elementary schools in newport news and they're considering a rule to require students to bring only transparent backpacks to school. one security expert calls that security theater. >> the number one way we find out about weapons in schools is not from a metal detector but a kid who tells an adult that they trust. it's about relationships. >> reporter: we reached out to the school district for response for accusation that the district underreports disciplinary and to ask if superintendent george parker or anyone on the school board would resign. they didn't respond. >> thank you very much. and to our viewers, thanks very much for watching. i'm wolf blitzer. "erin burnett outfront" starts right now. "outfront" next, the world's most powerful are taking on putin with words, slamming russia tonight, though, from

davos. the winter playground of the rich. and not far from many of those rich and those closest to putin where they've enjoyed a life of luxury. plus, a navy veteran is accusing congressman george santos of stealing thousands of dollars. you will hear his story and the moment that he realized it was the same man accused of deceiving voters on everything from where he went to college to his religion. that veteran speaks out in an interview you'll see first "outfront" tonight. and also the chilling evidence against brian walshe, the husband accused of murdering and dismembering his wife in massachusetts. evidence authorities say includes googling, can you throw away body parts. let's go "outfront." good evening. i'm erin burnett. "outfront" tonight, the davos deception. so the elite luxury alpine ski resort in davos, switzerland, is the center of the world's elite tonight, hosting right now probably still lots of parties going on, who's who in the world

of money and politics. one world leader after the other there slamming putin's invasion of ukraine. even as the reported home of putin's ex-wife is located just steps away from the high-end partying going on. and it isn't just putin's ex-wife. switzerland is also a country where putin's girlfriend has stayed for long stretches of time, according to the "wall street journal." >> russia has been evading a war here on our doorstep and in europe. the ukrainians are bearing more than anyone. germany alone made available over 12 billion euros last year. we will continue to support ukraine for as long as necessary. we will continue to help ukraine in its struggle for freedom. >> and it went on and on and on.

everybody who could get that stage said similar things. the world's elite appear to be united on this issue. but just steps away from where these speeches are being made is the reported home of putin's ex-wife. you can actually see it in the background of this shot on yahoo finance. and the person who pointed this out is head of investigations for putin opposition leader alexei navalny's anticorruption foundation. in fact, that is where putin's ex-wife shares an apartment with her now husband of more than five years. it's also the same country where, according to the "wall street journal," putin's girlfriend, the russian olympic gymnast has enjoyed extended stays, including in a high-walled mansion where geneva. and we should note it's always been hard to drill down those close to putin where they live. but his ex-wife are not the only ones who have gone to switzerland in search of a luxurious, comfortable life. russian oligarchs store massive amounts of money there, up to

nearly $50 billion in assets according to switzerland of what they're disclosing. to be fair, switzerland has imposed sanctions on russians but has only captured a fraction of that wealth. and all of this is happening as the war rages on the front lines and people are dyeing in ukraine. helicopter carrying a number of senior ukrainian officials including the interior minister also crashed today outside a kindergarten, a horrible tragedy, at least 14 people killed including a child. president zelenskyy saying even if it was an accident, the blame ultimately does lie with putin. fred pleitgen is "outfront" live in kyiv. you were at the crash site today. what's you see and hear from witnesses? >> reporter: hi, erin. we spoke to some eyewitnesses on the gruound there. the chopper didn't look at first as though the chopper itself was losing control. however, they did say that it was losing altitude very quickly. it then crashed first into the

roof of a kindergarten, skidded across that roof, and then finally completely crashed right on the doorstep of a big residential building. now, as you mentioned, this is a huge tragedy for ukraine. some of its most important politicians, especially right now in this effort against that russian aggression were killed in that incident but also a lot of people on the ground. here's what we're learning. widespread destruction after the helicopter for ukraine's interior minister crashed near kyiv. an eyewitness describing the scene to me. >> translator: i saw a helicopter that was flying towards the kindergarten. it landed almost vertically. i saw an explosion. i came down to help clear the debris. >> reporter: he also shot this video of the immediate aftermath. but chopper crashed at the foot of this residential building. there's lots of parts strewn around everywhere. it completely burned out,

killing everyone inside, and several people on the ground. among the dead, ukraine's interior minister. his deputy, and their state secretary. the deputy minister's wife in tears as she reached the scene. especially tragic, a child was also among several people killed on the ground as the aircraft hit a kindergarten just as parents were dropping their kids off. two boys describe how they tried to help. here they passed injured children over the fence, this boy says, mostly they had bruises and scratches. bandages, wrote down their names and surnames and found their parents. the chopper, a eurocopter super puma. >> translator: various factors, radio communications and the

technical condition of the helicopter need to be examined. this will take at least several weeks. >> reporter: dennis was one of ukraine's most important officials. we traveled with him to the chernobyl nuclear plant shortly after russian forces withdrew from there. he frequently visited the front lines to help boost morale. they have such a strong fighting spirit and are ready for any scenario. we heard the shells exploding but no one is afraid as everyone is ready. >> reporter: ukrainian forces are currently facing a major russian onslaught in the eastern part of the country near bakhmut and soledar. and dozens were killed when a massive russian missile hit a residential building in dnipro. and now ukraine is also mourning the loss of more than a dozen people including some of the country's top officials. and, erin, the authorities here say that the investigation to

what exactly happened could take several weeks. there's obviously several leads that they are following, possible mechanical failure on the helicopter, pilot error is also something they're looking into as well. one of the things we have to mention is that there was pretty thick fog when that chopper was taken down. but, of course, this is a huge tragedy for ukraine. dennis, one of the top officials and of course especially right now as the police forces here are so important in ukraine, and also the emergency services after some of those big russian strikes during those cleanup and rescue operations, a huge blow to this country that is already being tested so much. >> fred, thank you very much from ukraine tonight. let's go now to former chief of the intelligence engagement division at the u.s./european command. also with me tonight retired army major general james "spider" marks. let's start with switzerland. you've got all these people, they're eager to say something, but of course the irony that

they're standing in a place where in the background of the pictures, you're seeing a home of someone incredibly close to vladimir putin. >> well, the hypocrisy of that type of gathering is very obvious. but we need to keep in mind that there are multiple elements of power that any nation can use to try to achieve its national security objectives, whatever they are. and that's diplomacy, economics, military and information. so the economic piece is as important as the military piece. the challenge that we have right now, you have to get beyond the parties, you have to get beyond the hypocrisy, you have to get beyond the fact that putin his paramore lives over there with his ex-wife. i'm not a marriage counselor, but i find that incredibly unbelievable that those two gals are getting along. but the point is, is the focus needs to be on those nations that have chosen not to participate in the sanctions. and most of the world have not

participated in the sanctions against russia. you've got india and certainly you have china. i doubt china's going to jump on that bandwagon. but the united states has an opportunity, and this gathering in davos has an opportunity to look india in the eye and say what's up with you guys. they have a very cozy relationship with putin. they have about 1.4 billion folks, and they need what russia has. and so they're buying willingly and openly from russia. that's what needs to be addressed. >> you got more than half are not on board with stopping this. colonel, when we look at where this is right now in the economic portion of it, what does ukraine need the most right now? today the ukrainian defense minister and the aftermath of that horrible helicopter tragedy that affected the government pleaded specifically for more battle tanks. they said that's what we need.

and there are many things here if we're talking about this. but he said they are crucial. how important are they? >> it's important for one aspect of comet operation, and that's the maneuver aspect. they need more than tanks because tanks are -- they are looking for tanks, artillery. and if possible, you want to have air support. ukraine has excelled and maneuvered. they have outmaneuvered russia very well. and, quite frankly, russia doesn't defend well. as examine example of how they've had to withdraw from kyiv. they also need more of an offensive capability. they need to be able to extend their operational reach beyond the borders of ukraine and into russia and into belarus. they need to be able to strike back at the launch points for cruise missiles and drones.

they need to be able to effect the battle before the battle comes to them. >> that's what is desperately needed, ukraine says, right now, all of that capability. general marks, putin was at a military industrial plant today. he said that the people that work there, military industrial workers, might be exempt from the upcoming spring draft, which is he literally said -- and i'll quote him -- as for conscripts who are called up for military service, considering that the defense industry is currently overwhelmed and taking into account the fact that you work in three shifts and their products are in high comdemand, are looking at the possibility of granting a deferment. that's a pretty clear admission of a lot of problems. >> completely acknowledging that he's short on his stockpiles. he has to address his industrial base. and also he's giving strong incentive to all of those folks

that are in that industry that i'm not going to throw you into this fight, and it's a fight because you have your eyes wide open. it's a fight that you know your brothers are losing dramatically when they engage with the ukrainians. so, truly, what putin is saying, look, i am going to mobilize more troops, i'm going to try to mobilize my industrial because, and he's going to continue to surround himself with a bunch of yes-men so he doesn't get any of the bad news. >> thank you so much beth. i appreciate it. >> thank you, erin. , and next, an interview you'll see first "outfront." a veteran accusing congressman george santos of stealing thousands of dollars that were donated to save his dying dog. you will hear his story, next. plus, a war of words over america's debt. the treasury secretary warning the united states is now hours away from hitting its debt ceiling. republican andy biggs, though, says they will not raise the debt ceiling. and the failed republican candidate who police say tried to harm four democratic officials, even paying and working with others to carry out

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it■s hard eating healthy. unless you happen to be a dog. in an interview you'll see first "outfront," a new jersey veteran is speaking out against embattled republican congressman george santos, claiming the congressman promised to help his service dog get life-saving surgery in 2016. but after about $3,000 of donations poured in, the navy veteran says santos stopped replying to his calls, to his

texts. the veteran never saw a dime. his dog passed away months later. and the fundraiser was set up under a charity group that santos actually mentioned on his campaign website. you see it here. in a paragraph that has since been deleted. it claimed that he rescued 2,400 dogs and 280 cats. santos also touted the charity in this interview. >> i mean, we had a great organization. we were able to save animals, dogs, cats, horses. at one point i stuck eight baby jumping goats in my car. >> there is no record of this group in the irs database. and the website gofundme where this fundraiser was posted said that the organizer failed to respond to all their inquiries about where the funds went, never gave any proof of anything and so they banned santos' account.

the house republican leadership continues to stand by santos tonight putting him on two committees just this week. "outfront" now, the navy veteran who was making the claims about santos, and the founder of the new jersey veterans network who tried to intervene and get the money from santos. so, look, i'm so glad to speak to both of you. and, rich, you served in the u.s. navy. i know your service dog sapphire was your savior and so important in your life. she's here. you wanted to bring her. >> i had to bring her, yeah. it's my baby right there. it's all i have left of her. >> and, you know, when george santos who at the time i guess you knew him, she was going to help you save her from cancer. >> he was going to use his charity, his 501k, pets of friends united to raise funds over gofundme. he said he was very respected,

he was very -- he had his feelers out. and with his charity, it would help me very much to get the money in a sooner amount of time than later. >> you were homeless at the time. >> i had broken an ankle really bad, couldn't work for a year and a half and i couldn't pay my rent and was living in a tent on the side of a highway with my dog. she had already had that growth growing. i finally decided to take her to the vet to see what they could do. and they gave me a $3,000 quote to remove it. i was homeless. i didn't have any means to pay for that at all. so one of the vet techs in the place said i know this guy, he runs a charity, and he saves a lot of animals. she was, like, do you want me to hook you up with him? so she took pictures of me and sapphire. she sent them to him.

and the gofundme started. it was up and running. i put it on my facebook page. my friends and family donated to it, they shared it. i had a lot of my navy buddies that i hadn't heard from in years give me hundreds towards it. there were some other donors that i didn't ever recognize their names or anything. they might've been friends of friends, for all i know. so we raised $3,000 in two months, maybe three months. it was six years ago. and as soon as the money came, i was, like, great. >> you could save your dog. >> mr. santos decided that he did not want me to use my local bet. he wanted me to use his in long island or queens. i don't remember which borough or town it was in. and that was the only way he was going to get it happen. so we took the dog to the vet, and the vet said, well, we

believe this is two vascular, it's inoperable, but we'd like to go and have her -- have an ultrasound so we can see if we can do anything with it. i don't drive, i was homeless, and i paid a ride. i paid a friend to bring me up there. >> to his vet? >> to his vet. i paid the tolls, the gas, lunches. and he was supposed to pay me back for that. i even was dumb enough to give him my bank account and my routing number because he said he was going to put the money right into my account. never happened. that was when i started smelling something fishy. >> and so at this point, michael, you get involved to try to help him get the money. you had conversations with santos. again, at this time you knew him as anthony. what were those like? >> my goal was just to speak to another charity. the last thing that crossed my mind was that it was going to be a problem. >> so you weren't like this is

fraud. you're thinking i'm just going to solve this and get him his money. >> i called up rich and said this shouldn't be a problem. it's probably a misunderstanding at best. relax, let me just speak to him and we'll work it out. when i called him, my intentions were just to settle this really quickly and move on. but the problem was is that when i spoke to him on the phone, he was not listening to what i was saying. he already made up his mind. i said to him, can you please give the money back to the people, or there's a veterinarian in rich's area that we can give the money to and put it into like a fund where he could use it from time to time. it's not your money to keep. and he just wasn't hearing it. i called rich back horrified. i was really upset because this is rich's life line. i work with veterans every day. and dogs save people's lives. and he needed this dog every day to be in his life. and i felt horrible to tell him that i failed him because of feeling that mr. -- at the time, was going to do the right thing and he did not. >> and you never got a dollar of the money? >> never got anything.

>> and obviously she died? >> she died about four months after this all went down. there was a string of texts between me and him. i talked to him one time on the phone. in one of the texts i was so upset. i knew i wasn't going to get the money at that point. i was, like, i know that you mined my dog and my friends and families heart to raise money for yourself. he told me that was the most offensive horrible thing anybody had ever said to him. that i think was the breaking point where he decided he was not going to give me the money. he was off the hook, he wanted to create a problem, a wedge between us. >> and that was it. so can i ask you now, this happens in your life. this was your life line. she is gone. >> that dog saved my life at least two times. when i first got out of the service i was depressed, i was having nightmares, bad, bad memories about some things that happened. not war related but other things that the military does to you. i started drinking too much.

i was doing reckless stuff. my father even told me he thought i had a death wish at that point. and i probably did. i was very suicidal. i would start crying for no reason. if i didn't have that little princess with me, i probably would've not been here to speak to you right now, at least two times. i would think about her, and i said nobody else is going to be her daddy. that's my dog. and i'd cuddle with her and i'd snuggle up with her and all the bad stuff went away. >> and at what point did you all realize that anthony duvolder is george santos? >> a week ago. i started seeing his face on cable news. >> and you're not following politics so you kind of stumbled across his face. >> i watch the news all the time. i love my youtube news. but i saw his face and i knew i sort of recognized him a little bit because we had been facebook friends while the campaign was going on.

so i knew what he looked like. and i knew his voice. that was the only thing i knew about him. i saw him on tv and i was like i got a feeling in the pit of my stomach about this guy. why do i recognize him? and that was in december right around christmastime. just about a week ago, he was in the capitol, and there was a bunch of reporters following him around asking questions. that's about the only thing you see of him anymore. one of them said what's your name today, is it anthony duvolder or george santos? >> ah. so when that name was said -- >> i was sick. to see that somebody like that that could do something that dastardly could raise to such a high position. that shouldn't be right that. shouldn't happen. >> let me ask you. don lemon reached out to santos, to george santos, and got him to respond. >> and he said i was fake.

yeah, i read that. >> let me read it. i want to give you each a chance to respond to it. he said, i have no clue what he's talking about, and the crazy part is that anyone that knows me knows i'd go to hell and back for a dog and especially a veteran. so this is just more of the pile-on effect. i have dozens of people reaching out to me in support, sharing their stories about their dogs and cats that i helped save and rescue. what do you each say to that? >> prove it, show us. he should show us if he has all these people that reach out to him and love what he does. >> coming here staking my name of our charity on this. there's no doubt that this was done and it's horrible, that this veteran has to go this. we lose 22 veterans a day and our charity does whatever we can to prevent that from happening and we rely on other charities. when another charity causes problems, it creates problems in

helping the lives of our veterans. >> i know it's hard for you to talk about this. i appreciate your doing it. and of course, michael, you coming as well. >> today has been just a whirl wind of people calling me and wanting to talk. i'm a very private person. i had my dogs and i really never have anybody over to my house. >> everyone should know you have two dogs now and sapphire. >> she'll always be with me. >> well, thank you both so much. >> thanks for letting us get this out there. next, a dangerous game of chicken over america's debt. republicans refuse to raise the debt ceiling without any strings attached. the white house, well, they are going to the opposite extreme. and the chilling evidence investigators uncovered that they say led them to charge the massachusetts father, brian walshe, with murdering his wife, including the google search "how long before a body starts to smell?" ds to both of you. our smart sleepers get 28 minutes more restfuful sleep per night.

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comcast business. powering possibilities. tonight, we are hours away from a possible crisis in america. in one day, the united states hit the so-called debt ceiling. basically it's called a ceiling because in order to borrow more money, congress has to authorize raising that limit in order to meet the government's financial obligations. now, there are gimmicks and games that prolong the process somewhat so you hit the cerealing and they can kind of finagle for a bit. but default will come within months if congress doesn't take action to raise the limit. a default would be bad for the u.s. and for the global economy and for all of us. it would do all kinds of things known and unknown. it would raise borrowing costs. it would impact social security payments, veterans' benefits,

federal employees' salaries it. >> would impact pretty much everything. and there are no signs right now of a deal to do this. republicans say they want spending cuts. the white house says there will be no negotiations full stop. republican congressman andy biggs tweeted today, quote, we cannot raise the debt ceiling, democrats have carelessly spent our taxpayer money and devalued our currency. of course this would impact us all. and the white house fired back, in part, biggs is dead wrong to actively support the ruin of millions of american livelihoods, 401(k) plans and small businesses all in the name of scorched-earth partisanship. well, this is how we start. here's the thing. just the threat of a default back in 2011 led to the only credit rating downgrade in american history. it was a big deal and it was important. and it is something that we've covered extensively back even when the show first launched more than 11 years ago.

it has been a whole year since we lost our top-notch rating. and, yet, congress is in another bitter battle over government spending just like the one that led to the downgrade a year ago. okay, look, sadly, more than a decade later, nothing has changed. the debt has doubled. this is thanks to both republicans and democrats' spending. but the u.s. now is on the brink of disaster again. and phil mattingly is at the white house. so, phil, here's the reason i point that out not just that it's been a long time but that we've been on the brink with default time after time. and suddenly, and we've been able to pull back at the last second. is that going to happen this time? >> you know, beyond the cold sweats you just gave me from replaying 2011 and the days and hours i spent inside the capitol building, look, i think the reality when you talk to people really on both sides of the aisle right now is we are at a point where it looks like we are going to get as close as we've ever gotten most comparable to 2011. white house officials are

actually exploring trying to address the debt ceiling before house republicans even took the majority. they didn't have the votes to do it. certainly what they saw in the first week of house republicans in the majority, the 15 votes it took kevin mccarthy just to become speaker didn't ease any concerns related to what's going to happen next, in part, because part of the reason kevin mccarthy got the votes those commitments to hold firm on spending cuts to any type of debt ceiling increase. all of that, and, frankly, what you played from 2011 underscores the position white house officials have taken up to this point. they are saying no negotiations, nobody will be coming to the table, clean debt ceiling increase or nothing at all. republicans have said that's a nonstarter. but the reason why white house officials have been so steadfast on this front is twofold. one, a lot of them were in the obama administration back in 2011, and hold the scars from that experience. but the idea that this is no way to go from crisis to crisis for bills that had already been

accrued. this isn't new spending, this is spending that has already been done. it's been a very choreographed effort up to this point, to the white house making very clear this is a position they aren't going to move off of. how this develops obviously we have several months to figure it out as we head into extraordinary measures. but as one democratic official texted me when i asked, but really when are we coming to the table on this type of thing, sent back a gif of michael corleon from "the godfather," my final offer is this, nothing. >> if you have a one-month t-bill or whatever you have in your investments, just to roll that over with interest requires raising the debt ceiling. so when i say this impacts everybody in every way, and it isn't new borrowing. it, i think, brings this to scale for all of us. "outfront" next is david axelrod. you hear phil's reporting. do you think that this time

could be different that, there truly could be a default for the u.s.? >> well, if you witnessed the antics on the floor during that election for speaker, it does give you cause for concern because a very, very vocal, very right sort of nealist group had quite a bit of sway and they exacted commitments from kevin mccarthy in exchange for their support. on the other hand, the reason they had sway was because his margin is so small. remember, back in 2011 when you started covering this story, erin, the house majority was at an all-time high for republicans. 242 seats. this is now 222. and there is a cadre of more moderate sort of center-right republicans who understand how irresponsible this would be. you could, for example, have a discharge petition on the floor of the house with republicans and democrats to discharge a

debt ceiling increase. there's more maneuverability here. but there's no doubt that you've got people who are willing to play with fire here. >> they certainly are. and, in a sense, it's different now when you talk about the speakership just as an example of the partisanship. but obviously you've been through this yourself in other times. president obama had to face this threat multiple times. here's what he said back in 2011. >> republican house members have essentially said that the only way they'll vote to prevent america's first-ever default is if the rest of us agree to their deep spending cuts only approach. for the first time in history, our country's aaa credit rating would be downgraded leaving investors around the world to wonder whether the united states is still a good bet. defaulting on our obligations is a reckless and irresponsible outcome to this debate. >> here's the thing, david.

the downgrade came. the country moved on. and then, just to make a point, obviously it wasn't just democrats who kept borrowing money and increasing the debt. it was republicans. just look at the numbers here. eight years of president obama, public debt goes up 9.3 trillion. four years of president trump, it goes up 7.9 trillion. president biden already has increased it by 3.6 trillion. it just seems like everybody's perfectly happy to borrow money and to spend money. >> well, first of all, it is interesting that some of the people who are moralizing about the debt ceiling and debt now were fairly quiet during the four years of president trump. they raised the debt ceiling three times during that period. and he contributed quite a bit to the overall federal debt during that period. and in fairness to him, part of it was the pandemic measures that had to be taken.

but the point is, if i'm president of the united states and i want to be responsible, i do not want a gun pointed at my head every time the debt ceiling comes up to have a small group of people exact sacrifices that are not good for the country. it is a bad policy. it happened in 2011, ultimately, that's what avoided the thing. and the downgrade happened, by the way, after the deal came. because the credit agencies were worried about this very thing. they didn't want this kind of brinksmanship and perpetuity. >> which is of course where we are. thank you very much, david axelrod, as always. >> good to see you. and, next, shocking new evidence against the massachusetts father charged with murdering his wife. prosecutors say his google searches included ten ways to dispose a dead body if you really need to. for real. and the new mexico republican accused of plotting to shoot up the homes of his

democratic rivals today made his first appearance in court. we are learning so much more about his actions in the days before the alleged attacks. c? go! only pay for what you need. jingle: liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty.

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pleading not guilty. he was last seen alive on new year's day. that same day prosecutors say that her husband googled things like, how long before a body starts to smell. how long for someone to be missing to inherit. can you throw away body parts. these searches on his child's ipad. brynn gingras is "outfront." >> reporter: that's just one of many chilling google searches. >> ten ways to dispose of a dead body if you really need to. >> reporter: massachusetts prosecutors say brian walshe thoroughly researched online how to dispose of a body after killing his wife ana on new year's. >> reporter: prosecutors laid out their case against the 47-year-old cohasset man in stunning detail, alleging in the early morning hours of january 1st walshe went on an internet search frenzy using his son's ipad, asking google questions like "how long before a body

starts to smell?" three minutes later, "how to stop a body from dedeposing." and more. >> how long for someone to be missing to inherit? can you throw away body parts? what does formaldehyde do. >> reporter: days later prosecutors say surveillance video shows a man fitting walshe's description visiting various dumpsters. >> he walks to the dumpster carrying garbage bags. he's leaning and it appears to be heavy as he has to heft it into the dumpster. >> reporter: prosecutors revealing more of what investigators uncovered at a garbage transfer site more than a week ago. ten trash bags filled with items covered in apparent blood stains. some with traces of the couple's dna. also finding ana's personal belongings. >> boots, prada purse, a covid-19 vaccine card in the name of ana walshe.

the boots were diabeticed as what ana was last seen in. >> reporter: walshe appeared largely stoic as prosecutors piled on the evidence. he's charged with murder and improper transport of a body after already being behind bars on a charge of misleading investigators searching for his wife. as for motive, prosecutors argue divorce, something else walshe allegedly researched. >> on december 27th, defendant googled what's the best -- >> reporter: he's pleaded not guilty to the charges, with his attorney saying in a statement, it is easy to charge a crime and even easier to say a person committed that crime. it is a much more difficult thing to prove it, which we will see if the prosecution can do. investigators have yet to say whether they have found ana's body. the mother of three disappeared on january 1st. her employer, not husband, reported her missing on january 4th. >> one message that i can say, brian, if you did it, just come

forward because the truth will always prevail and your boys deserve to know what happened. >> reporter: at the end of the day, this is a family torn apart. the couple's three children remain in the custody of the state. and that former colleague of ana's who you just heard from say this community has rallied around them. supposedly there are applications to gain custody of those kids. most important to them is to keep those kids together wherever they land. >> thank you so much. so horrific for those children. dear god. "outfront" next, the failed republican candidate in new mexico accused of plotting drive-by shootings at the homes of democratic officials, denied bail. hear what he allegedly did leading up to attacks. we've got a whole lot of new information for you. and medical authoritarianism. that's what florida governor ron desantis is saying about covid vaccine mandates as he pushes for permanent bans on vaccine mandates and masks.

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w solomon pena is facing a long list of very serious charges. >> we are on the record on solomon pena. >> reporter: once republican candidate now criminal defendant. solomon pena made his first appearance in an albuquerque courtroom facing charges in what prosecutors call the politically motivated shootings at the homes of four local democratic leaders. >> the state filing a motion for pretrial detention. >> reporter: and unsurprising turn for some of pena's neighbors. pena lived here on the third story of this condominium. parked outside his car affixed with political bumper stickers displaying his support of donald trump. we went to his condo complex where neighbors say pena forcefully argued with anyone who disagreed with trump's lies about election fraud. >> he didn't have conversations. he had accusations and he had a way of telling people they

didn't know what they were talking about. >> always about politics. >> always about politics, yeah. >> pena didn't just talk about trump. he followed him out of state. video appears to show pena at three different trump rallies in washington, d.c. in one video clip his name is stitched into his hat and in july 2021 in phoenix, arizona, cnn video captured a man who appears to be pena in the rally crowd. pena would later post a picture of himself as an attend di. a year later pena ran for office in new mexico as a republican candidate for the statehouse. he lost last november by a landslide. but pena echoing trump would not accept an election loss. police say he targeted four democrats to blame finding their addresses and confronting them. >> so i went to the gate and that's where he was and he seemed agitated. he seemed a little aggressive. i did tell someone about it. they said, this guy is a felon. >> mr. pena, he oshlth stated. made phone calls and basically

hired people to shoot at people's houses. >> he is a convicted felon who spent years behind bars for grand larceny. one of the men he hired say police may have been in the same prison at the same time. what began as a political grind quickly escalated says the police chief. text messages from pena to the other suspects all hired guns point to a greater threat. the warrant says solomon wanted the shootings to be more aggressive to ensure better target acquisition. >> people are pissed off about this. i'm pissed off about this. this goes to the heart of what a democracy is. you can't shoot guns at someone's house to terrorize them because they're an elected official and you have some crazy election denying motivation behind it. that is unacceptable. >> reporter: the district attorney says he is, quote, so pissed about this one he plans to prosecute this one personally himself. we did hear back from pena's

attorney who says these charges right now are accusations as she plans to defend him through this process. >> incredible disturbing. kyung, thank you. the florida governor ron desantis pushing to permanently ban masks and vaccine requirements. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ start your day with nature made. the #1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand.

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and finally tonight as talk of a 2024 presidential run grows, the florida governor ron desantis is playing to his base, doubling down on permanently banning covid vaccine mandates. in a tweet desantis saying the move will protect people from what he calls medical authorize taronism. now, if the proposal passes it would extend indefinitely temporary measures that desantis signed in 2021 which allow florida, the government, to fine businesses if the businesses require the covid vaccine. of course, an example of the government stepping into make the call, not individual companies and it's a story we'll continue to watch. thanks for joining us. it's time for "a.c. 360." good evening, on a day that brian walshe was arraigned i