mr. whelan to suggest he iswo ing for u.s.ligence.k i that we have here is an individual who because of his ibackground and placeme russia was picked up by russian intelligence and is essentially being used as a pawn. it is more of a hostage situation than an actual spy being apprehended. laura: and what kind of information will the u.s. ambassador to russia be trying to get from mr. whelan when he was allowed toee him today? to know: he will wan how he was detained and if he was presented with evidence that he was committing espionage, which probably he was not. i think what we are seeing here -- look, we caught a very low level pawn in maria butina. andk so i th are seeing a very provocative move on the part of putin and the kremlin ta trump american pawn. laura: you are talking about maria butina, the russianed who was arreere. she has been charged with trying to influence the american political process. you are seeing this as tit-for-tat potentially? lindsay: it is tit-for-tat, but ncey are not equal cases. there is ample

mr. whelan w was allowed to see him today?ay: he will want to know how he was detained and if hes esented with evidence that he was committing espionage, which probably he was not. i think what we are seeing herew -- loocaught a very low level pawn in maria butina. and so i think we are seeing a very provocative move on the part of putin and the kremlin to trump up an american pawn. laura: you are talking about maria butina, the russian who was arrested here. she has been charged with trying to influence the american political process. you e seeing this as tit-for-tat potentially? lindsay: it is tit-for-tatotbut they arequal cases. there is ample evidence that maria butina was committing espionage. n,ag very low-level pawn. u.s. intelligence operates differently. we are not going to use someone who is so shoddy in their tradecraft within russia. when you are conducting u.s. intelligence operations u thin russia, e highly trained. and nothing about mr. whelan's background even suggests he would have an affiliation with u.s. int

mr. whelan.ut he was arrested on an indictment that was issued, a warrant for his arrest was issued in 2017 out of florida. mr. makarenko represents the russian arm if you like, the ordering element of attempts to smuggle high quality night vision rifle scopes and also heat intensifying equipment as well as some ammunition parts to russia in violation of americans arms exports regulations. now these are all allegations. he's now in detention, and the russians are complaining they were not properly informed of this. what we're seeing here is the beginning of what could turn into a standoff over these two arrests. of course in the background is the case of maria butina who has pleaded guilty to taeattempts t influence the u.s. government and other elements in the united states but has yet to be sentenced. and the character of victor boot who is closely associated with russian military intelligence. he's languishing in american jail for a whole slew of money laundering and arms dealing charges. he w

mr. whelan. nonetheless, this all is getting increasingly murky following the arrest by american authorities of a russian, dimitri makarenko, on charges that he was involved in money laundering and arm shipments based on a warrant issued for his arrest in florida. he was picked up in u.s. territories in the north pacific the day after mr. whelan was arrested. sam kiley, cnn, moscow. >>> well, the u.s. national security adviser is trying to reassure u.s. allies on the troop withdrawal from syria. john bolton was in jerusalem sunday and met with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. he says the u.s. withdrawal depends on certain conditions. they reportedly include protecting kurdish allies from america's other ally, turkey. more now with our cnn's ian lee in jerusalem. >> reporter: u.s. national security adviser john bolton is in the region to reassure allies after president trump announced the abrupt plan to pull u.s. troops out of syria. there was shock and concern after the announcement abo

mr. whelan was arrested., cnn, moscow. >>> stunning video out of texas now where a group of good samaritans do the unthinkable. they try to turn over a burning car. wait until you see what happens. you're live in the "cnn newsroom." i am all about living joyfully. the united explorer card hooks me up. getting more for getting away. traveling lighter. getting settled. rewarded. learn more at the explorer card dot com. thyou had a good run, but it's time to sell or trade it in, and you need to know what it's worth. with truecar, just enter your license plate and see your car's value in real time. sports package and low mileage? nice. incident with a shopping cart... not so nice. sunroof? real nice. within minutes, you'll have a true cash offer and you can head to a local certified dealership to cash out or trade in. enjoy a better way to sell or trade in your car with truecar. cancer survivor. surviving for five years is a big deal. i had so many people at ctca helping me find a way to go through the treatments

whelan are completely different earlier this week the washington post published an article about mr whelan's to attention and it former cia official. says dollops about whelan being a spy saying quote we don't send in random americans without diplomatic immunity to collect the low level stuff every last legal and media analyst lionel for his reaction. he says that we only use according to this people with diplomatic immunity when you look at this as far as the illegality of it what is the role of the diplomatic community how does that work are does that in any way interfere with spying and vice versa you're not going to see a lot of people address this and you have to see a lot of people in american media in the american media speak to this particular point we must assure that all individuals in all countries are accorded the rights that are that are available to them what's fascinating is that you will see american mainstream media in particular that does not have necessarily some of the best newsrooms some of the best let's say experts available who will have to feed that twenty four seven

that a canadian citizen has been arrested in russia ambassador huntsman expressed his support for mr whelan and offered the embassy assistance however when it comes to the canadian passport the suspects brother couldn't even say whether he still has it or not i don't know i know that he was once a canadian citizen so he may still be and i know that he is an american citizen right now strange but that's how it is paul whelan is in detention in moscow having been charged with espionage although his family is sure the reason he went to russia was just a wedding party the american ambassador had been given permission to see the spy suspect and so he did mr whelan's lawyer is seeking bail for his client but don't forget several countries have wind up to help him out so while u.k. officials are waiting for the green light to get access to the alleged spy their top diplomat has spoken out opposition is very very clear individuals should not be . used as pawns of diplomatic leverage we need to see what those charges are against him to understand whether there is a case or not we're not ruling out a

mr. whelan's family. they want to manipulate this narrative and we know that vladimir putin loves propaganda and he will come up with evidence and charges to try to paint a picture that could be completely divorced from the truth. >> i want to bring in john kirby here with us now. you were a spokesperson at department of state. when the state department is looking at this, what is their response telling you as they try to secure his release and get more details? >> right now they are trying to get a visit. it looks like 72 hours is probably put on them and imposed by moscow. the first step will be to get a professional foreign service officer to interview mr. whelan and find out the circumstances of his visit and get as much informs as they can so they can advise him going forward. they will connect him to a lawyer, a russian lawyer with whom they have worked before and they trust to try to help him navigate the legal foundations in moscow. right now that's the main thing that they look after his health.

british diplomats are asking for access to mr whelan in moscow. s is paul whelan. just charged in russia as a suspected spy. a former us marine, the 48—year—old is also a british citizen. he arrived in moscowjust before christmas for a friend's wedding. the guests were staying at this prestigious hotel. 0n the day of his arrest he had been showing them round the kremlin just metres from here. his twin lives in canada where the two brothers were born to british parents. it's very hard for me to understand how anyone would consider paul to be someone who would be a lawbreaker and take those sorts of risks, particularly in countries where they are less maybe flexible about lawbreaking. paul whelan has run this russian social media page for over a decade. he last checked in on the day he was detained. some friends have military connections like him. this post congratulates them on defenders of the fatherland day. but all those we have spoken to say his behaviour was never suspicious. mr whelan's lawyer says he is now in solitary confinement in this for

british diplomats are asking for access to mr whelan in moscow. our correspondent, sarah rainsford. this is paul whelan. just charged in russia as a suspected spy. a former us marine, the 48—year—old is also a british citizen. he arrived in moscowjust before christmas for a friend's wedding. the guests were staying at this prestigious hotel. on the day of his arrest he had been showing them round the kremlin just metres from here. his twin lives in canada where the two brothers were born to british parents. it's very hard for me to understand how anyone would consider paul to be someone who would be a lawbreaker and take those sorts of risks, particularly in countries where they are less maybe flexible about lawbreaking. paul whelan has run this russian social media page for over a decade. he last checked in on the day he was detained. some friends have military connections like him. this post congratulates them on defenders of the fatherland day. but all those we have spoken to say his behaviour was never suspicious. mr whelan's lawyer says he is

but the judge ruled against releasing mr whelan from custody. cell where he looks likely to spend several months as this investigation continues. this case, of course, one that looks set to make relations between the west and russia even worse. sarah rainsford, bbc news, moscow. this is a complicated and intriguing case, clearly caught up in political issues in russia and the united states and between those two countries, we still don't know exactly what happened or why. prince william has questioned why world leaders have taken so long to take action on environmental challenges. he was speaking during an interview with sir david attenborough at a gathering of world leaders and business people in the swiss resort of davos. sir david told the prince that it was difficult to overstate the urgency needed to tackle climate change. from davos, our diplomatic correspondent james landale sent this report. davos — playground for the rich and conference hall for the powerful. but look who's also here, a first—time visitor come to discuss climate change. a

mr. whelan was caught spying.s been no further announcement officially on what that actually involved, but a russian news agency has filed a report which has been picked up broadly in this country, and i'm quoting an jens source saying what actually happened was quite interesting. had a five-star hotel in downtown moscow, the met polho tell in, his room he accepted a flash drive and was arrested shortly after that. that flash drive contained a list of employees working at a classified russian security agency. the report which we haven't been able to verify also makes reference to whelan's social media accounts in russia which as we know he's been engaged in in for several years. the source quoted in this report said that whelan south out russian internet users, tracked and selected in advance by american intelligence special services, and so that's the kind of narrative that is being built perhaps with some ulterior moment by this security source. the point is whether it's true or not. if whelan is convicted of th

mr. whelan at the detention facility that is a former kgb prison on the outskirts of miscellaneooscow, called and spoke to them about mr. whelan's condition, but no details have been given to us about that. nor have any details been given to us at this stage by the russians about the circumstances of the arrest, and they just say he was caught spying, basically, implying he was caught red-handed in the act of espionage, but no details has been given about that. one of the interesting things is the ambassador himself went to the prison and interviewed mr. whelan, and that shows just how important this case is being taken bite united states. back to you. >> thank you for staying on that for us. really appreciate it. >>> a huge development in space. china successfully land aed a rover on the far side of the oth earth, and this never has happened before. matt rivers is live in beijing with a huge moment in silence, national security, however you want to look at it. >> we can show you the first close-up image on the far side of the moon, and it was transmitted from where trover landed and this is

mr. whelan when he was arrested in the hotel where he has been refused bail.trageous development and he should be out because of the investigations could take up to six months. british foreign office has also asked for access to him because he is a dual u.s. and british national. mike pompeo, in the state department, said they are taking the case up at the highest level. clearly this is something that is exercising the united states in terms of its relationship with moscow. dave. >> sam kiley live for us in moscow. >>> later today, senator elizabeth warren heads to iowa making her first trip to the state that begins the democratic presidential nominating process. she arrives in council bluffs for the first of five stops over the next three days. she launched a committee for a 2020 presidential bid on new year's eve which allows her to raise money for the campaign. it makes her the first big name candidate to enter the race. she hired the top democratic talent in the race to lead her staff in organizing in iowa. >>> video from southern california as husband and

mr. whelan. we appreciate it, sam kiley. thank you. >>> sources tell cnn the u.s. is already scouting out potential sites for a second summit between president trump and kim jung-un. the president is said to be encouraged by a letter he received from the north, but some say mr. trump is falling for kim jung-un's flattery. here is our brian todd with that. >> reporter: it just may be the oddest relationship in international relations. the american president repeatedly flattered by and flattering nekim jung-un. >> we're doing very well. >> reporter: president-elect trump's positive mention of his relationship with kim jung-un came only about 48 hours after the president showed off the latest personal letter he got from the north korea dictator. >> there are nevare never writt letters like that. >> reporter: sources say that it was effusive, and that kim sends letters to trump to appeal to his ego. especially at times when kim feels negotiations over his nuclear weapons have hit a plateau. analysts agree kim is whispering in trump's ear. >> i think he's saying you, si

mr. whelan would be allowed to visit him in that prison. no date yet, he told us, for a court hearing has been set, ana. >> matthew chance in moscow. paul whelan, american held there, now officially charged with espionage. more on that and much more other breaking news right after a quick break. i am for shortening colds when i'm sick. with zicam. zicam is completely different. unlike most other cold medicines... ...zicam is clinically proven to shorten colds. i am a zifan for zicam. oral or nasal. still fresh... ♪ unstopables in-wash scent booster ♪ downy unstopables need money for your family, call newday usa. a newday va home loan lets you refinance your home and take out 54,000 dollars or more to pay credit card debt, or just put money in the bank. it even lowers your payments by over 600 dollars a month. as a veteran, you've earned the powerful va home loan benefit that lets you refinance up to 100 percent of your home's value. and with home values rising, that can mean a lot more money for you and your family. and because newday usa ha

mr. whelan on top of now the case of mr. mac reng co who has been arrested in the northern pacific, russian citizen accused of money laundering and the shipping of sophisticated sites, both thermal imaging and night imaging sites as well as parts to russia. allegedly the russian end of an arms smuggling network which also involved money laundering, could ultimately result in some kind of spy for spy swap of the sort that he have with' seen in the past, particularly during the cold war. possibly involving mr. makarenko, possibly maria butina who has pleaded guilty in the united states to attempting to influence the national rifle association and other bodies within the political structures of the united states or indeed the famous victor boot who celebrated an infamous arms smuggler, money laundering who is also in an american jail, which the russians have been calling for his return for some time. so there are opportunities there, but not officially yet as far as the russians are concerned. notally? >> all right. we will wai

mr. whelan could have been detained perhaps for the possibility of a swap of prisoners in the future. back to you. >> okay, matthew chance live for us, just past noon in moscow. thanks. >>> at least one prominent member of the military coming to the defense of retired four-star army general stanley mcchrystal. mcchrystal felt the wrath of the president after making these comment about mr. trump on sunday -- >> i think it's important for me to work for people who i think are basically honest, who tell the truth as best they know it. >> you think he's a liar? >> i don't think he tells the truth. >> is trump immoral in your view? >> i think he is. >> president trump firing back, tweeting, general, in quotes, mcchrystal got fired like a dog by obama. last assignment a total bust. known for big, dumb mouth. hillary lover. >> for the record, general mcchrystal resigned in 2010 over comments he made belittling administration officials including vice president joe biden. now-retired four-star admiral william mcraven defending mcchrystal. mcraven led the osama bin laden raid and calls mcchryst

mr. whelan's background doesn't fit with the kind of person who would be involved with u.s.ligence. >> nonofficial cover, there are cases wherei. the a. turns to people perhaps with a military background or at the very least not diplomatic cover, but ever that, this is not an example of someone who's going to be in rust working for intelligence services? >> mr. president putin grew up with cold war kgb, he han the russian intelligence service, he's been president almost 20 years so he's seen u.s. intelligence service work and the have been arrests and defections over the years so he knows well how we work and he knows well this is not how we work. so somebody like this just doesn't fit our profile, especial mosco it's possible we use different cover in different places, but a place likmoscow where they're tracking us 24 hours a day and very focused on the united states as their main enemy, it would be foolhardy r to try to do sort of sloppy intelligence operations like this. >> the agency in russia which has intelligence to russia's intelligence service reported whelan spent

mr. whelan could have been a spy? his unique interest to russia? involving larceny and receiving a bad conduct discharge. is his story curious to you? >> it's very curious. because while he seems to be having cultivating relationships with people in russia, he doesn't have the access or the background. so while his behavior is somewhat strange, i don't think he's an operative. >> the u.s. would use someone with his track record as a spy. would he possibly be doing any kind of work for a different entity? >> no. you know, i don't think so. because if it was, if he was, it would probably be canada or britain and the type of information he was allegedly barging for, even if true, was so low level, i can't imagine them using somebody that risky. what i suspect is it's at loos possible that he was free lancing. that he was trying to get information that he thought he might be able to sell to an intelligence agency. >> i see. his family is certainly standing by him. that he travelled in russia often. made various friends. he has american citizenship, can

mr. whelan. they haven't discussed it at all. contrast this with the case against ms.public record, public knowledge, and she pled guilty. at the end of the day, the russians are -- their operation is much bigger. they want ms. butina back and they want her quiet. eric: how do we get mr. whelan back without springing butina or is that possible at all? >> i don't know that we can. this may be very much like, you know, gary powers who was in the soviet russian detention for some period of time. i don't know that we can give the russians anything here that would be politically advisable. this may be just very unfortunate case for mr. whelan. eric: what does this say about if you want to travel to russia or china for that matter? if you're a tourist and want to visit moscow or st. petersburg, look at the museums, they have the power to snatch you off the street and plant evidence perhaps? >> that's a great point, eric. this is something the russians have to be very careful about, as do the chinese. foreign tourists bring in lots of hard currency into those countries, espec

mr. whelan is he really doesn't fit the profile of a spy.ot least because he was dismissed as charged from the u.s. marine corps for larceny which pretty much precludes him as an operator to the intelligence agency. so what is also striking here fredricka is that whilst over the last week donald trump, the u.s. president, has defended the soviet invasion of afghanistan as a reaction against terrorism, that's a fact that is simply wrong, and suggested russia should get more closely involved in afghanistan, he has not come out in defense of the citizen who is languishing in a russian jail. so far, we understand, uncharged. of course mike pompeo said he would be raising this issue at the highest level and mr. wheelen has had a visit from the u.s. ambassador whilst he's been in his cell, fredricka. >> sam kylie, thanks so much, in moscow. >>> still ahead, searching for a killer. as the houston community mourns the loss of 7-year-old jazmine barnes. she was killed in a seemingly random driveby earlier this week. today, a rally for the little girl

mr. whelan, saying they would have access to him in hours. he should have consular access within 72 hours of his arrest. he was arrested on december 28 but the u.s. didn't know about it for several days. the big question is will they finally get access and we can learn more about what it is the russians are accusing him of. if, in fact, he is charged and convicted with an espionage operation, that holds up to two decades in prison in russia. his family is denying that he would have been involved in anything like that, but is acknowledging that he has spent time in russia, that he has some command of the language. so the details are still pretty unclear. we'll see if we get any more information after the u.s. has some access to him. >> a couple things we do know, paul served two tours in iraq as part of the marine corps reserve but he was discharged for bad conduct. do we know anything about what led to that? >> privacy laws restrict a whole lot of information, but what we're hearing from military officials is there was some charges related to

mr. whelan has supposedly done. what i can say for sure is that the allegations will be full of lies, because i have seen the allegations they have made against me and others in politically-motivated cases. after that, if there is a very unlucky situation, they may actually start to put pressure on mr. whelan in prison and amount to torture. they do that and i have seen it with colleagues of mine, and so anything could happen in the situation. we have to be aware of it, and we should, the united states government should make it clear that if anything happens to this man, there is going to be hell to pay. >> bill browder, thank you so much, and we ap preepreciate yo coming in on this new year's day. >> thank you. >>> up next, the first day on the the job for the new acting secretary of defense, patrick shanahan says he is looking forward to carrying out president trump's vision, but what exactly does that mean? you are watching "msnbc live." amazon prime video is now on xfinity x1. so when you say words like... show