia there's almost no question that one way or another, you're going to be identified and that could have an effect on you, although they didn't do anything wrong.

This was the interesting part about this, Fred. I mean, they came to vote and unless they've destroyed their ballot or something, what they did was legal.

WHITFIELD: OK. It looks like we've lost that shot with Jill Dougherty, but thanks to everybody, Jill, Matthew and Fred. Appreciate it.

All right. Straight ahead. Overnight, two people shot and killed in the nation's capital. Just one of many acts of gun violence gripping communities across the country this weekend. What we're learning about the incident.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:13:59]

WHITFIELD: A weekend when millions of Americans are celebrating St. Patrick's Day, deadly gun violence hit several cities across the U.S. Overnight seven people were shot in downtown Washington, D.C. Two people died. This happened not long after a shooting spree that caused an entire Pennsylvania community to shelter in place for hours. The suspect now facing murder charges.

CNN's Polo Sandoval is joining us right now.

So, Polo, you're reporting on the Pennsylvania shootings, which also end up going across state lines into New Jersey. So a standoff there. What are you learning today?

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, just this time yesterday we're bringing you these pictures of an army of law enforcement swarming around a home in Trenton, New Jersey. They were essentially waiting out the suspect in a string of killings that took place in neighboring Pennsylvania. I've come to find out hours later that house was empty. The suspect identified as 26-year-old Andre Gordon was in fact encountered by a police officer at about 5:00 p.m. yesterday not far from that home.

[16:15:03]

Officer positively identified him as Gordon, arrest him without any further incident. So there's that. He's facing those murder charges in Pennsylvania. But then we're also today learning more about the charges that he's facing in New Jersey that really paints a clearer picture of this series of violent acts that allegedly took place yesterday. According to the New Jersey attorney general's office, he is now facing charges of possession of a firearm without a serial number, receiving stolen property, possession of a large capacity ammunition magazines, and also possession of hollow point ammunition.

So these charges as laid out by the New Jersey A.G. now telling us a little bit more about the potential firepower that this 26-year-old man allegedly had at his disposal. Now important to point out yesterday when I spoke to Trenton's mayor outside of this home, he told me that they had been able to locate the weapon believed to have been used in those killings. This is all part of that ongoing investigation.

New Jersey attorney general also adding in a statement saying that yesterday's incident is the latest, quote, "the latest in a horrific litany of illustrations of how illegal guns and assault rifles can empower one disturbed actor to carry out these kinds of acts." So a reminder that among the three people that Jordan is alleged to have killed his 13-year-old sister. The AG's office also adding that at this point it is currently unknown as to whether or not they actually have legal representation at this time, and of course talking about Gordon.

WHITFIELD: OK. And then, Polo, tell us about the circumstances of the shooting taking place in the nation's capital.

SANDOVAL: That happened just this morning. Details are slim coming from D.C. Metro. What they have said, however, is that seven people were hurt in the gunfire that was about 12 blocks away from the White House there in downtown Washington. Two of them sadly did not survive. D.C. authorities pleading with the public for an information as they said earlier this morning that they do not have any suspects in custody yet -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Polo Sandoval, thank you so much.

SANDOVAL: You bet.

WHITFIELD: All right. Coming up, President Biden's reelection campaign is raking in some serious cash as they gear up for a general election rematch against Donald Trump.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:21:37]

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. Next hour, we will hear from President Biden at the White House as he marks St. Patrick's Day. And this comes as he hosted Catholic leaders for brunch earlier today.

Joining me right now CNN correspondent Priscilla Alvarez.

Priscilla, what can we expect from the president?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, these are celebratory remarks. This is, as you mentioned, remarks to mark St. Patrick's Day. Just behind me, though you may not see it, the fountains here at the White House are dyed green. This is usually an annual celebration, but of course this time around what was looming over the visit by the Irish prime minister was the Israel-Hamas conflict.

This is a situation that has drawn deep concern within Ireland and around the world. But in Ireland support for the Palestinian cause runs deep. They see parallels in history between their own, with colonialism and oppression. And so this was something that coming into the meetings here at the White House over the weekend, was a top concern. In fact on Friday, the Irish prime minister said from the get-go that one of the priorities that he wanted to touch on with President Biden was the situation in Gaza and making sure that there was a ceasefire as soon as possible.

During that exchange, President Biden nodded his head and said, I agree. Of course the president has said that he wants a temporary ceasefire as well to get humanitarian aid into Gaza, as well as to get hostages who are held by Hamas out of Gaza. So this again today is going to be celebratory, but there is no doubt that here as the president and the Irish prime minister continue their meeting that this is a topic of discussion and an important one, especially for Ireland and its delegation.

WHITFIELD: OK, and Priscilla, we're also hearing that the president's reelection campaign had a big fundraising haul last month. How excited are they about that?

ALVAREZ: Well, they're pretty happy about it. Fundraising has been a bright spot for the campaign and they did release their numbers for February. That includes $53 million raised. That's more than January. That was around $42 million. And then $155 million cash on hand. So that gives them an advantage over former president Donald Trump's numbers. And of course this comes as the campaign has said, this is a rematch that is only crystalized over the last week as President Biden locks up the Democratic nomination.

So these numbers mean even more to them this time around as they say that there's more enthusiasm among donors as well as that grassroots fundraising. They continue to see record-breaking months seeing around 97 percent of donations under $200. So again, they call that a barometer of enthusiasm. All of this, of course, as President Biden is about to hit the trail this week going to Nevada and Arizona -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Priscilla Alvarez at the White House. Thanks so much.

All right. Former president Donald Trump continues ramping up his dark rhetoric ahead of the 2024 election. This weekend at a rally in Ohio, Trump campaigned for the GOP candidate that he has endorsed in that state's competitive U.S. Senate race. And during his speech, Trump called some migrants animals. He also doubled down on dire warnings for the country's auto industry if he's not elected president in November.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to put a 100 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's going to be a bloodbath for the whole -- that's going to be the least of it. It's going to be a bloodbath for the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[16:25:03]

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, after those comments, the Biden campaign said Trump wants another January 6th.

Joining me right now to talk more about this as Alex Isenstadt. He is a national political correspondent for "Politico."

Alex, great to see you again. So now that Trum, you know, has locked up the GOP nomination at some point, you would think he needs to pivot to the center perhaps to attract independents, moderate voters for the general election? Why do you think he continues to kind of double down on throwing red meat to his base?

ALEX ISENSTADT, NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, POLITICO: Yes. Pivoting is really never been Donald Trump's thing. What you see is what you get. There was a lot of discussion about this after he won the 2016 Republican primary. Is he going to pivot to appeal to more independent voters and voters who supported other candidates and didn't like him, but he really didn't. He kind of just continue to do what he does, which is to use dark rhetoric. And to be honest, he worked from him in that election. It didn't continue to work for him after that politically as much as it did, especially in 2020.

And then in 2024 what you're seeing him do is on certain speeches that are more scripted, he doesn't do necessarily as much dark rhetoric, but in speeches that are more unscripted, such as the one he had yesterday, where basically he said his teleprompter wasn't working or he couldn't see it because of the wind. Basically, he went off script and what you saw was a lot more of, as you mentioned, the dark rhetoric.

WHITFIELD: All right. And then, Alex, you know, Steven Cheung, who is Trump's campaign spokesperson, said this, I'm quoting now, "Crooked Joe Biden and his campaign are engaging in deceptively out of context editing that puts Roman Polanski to shame." So this is a response to Biden, and I mean what does this say?

ISENSTADT: Well, so there was a lot of back-and-forth last night after these remarks. There were some reports that said that Trump just said this. He made the remarks about a bloodbath, but they didn't mention necessarily that he was referring specifically to the auto industry. The Trump campaign really went on offense and really look to make clear that he was talking specifically about the auto industry, not something more general if he were to lose the election. But what the fact that they decided to go on offense --

WHITFIELD: But he did say all over the country.

ISENSTADT: Right.

WHITFIELD: You know, Trump said all over the country, perhaps the correlation of the response strictly to the auto industry may have been missed?

ISENSTADT: Right. And so what the Trump campaign really tried to do is say he is specifically talking about the auto industry. The fact that the Biden campaign seized on that and the way they did goes back to a central theme that the Biden campaign are trying to run on, which is that Trump is motivated by revenge, and what you're starting to see the Trump campaign do is push back a little bit on that.

What you've seen Trump do in other speeches, not necessarily in this particular speech yesterday, but to say that his revenge is going to be success, which is a little bit different than saying that he's going to be a dictator on day one.

WHITFIELD: OK. And then there's Trump's former vice president, Mike Pence, who today on CBS says, you know, he, quote, cannot -- well, he had said it already that he cannot, you know, vote for Trump in good conscience. He, you know, wouldn't endorse him in the general election. Then today on CBS, he criticized Trump further for calling January 6th prisoners hostages. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: I think it's very unfortunate at a time that there are American hostages being held in Gaza that the president or any other leaders would refer to people that are moving through our justice system as hostages. And it's just -- it's just unacceptable. I was there on January 6th. I've no doubt in my mind, Margaret, that there's some people who were caught up in the moment and entered the Capitol and they're certainly entitled to due process of law for any non-violent activities that day.

But the assaults on police officers ultimately, an environment that claimed lives, is something that I think was tragic and I'll never diminish it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, Alex, we didn't hear a whole lot from Pence criticizing Trump while he was on the campaign trail. So what do you suppose is behind this moment of Penn saying emphatically, not going to endorse him and also correcting him on his language about hostages in January 6th?

ISENSTADT: Yes. So for months Pence's displeasure, disagreements with Trump, especially on policy issues have really grown, not just on January 6th and the 2020 Election, but on other issues such as tariffs, such as foreign policy. And, you know, even TikTok, something that Pence has parted ways with Trump on.

[16:30:22]

And so, you've really seen a departure, a split between Pence increasingly with Donald Trump. And so, it makes sense that he's now willing to come out and stay, unequivocally, that he's not supportive of Donald Trump.

It's interesting in the fact that he's Trump's former vice president. But the fact of the matter is these two men haven't spoken in a very long time. They've not been close for a very long time. So, in some ways, it makes sense.

WHITFIELD: Well (ph), does it say something about Pence's aspirations, potentially?

ISENSTADT: Well, what it shows is that Pence is looking to remain a figure in the Republican Party. He wants to be a leader, potentially, in the movement of Republicans who don't agree with Donald Trump.

And, as we saw during the primaries, Trump didn't win 100 percent of the vote in all the primaries. There were other people who voted for Nikki Haley. And so, there are clearly Republicans out there who are displeased with the fact that Trump is going to be the nominee.

And what you've seen is Pence has remained politically active. He has a non-profit political advocacy group that's going to be out there, talking about a number of issues.

And he definitely wants to remain on the scene, and there is definitely -- there are definitely Republicans out there who agree with him more than they agree with Donald Trump on some of these issues.

WHITFIELD: All right. We'll leave it there for now. Alex Isenstadt, great to see you again. Thank you.

ISENSTADT: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right, still to come. Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, hitting back against Hamas hostage demands, calling the latest ceasefire proposal outlandish, where talks stand as negotiators return to Doha, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:36:42]

WHITFIELD: Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is calling recent comments by Chuck Schumer totally inappropriate. The Senate Majority Leader and top Jewish official in America said there should be Israeli elections, because Netanyahu is, quote, "an obstacle to peace."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D), SENATOR MAJORITY LEADER: The Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after October Seventh. And I believe that holding a new election, once the war starts to wind down, would give Israelis an opportunity to express their vision for the post-war future. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And today on CNN, Prime Minister Netanyahu pushed back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER, ISRAEL: As far as what Senator Schumer said, the majority of Israelis support our governments. Eighty-two percent of Americans support Israel instead of Hamas. But the majority of Israelis support the policies that were leading. Go into Rafah. Destroy the remaining Hamas terrorist battalions. Make sure that we don't put into Gaza instead of Hamas, the Palestinian authority that educates their children towards terrorism and the annihilation of Israel.

The majority of Israelis support the policies of my government. It's not a fringe government. It represents the policies supported by the majority of the people. If Senator Schumer opposes these policies, he's not opposing me. He's opposing the people of Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Joining us with more is CNN's Paula Hancock in Doha. So, Paula, the Israeli leader also talked about efforts to get hostages back. What did he say?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, we heard him talk about the latest Hamas counterproposal as outlandish and unrealistic. And, yet, he has still decided that there will be a delegation coming here to Doha where the Mossad director, David Barnea, will be talking to the Egyptian and Qatar mediators.

Now, Egypt and Qatar have been key, when it comes to the negotiations between Hamas and Israel to try and secure this ceasefire. And we know, at this point, that there have been key meetings today in Israel as well. Including a war cabinet meeting where they have decided the parameters of what these negotiators can agree to. Effectively, how far they can go in what they will agree to.

Now, we heard, last Thursday, that Hamas counter proposal, which was they would like 700 to 1,000 Palestinian prisoners released. And, in return, then they will release the female hostages, including IDF soldiers and those who are weak, elderly, or sick. Presumably, around 40 hostages. That is the estimate, at this point.

But the main gap between the two sides, at this point, is, after that, Hamas wants the Israeli military pull out of Gaza. They want the Israeli military to agree, and the government to agree, to a complete ceasefire, a permanent ceasefire. And that is something that Israel has simply said that they will not do.

We've had one diplomat, familiar with these talks, telling CNN, it is going to be a hard sell for the Israelis do this -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Paula Hancocks in Doha. Thank you.

[16:40:06]

All right, coming up, an inside look at how one Hollywood show is harnessing its influence to try to curb gun violence in America. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Last week, the trial for James Crumbley ended with his conviction in connection with his son's deadly school shooting in 2021. Testimony in the case revealed the gun used in the killings was not properly stored. The key to the gun lock was kept in a beer mug.

[16:45:02]

WHITFIELD: And the combination to the guns safe was a series of zeros.

After a rash of mass shootings, like the Crumbley case, CNN's Josh Campbell explains how Hollywood writers and directors decided to address gun culture by modeling firearm safety on the big screen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: LAPD. Drop the weapon.

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gunfire. Danger. High- energy. It's another episode of the hit CBS show, "S.W.A.T."

SHEMAR MOORE, ACTOR, "S.W.A.T.": Hey, baby.

CAMPBELL: But something in this scene is different. Can you tell?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your day get any better after I saw you?

MOORE: No, actually, it got worse, if you can believe it. But we did save a mother and a child, so it made it all worth it. How'd the rest of your day go?

CAMPBELL: Did you spot it? Look again. Safe gun storage. On that same Sony picture set, "S.W.A.T." showrunner, Andrew Dettmann, says, in the past, the officer may have just set his gun on the counter. But now, --

ANDREW DETTMANN, PRODUCER, "S.W.A.T.": Gun safe opens. He puts the gun away. It's nice and safe before he heads back to talk to his wife. You know, it's very routine part of his life. Come home at the end of the day. Store your weapon so that it's safe, now that he's got a toddler in the house.

KRIS BROWN, PRESIDENT, BRADY UNITED: That's a game changer.

CAMPBELL: The new approach is one of the successes of the show gun safety campaign, launched by advocacy group, Brady United. Which is now partnering with studios across the country, after verse meeting at a White House roundtable with actors and writers last year. Their initiative calls for no guns on kid shows, rethinking whether guns are needed in adult shows. And if they are, showing proper storage and handling.

BROWN: We lose eight kids a day, a uniquely American epidemic, to family fire. That's to -- that's because of firearms in the home that are not safely stored.

CAMPBELL: While guns can be politically polarizing, this show believes encouraging the safe storage of firearms shouldn't be controversial at all.

DETTMANN: This is not part of that larger gun debate. You know, we have -- our audience is very much on both sides of that issue. This, to me, I hoped anyway, seemed like this is just a common-sense issue, right? Show it safely. Don't leave it out in the house. You know, and if we can -- if they their favorite characters doing it on a regular basis, maybe that influences them some way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, settle, settle. Here we go. Quiet, please.

CAMPBELL: Inside another sound stage, we watch as a "S.W.A.T." crew film scenes with Shemar Moore.

(on camera): We've heard statistics that more people look up to their favorite actor than a lot of politicians.

MOORE: I'm not Taylor Swift. But she doesn't carry a gun.

CAMPBELL: (INAUDIBLE.)

MOORE: As far as I know.

CAMPBELL (voice-over): Moore told us he's a gun owner too. And with a young daughter, both on and off screen, modeling safety is a badge he's willing to wear.

MOORE: I'm a big bad ass (INAUDIBLE) and I get out there and I -- you know, I take down bad guys. But when I come home, I own a firearm, but it's safe. It's protected. If I can use my platform to affect change or affect optimism, or to get people to listen, that's an honor. I'm humbled by it.

CAMPBELL: Along with safe storage, "S.W.A.T." is also curbing the amount of gunfire on its show.

DETTMANN: The director had an automatic weapon in mind, but maybe we can pull that back and just have it be a few shots. So that we don't have all this gratuitous gunfire with no consequence.

CHRISTIAN HEYNE, CHIEF POLICY OFFICER, BRADY UNITED: We've got to stop normalizing this across the board.

CAMPBELL: Gun violence victims, like Christian Heini, who lost his mother in a 2005 shooting in California, praise the efforts of shows like "S.W.A.T." Now a chief policy officer for Brady United, he hopes this new campaign succeeds. Like past partnerships with Hollywood, to de-glamorize smoking and promote safe driving.

HEYNE: You never will see somebody get into a car on a film or on television and not put a seat belt on. We have to be thinking the same way about gun violence to really create a movement in Hollywood, where this becomes second nature.

MOORE: People are going to watch me and listen to me. And I know that, by behavior, by how I present myself, somebody could follow suit. That's a huge responsibility. And so, hopefully, this is a reminder, to the adults, to the parents, to be extra cautious.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got it. Cut.

CAMPBELL: Josh Campbell, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Josh, thanks for bringing that to us. And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[16:53:49]

WHITFIELD: All right, after three days of voting in Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin is now speaking from his campaign headquarters in Moscow, after the polls have closed. Let's listen in.

PUTIN (translator): -- whatever that is also work. It may seem strange but it is actually connected with the welfare of the country and the security of our country. And people who are very far from the military profession, for example, who are only civilians, and there are many of you around me, they have no fear in working and expressing the civic duty.

Of course, there are many challenges ahead. But we are consolidated. And I think that goes for everybody. Whoever wanted to intimidate us, who bully us, to trample us.

[16:55:00]

PUTIN (translator): Nobody has ever managed to do that in history never, ever, ever.

And we, on the contrary, feel that we are one big, united family. I've just spoken to the --

WHITFIELD: All right. There, you're listening to Vladimir Putin speaking, after his clear victory after three days of voting.

Former Moscow bureau chief for CNN, Jill Dougherty, is with us now. So, Jill, I mean, he, essentially, is saying no one -- you know, no one can bully us. You know, no one to change our history. He is underscoring his victory and his continued support.

DOUGHERTY: And it's exactly what we've heard from Putin for a couple of years now. It's the same message which is, we are consolidated. Russia is together. Everybody agrees with me. And I am Russia. And whoever wanted to bully or intimidate, this will never happen. This is really the message that Putin has.

And I think what he's trying to do is say, this election proved it. The numbers really are quite extraordinary. But this was an extraordinarily important election for Putin. Taking place at the time of war. Taking place where he really had to show and take a pull out all the stops that he was the person who was in charge.

And, you know, in the -- Fred, in the old Soviet days, they would say they over fulfilled the plan. I think here, they really did over fulfill the plan, in terms of getting out the vote.

WHITFIELD: But there's never been any question that he would win this election. So, this election really is about symbolism, isn't it? I mean, he needs an election to help convey a message or imply that there's a message that everyone is behind him. But do people really have a choice?

DOUGHERTY: Well, in this election, they did not. I mean, well, they had to choice to vote for him. They did not have a choice to vote against him. And that's the difference between this election and elections that are actually conducted Democratically.

But I think what he's trying to do, and you can hear it in these -- in these comments, is to talk about the consolidation of society and his legitimacy. He is now saying to the Russian people, look, I got this vote. We are all together.

And the implied message, I think, is that there's no nobody who doesn't agree with this. Because, of course, anybody who doesn't agree has been eliminated in one way or the other.

So, where we go from here, I think it's probably Putin saying he has the mandate. He will do whatever he wants. And, at this point, it looks as if he will continue the war in Ukraine. He will continue repression at home. And that he now feels that he's empowered to do pretty much whatever he wants at home. That's kind of a frightening message for a lot of people.

WHITFIELD: Empowered at home. But then, potentially, does this empower him, on what some critics have said, if he is to win Ukraine, then next, eastern Europe or parts of the Baltic states.

DOUGHERTY: Yes, that remains to be seen. I mean, I think, you know, Putin does things when he feels that he can do them. That he can get away with them So, he will test. He'll probe. He will do things, if he perceives that the west is weakened. He would try to push and see how the west reacts. And if the west is, you know, divided or whatever, he will push further.

So, that's, I think, what the west is looking at right now. He feels embolden on many different levels, especially this election. And now, he will do as much as he feels he can get away with. WHITFIELD: Now, what about those reported acts of defiance? Whether you saw them in country in Russia. Or, perhaps, even led by the widow of Alexei Navalny in Germany and other parts of the world, where people have said they are turning out for the opposition, say in the form of the late opposition leader, Alexei Navalny. Do they have reason to feel emboldened in any way or is there added reason for them to grow in numbers?

[17:00:04]

DOUGHERTY: Well, I don't think they feel, necessarily, emboldened.